So Much To Tell!

So Monday we did indeed make it to the waterfalls - a series of three waterfalls that you can hike right up to just a few minutes' walk outside of Montezuma. We left just after noon, and ran into Joe and Shannon as we were leaving, so we hiked together. Beth and I went to grab sandwiches before we left at a little open-air bakery place, and as we were waiting a troupe of monkeys invaded - they got into the trash, came and sat at tables, and the poor woman who was working there was frantically moving the silverware and condiments away from them as apparently they are little thieves. These were white-faced monkeys like in Outbreak, not the howler monkeys from the surf day. Super cute, and apparently quite the little menaces.

You walk out of town on a dirt road, cross over a tiny one-lane bridge, and take an immediate right through a little chicken-wire gate onto the trials for the waterfalls. The first one is easily accessible, and people were swimming below a cascading falls over a series of graded rock formations - it was gorgeous. I was already sweaty and wanted to hop in, but we decided to push on and hit the top first and work our way down.

To get to the second falls you hike on a riverside trail that takes you over the creek at one point - lots of rock jumping and getting your feet wet, but nothing dangerous. The trail is well-marked and there were lots of people, and the second set of falls were pretty spectacular - about 100 feet tall and fell into a great swimming hole. About 40 feet up was a jumping-off spot, but to get to it you pretty much had to scale a sheer wall - the local Ticos were doing it and it was like watching spiders climbing a wall! They just leapt from hold to hold like it was nothing, and I swear it looked vertical. We hopped in and Beth jumped off a lower rock - video forthcoming - the water was pretty chilly and even though we figured it was about 90 or 95 degrees and really, really humid, with the cold water and the breeze from the falls I actually got a little chill!

After we ate our sandwiches we pushed on to the third set of falls. This hike was not so easy. It was a nearly vertical climb (not up the side of the falls though - kind of around to the side) up a dirt hill where roots and branches made up a large portion of the hand and footholds. The dirt was slippery, and honestly on the way up I was a bit worried about the way back down. We climbed up and up - the kind of place where you just do not fall - and followed the creek a bit and then climbed up and over something else - there were people doing it in flip-flops, which I found insane! Big slippery hills right on the edge! Ack! At the end you climb down a hill - again with the tree roots and branches providing much of the support for your hands and feet - and you're on a pretty sheer face. One part actually has a rope anchored into the side of the hill to help you get over a rock hump - and you really don't want to let go because that fall... Whew! But once we made it to the third pool there was an amazing rope swing! Beth of course immediately jumps into the water to use the swing, and because the swing is a hair short, to get the rope out the water while climbing up the rocks she put it into her mouth! She was a champ, although there was one minor injury that I will post in video format later. I haven't laughed that hard in years and am thrilled I have it on tape. (Nothing major, don't worry!)

The climb back down was actually easier than the climb up, which surprised me. I was so focused on each step and where to put my hands and feet that when I looked up we were almost at the bottom.

The four of us had celebratory drinks at the hotel Beth and I are staying at, and a lovely British woman overheard us saying something and commented, at which point we realized she was traveling alone so we invited her to join us. Her name is Katherine and she's from Manchester, and while she's lovely she can also be extremely negative, which a little tough for us.

Anyway, we ended up going to dinner - Beth, Rolando the surf guy, and Katherine - to a Mediterranean place up the road that was really good. We think Rolando doesn't like Katherine as he pretty much shut up when she was around, and after a couple of glasses of wine (no idea what kind - you get a choice of red or white on the menus here!) Beth and I were in bed around 9.

Yesterday was our Isla Tortuga adventure - we boarded a small, fiberglass boat at 9:30 AM with Joe and Shannon and six other tourists (four French and two American), and rode for an hour over gorgeously smooth ocean to Turtle Island. Beth and I think that Montezuma is missing a tubing/banana boat industry here, so we might move here and start one. (Just kidding!) Anyway, as we're nearing the island there are all these funny rock formations in the water, and the boat suddenly veers right towards this rock shaped like a rainbow, complete with a hole in the middle. They were going really fast and we all gasped when we thought they were going to speed right through the hole! They slowed quickly and had a good laugh at our expense - can't blame them for having some fun with the tourists! We did go through the rock hole, but slowly and much more safely.

We snorkeled for an hour, and the snorkeling was pretty crappy - bad visibility, but they gave us bread so we could get the fish right in our laps. Then lunch on the beach - Mahi Mahi with potatoes cooked in foil on the grill in a spicy red sauce - SO good! And beer, two per person (although we brought extra)... As we were eating, a little wild boar approached us - and we all jumped up from the table and squealed as she ran underneath! The guides, however, who didn't speak or refused to speak English, started cooing, "Oh Filo Filo Filo!" Apparently this boar is like a pet and they've names her Filomena - and she came right up to us and let the guides push her over into the sand and scratch her under the chin and on the belly and back! They piled sand on top of her and I swear that boar smiled. They also told us she liked cerveza, so I am ashamed to admit people poured beer into a plate and Filo drank it and was a bit wobbly afterwards. We all got photos with her - GREAT photos! Then more crappy snorkeling, and then back to town.

We had a not-so-great dinner last night and again were in bed early. Today the internet in the entire town went down, which means not only no internet/e-mail, but the single ATM was out of order, no one's credit card machines worked... And no one knew when it would all be back up! Exciting. It all worked out though, and we spent the afternoon at the beach with Joe, Shannon, Rolando, Mauricio (the two surf instructors), and their two new clients. Beth and I lounged on the beach reading. On the way there we ran into the same group of monkeys and fed them peanuts to get them close enough for photos - Beth has some awesome ones! Dinner tonight was with Joe, Shannon, and Katherine at Cocolores very near the water, and then we all said our good-byes as we are all off to different places tomorrow.

Our taxi comes a 7AM; Beth is already snoring in bed (have to roll her over to get that to stop!) and I am not close behind.

The next leg is the most wild and remote - we supposedly have wireless internet but I have no idea about phones. We fly into Drake Bay at ~12:30, then get into a shuttle that takes us to a boat that takes us to our hotel - that is only accessible by boat! Tomorrow night we have a tour of the Corcovado National Park, supposedly one of the best wilderness places (and the hottest/most humid - great) in the country! Then - two sequential days of scuba, then a day tour of the park. This is the kind of place where all meals are included because they have to boat everything in and there are no restaurants to speak of and you certainly can't walk anywhere... Should be an exciting grand finale! Hopefully more soon, but please don't worry if we go MIA for a few days as I am not confident of the communication capabilities down there! :-) The resort is called Jinetes de Osa if you want to look us up!