mrs-roboto's Diaryland Diary
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Day Four
After leaving Manuel Antonio we headed Northwest to the ferry terminal in order to reach the Nicoya Peninsula. I will note here that this is one of the few excursions we made where we actually reached our destination on the first try. The ferry leaves out of the town of Puntarenas and there was a direct highway from Manuel Antonio which was clearly marked. Very few roads actually feature signs in Costa Rica. In fact, I think we only traveled on two marked roads throughout the whole trip. Paved roads are also in the minority.
The ferry, like so many services in remote places, runs infrequently and being the Nervous Nelly that I am, I forced Pete to leave about two hours earlier than we had to. It probably comes as no surprise to you all that we arrived with two hours to spare. We put our car in the ferry line and headed off in search of cervezas. On our way to the bar we were stopped by a local claiming to have wisdom to impart. His first words to us were "My English is good, no?" to which I replied "Not as good as mine." You could smell the bad vibe coming off this guy from a mile away. He weighed roughly 75 pounds and seemed high as a kite. He asked us what our final destination was and then pulled out a tattered map.
"Ah yes, this is the surfers place. Okay when the ferry docks you take this road," he pointed at a squiggly line. "Then you come to a fork in the road and you head left and then you take a right by a cow and a left by a snake and then you travel 60 kilometers and you make a 360 degree turn and travel 45 kilometers and you are there. Now some money for me, okay?"
Maybe later Slick.
The ferry process was interesting in and of itself. They begin selling tickets about 15 minutes before the boat leaves and in order to get them you have to head two blocks away to a ticket counter and fight the hordes and then run back in time to get your vehicle on board the ship. Also your passenger must walk on which threw us for a loop. After we worked out all the logistics, we were fine though.
The ferry mostly provides transportation to locals and supply trucks. It seems that your average tourist has little interest in the southern tip of the Peninsula and travels instead up north to the more developed areas on buses labeled "TURISMO" in huge black letters. We settled into our seats beside two teenage boys carrying spear fishing gun. After spending so much time in the U.S. where travel precautions are rather strict ("you can't bring those knitting needles on this flight young lady, don't give me that I'm working on a scarf excuse, these are clearly weapons of mass destruction"), it was a little alarming to sit next to a guy who actually had a harpoon on him. Still, I tried to relax and go with the flow. And things were going along fine till the boys starting playing with the damn thing. Seriously, they were pointing it here and there and pulling on various parts and all around making me a basket case so we left the cabin and stood out on deck.
The day was simply gorgeous. The ocean and sky were blue as can be and the ride was just long enough to make you feel as if your destination would be a completely new and different experience from the place you had just been. And it was. As soon as we disembarked, we sensed a distinct change in the air. The roads were made up up rock and dirt and traveling over 25 MPH would be almost impossible. The homes were spread further and further apart and the villages consisted of a general store and a small restaurant. We ambled along taking in the view and keeping out eyes peeled for wildlife.
The Blue Jay Lodge At Mal Pais
Roughly an hour later we arrived at Mal Pais where we had rented a tree top cabina from which you could hear the ocean waves crashing. It was stunning. The structure was made up of a wooden platform floor and mesh screens for walls, the jungle hung like fine art all around us. Within an hour we spotted our first Howler Monkeys while lounging on our deck. These would not be last Howlers we saw. Actually, the Howlers like greet the dawn each day by howling. Go figure.
After a little rest and a bit of settling in, we headed out to hit the town. As we drove down the road I spotted several green parrots flying free as pigeons in the city. It was just unbelievable to see this bird that I have only seen in cages or at pet stores soaring through the air. It was truly otherworldly.
To Be Continued
8:44 p.m. - 2004-03-09
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