Fellow Travellers

I’ve spent the last few days chilling out with Rich and Duncan here in Jaco. We’ve mainly been cruising the strip and beach, eating and drinking. Jaco was rad for the first 2 or 3 days, but it’s not really Costa Rica. It’s really just a big tourist attraction, and therefore there are a lot of obnoxious tourists, hookers and criminals (thieves and drug dealers). It’s more or less Costa Ricans operating an American tourist destination. However, the surfing is really fun, and next week I’ll be here taking Spanish lessons, while living with a family here.
The parties are pumping for sure, but kind of a gross scene to be honest. A good thing about there being plenty of people from all over, is that there are a good amount of cool people...not all terrible. For instance we met a guy from Israel, and a bunch of Swedish guys who guarantee a good laugh, and the other night met up with some Yukon girls who are traveling around Central America for the next 3 months. A pretty happy town, but it’s not very cultural. I’m excited to get some solid Spanish under my belt then be on my way around the area.

Picture: Duncan, Rich, Johan, Jaronk, Freddy, Me outside of a Tabacon after Doggy’s night.

Jaco Beach Pictures

Here's a few pictures of the beach...
Me and my sunburn, Duncan enjoying the surf and sun, pacific sunset

Playa Jaco (Jaco Beach)

On Christmas night, some friendly Virginians came to the Hotel, and we went out for a Chinese dinner…of course Chinese was the only thing open that day. I was going to go to the water park with them the following day, but met some French Canadians who were going to Jaco, so I tagged along. Seems all the Spanish I learned disappeared because I spent the day speaking frenglish with them (mostly French though). The bus was totally jammed pack, so for half of it we stood in the aisle holding on to the bars while we whizzed up and down mountains and through winding roads…a very scenic bus ride, even though not the comfiest. Even saw a family of crocodiles basking in the sun.
I was so happy to finally get out of the city and get to the beach! I found a good campsite where I have a locker for the week, and it only cost me 38 dollars! The extra cash will go to some touristy things and good food. That night, the two Canadians and I went to a delicious seafood place where we shared a platter of FRESH seafood (lobster, clams, crabs, shrimps, squid etc…) and were serenaded by a group of Spanish musicians…forget what they’re called. After the filling meal, we strolled up and down the busy and touristy streets of Jaco looking at art and other souvenirs. We were all pretty tired after the bus ride, and the huge platter of seafood, so stopped for a couple beers at a nice bar then went to bed.Today I got up nice and early because the birds wouldn’t let me sleep any more, and the sun was shining brightly. I took this opportunity to go for a nice jog along the beach before it got too hot, and then had a Tico breakfast (gallo pinto or beans and rice). At this point, I wasted no time and went swimming in the ocean. Probably spent half my day doing this, body surfing and laying in the sun…what I came to Costa Rica to do!
At noon, met up with the two French Canadians again (don’t know their names…weird), and swam some more before going to the bus stop to meet up with Duncan and Rich. They were know where to be seen so I walked up and down the streets in the hot sun looking for them, and after 2 rounds gave up and went back to swimming in the Pacific. All that swimming was making me hungry, so had a café lunch and headed on over to the Internet café. Coincidentally, Duncan and Rich were here to, so I have some British companions for a few days before they leave on the 30th.
First day in the sun and of course I got too much of it. Second day in the sun, too busy surfing to reapply sunscreen...I’m definately as red as a lobster on my face, arms and shoulders. I think i'm going to have to take a break from the sun here these next couple of days. Dunc, Rich and I are thinking about renting some motor bikes and going up to Hermosa, or maybe taking the bus down to Manuel Antonio park. A game time decision we'll figure out tomorrow at breakfast. That about wraps it up for now. It's doggy's night at the same bar the pictuer is in, which is free drinks for guys from 10-11pm. I can't not take advantage of this. Take it easy everyone!
-Mitchell-
PS Jaco is pronounced (Hawk-o)

Picture: Duncan, Rich and I enjoying some cervezas at a bar in Jaco

Feliz Navidad

After that looong day, I ended up staying up late with Carlos for his last night in the country berfore he´s off to Peru. We watched TV (movies and sit coms) until 3 in the morning and we had a few cervezas until I couldn´t keep my eyes open. The two big Costa Rican cervezas are Imperial and Pilsen. I prefer Imperial, but they´re both decent.
For Christmas eve, I spent another day in Alajuela mostly sleeping and teaching myself Spanish. I wandered the busy city and even though my Spanish is pathetic, I managed to get a chicken lunch combo for a couple bucks. Gabriel had to work the 6pm to 6am shift, and he was pretty bummed about that so I stayed up late with him to keep him company, playing cards, listening to music and drilling some Spanish into my head. I ordered 3 pizzas for 4900 colones (about 10 bucks), had one for dinner then put the other two in the fridge for lunch and dinner the next day. It wasn´t too exciting of a day, but there were a couple of fireworks shows, being December 24th.
Christmas day! Because I´ve been at the Pension Alajuela for 5 days now, I managed to get a discount for my last night here, and they said I can have free beer. I went for a longer stroll around the quiet city today in the hot sun, but came back when I saw the dark rain clouds heading this way. Again, nothing too exciting—I can´t wait to get out of here and get to the beach!
Duncan, my buddy from Scotland, is coming up to San Jose tomorrow, so I will meet up with him and his friend, Rich, at the Hostel Pangea, before we bus it to Jaco on the 27th. There we´ll do some surfing and I´ll go check out IPAI, the Spanish school. I looked into it on the internet, and the price is super reasonable considering it includes 10 hours of Spanish lessons per week, 3 meals a day, surfing lessons and my books. We get weekends off to do either group tours or travel on our own. I hope to stay with a family, but I don´t count on it. I think I will take lessons for at least a couple of weeks so I can have some basic survival Spanish and travel around with more ease. After 5 days here, my Spanish has improved immensely. Un porquito kada dia (which I think means “A little each day”). Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!
Take care,
-Mitchell-

