Traveling to Pachamama.

after out TEFL party i went home and slept for about an hour and a half. i was picked up with my bags at 5:15 am. after picking up some other girls who looked like had just been woken up by the taxi cab honking, so we sat there for about 20 minutes as they got ready, i was dropped off alone at hte Alvaro bus station. i was glad to see that they put numbered tags on each bag that they put under the bus so you had to present the corresponding tag to pick it up, i had heard stories about people walking off with suitcases. i slept for the 4 hour bus ride, fortunately i had the double seat to myself for the first half. when i woke up i was sweating profusely as once you get out of san jose the climate is quite humid and i had been wearing jeans and a sweater. i managed to stay mostly asleep until we arrived to Santa Cruz at 10am.

i was immediately swarmed by taxi drivers offering to drive me to pachamama for just $60. needless to say i was not interested. i changed my clothes in the bathroom (after paying the man 200 colones, about 50 cents) and repacked my bags. i went and sat at the little soda-local restaurant, and ate some rice and beans. i lay my towel out on the suitcase to dry as well as a dress i had washed friday night because it reeked of cigarette smoke after being out and was still not dry. i wrote and read and drank a powerade. i people watched as several buses came and went. 2 1/2 hours later the bus arrived for ostional. the number of people in line was daunting. i was instructed to enter at the back door since i had luggage. this was a local bus and did not have anywhere to put bags below. i fought my way onto the bus through the mass of people, and basicaly sat in and on the luggage in the back of the bus. it was absurdly hot and everyone was reeking of body odor. fortunately they kept the back door open for some air. i sat on the floor with my smaller bags on top of me, leaning against my yoga mat. it was actually not that uncomfortable, since i fortunately have a high tolerance for heat. i closed my eyes and eventually the crowd thinned. in costa rica local buses will drop you off anywhere you ask. after an hour or so and my tailbone was quite sore from bumping on the bus, i was able to get a seat. i think one of the most crucial abilities one needs to be a successful traveler is the ability to sleep anywhere. i dozed off in the seat with my bag on my lap and my skirt soaked with sweat. when i woke up the bus was practically empty. we drove through a river, that had water at least 4 feet high, and were in Ostional. at the last stop in the smallest town ive seen, i asked the driver how to get to pachamama. he told me we had already passed the road to it. luckily he asked the lone tico on the bus to give me a ride.

the young man assured me he would get me a good price of 7,000 colones, about $14. i thought he had called a taxi. he told me to wait. the last few travelers on the bus set off and i was left alone next to a tiny building labeled Tourist Office. it was closed, as were most businesses on Sunday. Several motorcycles sped by and looked at me curiously. i put down my bags and sat down on the dusty road. About 15 minutes later a truck pulled over and the guy from the bus was in it. He grabbed my bags, tossed them into the flatbed of the light blue pick up, and gestured for me to get in the front. His adorable 2 year old son with incredible green eyes was sitting happily on the seat with a fire truck. we bounced along through the tiny town. the little boys eyes lit up when we passed the beach and he cried "playa playa!" and climbed into his fathers lap for a better view. his father, who i learned was named Christian, laughed and explained that his 2 year old son adored the ocean. How convenient that he live in costa rica! I asked Christian what he did in Ostional. he had grown up here but was not currently working. Ostional is famous for being the place where the sea turtles come to lay their eggs and the thousands of babies struggle through the sand into the ocean. He said he had seen this, the "arribada" many times. i enjoyed the ride and we soon arrived at Pachamama, about 15 minutes away from the shore.