Men, Monkeys and Organ Trafficking

The Costa Rican adventures continue...

After the coffee tour, it was time to say goodbye to Monteverde and embark on another 4 hour drive to our next destination: Manuel Antonio. We had come to really like Monteverde in the short time we'd been there, and wouldn't have minded spending another few days in Pension Santa Elena. But time was ticking and we had plenty more to experience.

We had a hostel picked out in Manuel Antonio, but while waiting for our ride, we checked through a number of guidebooks. Our hostel wasn't listed in any of them, so we decided to wing it and ended up choosing a similarly priced hotel moments away from the beach. It had a gorgeous pool right outside our room and was steps away from the bustling marketplace. That night, we explored the area and hung out in the pool. The next day, we FINALLY slept in. It was wonderful! But I still felt like I was missing out on the day. I'm definitely not a morning person at home, but when on an adventure vacation, I just can't sleep in. There's too much to see and do to waste time sleeping! Anyway, that day we had a leisurely brunch by the ocean. We then hopped on public transit to Quepos, a neighbouring town where we'd have to buy our bus tickets for our journey to San Jose the following day. Surprisingly, their public transit system is efficient and punctual, albeit sweaty and stinky! By this time, my Spanish was rolling off my tongue (perhaps not in the right tense, though!) and I was able to purchase our bus tickets successfully. We decided to explore the beautiful little town of Quepos, but stopped off at a grocery store for a cold can of Imperial beer first. We weren't sure whether we could drink on the streets, but it was too hot not to!

Back in Manuel Antonio, we had spotted a sign at a club advertising unlimited drinks for five thousand colones ($10). Sounded like a party we couldn't miss! After grabbing a summer dress at the local market for me, we got ready for a night out. When we arrived at the club, I thought we got an odd look from the man at the front collecting our money, but I didn't pay it much mind. The club was empty except for a few guys standing around, so we found a booth in the corner and ordered our first drinks and some nachos. Slowly, the club started filling up. As we looked around, we started to notice a pattern... men, men, and, well, more men. It then dawned on us... we had found ourselves in a gay club!! I was the ONLY girl in the club! The vibe seemed alright and we were already eating comfortably, so we decided to stay. It was a first for both of us, but I can't say it was a bad experience. There were drinks to be had and the food was good. Everyone was friendly and jovial to say the least. We chilled 'til the wee hours of the morning and then called it a night.

The next morning, I was determined to wake up at 6am to see the monkeys. The concierge told us that they feed the monkeys right beside the pool at around 6 every morning. I came all the way to Costa Rica to see monkeys and if it meant waking up early, I was going to do it! Or err... Pres was going to do it! I woke him up at the crack of dawn and asked ever so sweetly if he'd go check the window for me. No monkeys. Again a little while later. Still no monkeys. I finally dragged my butt out of bed and set up camp beside the window. No monkeys to be seen. We didn't let that bother us though, no time for sad feelings! We had to rush to get ready for our sailing and snorkeling tour. Aboard the catamaran, we spotted pelicans, dolphins and beautiful birds. We circled around the infamous Manuel Antonio National Park and snorkeled amongst brightly coloured fish. After snorkeling, we were treated to a delicious meal of fish, rice, and vegetables. Unlike much of the Caribbean and South and Central America that I've visited, I found the people of Costa Rica to be very punctual. When the tour operators realized that our ride back to our hotels was running a bit late, they kindly called and paid for a taxi for all of us.

After the tour, we headed down towards Manuel Antonio National Park and spotted MONKEYS! Tons of them! Our hotel was feeding them and the cute little critters were so well behaved. They grabbed one little piece and leaped back into the trees to enjoy their treat. I soooo badly wanted to run up to one and hug them, but I restrained myself. It took all my strength and willpower, but I left the poor things alone. We had wanted to hike through the National Park, but due to time restraints, we decided to check out the public beach instead. And boy, did we ever get our butts kicked by those waves!! We had a blast riding the waves and getting thrown around. As the afternoon wore on and the waves intensified, we found ourselves being flung and dragged through the ocean. Almost too soon, it was time to get ourselves ready for the bus to San Jose. Amusingly, as brown as our skin is, we both burned! Even as I write this blog, my shoulders continue to peel! Here was another thing to add to my list of firsts on this trip!

Originally we had planned to go into San Jose earlier in the day, but having fallen in love with Manuel Antonio, we decided to delay our departure until later in the evening. As the sun sets around 6:00-6:30pm everyday, it was dark by the time we arrived in San Jose. The city was very well developed with everything from McDonalds to retail stores we'd see in Toronto. As we drove closer to the Coca-Cola bus terminal, I saw a phrase painted on a wall and I realized we were not in Kansas anymore... Organ trafficking. OMG. Panic Moment #4. Flashes of us waking up in a bath of ice filled my mind. As I looked around, I saw coiled barbed wire with BLADES, not twisted wire, on every building. The bus dropped us off, and there were were, in the very bus terminal that the guidebooks warn you about. We hopped into the closest cab (unmarked of course) and headed off to Hostel Bekuo where we had booked in for the night. At first, we thought the hostel was closed, as the gates were shut and locked. We realized that you had to buzz in and the staff would open the gates for you. Tight security everywhere. The place was really nice with great common room facilities and a gigantic game of Scrabble that I was dying to play! Our room was an outside cabin complete with a tv and computer with internet. The front door of the hostel had several warnings posted about not bringing passports or credit card unless absolutely necessary. Whoops. The warnings, barbed wire, and graffiti advertising for organ trafficking, mixed with the cool, damp, darkness of the night added to the sketchiness of San Jose. Our tummies were grumbling so we set off in search of some food nonetheless. I didn't want to venture far, so we stopped off in a Chinese restaurant a few minutes away from the hostel. As we chowed down on our meal, all was well. That is, until the earth began to shake...