Let’s just clear the air a moment, we did not post last week. Which is weird, because I was sure that I had posted right at the beginning of the week. This is obviously incorrect information I had given myself, and I will blame it on my disinterest in learning how electronics work. Never fear, though, it turns out we are still alive, even though I seem to have lost some of my ability to hear in my right ear…
But let us start where we left off: we left our perfect spot in Costa Rica with heavy hearts. After having put off returning to Mal Pais for fear of it not be as amazing as we remembered, only to have it be just as awesome as our first visit, it was a little tough to move away. But I wanted some chocolate, and I was going to be getting older, so it was decided that we would go track down something fancy.
We packed up and headed to Monteverde, which is one of the most well-visited and well-known of the national reserves. The multiple buses and ferry ride turned out to be a whole day affair, with dusty, bumpy roads and hot, sticky winds blowing in through the open windows. We slowly wound our way up through the mountains, our bus driver stopping as often and for as long as possible until we found ourselves approaching a small town bursting with noise. Before long we noticed that not only had we stumbled upon some mountain festival complete with hay rides and horses, but the bus had ended smack in the middle of a parade through town. Seriously, we were now the equivalent of a parade float, with people cheering and waving from the side of the road and extremely loud music and dancing and such all around.
So we waved, because what else does one do when looking out upon a crowd of smiling, dancing, waving people? And it was awesome! That’s right, we’re famous parade diversions now, please contact us to book our services for your next town fiesta!
We arrived in Monteverde and were immediately greeted by a whole grip of people who wanted us to stay in their hotels, or try their zip line, or come to their restaurant, or book our night tours through their services. This was all happening while we were gathering the ridiculously heavy bags we carry and trying to find a little space to put everything down so we could get our bearings. Also, I had some slight discomfort is my right ear that was making it not only painful to open my jaw, but also took away some of my ability to hear what these people were shouting in Spanish. I’m not going to lie, after so many “no, gracias” I had gotten to the point of blunt refusal, and was more than likely a little rude. Definitely not my finest hour. Good news is H was there to soften my abrupt character and find us a place to stay for the night.
Accommodations in Monteverde vary a lot as to quality and price, as one would suspect from a tourist town, but since there are so many tours and trips and whatnot available (all of which give a kickback to where you book and where you are staying) there are actually some fairly inexpensive options available. We stayed in La Pension Santa Elena in a little chicken hut out in the back. They have a decent shared kitchen, a cute hang out area, and nice rooms available as well. But I really couldn’t enjoy it as much as I would have wished, because the slight discomfort in my ear had turned into splitting pain on the whole right side of my face, an inability to either chew or open my mouth wider that a small yawn, and no sound registering at all from the right side. I had decided that this is due largely to water getting trapped in my ear at sea level in Mal Pais, and then the elevation change went ahead and upped that pressure level to intense pain. So I got drops from a pharmacy to dry it out a bit.
But we took a stroll around the town even with my slightly unpleasant personality, and Monteverde just so happened to be hosting a marathon at the time. Runners from all over were sweating through the town, completely out of breath, looking like they wanted to collapse, but a few were not too close to death to perk right up as we cheered them by and take a moment and do some quick flirting with us as they passed. We purchased some locally made ice cream at the creamery and then went to pick up some hand-made chocolates. The store was closed, but since it was the day I get older, the owner opened up for us and chatted with us about the reserve and the process of making chocolate. He was fascinating and very knowledgeable, since he worked closely with the Costa Rica National Parks System as it was being founded.
We ran through the Monteverde park quickly. It was pretty, but fairly expensive (if you are a student, or have a student ID, bring it because then it’s reasonable) and mainly just a walk along a well maintained path unless you have a guide to help point things out. The jungle is so dense it’s hard to see anything besides green on your own (we did see an awesome tarantula, though!). And then we decided to pick up and run to Nicaragua. We heard it was less expensive, and we thought it might have been a good time to try out something a little more “sketchy” to prep for the next few months! Also, there was chance that we would get back to sea level so I could try to get the water pressure down in my ear.
Yep, I admit I haven’t been posting as I originally set out in the rules for this trip AND we went to Nicaragua. So as it turns out, this blog would not have pointed in the correct direction at all… We’ll try to work out the kinks in this system… But hey, at least we are sticking to Rule #2!
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Rule #2: Don't Die. 