Ummm, I think we need a car
Trip Start
Dec 21, 2008
1
3
12
Trip End
Jan 02, 2009
Montezuma,
Province of Puntarenas,
Costa Rica
Monday, December 22, 2008
A couple things to know about renting a car here. First, you will need 4-wheel drive, second there's some scammers that cause you to get a flat just outside the airport and then when you stop to change the tire they'll rob you. Third, IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE!!!! Your choices are Alamo and Budget and for our 10 days the base rate was over $700 USD...then after they get you that far, they ask if you want the LDW and all the other insurance. My credit card covers LDW so I usually decline, but if we didn't accept the full package, we would be responsible for any flat tires - after seeing the roads we didn't want to have that haunt us - so the whole rental was over $1000 USD after all was said and done. We didn't even plan $100/day for spend money! So here's our "Jimmy" for the 2 weeks:
Our "Jimmy"
Our first trip was down the road to the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula called Cabo Blanco (The White Cape), but it's closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. So we headed back through the town of Cabuya and stopped at The Rainsong Wildlife Sanctuary. They take mammals, reptiles, and birds and nurse them back to health or release them into a safer area, like the Cabo Blanco. Costa Rica is home to boa constrictors who sometimes end up in someone's home. Instead of killing the snake, they ask that you call them and they will pick it up. Currently they have two baby deer who were orphaned when their parents were killed by poachers. It was an interesting tour, but unfortunately the student volunteer was kind of new and not the best guide.
On the way out and back to Montezuma, we stopped for lunch at this little corner eatery called Delfines de la Luna which means Dolphins of the Moon...Dolphin wasn't on the menu. In fact, there wasn't a menu. It's run by an abuela (grandmother) type who, when I asked for a menu, went on to tell me that there was no pollo (chicken) to be bought so there was no menu today, but she did have pescado, langosta, and calamari (fish, lobster, and squid). We went with the calamari, fried, and had a great meal with black beans and rice and a small salad and some diet cokes for $8 USD with tip! BTW, we have found that the water here is safe to drink. In case there are any litigious souls out there, I should caveat that your experience may vary.
We ran into a slight roadblock on the way back to Montezuma, some ranchers were moving cattle from one field to some others, and...well, the cattle have the right of way.
Rancher with cattle
Going somewhere?
Once we got around the cattle, we decided to head to the beach; nice warm water, great waves for body surfing, and not too many people.
