Things didn’t quite go according to plan. Right now, we should be in a small town, somewhere south of Puerto Limón. Instead, we are back in San José, as though we’d never left.
We got up and met, as arranged, outside at about 5.45, after breakfast. I sat by Cheryl and had a huge bowl of cornflakes and some water. -It was really nice here, not to have to drink iodine water all the time. We left, complete with rucksacks and kitbags on the boat at about 6.00am, and got on the taxis at the boathouse. The taxis were like pick-up trucks. -Hop in the back, pile up the rucksacks and hope you don’t get bounced out by a pothole. Helen and I were the comfiest in ours, because we sat on the floor instead of on the side. -At least we weren’t going to get thrown out. It took about 25-30minutes to get into Matina for the bus which left at 7am. We got there just in time. We got our bags out and the bus came within a couple of minutes.
The journey to Puerto Limón, where we were going to get our connection bus so that we could go off Scuba diving, should have taken about 40-45minutes. We were driving for about an hour, and we were all beginning to doubt whether we were actually going to Puerto Limón at all. All the road signs seemed to show that it was getting further and further away, in the opposite direction. It was Simon who first noticed that the mountains were on the wrong side of us. Katy asked to driver, and yes, typically, we were heading towards San José. -The one place in Costa Rica to which all roads lead. Our plans had to be immediately reworked and we all began frantically searching through the Lonely Planet Guide, and Geoff’s Rough Guide, to see what there was to be done on the Pacific Coast. -Not what we originally wanted, but it was the only thing to do. Then came the biggest blow. Katy said that the budget was in too much of a mess to be able to afford another journey to the coast and back. -It’s partly due to having to stay in San José for an extra night during the riots, and having the taxi driver in San Isidro take 10times the amount we thought he would.
So, here we are for the next four nights. I don’t mind at all actually. I love it here. It’s a fabulous city. I went shopping to the big souvenir shop which we were in last time, and we had our clothes laundered. It was still only about 10.30 by the time we got to the hotel, so I went food shopping with Mark and Helen, and to pop into the British Embassy to see whether Mark would need a new passport after his photo page started to peel apart! We were told to go back when the Embassy was open on Monday. (It was closed due to public holiday). In the afternoon, we went to that souvenir shop where I bought a wooden pot for Mum and Dad, and spent a lot of the day walking around. Wanted to buy some shoes, but didn’t find any.
We decided to save time on Monday by sorting group kit today, so out came all the kitbags, and we loaded them up with tents and fuel bottles. I got stuck washing a trangias that was covered in Korma from Chirripó because the water cut out. It was pretty disgusting, but had to be done.
Went to a Chinese restaurant which turned out to be really cheap and really tasty. I could see that Mark seemed a bit cross when I didn’t end up sitting by him. -I thought he was behind me, but when I turned to sit down, it was Jane.
It was a bit strange to be building up to the whole snorkelling, beach thing, and then end up back here, but I don’t mind as much as everybody else seems to. The next thing is the white-water rafting. I don’t fancy it very much. I don’t know why, it just isn’t something that I’ve ever really wanted to do. Never mind, Simon and Jennie are going off to try and book it tomorrow.
Anyway, how did we end up back in the city? We think that because the last World Challenge group to stay at Pacuare went back to San José, Belinda must have assumed that we were coming here instead of the coast. We, on the other hand, assumed that the bus would automatically go to Limón because that’s the nearest town, and thinking back, Belinda never did say that the bus would go to Limón, and we didn’t ask.
Day 28 San José Saturday 3rd August 2002
I found my shoes! We went out and I shopped, although it didn’t make everybody very happy, neither Mark, Helen or Kate complained, and Mark was even helping me choose the right shoe size.
We did a lot of walking around, looking at the city in general. -There was a market opposite the laundry which had lots of stalls. Helen and Kate bought some piece of fudge, but they seemed more expensive than I thought. -Maybe it was imported.
