A Weekend of Adventure!

The past three days have been such an adventure! Jessi and I set out around 5:00 am on Thursday morning, headed to one of the many bus stations to travel from San Jose to Liberia, a town in the northwestern Guanacaste province. While we had the names of the streets comprising the intersection at which the bus station was located, it was helpful that the taxi driver knew exactly which one housed the direct bus to Liberia. Our bus pulled out shortly after six, and we had a four and a half hour drive through the countryside of Costa Rica. 

We arrived in Liberia mid-morning and, after asking many not-so-helpful workers at the bus station and local shops, we found our way to Hospedaje Dodero, located only a couple blocks from the bus station. Owned by a man originally from Indiana, the hostel was fairly small (it slept about 14-15 people) but nice. The owner was friendly but didn't seem to enthused about the Annexation of Guanacaste Day festivities, so it was up to Jessi and me to explore the town on our own. We had a delicious and cheap meal (we hadn't eaten too much breakfast, but it was nearly lunchtime, so I suppose it was brunch) at a local soda. Per usual, it consisted of the traditional rice and beans dish gallo pinto, fried eggs, and a homemade tortilla. Also per usual, I ordered cafe con leche. A little bit of coffee and a hearty meal after an early morning of traveling makes an immense difference. I could instantly see our attitudes change for the better as we consumed each scrumptious bite. 

I wish I had taken a photograph of every time I was served gallo pinto while I was here. Not so much to count the number of times I have had it, but more to show the variety of styles in which it is prepared. Often it will be made with black beans, but every once in a while it will contain red beans instead. My host mom prepares it with Lizano, a staple sauce here that adds a unique, spicy but not fiery flavor to dishes. Others prepare it with cilantro or other herbs. I think there are as many ways to prepare gallo pinto as there are people! Personally, I like the red bean and cilantro version topped with Lizano. Jessi and I joke that we are addicted to the Lizano sauce. It is infinitely superior to ketchup but can be used in many of the same ways, such as dipping chicken, adding flavor in cooking, and dressing potatoes. I am really hoping I can find it back home! 

After eating, we waited for several minutes for our check to be delivered to our table, only to find out we had to ask to pay and that the "check" was only a verbalization of the cost. Jessi and I mused that, even after nearly two months in this country, we still didn't know how to pay the bill. Oops. 

Next we walked about a mile to the exposition grounds, which look very similar to American fairgrounds: fried fair food, overpriced carnival rides, vendors offering everything from television remotes to brand new, expensive Toyota tricks, and beer. Lots and lots of beer. They love their beer here. A good majority of it is Imperial, the national brand, but there are a few imported varieties as well. I personally do not care for beer (I am a fruity mixed drink kind of girl--I love a good piña colada here!) so I settled for some cold soda instead to refresh myself. The sun was beating down on us, and between Jessi and myself, we could have easily sweat gallons from our bodies. We walked around the grounds for a while and realized nothing was happening until later in the evening. 

On our walk back to the hostel, we spotted the parade we had been told about: girls and boys, sometimes as young as three or four years old, were dressed up in either typical dancing outfits or plaid blouses and seated upon horses for the cabellistas parade. I don't know how the kids didn't sweat to death in the heavy clothing; I was wearing a tank top and shorts and having a difficult time!

I looked out of place among the traditional outfits.

The sweet father had his daughter pose for me!

Traditional dancers!

Saw this little fellow on our walk through town.

Back at our hostel, we showered off and took a nap before the evening festivities. Luckily our room had air conditioning (quite the perk for the price we paid!) and we took a quality siesta. Also staying at our hostel was a group of nine students from Heredia, whom Jessi had met last weekend at a large hostel in Puerto Viejo. We also ran into others who recognized her at the fairgrounds later that night!

Back at the fair, we enjoyed a meal of fajita vegetables and meat served over yuca (a tuber very similar to potatoes) and cabbage. Both Jessi and I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. I was ecstatic that it was not chicken! Although I typically prefer chicken or turkey to red meat, my mama tica only really serves chicken because one of my roommates doesn't care for red meat. However, I do like some ground beef in spaghetti sauce or some barbequed pulled pork every once in a while. I have already put in a request for my mom's crockpot spaghetti sauce when I return home, because it is thick and chock full of vegetables, my favorite! I cannot deny the greatness of Mama Tica's cooking though. I have yet to have a bad meal, and she offers us plenty of fruits and vegetables, which, unfortunately, cannot be said about all of the host parents here. 

Post dinner we watched a typical festival event, the Corredoro de Toros, or the running of the bulls. It was interesting, because I had not seen anything like that before: man vs. bull. A few years ago, while on a mission trip to New Mexico, I saw dozens of men on bulls running together during a Native American festival, but there was no intentional prodding and poking done like there was on Thursday night. While it was quite the show, I still haven't decided whether I enjoyed it or not. Yes, I enjoyed being there with Jessi and dozens of other locals and tourists, but the animals were miserable and one man was trampled. Not exactly my idea of a good time.

Jessi and me watching the running of the bulls.

The bulls were running so fast it was difficult to capture a good snapshot.

