CR, wasps, and thumbs.

I went to CR with Jess to renew driver's licenses. We decided to go to Dominical, the same place we spent sick as dogs for three days and then endured the CR Crises of November 2010. We drove my car to David to leave with an associate, then took a taxi to the bus terminal, and then a bus to the border. We exited the country and stamped into CR in the smallest amount of time ever. We shopped a couple of bus rates, and disgusted by the ridiculous "tourist" prices, we took a collectivo to C. Neilly. From there, we made the last bus to Dominical within minutes of departure (lucky)!

Five LONG hours later on a smelly, cramped, frequently-stopping bus, the bus was boarded by two National Police in bullet vests and shotguns. They walked down the aisle and seemed like they were looking for someone (their eyes skipped right over us gringos, phew!). Just then, a Tico man got on the bus scanning the passengers and screamed "That's them! They have blah blah with them, It was them!" The police arrested the two guys directly behind us which made Jess and I a bit nervous, but the police were quick about it and escorted the two thieves (and the bags they had allegedly stolen) off of the bus. As the bus began to move again, the passengers were all joking about how stupid these guys were to board the local chicken bus as their getaway vehicle..."A horse would have been better!" someone laughed.

Arriving in Dominical in the dark and rain, we went into the first restaurant/bar we came to, ordered drinks, and used the phone to call our friend with the reptile farm (see post in November, 2010). He was not there and we hadn't made solid plans with him, so we went to our normal hotel, checked in, and went out for the best ceviche I have ever had. The next morning, we checked out and started hiking up the road to where the reptile farm is. It was incredibly hot and humid as we climbed up the hilly road. After about three miles, we came to a little roadside oasis and had an incredible brunch. We had four miles to go, but soon after continuing our walk, a young Tico man stopped and told us to hop in the back of his truck which we delightfully accepted. He dropped us off at the reptile farm. We hung out there for a couple of days in a spare bedroom. I cooked the first night, then our friend's lady friend cooked the second night. It is a really beautiful place and nice to get away for a little bit. I managed to get quite a bit of work done, and I read most of LOTR II.

The next day, we walked back (all the way) to Dominical. There are only two buses that leave there to go towards the border. We got onto one bus and asked the driver if he was going to la frontera, and he said yes...then he turned the wrong way and headed towards Nicaragua. We demanded he stop and got off the still rolling bus incensed at the mis-info from the driver. The second and last bus did not appear to be on schedule (or operating at all), and Jess had to get back to her animals...we decided to get out of the intense sun, eat some ceviche, and then head to the road to try to find a different bus.

After eating, we took a shortcut along the beach to get to a more populated area...we needed to increase our chances of finding a ride whether it be a bus, taxi, or with other travelers. As we were negotiating a river crossing on the beach, we stirred up a swarm of wasps and were both stung in the face, head, and arms...I counted 11 stings on me, Jess had even more. Hot, sweaty, in pain, and overall irritated, we hiked to a busy corner and waited for a bus or taxi. An hour went by, and we decided it was time to find a different means of transportation...Jess put out the thumb and a guy pulled over right away. He had a pit-bull in the car (chained to the seat) who was very sweet. The guy was very nice and took us as far as he was going. Then, we found another ride for a little more distance, then another ride with a sweet lady who just retired to CR, and then finally another ride almost all the way with two guys who work for the transito (motorcycle cops). We made it to the border in half the time it would have taken by bus, and for free (except for a $2 taxi).