Volcan Poas

Today, as well as yesturday I have been hanging out with Gabriel. He is a such a good guy, who is my age and incharge of security at the Hotel. Yesturday, he took me around the city of Alajuela and helped me send off a letter and get some dinero (money), before setting off to the Mall, which is much nicer than Chahko Miko, and getting some good ol´2 for 1 pizza. We cruised the mall for a bit but when I remembered I had only brought enough money for food, we walked back up town to the central market. The city was at its busiest being around 4 or 5pm; people everywhere. To end the day, we went to the pool hall, where after 3 horrific games I managed to come out on top. Before I went back to the hotel and Gabriel bussed home, we decided we would go to see the active Poas Volcano today. We planned to meet at 6am at the park so we could catch the bus and get back to town in time for him to work at 2.
Today, we did meet at 6am, and it turns out the bus for Volcan Poas doesn´t leave until 9am, so we killed 3 hours by just walking around and sitting in the park listening to music, mostly Manu Chao. I was surprised he hadn´t heard it before, but definitely likes it. He also really likes the Bee Jees and Eminem…we get along well. He took me to a modest restaurant for some beans and rice which was very satisfying and filling. After that we went to the bus stop and played the waiting game…apparently in the wrong place, but we managed to get on the bus for a slow and steady journey up the winding, mountain road, to the cloud forest. The bus wasn´t coming back down until 2, so Gabriel had to call and say he would be late and he managed to get the entire day off. When we got back to town, we bought some chicken and bussed it to his house, where we ate our chicken and some rice. Following a taxi ride back into town, we played some more pool—just as awful as yesterday—and stopped after we had won 2 games apiece. It´s be a looong day, so i´m looking forward to bed. Good night.

Picture: Steam pouring out of Volcan Poas, and surrounded by green, cloud forest.

Pension Alajuela - my hotel

So my first night was fine. Had a semi-rough sleep, and some crazy dreams, half of which were in Spanish. Unfortunately when I woke up, my Espagnol was still pathetic though, and Spongebob was still missing. The people that work at Pension Alajuela are super nice and helped me sort out my predicament over the phone--cancelling my lost debit card and getting in touch with my parents to sort out my finances. Looks like I´ll be spending a few more nights here so I can get a new debit card in the mail and be on my merry way to the beach.
Basically just spent the day learning a bit of Spanish, and figuring out what to do with myself...contemplated going back to Canada, but that would´ve been uber depressing, going back to snow from a hotel where half is roofless so the sun and warm, fresh air can come in...pretty sweet.
The Internet here is pretty inconsistent with working properly, too much like telus, so when it wasn´t working earlier (kinda like right now) I went for a stroll around Alajuela. In a 10 minute walk I managed to see a wrecked car being towed away, Costa Rican police interrogating a shop owner, a man napping on his cardboard bed and many people going about shopping and eating...not really a good place, but the weather is nice. I definately got alot of stares, being the only blonde one in town (or so it seems), and I expect to get a bunch more as I make my way around the country.
With that said I'm going to perhaps go for another walk and MAYBE take some picture if it doesn´t look like I´ll get mugged for whipping the pentax out.
Pura Vida
-Mitchell-

Things can only get better

December 20th...the long haul from Spokane to Costa Rica.
The entire day felt dreamlike whether it was the lack of sleep on the weekend, all the unfamiliar faces and territories or probably a combination of both, among other things. The flight from Spokane to Portland was short and sweet with no ´bumps´ except for some minor turbulence. As soon as I arrived in Portland (the gateway to Oregon) I bought some half ass omlette for airport prices then wandered the airport aimlessly until my flight to Houston.
In Houston there was little time for wandering around so I just waited for my plane and chatted briefly with a Costa Rican-Canadian. It was somewhere between Houston and Costa Rica where the Spongebob wallet went missing. Apart from $200, I lost my bank card which I was planning to live off of for the next three months. I realized I had lost my wallet when I went to exchange some money for a taxi. The friendly Costa Rican gave me c350 for a bus, but I ended up giving it to Arnaldo, some random who offered me a ride with his friend Fernando. Sketchy I suppose, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and they turned out to be some nice guys with a not so nice pick up truck. He drove me right to the frond door of my hotel and I donated my 350 colones to him, hoping he´ll put it into some seatbelts.
I do have some travellers cheques, so I should be able to survive for at least a week. For now though, I think the best thing I can do is go sleep. I´ll post anytime I find internet.
Here´s to hoping things get much better...good night and buenos noches.
Mitchell