Friday morning we were able to sleep in, since we didn't have a bus to catch until 12:30. We feasted on another typical breakfast at a local soda, and then stopped at the grocery store to pick up provisions for the next two days. It was a good thing we did, since Bijagua, our next destination, was a hamlet, if it could be classified as any sort of town. Our best find was a local fruit stand where we purchased a pineapple (3/1000 colones or $2), a mango, a tomato, and 3 bananas for only about $2 total. In my sister Valerie's words, "That puts the dollar menu to shame!" Indeed it does. Much better quality too. I will miss $0.65 pineapple when I am home.

One dollar's worth of fruit! Beats the dollar menu any day!

We stayed at Rio Celeste Backpackers Hostel last night, one of the few hostels close to our destination of Rio Celeste. Jessi had found it by looking through blogs, and Trip Advisor and Hostel World confirmed the positive review of that particular blogger. I would agree with the author, as we were treated well, the hostel was adorable and comfortable, and we had a very pleasant experience there. When we arrived in Bijagua, it was drizzling, so we cozied up and watched an old movie with a cup of coffee. I fell asleep, as usually happens during movies these days, but before we knew it, dinner time had crept up on us. The hostel had a charming kitchen, which I of course failed to photograph, and Jessi and I cooked quesadillas made with refried beans premixed with Lizano and our tomato. We added more Lizano for dipping too. I think we may have an addiction! In any case there are many worse things we could have cravings for, so I don't worry about it.

Hostel signage. 

We discovered a (nearly complete) deck of old playing cards in the living room post-dinner. Most paper things here are similar in nature: damp, sticky, and a little bit dirty from the open air lifestyle most Costa Ricans embrace. So, while we attempted to play the fast paced game Spit, it was a bit tough due to the condition of our cards. Still, it was fun to reminisce on our similar childhoods comprised of rounds upon rounds of Spit. Another woman at the hostel offered for the three of us to play Scrabble on her iPad, and we eagerly took her up on the offer. We had expected there to be more of a town to explore, so Jessi and I found ourselves slightly bored once it became dark outside. 

Yesterday morning, my birthday morning, we had breakfast prepared for us by the owners of the hostel: another variety of gallo pinto accompanied by scrambled eggs, a small piece of freshly fried cheese, kiwi-flavored drinkable yogurt (there are many varieties of the beverage here), and coffee. I was grateful for the substantial breakfast because we were hiking through the mud for about two hours.

Pre-Hike in our Pitt Gear!

To get to Parque Nacional Tenorio Volcán was an adventure in and of itself. The drive began with a cranky car, driven by the owner of our hostel. It took several tries to start the engine, but eventually he was able to get it going. The trip was about nine kilometers, 95% on gravel road, so it took a half an hour to travel only about five or six miles! Part of me wished I had just run to the national park, as it was basically a straight shot there. On the return trip home, we were lucky to spot some howler monkeys. The dad was incredibly loud (the only animal whose sound can reach a farther distance is some type of whale), and the mom was cuddling her young baby. 

The hike through the forest was a lot of fun. Jessi and I got really muddy, really fast. It rained a little bit during the day yesterday, but apparently there had been significant downpours the two days prior. The most beautiful sight we saw was the waterfall, or catarata. It was rushing over the edge of the cliff into perfectly blue water. Unlike a lot of seemingly blue waters, the water in Rio Celeste is actually blue! Allow the nerd in me to explain: the volcano emits sulfuric substances which combine with calcium carbonate to create the light blue color. Unlike many natural wonders in Costa Rica, Rio Celeste is a fairly well kept secret, which I personally think made it much more pleasant and more adventurous.

Jessi and me at the waterfall! It was 250 steps down!

Perhaps the most gorgeous sight I have seen yet!

Tenedoro: This is the place where the rivers meet;
one is blue, and one is clearly not!

After hiking we had lunch and some coffee before departing for the bus station. Well, I suppose it was more like a bus hut--a small tin overhang on the side of the street--but it sufficed, because the bus picked us up! While we waited, Jessi treated me to a Trits ice cream sandwich from the dairy giant Dos Pinos for my birthday. So sweet of her! It was delicious, and I will definitely be indulging in more before I return to the states. The five hour bus ride home was not as hot and sticky as some in the past, for which I was truly appreciative. 

Although there was neither family nor cake--only friends and ice cream, sweet bread, and chocolate--this will certainly be a birthday to remember! It's not every year that I turn twenty years old in a foreign country seeing gorgeous sights and making memories to last a lifetime!
One last picture for the day: Jessi and I went to the "Feria del Agricultor" (farmer's market) in Zapote, the next town over, this morning, and were positively overwhelmed by the quantity and diversity of the produce there. Since I am only responsible for making my own lunches and snacks, I was limited in terms of the amount of produce I could purchase. In reality I wanted to buy so much more, as the prices were great and quality was superb. I settled for a bag of green beans (about 3 huge handfuls) for 200 colones (40 cents), a pineapple for 500 colones ($1), 5 small tomatoes for 50 colones (10 cents) each, and 2 gigantic carrots for 450 colones (90 cents). So, for under $3 US, I have an abundance of fruit and veggies for the week. So excited!

Just perusing the bananas.
I could have bought two bunches (about a dozen small
bananas in each) for 500 colones, or one dollar!