One beautiful moment was waiting by the side of the road at around 5.30 in the morning, a tico and me. There was another tico across the road waiting for a ride into Nosara. Eventually an old ute pulled up and the portly middle aged gentleman climbs up on the back and starts getting his leg over the timber railings when the ute takes off, hits a few bumps and nearly flings this guy right off the back. There was another tico in the back of the ute and where one would have expected he would run across to our portly friend’s aid, he just cracked up, one of the best belly laughs I’ve heard. Across the road, we both lost it, tears were rolling down my cheeks. Portly made it in the back eventually as they bumped their way into the distance and around the bend. I guess the ticos are okay with laughing at another’s misfortune.
One night in San Jose and then the long ride down to Golfito with some of the most spectacular scenery. The road wound up and down through the mountains, with clouds far below us in the valleys. So much of this country is virgin forest/jungle and you get the feeling of peace and tranquillity in the pristine environment. Arriving at Golfito I had a few minutes to spare before the bus to Pavones/Punta Banco. Close to three hours on an old bus on a very bumpy road. At one point we changed buses and a tico, probably aged in his seventies although hard to tell, sat next to me. After a while I noticed him sitting there, constantly grinning and staring at me – quite unnerving – particularly when I wanted the view of the ocean I had to turn and face him… I thought he might have been interested in my iPod so I explained that I was listening to music. This did not settle him so I eventually asked him Porque? To which in his best English he responded ‘I am in love you’. Stoked! It seems I really have my mojo now. It was also at that point I noticed that most of his teeth were missing. I think he took my embarrassment as a sign that it is okay to put his hand on mine and continue grinning, although he now started chuckling. Finally, he got off the bus at Pavones and I wished him well.
Oh Punta Banco. This part of Costa Rica feels like the real deal. While it is still a tourist area, its remoteness means that it is not the well worn path that the north coast is. The locals and foreigners seem to have blended more with the environment and everything about it is stunning. It is a long walk between Punta Banco and Pavones, but one one side there is jungle, and the other side the ocean. It is very hard to get sick of that, and while it is very hot, the walk is quite pleasant. Although I don’t think I’ll be turning down any offers of a ride back or forth.
