As the days before the trip got closer - each of us would look at the other and with dread in our voice would say: Three....days.......on..........a bus!
Well surprise, surprise - it was not bad at all. Of course I am now writing this after it is all over. But to be totally truthful - it was seriously not bad at all! We actually had fun and laughed a lot at some of the situations we found ourselves in. The very first morning we left from Esterillos on the only morning bus that comes into the village - 7:30am. With more stops than either of us could count - we arrived in San Jose at 11:30am. Tica Bus was leaving at 12:30 pm so we had to catch a taxi and hustle to make it on time for check-in. I thought there would be food there....wrong! Except for the boarder crossings this bus did not stop until it reach Managua at 9 pm. Fortunately, previous plans had been made to meet a woman I know who lives there. About 10 pm she and 3 other guys show up to take us for a quick bite. After getting past the terminal guard and his machete, all 6 of us.... crammed into a very small - well used car. About 11 pm, we found ourselves sucking down chicken, salad and beers with Maria and our new friends in a very shady part of the capital of Nicaragua. One of the guys wanted to practice saying "You are a beautiful woman" in English and so we did. Lots of laughing.
The following morning the bus was leaving at 5 am but we are required to check in an hour early - this meant getting up at 3:30 AM. This is pretty much how it went - long days riding - very little sleep.
The Tica Bus is a very modern bus. It actually had a restroom altho there are signs indicating only No. 1 :)....is allowed. Don't ask how they enforce this. There are few stops for food so we quickly learned to eat when we could because we never knew when the next opportunity would be. The bus has air conditioning , however at times it was - I swear - below freezing! This bus also had movies. In the course of 6 full days we saw about 10 - well sorta.....3 very random movies ended just before the endings so we never knew what happened. My favorite one was on the 2nd afternoon while cruising thru Honduras. Filmed in Japan, the barely audible sound was in Japanese with Spanish sub-titles. It started out with a long graphic scene showing the birth of puppies - akita puppies. After much debate an older gentleman with his family choose a puppy but then have to wait an unknown period for some unknown reason until the puppy could be shipped. When the puppy finally arrives - it appears to be dead - but then miraculously jumps to its' feet to the joy of all the family. The rest of the movie is about the relationship between the dog and the older man. As the dog becomes an adult, each day Hatshi follows the man to the train terminal and watches him leave for his work as a professor. Each afternoon, when the man returns the dog is still there waiting for him. One day the man dies while he is at work - Of course, Hatchi does not know this and everyday continues his vigilance. Years go by, the widow does not want the dog as she was jealous of Hatchi (seriously), she sells the house and the new owners do not want him either. He wanders the streets, but every afternoon he is there at the station waiting for his master who will never return. In the end...Hatchi is very old and on a very cold, snowy afternoon he lays he head down on the terminal ramp and dies. I am putting all this in graphic detail because poor Desirae who was sitting next to me trying to read got blow by blow narration from me and then had to deal with my crying at the end. This is what 3 days on a bus does.................
The majority of the movies were just plain stupid - enough of that and time to move this along.
We met up with Debbie and Gary at the Guatemala City airport in the afternoon of the 3rd day. Stayed the night in a great hotel recommended by their friends. The next morning we all got up early and once again rode a bus - 5 more hours - to Rio Dulce. When we arrived, Chris and Kelly were waiting there for us. By early evening, all 6 of us were sitting on the Honah Lee - a beautiful 46 ft. sailboat that had been purchased over 3 years ago by Chris and restored by the two of them. It was shortly after Chris bought this boat in Louisiana that he met Kelly on match.com. Theirs is a true love story. Each one of them had been captains for a number of years - wanted to live their lives on a sailboat with someone who loved that lifestyle. Each looking for that perfect person meant just for them - and for these two - that is exactly what happened. It was such a pleasure just being in their presence.
Within a day or so, Desirae and I started referring to Kelly as our camp counselor. Each day was full of planned activities. Swimming, hiking, boating, drinking, eating great food. One day we had a large bucket of live river shrimp brought to us by their good friend Carlos. It took about 45 minutes for 5 of us to clean. Carlos had to rip the head off as none of us girls could do that while they were still kicking. 2 days later Carlos brings us a 25 pound snook and leaves it on the deck so when we got up and while having breakfast - homemade hot empanadas delivered every morning - had the pleasure of looking at the large fish laying there at our feet. The following evening, Desirae and I were in charge of fish tacos. On the last day, we made a trip to Livingston, an interesting coastal town on the Atlantic. The ride there and back was simply beautiful. As this was our last evening together we all shared a cold beer at a very swanky hotel over looking the ocean.
Highlights for me: Volcanoes - seeing serious volcanoes in El Salvador. Doing our first hike thru the jungle to get to a waterfall completely barefooted as Desirae and I only brought flip flops which would not have survived the mud. On the return, swung on a vine hanging down from the trees. Ringing 3 out of 10 on ring toss at Texan Bay - the favorite bar. Visiting a family who live in very humble surroundings in the mangroves but are totally happy. Sitting in natural hot springs after a very cold, full on rain boat ride after the jungle hike. Sitting on the deck of the boat cleaning fresh shrimp with good friends. Discovering the same exact flower shown to Cailin and I - by our native guide in the Amazon Basin of Ecuador - that looks like bright red lips when you put it between your own lips - such fun! Mastering the kayaka (sp???) - similar to a small canoe, hand made by machete from the trunk of a tree. Returning by boat from a great dinner at Texan Bay under a dark sky full of intense stars. Sharing the best breakfast ever..... in a very modern restaurant in Guatemala City the morning Desirae and I began the trek back home. Arriving in one piece back in Costa Rica and seeing our good friend Dave there waiting for us at the highway stop.
Thank you Desirae for asking me to go - Chris and Kelly for the above and beyond hospitality - Debbie and Gary - the pleasure of your company - Carlos for taking care of all of us - Morgan the cat for being a constant source of amusement.
One more thing.....remember the dog movie. I don't think I have ever seen an akita before and if I did - did not know what it was. The guard dog at the hotel in Guatemala City was a beautiful female Akita. I think this is a sign :)
1 comment:
Sounds like a blast Pat! Wish I could have joined you guys :). MIss you!
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