Rule #2: Don't Die.

After R’s meltdown (let’s say due to extreme heat) we decided to vacate Liberia and take off running for the nearest beach!

As soon as the lovely owners of the bed and breakfast returned we got a ride to the bus stop and headed to Playa Hermosa (the Hermosa that’s located near Playas del Coco, not the one south by Jaco, nor the one on the east coast… Creativity doesn’t seem to be a high priority for Costa Rica city names! Either that or they have an abundance of beautiful beaches and can’t be bothered to call them by any other name) We spent twenty or so minutes wandering through the one block town when our extraordinary Peruvian friend rolled up into town! We decided to forget Hermosa and jumped in his vehicle to head further south to Playa Samara.

Playa Samara is a vacation spot for many Ticos, so we decided to check out the night scene at a couple of the local bars. There’s a set of three bars on the beach that have good deals on buckets of beer, and the most surprisingly comfortable reclined plastic outdoor furniture I have ever come across! Then we headed to the soccer field to join a mass of people outside a small bar. It was so happening that they had spilled out into and across the street. We spent the evening hours watching the sharks circle around the cute females, trying to guess who was interested in whom. Quite a fun game actually!

The morning was spent on the beach with multiple trips to the ocean in vain attempts to cool off until we finally just decided to get in the car and drive to Montezuma. The journey was only 60 km or so, but on a dirt road that was not so well maintained, so it ended up taking us four or so hours to finally arrive. The drive was pretty, and R started reading the questions out of her Spanish dictionary, so we had some strange but interesting conversations. We stayed at Hotel Lucy, which was an inexpensive dream, directly on the beach with unusually comfortable beds!

Montezuma was lovely, as we previously expected since we went there before on Semester at Sea. This time, however, we knew H needed to avoid shots on fire and actually make it to the waterfalls!

The first waterfall we went to was located 2km north of the town along the beach. It was spectacular, tumbling down into the ocean, and providing a swimming hole when the tide was low! We had the beautiful place to ourselves and found the Jardin del Eden!

The next day after camping on the beach and leaving our belongings with the adorable owner at Hotel del Parque, we ventured to the most visited waterfall. There we watched crazy locals dive down the giant waterfall and hiked around on a sketchy trail, the type where the bridges across ravines have fallen, and if the steps were present they definitely didn’t seem like they would hold our weight!

Leaving Montezuma was rough but we knew going to Mal Pais would be extraordinary! It is important to note the entire time we have been in Costa Rica we have been saying we should just go to Mal Pais because we know that we love it there. But there is something about visiting a place again when the first experience was so positive, you never know if it will live up to your expectations. Well, we made it and we still love it!

We stayed at the same place as we did in 2008, Mal Pais Surf Camp, which is an adorable location with a variety of types of accommodation, all around a large property that even has a pool accessible to the guests, quite a luxury. It has had a bit of a price increase since we were here last, but we’re told over and over again that it’s the fastest growing area in the country. Honestly, we did see new hostels and hotels down the main stretch of Playa Carmen, but it still has the feel of a small local beach community who happens to provide some good surfing waves. It may be that the area is so difficult to access, but we’re hoping that it stays this way for at least a few more years.

H had a great surf session, and tried out her thumb in the ocean. Turns out, everyone is interested in knowing more about discolored, broken up thumbs, and one nice old Tico man decided to approach R on the beach to talk to her about the benefits of using condoms. Not for that nonsenses people, because apparently they are great with a rubber band (a rubber with a rubber, cute right?) around a finger to keep the water from softening the skin too much and wearing off scabs. Let’s just say it was not a short nor comfortable conversation to be having in a large group of Ticos…

We went and checked out the night life on evening, and it turns out there is some sort of complicated system of bars in the area where only certain ones open on certain nights. Maybe to not waste money trying to out compete each other? In any case, we ended up needing to hike ourselves up the road to Santa Teresa, about 2 km, which for a moment was a dark little road with sketchy switch backs and chicos in the dark whistling. One of those moments when we ask ourselves in M’s voice “Are you being safe?”.

But we were safe, and we arrived at the bar with some slightly off, not-so-much reggae music and a bar that had run out of beer and was only offering watered-down rum and cokes. So when the band ended, we moved next door to what was meant to be reggae night but turned out to be a 90s dance party, which is really only fun for those people who had lived through it and remembered how those dances go (R definitely is one of those people, by the by). However, it was a good night, with dancing no less, which is ALWAYS fun!

Then we decided that while we could probably stay there forever, is was a little expensive and it was time to go back up to the mountains to cool off.

On a side note, the finger condom rubber band combination absolutely works. Condoms, they apparently are not just for protecting against STDs any longer. Thanks random old man, for making our trip that much more interesting!

Tags: Costa Rica, Liberia, Mal Pais, Montezuma, Playa Samara, Playas del Coco, Santa Teresa