This morning I awoke, went for a run, and pretty quickly decided to spend a day in Quepos writing and not doing much. By afternoon I hadn’t done too much writing as I tend to get sidetracked talking to other travelers. I’m quite social when I travel and can start up a conversation with just about anyone.
I wasn’t able to get my computer to work on the hostel wifi and was feeling pretty uninspired by the heat. Ceiling fans weren’t quite cutting it for me. I thought it would be a good idea to seek out a cold drink elsewhere. “Air Conditioned”, pasted to the window in orange sticker letters caught my attention at Wacky Wanda’s bar.
I stepped in and asked, “Tiene wifi?”. “Si”. I was then handed a code and ordered a beer. When my computer hooked right up I thanked the bar tender and he responded, “Pura Vida”!
From what I can tell more than a few Americans have opened up businesses in Quepos. Wacky Wanda’s is obviously American owned and I can pretty much decipher what the owner is like and where he’s from. Pictures of Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and Sarah Palin decorate the walls as well as numerous photos of gringo anglers with a sailfish or the like. Everything about the place is American Gulf Coast but all of the clientele is local. I’m the only gringo drinking here right now.
Quepos is a great place for the deep sea sport fishing enthusiast and I actually had a last minute opportunity to go on a charter this morning. I definitely would have gone but the cost would have been too high. Estimated cost with one other person would have been around $400 plus I’m sure I would have been expected to tip on top of that. The opportunity was too last minute. For me I want to meet the captain, see the boat, and check sea conditions before embarking on an all day excursion 50 miles away from shore. Also, there are good opportunities back home off the Texas Coast that if I ever get a burning desire.
In Quepos a group of 5 could probably get out for about $200 total each. Not a bad for a chance to catch somethun Big! However, no matter how you cut it, deep sea fishing is an expensive game no matter where you go.
Yesterday I hiked about Manuel Antonio National Park with Lara from Brooklyn who I met at the hostel. At first I was a little put off by the numbers of visitors but in reality it wasn’t too bad for a Saturday. The park consists of thick jungle set on a peninsula next to the ocean. It’s advisable to go with a guided group as the guides are incredibly skilled at spotting everything that blends right into the colors of the Jungle. They also carry a scope for their clients to view through.
At first I just wanted to walk and get away from the crowds so we passed on the guided option.
Probably the most interesting thing about the park is that it has a large population of Sloths. There are plenty to see but they really blend into the colors of tree bark so you have to look hard or hire a guide to look for you. Another technique is to look for other tourists who have spotted one. Lara and I saw a few as well as some monkeys. The best part of the park in my opinion is a hike up to a water fall. The trail is closed a short distance up but we chose not to see the yellow tape. Beyond the yellow tape there was no one but a monkey swinging on vines, a vulture eating a dead snake, and dear chewing on some leaves. The waterfall was nothing special but being surrounding by a quiet rich thick humid jungle was pretty cool.
The park area is quite small and aside of a wide guided tour group trail and a crowded day use beach the rest of the park sees a lot less traffic. If you’re into viewing Sloths and few monkeys it’s worth a visit otherwise there are plenty of other jungle options in Costa Rica.
Well, I know there’s an NRA (National Rifle Association) sticker in Wacky Wanda’s bar somewhere. I think I’ll go see if I can find it.
Note: See a sloth in the middle of the photo above. It looks like part of the tree.
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