RIGHT NOW i'm sitting at an empty bar somewhere south of Quepos near Manuel Antonio. TODAY was a day. DEEP i know, but it's seemed like a week.
Woke up in Fortuna, grabbed continental breakfast & caught my 8:45 Jeep-Boat-Jeep trip to Monteverde. I met a couple from LA about my age- Matt & Melissa- we would become good friends. Weather overcast. Got onto the boats & it was drizzly, couldn't see the Volcano
it was a 30minute boat ride (took only 10min to get to the boats from the hotel) then we hopped into the van (Jeep) on the other side of the Lake (Arenal)... Eddy was our driver, i sat shotty & got to know him well. 3 kids (11yr old twin girls & a 5yr old boy) born in CR, moved to NY, USA at 10 & lived there until 30... had 2yrs college & 7yrs as a semi-truck driver (not to mention time as a CHEF!) the trip from h20 to Monteverde was 1hr45min. 
Matt & Melissa said they had a good tip-off on a great hostel in Monteverde- the Good Sleep Sleeper Cheaper (haha!), so i thought i'd join them. turns out they had no more private rooms (only dormitory which a European girl was in)- so i asked the guy about other places he pointed to the CASA TRANQUILO across the street. that place ROCKS! shared bath/shower, but the rooms were cool and David & Elena- the owners were way cool w/ their 2yr old son Joshua.
Elena set me up w/ a zipline canopy tour & worked real hard @ acquiring transportation to Quepos 4 me the next day- all the buses were full & it wasn't looking promising. i went on the Canopy Tour b4 word of transportation panned out.
Met a Taiwanese Thomas, Garry & Rory from Ireland, & Anikka from Germany on the tour. The tour was GREAT! our 3 guides ("los tres monos" as i affectionately called them) Dennis & bro Danny and Miguel were very cool. 17 platforms & 4 Major traverses over ravines (400+ meters... the last one 750meters!) plus a 70ft rappel drop & a Tarzan swing. the 5 of us & 3 guides bonded & spoke of grabbing drinks in town later that night & we exchanged names 4 facebook.
i got back to Tranquilo dripping wet, looked out my window & saw the grayline bus outside the sleeper cheaper. i still didn't have a ride worked out to get to the Pacific, so i ran to check it out & to look for Matt & Melissa... found out they were on the bus & it was headed to Jaco- i asked if there was room. the driver said, "yes $45." i asked if Quepos was okay (it's further south), he said hurry- i said 5min.
i ran to Tranquilo, packed my stuff, checked out & paid for 1 night (only $10) & caught the Grayline =] i was sad not to get to know David & Elena more. & sad not to share a beer w/ the 2 irish lads & Anikka. when the Grayline was out my window i solved my ride sich & i realized i did what i came to Monteverde for- a zip line cloud forest/rain forest tour. Plus it was miserably drizzly & cold. on the bus Matt & Melissa were SO glad to leave. turns out the sleeper cheaper wasn't so hot and the wet & cold pissed them off. a Brit from London named Tom hopped on the bus & shared the same sentiments.
Tom & i are now sharing a room near Manuel Antonio... the last one in a town where everything is shut down. Tom is a lawyer & seems like a nice guy.
No comments:
Post a Comment