April 11–17, 2007, Number 142
Camping in a tent in Costa Rica in April was like hanging out in a mini sauna. It wasn't the best idea I ever had, but, I got used to it.
Easter Vacation in Santa Teresa
I just returned home to Puntarenas after spending this past week relaxing in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. I had made a trip to Santa Teresa about a month and a half ago, and I loved it so much I decided to return. Santa Teresa is a small, mellow surf town with a beautiful beach. This town is located on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific side. Santa Teresa is filled with international travelers from all over the world looking for good surf. Even though I didn’t get the opportunity to hear a lot of Spanish, I did hear a variety of other languages. I met people from Canada, Sweden, Germany, Britain, Scotland, and many more. It was the perfect place for rest and relaxation after a couple of intense weeks of studying Spanish.
Photos (top to bottom): Four-wheeling from Santa Teresa to Montezuma. Due to the dusty roads, handkerchiefs are a must; beachside surfboard shack; the beautiful beach at Montezuma, Costa Rica; it doesn´t get any better than this, lounging on the beach in Santa Teresa; welcome to Santa Teresa and Malpais.
I stayed at a hostel called Tranquilo Backpackers for $7 a night, which included-all-you-can-eat pancakes. I thought it would be fun to camp, but halfway through the first night I realized this wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had. During the night, the temperature didn’t cool down like I expected, so the tent was like a mini sauna and I was unable to sleep. The next day I decided to get a room, but, as I mentioned in my last article, the week of Semana Santa is really busy and reservations need to be made months in advance. Needless to say, I wasn’t able to find a room, so I had to endure the heat for the remainder of the week, which didn’t end up being too bad because I started to get use to it.
During my stay in Santa Teresa, I got a lot of surfing practice in. I woke up early and surfed every morning, and then at night I would surf until sunset. Speaking of sunsets, Santa Teresa has the most beautiful sunsets that I have seen thus far in Costa Rica. I also spend a lot of time reading and lounging on the beach.
One day, I rented a four-wheeler with my friend, Jon. We were planning on making a day trip to a town called Montezuma that is located about 16 Km from Santa Teresa. The road from Santa Teresa to Montezuma is a dirt road that is windy and bumpy. The roads are so dusty that in the town of Santa Teresa they put molasses on the roads to keep the dust from covering everything. This makes the town smell good, but makes your shoes sticky. After being reassured that the tank was full, we took off. About 4 Km out of town we ran out of gas. A nice, local women was kind enough to give me a ride back to the gas station located in town where I filled up a water bottle with gas. The 4 Km walk back to the four-wheeler, was hot and dusty, but before long we were back on the road. I have come to expect some sort of obstacle around every corner here, but I have also come to embrace these moments because they keep me on my toes and keep things exciting. Our day trip to Montezuma was fun. There were a lot of neat shops set up where people were selling handcrafted goods like jewelry, woodwork, and crocheted bags. There were many really talented people here. We also spent some time at the beach in Montezuma, which was nice.
I really enjoyed my surfing trip to Santa Teresa but it is nice to be back to Puntarenas. I am looking forward to practicing a lot of Spanish this week. I only have about a month left, so I am trying to soak up as much Spanish as I can. I hope that everyone had a great Easter.
- Hasta luego!
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