Up until this point in the trip, I would say for the most part we have been pretty healthy. I got a cold the week we got here and lost my voice, and Sean had a sore throat for a few days, but with a combination of Eastern and Western medicine we were fine.
A few days ago we got up at 4am to drive with my friend Josette to her new Peace Corp site in Guacimo. The drive was about 3 hours from where we were in San Marcos, through San Jose, and east towards the Caribbean coast. We tried to find a hotel near Guacimo, but only found a roach motel near the highway. We even asked a cabbie in the center of town, thinking he will see a fare in site if he could find us a place. Even he said no! So we went to the bus station to see if we could maybe get a bus toward San Jose. Yes! In 5 minutes! So unfortunately we had an abrupt goodbye with Josette, and off we went, west, from whence we came.
Our next planned destination after Josette’s was Montezuma, which is on the western peninsula of Costa Rica (Peninsula de Nicoya). When we got to San Jose, we caught another bus to Puntarenas, which is a town on the west coast. From Puntarenas you can catch a ferry to Peninsula de Nicoya, then another bus to the town of Montezuma. So far our travel tally for that day was 3 hour taxi, 5 hours bus. So we decided to stay in Puntarenas and catch the ferry the next morning.
The next day we got up and my stomach was a little crabby but I did not think too much of it. I have a pretty sensitive stomach, and a lot of times I just try to ignore it. We caught another bus to the ferry, and waited in the most ridiculous line you have ever seen. And that is when it hit me. You know what I am talking about! Montezuma’s revenge before we even got to Montezuma! I ran into the ferry station bathroom, which was not too bad considering the location. Felt a little better after, and returned to the line with Sean. After an hour in line, someone came up to the line and told us all to get on the boat and buy the ticket on the boat, the boat was leaving. What!? Okay, on to the boat, and run to the bathroom. A little worse than the ferry bathroom, but again not too bad considering the location. Sean thinks the best thing he brought was the headlamp. My vote is for toilet paper.
On the boat, Sean and I discussed our options. It was a one hour ferry ride, and then a two hour bus ride to Montezuma. But there was a town 4K from the ferry where we could possibly find a room. By the time we got on the bus, I opted for plan B. Not a moment too soon did we check into our hotel, and I was in the bathroom nonstop for the rest of the day.
So the next day we spent in the small town of Paquera catering to my stomach. I finally felt well enough to eat around 2pm. After lunch we walked round a bit, and decided to walk down to the tourist info. “Snorkeling tours! Internet! Canopy Tours! Open 365 Days A Year!” the sign proclaims. We tried the door and it is locked. We walked a bit in the opposite direction and a guard told us they are closed on Sundays. We got a good laugh over that one.
So here we are in Paqueras hopeful that tomorrow I will be able to ride the bus to Montezuma. And hopefully its revenge is over.
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