San Jose to Cahuita

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  Cahuita, Province of Limon, Costa Rica
Friday, June 20, 2008

We were only allowed into our six bed, mixed dormitary at 2:00pm on Tuesday afternoon, having arrived at the hostel at around 1:00pm so we spent an hour checking out what the hostel had to offer and chilling around the pool after our journey. When we were finally allowed into our dorm we found three bunk beds and the room was basic but clean and tidy enough. Having settled in and got showered and changed we headed for the bar at 5:00pm where we began drinking, met a guy who claimed to be a pro poker player (who we nicknamed pokerman) and ordered a traditional Costa Rican dish for dinner, which included the beans and rice we have been told to expect a lot here! Two hours later, after Rachael had introduced us to her drinking games we were all drunk, Natasha in particular who rolled back the years to try and keep up with the young guns! As it seemed like 11:00pm to us because of jet lag we were ready for bed by 8:30pm but we struggled through until 9:00pm to ensure we didn`t wake up too early the next day... except Natasha who KO`d on the bed immediately

Natasha & Oli

!
Waking up the next morning to see the guy sharing our dorm, Gill, an American, we introduced ourselves and took some tips on where we should head. After hearing his recommendations we took a taxi to a restaurant for lunch (which involved the rice and beans) and I was able to get a sneaky peek at the final Euro 2008 games in Group D. Having taxied there we decided to be healthy and walk back and on this walk we discovered that it wasn`t me but in fact the girls that were quite an attraction for the locals who oggled, whistled and shouted to their content! Some would say we were lost but we`d say we were exploring and we found the busier part of San Jose and stopping at a supermarket and a shoe shop for essentials on the awy back.
After the worst shower of my life, I think the water must have been chilled to be so cold, we thought it might be nice to head into San Jose for dinner rather than just stay at the hostel so we passed through the barbed, guarded iron gates in search of some cuisine. We headed for the area that we had been in earlier but couldn`t find a restaurant that appealed so we kept walking. As we did the oggles and calls, to the girls again for some reason, got more frequent and there were more tramps and junkies begging us for money. When an American drove past and called out of his Chevrolet window "you guys are in the wrong place!", we became a little anxious and hot footed it back towards the hostel

Oli

. Thankfully, we didn`t have any problems and ended up just going in the Colombian restaurant nextdoor to our hostel which, aside from the cockroaches, was nice enough!
An in depth discussion/debate with Gill about English/American attitudes and culture, that Rachael and Ellie couldn`t quite stay awake for, topped of the evening and we got some sleep, ready for our escape away from San Jose where we had decided we wouldn`t be staying/ever returning to again! Unfortunately, after the taxi ride to the bus station where a bus awaited to take us to Cahuita, Oli mistakenly gave the taxi driver a parting gift of 30,000 colones (thirty quid) for a 3,000 colones (three quid) charge on the meter, and for a journey that cost me and Ellie in our taxi 1,000 colones (one pound). He must have made the dodgy driver`s day/week/year and we all learned a valuable Costa Rican currency lesson. As I told him, it`s all good for the blog!
We bought our tickets for the three and a half hour bus ride to Cahuita for 3,450 colones (three pound fifty!) and following what was a really interesting journey, during which we passed shanty towns, San Jose soccer stadium, crop plantations, small villages and forests, we have arrived in Cahuita on the Carribean coast.
We are staying at Spencer`s Seaside Resort, with me and Ollie in one room and the girls in another. Ten yards outside our door is the sea and the beach is 200m away. Our first two days have been spent here swimming in the warm sea and sunbathing on the quiet, unspoilt beach and it is a beautiful place, a far cry from San Jose. We will be here for four days which will hopefully pass by slowly and the next blog entry may be uneventful because hopefully I will have just relaxed on the beach and carried on having a great time. However tonight is meant to be the liveliest it gets in the village, with live music at a bar, and there is talk of taking a trip to visit a Costa Rican tribe. Anyway, I better go put some suncream on, I hopes it`s this hot back home....

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Natasha & Rachael	San Jose street	School Bus	San Jose
Colombian restaurant	Room

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