Costa Rica and I need a new start

We’re back from two nights in Santa Elena where our head colds won out and we returned a day early. We tried to make the best of our two days up in the mountains but honestly neither of us had much motivation or energy to do anything so we hopped in a taxi this morning and returned back to the ship.


Once we docked we left on the first bus for Monteverde/Santa Elena, which cost us a whooping 2 US dollars and took us almost five hours to get there. We later learned the drive could take less than 2 hours but our bus stopped for any person along the street that wanted to get on and also made a significant detour to another town along the way. It was an adventure. We got off the bus and checked in our hostel. We had reserved a private cabin and that was a good thing because after having a quick bite we both crawled into bed and were fast asleep by 7:30pm. Pathetic, yes, I know. It gets worse.


The next morning we got up and decided to just start walking. We knew the general direction we were heading in but didn’t really know what we’d come across. After a quick breakfast we were off. About 10 steps into it we were adopted by two dogs who followed us the entire way. They were very cute and we later found out they live at the hostel. So with “big dog” and “little dog” in tow we visited every artisan shop and gallery we stumbled across. The big moment in our walk came when we saw a sign for a waterfall. We paid our $4 entrance to the guy standing there (I’m sure he was just pocketing it as this was not a registered park) and started our hike down to the waterfall. It was a quick jaunt but I must admit I was pretty tired afterward. Given the battle between being sick and wanting to experience as much as I could I was pushing myself along most of the morning. We finally ended up at a bakery right about lunch time so we sat down for a quick bite and then headed up a little further to a cheese factory. After Rasa had the brilliant idea that we buy some cheese and grab a bottle of wine and go home we decided this was our final stop on our journey.

A quick ride back to the hostel and a stop at the market and we were sitting in the common area of our hostel enjoying delicious cheese, wine and a game of cards. This did not last long before we both decided to head back in to the room for a nap. Trust me, this will not be an exciting blog entry like last time! Rasa fell asleep and I headed off to use the phone. I came back to find Rasa still sleeping so I decided to crawl into bed as well (it was 6:30pm). Thirteen hours later I woke up to learn Rasa had gotten up the night before, gone for a quick bite for dinner and had come back for a good night’s rest all while I slept like a baby. Here I am in Costa Rica and I have just slept 23 of the past 48 hours. Unfortunately, my cold had worsened and the congestion in my head was killing my ears. We decided first thing this morning that neither of us had enough energy to take advantage of the area so we decided to grab a cab and come back to the ship.

After a lazy day on the ship we found our friend Ray and learned he broke his foot playing volleyball the day before. He wanted to get off the ship for dinner since he had been stuck on the ship for two days. This was an adventure because Ray has never been on crutches before and we are docked at the end of a very long pier. With enough help we got him off the ship, ate dinner and then got him back on the ship (which was pretty funny as it involved a piggy back ride part of the way and then a wheelchair. It didn’t help that the gangway was on deck five so he had to go up a very long flight of stairs).

Today is our last day in Costa Rica and I’m still planning to lay low. I went to see the doctor this morning and thankfully I do not have an ear infection (which is what I thought I was happening) but he gave me some Sudafed and I plan to have this kicked by Nicaragua!

Next port – BEACH HOUSE FOR FOUR DAYS! Yay!