The Finale
Trip Start
Mar 04, 2008
1
20
Trip End
Ongoing
San Jose, Province of San Jose, Costa Rica
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
this is the final one for now from me, well for this trip anyway. I`ve managed to cover quite a bit of Costa Rica in the last 5 weeks or and it has been a fantastic experience. Almost at the end of my amazing trip, I have met some great people and seen some awesome sights that I will remember for the rest of my life.
I caught boat from Jaco to Montezuma across the Nicoya Peninsula, it lasted about an hour and we caught some great wild life on the way, we saw skools of dolphins jumping literally 3 feet in the air in front of us, whales swimming in the distance, leather back turtles, sharks and manter rays jumping out of the water. The captain of the boat was so excited he stopped a couple of times and stared on in amazement. In all his times doing the trip he has never seen so much altogether. Montezuma was a sleepy little town with great white sandy beaches to stroll along or just chill out. I found a great surfing spot along a rocky path across several beaches, it was a wee bit rugged with no where really to walk but the waves were powerful and long. As the day progressed lots more surfers appeared. I stayed in Montezuma and made my way on an arse breaking journey to Mal Pais, the trip only took about 45 minutes but because of the roads it was a bit bumpy to say the least. I think thats what makes it a bit more adventurous here, the roads are that bad in places it is impassable, it keeps the hoards of tourists away, so most of the time you arrive in these places its really quite and you have the beach to yourself. I Checked into a really laid back hostel and rented a board for a couple of days. Most of the people in the hostel were all surfers too so it was nice to join up with them every morning although most of them were far more advanced than myself.
From Mal Pais I took a bus to Paquera and then a ferry to Puna Arenas and then from there another bus to Baranca. At Baranca I met a group of Austrians heading to Tamarindo and they seemed to know what the craic was with the buses, so I sat and waited with them. And we waited and we waited, 2 hours passed and one turned up eventually. We all hopped on and lay on the floor, thankfully a seat became available after an hour or so and I grabbed it. 5 hours later and we arrived in Tamarindo, I was pretty whacked by that stage and I set about finding my hostel. I wandered for ages asking people and after a wild goose chase I found it. Hidden away on a dark cul de sac. I was a really cool place, much like living at home and I was the only one there which was a wee bit spooky. I stayed in Tamarindo 3 nights and I was deciding what next to do when I met a Canadian lad I met in Mal Pais and he told me he was staying in Playa Grande at a surf camp. That sounded perfect for me so I set about finding how to get there. I found Tamarindo to be ok, many people hate the place, yes its got all the boutique shops, high rise condos and pricey restaurants but in all I found it to be a relatively cool place to hang out and gather your bearings and plan your trip to the neighbouring beaches.
I caught the boat across the estuary from Tamarindo to Playa Grande and I was immediately in love with the place, open white sandy beach surrounded by lush green vegetation and the best thing about it, no buildings on the beach. Playa Grande has been declared a national park and thus prohibiting buildings within 75 metres of the high tide, which is great. I found Playa Grande surf camp www.playagrandesurfcamp.com pretty easy and met the owner Gerry who was a great guy. I checked into my room above the pool and surrounded by rain forest, it was excellent. The next couple of days Gerry took me out surfing with his friends and gave me some valuable surf tips with helped me alot. I hung out in Playa Grande for 8 days and in the end and I didn't want to leave the place. I found a perfect place to spend my last week of my trip and met some really great people. I will be going back!!
I´m now back in San Jose for a day or two to gather my stuff together and prepare for my trip back. I have mixed emotions about going back, I am really looking forward to seeing my family and friends but I know part of me will miss the traveling. I read a great article in a surf magazine recently and I think it sums up traveling perfectly, entitled,
"Itchy feet"
For many, traveling is a way of life. And like life, the layers of reason and motive create the trip. Some travel because it´s their job, some to relax, some to see and experience, some to escape their reality and some to find theirs. For whatever reason, there is a commitment to an unseen force that is as old as the human species itself. The force drives you to take the steps and find yourself thousands of miles away from home in unfamiliar land.
Being abroad is a time to decide who you are. There are rich rewards in the food, culture, beauty and friendships you make along your journey. That magic still exists today. You just have to fly the nest to find it.
On that note I will say goodbye for now, thanks again to everyone for the emails and support over the past 6 months, special thanks to Paula for keeping the family in Collon updated on my trip. Hope to see most of you soon.
Take care,
Mark
