The long journey

Well, it has been quite the journey getting here.

After spending the night in the Baltimore airport, one of my four flights was delayed because the airplane was having mechanical problems. I guess it's a good thing we didn't get on it.

I met Stephanie, who is doing an internship at Costa Rican clinics for her med degree - we helped each other through the airport hoops and then the guy picking her up dropped me at the bus station for 'Puntarenas', the port where I had to take the ferry.

Marisol, an ex-patriot costa rican who lives in Florida, appeared magically at the sketchy bus station and whisked me under her wing. She was going to her uncle's funeral. She invited me to stay with her at her mother's home since there wouldn't be another bus going from Paquera - the port on the other side of the ferry - and Montezuma - my destination.


The following morning we got on the 5am ferry and watched the sunrise over the ocean and distant jungle, Marisol coaching me all the way with my spanish. On the other side we waited for the ferry workers to manually change the height of the dock to meet the boat with pulleys and big chains. Ah yes, I am in latin america! Things are different here!

Since the bus didn't leave until later, Marisol's cousin (with wife and son) offered to give me a ride to Tambor and then I could take a taxi from there. We stopped at another relative's on the way and I got a glimpse inside the lives of these people - the woman came to our car crying (the uncle's death still fresh - suicide...) We finally came to Marisol's sister's house, where we dropped Marisol and her cousin offered to drive me all the way to Montezuma (another 18 kilometers on bumpy road) They decided to take a short-cut and the road turned out to be crazilly washed out. I have never seen such enormous rivets carved into a road!

'Coche muy Fuerte!' the cousin (whose name I forget) assured me. After which we proceeded to get stuck...

We all gathered clumps of dried mud and branches and filled the holes under the tires. I think it could have been much worse, but we finally managed to extract ourselves and continue on our way.


So now I am here - still quite disoriented...