Archive for January 2012

Once again, my morning began at an hour far too early for my vagabonding standards.  I crawled out of bed and out of the mosquito netting to leave Meisha fast asleep.  After a bit of coffee and a quick breakfast, Clay and I left the house to meet our fishing guide at the Estero Negro River.  Slathered in sunscreen in anticipation of a very warm day, we walked down the dusty 500 meters of road from Clay’s cacao farm out to the highway.  As we met the highway, the rain met us.  If there’s one thing that moves quickly here in Costa Rica, it’s the rain.   

Within minutes, a slow drizzle became a veritable downpour.  We trudged on as canceling wasn’t an option.  Edgar was paddling 2 hours downriver to meet us where the river meets the Caribbean Sea.  Cell phones weren’t an option, so this trip was going to happen, despite the weather.  Read more

After a few quick email exchanges via CouchSurfing, we jumped on the bus with our Czech friend Michal to go meet a (mostly) total stranger in San José for some coffee and urban exploration. Upon our arrival, we stepped out of the Puriscal Bus Terminal to see Mariano waiting there for us on his trusty little blue Fiat. Curbside pickup. Right on 🙂 As we drove to find a good parking spot, we got to know each other a bit and Mariano explained the disorganized driving habits of Central America to us. Mariano found a suitable spot and as we started to head toward Avenida Central, he was stopped by a "watchy man" (an under-the-table person who keeps an eye on your car if you pay him... if not, not guarantee of what might happen). He paid the watchy man and we moved on.   Read more