Our classmate Christina invited us earlier this week to check out Playa Guiones, a few kilometers away from Nosara — one of the towns near Sámara. It’s a surfer area with lots of hostels and yoga studios, and she was planning to take a yoga class and check it out. We opted to tag along and check out the town. What we didn’t know was we were all in for an adventure/comedy of errors!

5:15am
We’re up before our alarms because, as usual, the sun and the birds are out early.

6:50am
Meet Christina at the bus stop downtown. There are a couple other people waiting. We have to take the bus toward Nicoya, then transfer at the gas station (referred to locally as la bomba) to another bus toward Nosara. We see a bus coming the opposite direction and confirm that our directions are right with the driver. We chat with Christina about places to visit on the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico, since she’s been there and has recommendations.

7:05am
Hop on the bus to Nicoya. Because we’re only going to la bomba, we pay a reduced fare. The bus ride, while a little rough, is gorgeous. Jungle all around!

7:15am
Stop very briefly at a gas station where the driver runs out to make change. We stand and ask each other, is this la bomba? No, it can’t be! It’s too close; we’ve barely been on the road. We sit back down.

8:00am
Arrive in Nicoya. Yep, that was la bomba when we first stopped. We ask the driver when the next bus is coming because we didn’t realize that was the gas station where we needed to catch the other bus. Since we took the whole journey, he asks us to pay the rest of the fare. Since the next bus to Nosara doesn’t leave until 10am, we go wander around the town. We make our way to the central square, where we find a pretty park and a very old church. Christina tells us that someone told her all churches face west in Costa Rica.

9:55am
Make it back to the bus station in the nick of time and hop on the bus to Nosara. It’s HOT and there are vendors selling drinks and fruit-flavored ices. But the windows are down and it cools off once we’re moving.

12:00 noon
Hop off the bus in Playa Guiones in front of Coconut Harry’s. Stand there trying to get our bearings as the bus drives off to its final destination. I ask Chris, “What time is it?” and he reaches into his pocket for his phone. It’s not there. It must have fallen out of his pocket on the bus. After numerous expletives, we go in search of a taxi to see if we can catch up with it. It’s not the dollar value so much as the fact that we both use our phones as e-readers, maps and cameras. Christina is very accommodating and says she wants to find the phone, because really, how awesome would it be to get reunited with it? We stop at a tour operator office and explain the situation. The woman says by the time a taxi gets to us from Nosara and back, the bus will be gone. But, she calls someone based in Nosara and asks him to meet it at the bus station to check for it. When we tell her it was an iPhone 5 that was left behind, she looks skeptical that it will be there. We go get coffee and juice at the place next door and watch a soccer match while waiting. No dice; it’s gone.

1:10pm
Head over to the beach and hop in the water to cool down. Near us are some girls playing fetch with a dog in the ocean, and there are only a handful of surfers. It’s beautiful and relaxing, and we find a spot in the shade to relax in. We see some clouds coming in; there was a gentle afternoon shower yesterday also.

2:15pm
The last bus comes at 3pm…or 3:30pm. We’re not sure because we’ve received conflicting information. We decide to play it safe and head back into town to be at the stop at 3pm. We walk into a store to grab some drinks and snacks. In the five minutes we’re in there, the sky opens up. We run over to Coconut Harry’s next door because there’s no bus shelter. Even though their taco stand is already closed, they let us stay there to get out of the rain and wait for the bus.

3:30pm
Still waiting for the bus. Starting to get worried — and Holly’s hungry! Could we take a cab? Christina says she heard the cab ride is US$70. Forget it! So we keep waiting. But are also enjoying the torrential downpour. Rivers of water are rushing past us in a drainage ditch next to the taco stand. It’s amazing. Thunder, lightning, the works.

4:10pm
I almost don’t believe my eyes when I see the bus coming…and we’re hidden out of sight. I run into the street waving my arms over my head and scream. Fortunately, someone is getting off the bus, so the driver stops. We run in and pay. A girl runs up behind us and says to the driver, “Can you wait? I have some bags I need to go get.” He responds, “Do not speak English.” She is standing outside the bus getting drenched, so I say, “Ella tiene maletas,” and he tells her he’ll wait until she puts them in the back. We happily settle in.

5:05pm
Arrive back at la bomba for our transfer back to Sámara. We ask the driver if he knows when the other bus is coming, and he tells us if it doesn’t come soon, it will come at 6:30. Ugh. We stop in a cafe across the street to ask if they’ve seen the bus go by, and the kid tells us it doesn’t usually come until 6. We’re only 5km away from Sámara, so we decide to just walk. Besides, if the bus passes, we can just hop on!

5:10pm
Dusk is approaching, so we stop on the side of the road to douse ourselves in bug spray. While we’re stopped, I see our bus coming. I wave and so does Christina, but apparently our waves are not urgent looking enough, because the bus driver just smiles and waves back, and then the bus is gone. We’re too tired to be mad, and just laugh and laugh. Oh well, at least the walk is downhill.

5:35pm
After going up several hills and crossing one-lane bridges, we realize it’s starting to get dark. It has to be just over that hill, right? “Maybe this is the time in our lives when we should try hitch-hiking,” I propose. But I don’t really mean it, and we keep walking. Not long after, a pick-up truck with one guy in the bed already slows down. Our eyes widen and we gratefully accept the ride. The guy in the back is also going to Sámara, then continuing on to Carrillo, just south. He tells us he was just playing soccer with his friends but his team lost. “La próxima vez,” we say.

5:45pm
When we get to Sámara, we thank the driver and hop out of the back of the truck. It’s barely still daylight and we hug our good-byes with Christina. As we’ve said, travel is full of good-byes, but hopefully we’ll see her again someday!

PS: More photos from today as well as yesterday’s kayak adventure coming soon.

You Might Also Like

14May14 28Apr14 21May14