costa rica day 2: tortuguero

We didn't do all that much today. It was perfect, in that way. We woke when our bodies said it was time, sleeping off the wear and tear of the past few months. We lingered over breakfast - bananas and pancakes with a hint of cinnamon - reading and looking out over the water long after we'd finished. I don't spend nearly enough time finding beautiful spots just to sit, think, journal, and read. It's rejuvenating to have nothing else in life matter except beauty and the book in my hand or thoughts in my head. When we get back, I'd like to make time for more of this -- and find a spot that inspires me to do nothing at all.

After breakfast we inquired with our b&b about hiking to the top of Tortuguero Hill (Cerro Tortuguero). Our hotel said we could hire a guide and told us he comes into town around 1:30pm, and we could talk to him then. We checked in at the Guide Association (a small, simple building by the main dock in town) and asked the same question about hiking Tortuguero Hill. An English-speaking guide explained that the Hill is closed due to erosion from overuse.

I was disappointed - I'd wanted to see the canals from above, but we decided to talk to the guide at the hotel that afternoon and spend our morning exploring the only part of the national park accessible by foot.

We donned (free) rubber boots at the hotel - a requirement to hike in Tortuguero National Park. The entrance is at the end of the main street in town, which is nice - it's impossible to get lost, even for me. We paid $10 each for a day park pass and set off on the 5km roundtrip trail.

I started the hike ramped up about potentially seeing monkeys, sloths, and even a pit viper (ah!). Zan broke out his air guitar and sang "Welcome to the Jungle," while standing in 3 inch deep mud. As much as it pained me (seriously - he's the best when he's being silly), I shhh'd him. This was a serious rainforest wildlife spotting trek! We schlepped through mud (fun) and then through forests (also pretty fun).

My excitement waned after 30 minutes. We saw grass cutter ants (really cool the first 3 times) so much that we began to step out of their way. Ants run the jungle. We also saw lizards... a lot of lizards. And a squirrel! And, that was it.

I was lost in my own thoughts about the book I was reading - A House in the Sky - Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout's story of being held captive for ransom for 460 days in Somalia. I couldn't stop thinking about it - how would she escape? Where are her captors now? Did they get away with it? I started speed-hiking, thinking if I got far enough ahead of Zan, I might be able grab the book from my bag and read a few pages before he caught up.

I don't remember the last time I was so engrossed in a book. It's partially the book (incredible) and partly having time to think of nothing else. Except for the leaf cutter ants, of course.

After a sub-par lunch at Fresh Foods (not so fresh?), we strolled back to our hotel, laughing and casually chatting, not a single care in the world (how incredible and rare a feeling is that?). And then everything came crashing down.

The woman who runs the hotel came running out to meet us, saying the guide for Tortuguero Hill was waiting and we should hurry. Stressed and confused, we followed her to the dock, where an Australian expat with long hairy pulled into a ponytail, dressed in ratty clothes, was impatiently waiting on a small water taxi, the boat captain sitting at the helm. Before we had a chance to speak, he hopped off the boat and was standing a foot in front of us.

"Those are nowhere near good enough," he angrily croaked, pointing at my sandals.

We quickly realized he believed the tour was scheduled. We explained that we'd been told we would have a chance to talk to a guide and get details on what we could and could not do at the Hill. He flippantly - and still angrily - went on to say that miscommunications happen, but in the same breath he criticized us for being "late and unprepared." He decided for us that we weren't going (we hadn't made a decision because he wasn't rational enough to discuss the hike with us) and demanded 2,000 colones (about $4) to pay the boat captain for the unnecessary trip. I explained we wouldn't be paying as we hadn't scheduled anything or hired anyone.

By the time he stalked off (with no payment), we were unnerved and even felt unsafe. The hotel woman shrugged it off, back at the front desk, saying, "Who knows what got into him."

Still, when we rounded the corner to our room and saw him sitting on the deck smoking, we took the back way around the hotel to avoid any further contact. We ended up seeing him later that night, drunk and stumbling about town. So there's that.

We shook the whole negative interaction off and took the hotel's canoe out on the river. The peacefulness and calm of the water and surroundings quickly worked the tension out of us. I was actually really nervous because the waters have so many crocodile and caimans, isn't that ridiculous? It was pretty comical, for Zan, at least.

Eventually, I calmed down - trusting Zan and his Boy Scout canoeing badge to guide us to safety (and to do the rowing, let's be honest here). It was beautiful and an afternoon well spent. We didn't get to see the canals from above, but being there on the water? Well, that was just as nice.

Zan bought a bottle of wine ($12) and a few beers ($2 each) from a supermarket, and we spent our second and final night in Tortuguero sipping drinks on the deck, swatting mosquitos, and watching the sun fade beneath the jungle.

I finished A House in the Sky there on the dock, tears freely rolling down my cheeks. 

costa rica day 1: to tortuguero

"What's today's date?"

