Hasta Luego, Tamarindo

Today I said my goodbyes and bid farewell to Playa Tamarindo. I awoke early, paranoid that I would miss my bus, but it turned out to be for the better as I was able to say goodbye to some friends. Billy, bless his heart, will be back in the US before I return to Guanacaste. The trio of Canadians will have moved on, but our paths might cross again. The Californian is making tentative plans to be in Puerto Viejo for New Years, and I’d love to hang out with him there, because we’d have some wild times. I jammed out on the guitar for a bit with the crew, and wrote part of a song that I’m working on. It’s called “Mop Girl,” and is set to the tune of “Rich Girl” by Hall and Oats. It ended up being pretty fucking funny, and was about the hot custodian girl who mopped the floors every day. I have video, and will show it. Whilst in the bathroom with two other Canadians, each of us occupying a stall, the one in the stall two over from me started making a commotion, and was exclaiming that he had plugged the toilet. He kept saying “The water came up so fast.” He then tried to lift off the back piece, which he immediately dropped and broke, and upon pulling up the float to stop the water, he ripped it off. It was something out of Tommy Boy for sure. I took one look in that toilet, and ran out screaming for the Mop Girl. I felt so bad that she had to clean it up, but felt even worse that it took the Canadian guy half an hour to look up how to say “I’m really sorry.” They were cool guys, and good times, so it was sad to leave everyone. I had to, though, and was soon on the craziest shuttle bus ride I have ever taken.

I was taking the bus from Tamarindo to Monteverde, and the guy was trying to run the van we were in as fast as possible. These things are 15 or so seaters, and the guy was trying to drive it like a sports car. It was amazing to me that he was doing this, but what was more amazing was the guy behind me who seemingly wanted him to go faster. I think he was on his way to Jaco, but with the crap swell, I have no idea why he’d be in such a rush. That ride lasted an hour and a half or so, and then I had to change buses. The next bus was a definite downgrade. I had to go up miles and kilometers of bumpy ass dirt road in this thing. The view was spectacular, and I snapped a few photos. Once up in Santa Elena, the town outside Monteverde, I found a cool place to stay for $15 a night. It has its own bathroom, hot shower, spider, and a decent bed. I should have snapped a picture of the spider, but I just got it the fuck out of my room, as it was the more poisonous looking kind. I wrote a couple things, got something to eat, and headed out to the local bar to watch some live music. I met a local named Cesar, and we chilled and had a couple beers. He didn’t speak English very well, and I don’t speak Spanish very well, but we managed to communicate and shoot the shit. I went home at about 11:30 and passed out.

In the land of the green,

Seamus