This afternoon, we went to the Serpentario. It’s a building with a snake exhibition. Most of them aren’t venomous, but there were some. After looking round, I came to the conclusion that the big snake at La Leona was not poisonous, while the small black one the Kate nearly trod on walking down Chirripó, was, though it probably wouldn’t have done much more than make her foot swell up a bit if it had bitten her. There was a Boa Constrictor that seemed to like the look of me. -Do I look as though I taste good? When I moved my head, it followed me and didn’t seem to do that for anybody else. Haha. It was quite cool really. Mark was really freaked out by one which jerked its entire body when ever anybody went near it. -But, I think it looked like it had hiccups! It was curled up and didn’t really look at him. There were a couple of tarantulas too, but they were stuffed, and displayed with titles such as: “Tarantula catching a cricket”.
Then, we went to the other Chinese restaurant. (There were two options yesterday, one looked cheaper, but we couldn’t fit in so we went to the other). We booked this one this afternoon so that we could get in. It turned out that this one was actually more expensive, not as tasty (my chicken wasn’t cooked properly) and had all the appeal of La Coca Cola bus station. People came round continually, selling things, while last night’s restaurant had signs to the effect of “No beggars or hawkers”. So, I for one, went back to the hotel feeling not entirely satisfied. Simon, however, would have been full of everybody’s leftovers, as usual. -I tried to tell him that my chicken was pink, but his response was “Well, if it is off, we’ll know in the morning”. I told him that I would not be blamed if he got ill, and it would be down to his own stupidity, but he just didn’t care.
We are going white water rafting tomorrow, and getting picked up at 7am by the company. Jennie thinks I’m scared because when she said “You’ll be tightly wedged in, and you aren’t going to fall out, so don’t worry”, she directed it at me. It’s not that I’m scared, or even apprehensive, it’s just that I don’t really fancy doing it. Also, Mark drew up the team list for two boats, putting me in the same boat as him. I have a feeling they are going to change it, even though nobody objected when he read out the list, because Jennie said quietly to Cheryl “We shouldn’t put Mark and Jeanette in the same boat”. We’ll see in the morning whether they decide to change us around!
We popped quickly to the pub, Helen ordered about 3 drinks before they found one which they actually had available. -A Margarita and the princely sum of 1200 Colonés. -I got 2 rums for half of that! -The Margarita wasn’t even that nice.
Day 29 San José Sunday 4th August 2002
Well, I was right, they split me and Mark up, but never mind. -His response was “probably a good idea, I’ll be able to concentrate on what I’m doing”!!!
We were picked up outside the hotel at 7am and taken off to the Pacuare River. (Rio Pacuare?). Before we got there, we stopped for breakfast which was at a restaurant/café. They provided pineapple, papaya, bananas, rice, scrambles egg, black beans, crusty bread and butter, then there was a choice of fruit juice, tea or coffee. I had everything except the egg and beans, both of which I object to as a matter of principle! Them, we set off again, to the river. It was quite a drive, and we ended up on a really narrow lane which took us down to the river. When we got there, we all went to the loo. -Well, I figured that I wouldn’t have another chance. We ended up being split into 3 boats, not two, as another two girls joined us. The rapids we had chosen we graded 3 and 4 out of 6 grades.
Our guide showed us how to use the paddles and told us what instructions he’d shout for each thing. Then, we set off.
I made myself Muppet of the Day by being the first person to fall out of the raft. -It was less than 2 minutes into the trip, and in the gentlest rapids we got into! -It was the very end of the grade 2 rapids, so little more than gentle bobbing! -I maintain that I fell out because my feet weren’t jammed in properly, but Katy’s response to this was “Yeah, yeah”!!! After that, I had a great time! It was dead easy falling in, and dead easy getting hauled back in! Selina says that all she heard was a little shriek, she turned round, and I just wasn’t there! Luckily, I stayed in for the rest of the time, and Mark was the only other person to fall out.
