Montezuma

After a full week of intensive TEFL certification and teaching my first mini-class to Beginning English students, I took off with Shannon and three other people from our class, Carey, Rohan and Wade, to Montezuma, a beach town on the Pacific Coast. We took a two-hour bus ride to Puntarenas, then caught a ferry to Paquera, and then took another two-hour bus ride to Montezuma. Once there, we found a hostel on the beach that cost about $12 per night and included dinner. It was filled with dirty hippies and was more like a commune than a hotel, but was nonetheless perfect for us. I don't think any of us stopped sweating between Friday morning and Monday evening for more than five minutes. But all I needed was a hammock on the beach and some sustenance and I was a happy camper.

On Saturday we spent the day lounging in hammocks and jumping the waves and at night we went out to Chico's, the only bar in town, for salsa dancing. It's a tough life, but someone's gotta do it. Sunday we took a hike along a river to a waterfall, which was gorgeous and had perfect, clear water for swimming. Then we made it back to the hostel for dinner, taught some of the people who worked there how to play Kings (a card game for drinking, for the few people reading this who don't know that) and made new friends at the hostel. I'm fascinated by hostel life. These people make next to nothing, but they get food and a roof over their heads and are as happy as clams. Shannon and I thought about asking if they were looking for help, but decided that would be a poor life decision, as we might also become hippie communists and never leave the beach. Aren't you proud of my judgment, Mom and Dad?

So we made it back to San Pedro today after three different forms of transportation, awkward run-ins with men who tried to hit on Shannon at the salsa bar, and taxi drivers who told us we were sinners because we went to Montezuma, of whose reputation has gotten out about being all parties, all the time. It was an overall amazing first trip to another part of Costa Rica. Pictures to come soon, as soon as I find my camera cord...

So far, I really love this country. The people are so incredibly nice, from my amazingly sweet hostmom to random people on the street who genuinely tell you to "be careful and have a wonderful day, beautiful" even though you almost caused a car accident because you tripped on a curb and fell into the street during a "don't walk" signal. Uh, not that that's happened to me...