Hiked a pretty rugged trail to a HUGE waterfall today. Jumped off the rocks into a pool at the bottom it. Some girl was there with a digicam and i got her email so maybe ill be able to get a pic. Everyone has those things so i figure as long as i get emials which everyone travelin in into ill be able to get a reasonble album.

The trail to get to the falls went though some farmer family's land so we had pay 5 bucks. Happy to give my 5 bucks to the family but im still not sure how i feel about it.

Its raining now but will probobly stop shortly. We are going to get drunk and pass out early so we can catch the 6:30 out of here. Back to the beach beatch

just keeps getting better

yesterday took a 4-5 hour bus ride out of San Jose into the Northern Central Highlands aka Los Montanas to this liitle gringo village supported by the the national rain forest parks and related ecotorims ie canopy tours.

Went to a pretty cool little restuarant last night where a group of harvard public policy grad students happened to be dining as well which when combined with the shots of tequila on the house made for some good convo.

went out dancin afterwards to the only place in town where they played pretty good reggea and then salsa.

despite the party the night before we managed to drag oursleves out of bed by 8 to go hike the monteverde trails.

the air up there is so clean and sweet and intoxicating. and the jungle is so alive but so calming at the same time. We were even treated to the sight of a quetzal which is beautiful multicolored parrot

So I forgot to tell about semana santa. We got button hooked trying to leave the Peninsual Nicoya. WE hitched a ride with our tico student friends to the ferry but when we got to mainland all the buses had stopped running early. A taxi upto the central highlands would have cost 120 between 2 so got one to san jose for 60 between 4. San Jose was dead like NYC on Sunday morning at 5am for 2 whole days. pretty wierd but really nice to be able to walk the streets without getting honked at or acosted. although the crackheads didnt have any holiday plans and were still out in force perro no me importa.

San Jose has awoken from Semana Santa but it was still pretty sleepy today. We went to the dirty downtown to get some cheep things. Got some socks, which felt orgasmic when used in conjunction with my sneeks after wearing a pair of 2 dollar flip flops form the super market for like a week and a half. Wore them paper thin in the heel.

Lotta people hate on San Jose becuase of all the hustle and bustle but i dig it and think that what a Central American city is all about. peeople street vending and motorcylces and taxis trying to hit you. Its smelly and loud and vibrant with life.

Got a howie plaid shirt at a thirft shop and Aaron got a pair of skate shoes for like 15 bucks. Hes totally wooked out at this point. Semi dreadies, three quarter length pants hung real low and no shirt. Actually he picked up a tank top today.

Picked up a couple of female travel buddies to head to Monteverde with us. Gotta leave for bus pretty soon.

Full circle in Mal Pais

We ended our stay in Mal Pais the same way we started it at the Surf Camp. Our crazy friend Josh met us at our campsite and took us for a cruise. Hes a 27 year old surfer from Florida who gave up the condo life 2 years ago after things didnt work out with his fiance and came to costa where his younger brother has been living since he got out of high school. He hooked us up with some pills, probobly muscle relaxers and we got shwilly on guaro . There will obviosly be more to this story later. Aarons hungry and getting cranky. Gotta go grub

lightening my load in mal pais

We meet this couple who are heading to the same area of Peninsula Nicoya and hop a taxi to the bus terminal. Nice bus ride through some country areas and arrive at Paquera where we buy our ferry tix and have some casados and cervesas. casado is a plate of food with rice and beans some veggies and some protien. Delicious and about $2-3, sweet! The ferry ride was beautiful and then we got a shady cab to take us probobly bout an hour to the beach on dirt roads.

We get to the beach and its kind of like an inlet with the shoreline curving out on both sides of us, Surfers and peolple chillin. I immediatly drop my pack strip and run for the water.

We ask around and end up camping at the Surf Camp. It was a pretty nice joint with some cabinas, a reasturnat/bar, pool etc. They just happened to be having an open mic party with live music and a mechanical bull and keep in mind this is spring break time. We check our passports and a couple other things with them and i see some guy check his whole pack and think i should too cuase of the party. Aaron some how convinces me its not neccesary and we discuss how if anyone wants to steal our shit then they must need it more than us and they can have it. The party is rowdy to say the least and i get wasted. Stumble around and end up passed out on hammock. Aaron wakes me the next day with "Our packs our gone". I respond with "wonderful" and get up to check the scene of the crime. When i get there I realize the thiefs went through my bag and left me with a pair of pants, a t shirt and most importantly my swimming trunks. I burst out into laughter becuase what else is there to do in a situation like that.

So let me give ya a run down of exactly what i have now
1 tent
1 sleeping bag
1 sleeping mat
1 pair of shorts
1 pair of pants
1 pair of bathing trunks
1 pair of shoes
1 cd player ( which i checked)
5 mp3 discs
1 book on tibeten buddhism
1 nalgene bottle

i have since purhcased
1 pair of flipflops
1 pair of sunglasses
1 hammock which i have slept in every night

Needless to say we moved the next day to a much chiller campsite on the beach where we have been since thursday supper chillin. Get up with sunrise, eat great fruit and food made by beatiful ticos, swim, walk, smoke carrotes (tico for phatty joint) hang with ticos and other travelers and thats bout it. Startin to feel like mozeyin on but not sure really what were gonna do. probobly meet yem in San jose and probobly still try to be on the peninsula de osa for the elcipse but other than that not sure.

El Noche Primera

My flight was at 7am so I did a little yiz and stayed up. Lots of Spring breakers at the airport. Eat a couple muscle relaxers right after i went throught security so i was out as soon as I got on the plane. Walked through Atlanta in a total cracked out haze and was pretty impressed with myself when i woke up for food on the flight to costa.

Waded through the sea of cabbies and found the 60 cent bus into town. Headed straight for a little park to check out some locals and smoke a stog. I bummed an old dude and smoke and he bought me a little plastic cup of very sweat coffea form some dude selling it out of a cooler in the park. A few people came and warned that the park was unsafe so i got the hell outa there and wandered around for a while. Got an Empanada for a dollar

The Hostel is mad cool with great people and plenty of space to chill. Met some illadelph kids and talked about what spots they miss. Aaron didnt get in till like 12 cuase they sent his bags to Guatamala. We went out in search of some consummables and found a reasonable dive to get some chili con carne, couple cervesas and attention from some hookers. Met some peeps and they took for a ride to el barrio to pick up some other consumables. We got a little brick for $30 and a little sack of yiz for 20.

Blazed with the kid who works the nightshift and a pretty good convo and hit the hey.