It was really nice, because in two quiet parts of the river, we were allowed to get out of the boat and swim. It was even better because the current washed us (gently/slowly) down river, and we could just lie back and relax because of our life jackets. The second time we got out, the water was too deep to stand in, and I couldn’t breathe very well. Getting a bit anxious, I got back in the raft when the guides told us to, but then our guide proceeded to throw Katy and Selina back over the side. I decided that I was not going to end up back in that river, and I attached myself to his wrist until he stopped trying to push me out!
When we stopped for lunch, the guides hauled one of the boats upside down, turned it over and threw tablecloths over it! Then, they opened up the waterproof boxes that were in each boat and produced: bread, tomatoes, lettuce, heart of palm, onion, coleslaw, cakes, biscuits, fruit, tortillas, crisps, cold meats, fruit juice. -It was one of the best picnics I think any of us have ever had!!! It was incredible. We’d just been through a quiet bit of river, where the current pushed us towards the cliff and under a small waterfall, and then we stopped at a tiny river-side beach, surrounded by high rocks and forest. It was little more than 30m long. -The length of a swimming pool! It was really great!
We finally finished at about 3pm, and got out to get changed. Mark found that he had broken his necklace when he fell out of the raft. The clasp broke. We got our clean/dry clothes off the bus, and went in to the changing rooms. Afterwards, we decided to buy the CD of our photos. It cost 40 dollars, and at first, the woman was only going to put about 10 photos on it, but we persuaded her to put them all on. Mark is going to take it home with him and copy it onto 12CDs so that we can all have a copy.
When we got back to the hotel, we decided that our budget wasn’t looking good enough to go out and risk going over. -The more we save tonight, the better we eat tomorrow night, our last. So, four people went over to Pizza hut and ordered 3 huge pizzas, and a medium vegetarian pizza, plus a bottle of Fanta, and a bottle of Coke. The rule was 2 slices each, and share the leftovers. I could barely manage two, and gave part of my second piece to Mark, so I didn’t have any leftovers at all. -I’m sorry, I just can’t handle pizza very well!
Mark came up the stairs as I was heading to bed. He’d been downstairs, writing his diary, and came to return mine, which he used to get up to date with the things we’d done. We were just saying goodnight when Geoff came round the corner. He said “ah, I was just coming to find you”. He didn’t want Mark to wake him up by putting the light on, so Mark went straight to bed.
Day 30 San José Monday 5th August 2002
I had to get up early today, as I was volunteered to go to the Embassy with Mark, Simon and Katy to get Mark’s passport sorted. We had to be there for 8am, so left the hotel at 7.30. We thought it would take hours, and that maybe, we’d have to go back later to pick it up. In fact, what took up the time, was waiting for the Vice-Consul to arrive. Once she’s taken Mark’s form and the details, she said that it would take little more than 15 minutes. Mark and I left the building to ring Jane at the hotel to tell her, and then we went back to collect the passport. Mark was really chuffed, because on the photo page, where it says where the passport was issued, it says “British Embassy - San José” I am quite jealous. -Maybe I’ll go somewhere equally exotic and get my passport ruined, just so that I can have a new passport made there. -Only joking, not a good idea at all! Then, we all popped over the road to the Iberia office to see if Mark’s ticket would be acceptable by the airline. -The guys exact words were “That’s normal wear” so he was fine. The lads also checked how much beer they would be allowed to take home. -We knew that it was 1 litre of spirits. They were basically told that any amount would be fine.
We got back in plenty of time for lunch, and I ended up being dragged off to the park in the middle of town with Mark, Helen, Kate and Cheryl. -I thought that they were at least going to the supermarket, but no, so I sat there for ages, feeling as though that wasted the morning a bit.
