Sunday, Feb 19
We left Monteverde on the 6am bus. It was as beautiful a view on the way down as it was on the way up the mountains. We had to change buses in Puntarenas on the coast. It was a tight transfer but fortunately, the bus to Jacó was late so we made it.
There were taken out of a dirty window of a moving bus so...
According to Lonely Planet, people either love Jacó or hate Jacó because it is so touristy. I don't know that we felt that strongly either way but it felt a lot like later Puerto Vallarta. Basically a long strip with restaurants and a million gift shops. And it was hot, so hot.
We got dropped on the side of the road. Our hotel was up the street behind Pops Ice Cream. This is actually how they list their address in Booking.com. No one uses street names. We were pretty loaded with our Monteverde purchases but we decided to walk. It was around noon so hot, hot, hot. We were staying in the Blue Palm Hotel. It is one of the nicest places we have booked. We figured we deserved a relaxing last couple of days. Air Conditioning in our room (thank god) and a pool (which we did not use).
After our long, hot, overburdened walk to the hotel, we dumped our bags and lay under the AC until we were less melty. Then we headed back into town to find dinner. Turns out we weren't that far away once we were backpack free, we were about 1/3 KM up the road from the main drag. We visited the beach. Jacó is a surfing town. After that we ate. And shopped. Actually, that's all we did in Jacó. Walked up and down the main street, stopped for food or drinks or shopping, for three days. I don't really have much to tell.
I finally found a painting I liked. It is in a tube which barely fits in my backpack.
There is a Biological Reserve (one step down from a National Park, I think) nearby called Cararas. There are Scarlet Macaws there so I sort of wanted to go but Val just couldn't face getting up before 5am again and I agreed. So, we skipped it. But as we were sitting on the veranda over the pool, there they were, flying right over our heads. We saw four on our second day and I saw another four the next day from the veranda and the bus. They really are the most impressive bird going. They look fake and to see them in the wild is unreal. And they are so noisy. Val is a birding convert. But no pictures. You will have to settle for these adorable wrens.
This morning, we took the 9am bus to San Jose. Uneventful trip. We came back to Elvis hotel. Then to the artisanal market to buy a cutting board for myself. I LOVE the wood products here. And a few more gifts for next Christmas. My bag is going to be so heavy. We just checked in online and I put that my bag may weigh over 50lbs. I don't think so but just in case. Wood is heavy.
Now it is only 6:30 but we are in for the night. I have to prepare myself mentally and physically for the difficult task of packing all of my purchases that I said I wouldn't make. I will remind myself how easy Christmas will be in 9 months.
3pm flight tomorrow out of San Jose, we arrive in Vancouver at 9:30ish on Friday.
We left Monteverde on the 6am bus. It was as beautiful a view on the way down as it was on the way up the mountains. We had to change buses in Puntarenas on the coast. It was a tight transfer but fortunately, the bus to Jacó was late so we made it.
There were taken out of a dirty window of a moving bus so...
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| Puntarenas |
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According to Lonely Planet, people either love Jacó or hate Jacó because it is so touristy. I don't know that we felt that strongly either way but it felt a lot like later Puerto Vallarta. Basically a long strip with restaurants and a million gift shops. And it was hot, so hot.
We got dropped on the side of the road. Our hotel was up the street behind Pops Ice Cream. This is actually how they list their address in Booking.com. No one uses street names. We were pretty loaded with our Monteverde purchases but we decided to walk. It was around noon so hot, hot, hot. We were staying in the Blue Palm Hotel. It is one of the nicest places we have booked. We figured we deserved a relaxing last couple of days. Air Conditioning in our room (thank god) and a pool (which we did not use).
 |
| our room |
After our long, hot, overburdened walk to the hotel, we dumped our bags and lay under the AC until we were less melty. Then we headed back into town to find dinner. Turns out we weren't that far away once we were backpack free, we were about 1/3 KM up the road from the main drag. We visited the beach. Jacó is a surfing town. After that we ate. And shopped. Actually, that's all we did in Jacó. Walked up and down the main street, stopped for food or drinks or shopping, for three days. I don't really have much to tell.
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| Se Vende (for sale) if you are interested |
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| The beach |
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| The river (east of the bridge) |
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| The river (west of the bridge) |
I finally found a painting I liked. It is in a tube which barely fits in my backpack.
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| Tico Pod where I bought my painting, sister store to Fruity Monkey Poop shop where I bought a mug |
There is a Biological Reserve (one step down from a National Park, I think) nearby called Cararas. There are Scarlet Macaws there so I sort of wanted to go but Val just couldn't face getting up before 5am again and I agreed. So, we skipped it. But as we were sitting on the veranda over the pool, there they were, flying right over our heads. We saw four on our second day and I saw another four the next day from the veranda and the bus. They really are the most impressive bird going. They look fake and to see them in the wild is unreal. And they are so noisy. Val is a birding convert. But no pictures. You will have to settle for these adorable wrens.
 |
 |
This morning, we took the 9am bus to San Jose. Uneventful trip. We came back to Elvis hotel. Then to the artisanal market to buy a cutting board for myself. I LOVE the wood products here. And a few more gifts for next Christmas. My bag is going to be so heavy. We just checked in online and I put that my bag may weigh over 50lbs. I don't think so but just in case. Wood is heavy.
 |
| Street art under a bridge in San Jose |
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Now it is only 6:30 but we are in for the night. I have to prepare myself mentally and physically for the difficult task of packing all of my purchases that I said I wouldn't make. I will remind myself how easy Christmas will be in 9 months.
3pm flight tomorrow out of San Jose, we arrive in Vancouver at 9:30ish on Friday.
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