"May the 4th be with you." - Zan

I'm not sold on Tortuguero - not completely. Sometimes I am - moments when I can see the solitude and peace as something other than an expensive trip to the lake. That's what it kinda feels like. Like planning and taking a lake trip would just be a frivolous waste of vacation time, but traveling to Costa Rica's most remote waterways is worth it. Also, so far everything is expensive in Costa Rica and Tortuguero. I've spent $300 in 48 hours in this country. That does include 3 nights of hotels, though, so in perspective, maybe it's not as bad as it seems.

Why am I complaining? I'm not, really. Despite the cost, Tortuguero is laid back, chilled out, and very relaxing. And it was certainly an adventure getting here...

We were scheduled to take a Viator tour from San Jose to Tortuguero on Saturday the 3rd. We landed in San Jose at midnight and were deliriously pulling covers around ourselves by 1:00am. Our wake-up call came at 4:30, and I think it took me 3 attempts to groggily pick up the receiver. Zan gave me a second wake-up at 4:45. By 5:20am, we were waiting at the Holiday Inn Express for the Gray Line tour bus. Our scheduled pick-up time of 5:40 came and went - replaced by 6:00, 6:30, and then 7:00am. By 7, I was onto a Plan B and had surreptitiously used the free computers in the hotel lobby to jot down directions to Tortuguero by public transportation.

I still have no idea what happened with the tour. Our confirmation vouchers say that additional confirmation is required, but we received payment confirmation from Gray Line, the local tour operator (for Zan - mine was handled through my freelance work with Viator), along with separate emails confirming pick-up time and location. We were stood up! When the Gray Line office in the hotel opened, the woman staffing it made a few calls. The best answer she could give us is that in the Gray Line system, the tour was marked canceled, even though we hadn't been notified.

Tour schmour! I was wide awake and excited for our DIY trip, by that point. We hired a taxi to get us to the first bus station in time. But before leaving the hotel, we grabbed breakfast and several cups of coffee (for Zan) and tea (for me) at the only place in sight: Denny's. Our first meal in Costa Rica was a grand slam.

From the first bus station - Caribenos, we traveled 2 hours to Cariari, a typical Central American town, a little run-down without much to see. The bus ride, though, took us through the Braulio Carillo National Park - a cloud forest and rainforest. The drive was stunning. Small waterfalls cascaded over vertical rock faces on either side of the bus.

From Cariari, we took a bus one hour to La Pavona, a tiny village on the river and the last destination accessible by land before Tortuguero. The area has little more than a small restaurant called Ranchero, mostly for tourists to grab an empanada or bag of chips and pay to use the restroom before setting off for Tortuguero. We boarded a longboat and sped through the canals to the tiny village of Tortuguero. I spotted a spider monkey dangling from one arm high in the treetops right before swinging to catch another branch. Some of the canals were windy and narrow, while the main thoroughfare in the last half of the hour-long boat ride was much wider, with expansive views of the river, jungle on either side and sky above.

When we docked at Tortuguero village, Zan and I exchanged excited glances. The village is colorful - the houses and ramshackle restaurants and shops a rainbow of colors. I've never been anywhere accessibly only by boat. The remoteness - the challenge to get there - makes it desirable, different, detached from real life.

We checked in at our hotel - Casa Marbella - about 3 minutes after docking. Everything here is very close. There's only one main street, and you can walk the entire village in less than an hour. Our room is simple - a bed and no furniture, save for a small bedside table and a bench of sorts for clothes and belongings - and a clean bathroom. Ants on the bed have been an issue - but Zan seems unscathed so maybe I'm making too much of it?

We ate a late lunch at Buddha Cafe, just about 50 feet from our hotel. We had pizza and a 'Uruguay sandwich,' which was essentially a burger with the beef prepared slightly differently. The meal left us mostly satisfied but out $30.

We spent the rest of our first day exploring the village. The street follows the River. On the other end - a short two-minute walk on gravel and dirt paths - the ocean spreads out and rolls up.

The beach here is stunning. It's a black sand beach - my first time seeing one. I was mesmerized by the contrast of the blue water and white foam against the dark sand. The blackness of the sand makes every other color vibrant. The surf is strong (it's always strong, and swimming isn't recommended, we've heard), but still I waded in to my stomach, unable and unwilling to resist the cool(ish) water on the hot, humid day. We walked the beach for an hour, me taking pictures, and Zan lost in his thoughts - and conversation with another traveler for a short while.

The beach is special. Standing in the surf and walking through the soft, hot sand, I felt taken somewhere - that wonder that all travelers keep moving and experiencing to feel. It's a high, that sense of wonderment.

We got back in time to watch the sunset on the hotel's deck by the docks. I switched between my book and my camera, unable to put either down but wanting both at the same time. We ate dinner at Sun Rise Cafe, and it was simple -grilled meat (cooked outside near us), rice, beans, and a small salad. We finally got a taste of local life, and it was delicious.

Tortuguero is expensive - that was to be expected, as everything has to be brought in by boat, and maybe it is an overblown trip to the lake, but I haven't used a brush in 2 days and don't bother to check my email for hours on end and got so lost in a book I thought about it and little else as we meandered around town. Those little luxuries and indulgences make it worth it.