After lunch, I needed to go souvenir shopping. -To buy something for Nan, and some rum for Mark and Michelle. Nobody would go with me. Mark offered, but we weren’t allowed out as a two, so in the end, I got really stressed and went to sit in my hotel room and pack. Helen and Kate reported to the rest of the group that I had ‘locked the door’, even though they had already left the room and weren’t going back. Mark came over to comfort me a bit, which although I felt very grateful for his effort, it typically made me tearful. It transpired that Cheryl and Jennie were going out. -If they had said that in the first place, it would have been fine.
I found a nice wooden pot for Nan, and a 750ml bottle of Panama rum for Mark and Michelle (Including a 375ml bottle free, for me!) Then went back to the hotel, where we got ready to go for tea.
Mark, Helen and Kate had chosen the restaurant ‘Spoons’. Katy told us that our budget was 2500 Colonés, 500 more than usual, so everybody was treating themselves to deserts. I decided that two drinks were in order, so I had an iced tea, and a hot chocolate to go with my chicken lasagne! Amusingly, Jennie decided that she couldn’t finish her fruit shake, and offered it to our side of the table. I asked if I could try some, and thought it tasted a bit strange, only to discover that Simon and Co had added a big dollop of the chilli sauce that seems to grace every table in every Costa Rican restaurant. I sat there, a puzzled expression on my face, wondering why the drink tasted ‘vaguely like Sweet and Sour’, and then it dawned on me: “Has someone put chilli sauce in this???” and they all exploded into giggles. I don’t think they specifically meant to target me, just any random unwitting person who happened to be stupid/greedy enough to take them up on the offer of the drink!
Worryingly, Jane handed Geoff and Liz a note and they disappeared from the restaurant. We found them back at the hotel about 45 minutes later after paying the bill and visiting the supermarket for the lads to buy their beer. We were told to meet in the corridor outside the Katy, Selina, Jennie and Cheryl’s room, with a piece of paper and a pen.
Liz produced two packets of cake, and here dawned the hilarity of the evening! Along with the cake, were a spoon, a hat, a pair of gloves and a telephone directory. This was to be a variation on the Chocolate game. Chocolate is expensive here, and the cake is very cheap. We each threw a dice, continuously and quickly round the circle, and when somebody threw a 6, they donned the hat and scarf, found a page in the telephone book shouted out by somebody. When they found it, they grabbed the spoon, hacked off bits of cake and shovelled it into their mouths!!! Liz was doing the best until the directory was taken away. -Then it was just a free for all!! I will never be able to look at Liz in quite the same way, now that I’ve seen her lean over when somebody snatched the spoon off her and eat a huge chunk of cake from the corridor floor!! I did quite well once the book disappeared, and people try to ‘help’ by taking huge bits and trying to put them in your mouth!!
After this game, which emerged with no clear winner, it was paper time. -Everyone had to fold their paper into 10, write their name at the bottom and pass it round the group until everyone had written a positive comment about each person on the paper. I think we were all very conservative about what we wrote, thinking that it was going to be read out, but they were private, and nobody else had to see what everybody had written, although most people showed them round later.
Then it was Muppet of the Month time! I was Muppet of the Day for my temper-tantrum this afternoon, making me equal with Mark. We thought that we’d be awarded it as a joint effort, but no, it was voted on. I thought that the vote might just clinch it for Mark, but I wasn’t expecting his landslide victory. The only person to vote for me, was Mark himself, and he said that he had considered voting for himself too! The prize was a t-shirt on which had been scribed “Number 1 Muppet”. On the back, went a list of all his ‘gaffes’, while everybody signed the front with a message. At first, he wasn’t a very good sport about it at all, but eventually, he let us take his photo holding it, and even produced a weak smile for the camera!
We had a brief photo session, with everyone posing, and the cool guy from reception taking photos with everyone’s cameras. Then, we finished packing and didn’t do very much. Kate fell asleep at the end of Jennie and Cheryl’s bed, and I went off to bed, leaving the door ajar for Helen and Kate to come in, but when I woke at five, they still weren’t there. Obviously spent the whole night in the other room.
