Heading South - Monteverde to Zancudo

Feb 7, 2020   Costa Rica
BLOG: Un-related thoughts and activites of the day . . . .

As of last night, I didn't have a plan. I was nursing a hangover all day so was not motivated to buy a bus ticket or do much of anything else. Robert came home in the afternoon from his few days away and it's a good thing I hadn't bought anything yet.

He pointed out that my original plan of taking the bus all the way into San Jose, then getting one heading south, didn't make a whole lot of sense. Multiple web searches and various Costa Rica transportation sites later, I had a plan to take the morning bus to Puntarenas, then head down the coast. See My Trip From Monteverde to Panama.

Robert even called Mario, his taxi guy, and he was waiting at the end of the driveway for me just after 5am (he arrived 1/2 an hour early so I was able to get the 5:30am instead of the 6am bus out of Monteverde). Good man.

I slept most of the ride down here but first watched a beautiful sunrise over the lush mountains of Monteverde. I felt good. Despite some slight drama and typical drunken female emotions, I felt I was leaving there with good memories of my last time there.

I didn't get to see quite a few of my MV friends in such a short visit, but I did see some and even met some new people (my friend's landlord/neighbors) who just arrived from Germany for their yearly 3-month stay at their beautiful home in Costa Rica and their relatives who own the general store in St. Elena. Of course all very nice people. They invited me to come visit them whenever I'm in town. It was funny, once the man there referred to Robert as "the most famous foreigner in Costa Rica". That's quite a title!

Feb 8 Sue was worried about me staying in Canoas (dangerous after dark) so she reached out to a friend of hers that has a hotel there. ₡18,000 ($32)/night. about average cost PLUS he had someone pick me up at the bus at no charge. That was nice. Nice clean aircon room. It was POURING rain when I arrived. I didn't even feel like going out for dinner. I just hung out, downloaded photos, showered, went to bed, and slept in until like 7:45!!

In the morning I texted w/ Sue via WhatsApp, packed up, caught a taxi out front and met them at the "usual" (way overpriced) breakfast place. Seriously, ₡4,000 ($7) for a small coffee and some scrambled eggs. WTF. I left my luggage there while we shopped in Panama for the day. Typical unfocused shopping - ha ha but we did get it all done! I got some groceries for my stay in Zancudo and waited at the McDonalds in the City Mall while they finished. Then Carlos treated us to an ice cream cone while we waited for our ride.

Their taxi driver Mauricio is great. For the standard price of $50 back to Zancudo, he makes many a stop along the way for them to pick things up for their restaurant. Wow, the duty free booze store is great there! $45 for a magnum of Absolut. I got quite a few good wines for $4/bottle, and Sue and I split a case of Corona for $24. Much cheaper than in Zancudo! Wasn't it a 6 pack of Corona that Dave wanted to buy here last year but it was like $18?! Oh and so funny. The booze shop had a DJ out front - yep, a DJ - and when we pulled up he started announcing over his PA "Zancudo in the house" LOL! "Welcome Zancudo peeps", "Coquito bar and cabinas", etc. ha ha I'm not sure which was funnier; that they had a DJ at the liquor store, or that they all knew Carlos and Sue!

I got a case of beer and 8 bottles of wine for $55. Nap time for everyone on the way home after grabbing a few cans of Cuba Libre Pina Colada at one of our many stops. I'm so happy to be coming back to Zancudo.