I met my ping-pong buddy, Willie, at the bus stop this morning at 8:00. We were both heading to Costa Rica today, and he proved to be an invaluable asset at the border. There is a four-step process at the border that involves going to four different stations: the immigration window for leaving Panama was first, only one woman in front of me, so I was through in less than 5 minutes. Willie then led the way to the money-changers and worked the best deal ($1 for 500 colones). The money changers were under the same roof as the Panamanian immigration but with no signs advertising their service. Next he led me across the street and down the block to the Costa Rican immigration, no simple matter in itself because trucks are lined up for hundreds of yards on each side of the border waiting to get through, then roaring away quickly when done. Finally, we returned back toward the Panamanian immigration but on the other side of the road to catch the bus to Golfito, a town on the coast about an hour-and-a-half by bus.
Willie had lived in Golfito for the last 20 years, having moved there from Hawaii, with a few Rainbow Gatherings sprinkled in between for good measure. He got us off at the right bus stop in Golfito to check on the lancha schedule for Puerto Jimenez. We had time for a beer before catching the lancha at 1:00, so he led the way up the Street of Dreams to a nice little bar where we had a cold one to celebrate our arrival. He saw me off at the landing, putting me on an 18-passenger lancha whose pitometer was reading 35 knots, and it still took 1/2 an hour to get across the Golfo Dulce, 3rd deepest gulf in the world, rimmed by green, tree-clad mountains above a calm, aquamarine, inland sea. It was so unexpectedly beautiful that I couldn’t stop smiling. I say “unexpectedly” because all of the other travelers I had talked with had found Costa Rica expensive and unappealing compared to Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama, so I wasn’t even sure I wanted to come over here. Wrong! Southern Costa Rica is beautiful, and although more expensive than Panama, a couple of amazing contacts have softened the landing.
Janina, my couchsurfing host, met me at the Puerto Jimenez dock with her bike, and walked me back to her house, where I learned about her company for the next couple of hours. She coordinates homestays and eco-volunteer situations for people who prefer to go on vacations by volunteering to work to create a sustainable Costa Rica. She easily has all of the bigger eco-tourism places beat on price because she does all of her own legwork for finding volunteer situations and places to stay. She has me going to both a public and a private school tomorrow to help teach English to elementary school kids before heading out to her friend’s sailboat for cocktails at sunset. If you're interested in a volunteering vacation, check out her website: Green Life Volunteers
Puerto Jimenez is on the Osa Peninsula, home to the Corcovado National Park; squirrel monkeys, surfers, and scarlet macaws; 50% of the biodiversity of Costa Rica; and 2.5% of the biodiversity of the world. Dolphins and whales are frequently spotted in Golfo Dulce while bicycles and gringos are frequently spotted in Puerto Jimenez.
I plan to stay a few days to sample the sights of this natural paradise, to soak it in with the help of my newfound friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment