Tamarindo, last chance for Costa Rica

11.02.17-13.02.17

Once again I am sitting in the bus, typing. Right now from Lanquín to Flores. It's great to spend time on the bus like this. Really meaningful. By the way, there won't be any photos for this post due to the loss of my phone. But it's not really a big deal since Tamarindo is really uninteresting.

After realizing yesterday evening that I want to move on, that feeling has strengthened until this morning. I wake up quite early, which is probably due to a certain restlessness, and pack my backpack. I don't know how much time I will need since we got stuck at a closed border overnight. Since we don't sleep in the same dorm, I meet Maren in the common area. She is not sure yet if she wants to continue today, and since I don't want to wait any longer and don't want to leave too late, I decide to go. Devo, who is traveling by rental car, is also leaving and taking Ciarra and Nolan, who also want to go to Nicaragua, to Nicoya, from where they will continue by bus. I ask him if there is still a place for me, and yes, I can come along. I say a quick goodbye to Maren and off we go.

Oh man, it's really nice to be on the road with a car. It's so uncomplicated to get from A to B. I'm already looking forward to renting a car with the girls in Mexico. On the way to Nicoya, I'm considering just driving to Tamarindo with Devo. Although I haven't heard the best things about the place, somehow today I don't feel like taking the bus and decide to go and have a look at the spot. Devo is there because some of his friends are getting married there this week, and all of his friends from Calgary are there. He indicates that they all know how to party, well that could be fun.

As soon as I arrive in Tamarindo, it's clear to me that I won't be staying here long. The place is completely tailor-made for tourists, and I don't mean backpackers, but North Americans who also fly here for a week just to lie on an overcrowded beach, eat overpriced food, and get drunk. Well, I book my hostel for two nights, my personal minimum for a place. I check in briefly, freshen up, and Devo picks me up again. With him in the car is Jess, the girlfriend of one of his best friends, who is already quite tipsy. It's about 2 p.m. But hey, it's the first day of a wedding and party week.

Together we drive to the fancy resort in the hills above Tamarindo, where two luxury apartments have been rented and there is an infinity pool. Some more friends of Devo are splashing around in it, and I get to know everyone. After a few beers and chicken wings from the BBQ, we set off to find the couple's house. With so many turnoffs from the main road into the hills, it's not that easy. After almost an hour of going up and down hills and a slightly annoyed Devo, we finally make it. And arriving at the villa was really worth it. Luxury estate with a pool and an amazing view of the bay of Tamarindo and the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. We made it just in time for the stunning sunset.

By now I am in the midst of a group of about twelve slightly crazy Canadians and I am having a great time. Around 8 p.m., we go down to the town. There is a small welcome gathering for the wedding guests in a bar, but I first go back to my hostel to freshen up and change. Here I meet Chelsea from, oh surprise, Canada, and Olivia from Switzerland. They also want to do something tonight and ask if I want to join, but I already have plans. Maybe tomorrow.

So I meet the others again in the Sky Bar. Apart from our group, there is hardly anyone here, so we quickly leave for the couple's house again. We party in the luxury pad until 1 a.m., then Devo, who never drinks alcohol and can always drive, how convenient, takes me back down to the town and we go to the Aqua Club to dance. We say goodbye around 4 a.m. and I go to my shabby hostel.

The next day I am awake early, but I don't feel like getting up yet. Although I should go to the bathroom at 11 a.m., I am too lazy to climb out of the top bunk. I really hate having a top bunk. I actually manage to hold on until 2 p.m., but then I really have to go downstairs. After another hour and a half of dozing around, I finally get up and go to the beach. This place doesn't impress me. Way too crowded, not that beautiful, and the waves are completely crowded too. But at least there are waves again. I watch the sunset and go back to the hostel. There I meet Chelsea and Olivia again and we decide to do something together in the evening.

After we are all freshened up and dressed, we go to eat something and then to Sharky's. There is a Beer Pong Tournament tonight. When I say that I find Beer Pong totally boring, I am met with shocked faces. The two of them play, but they lose already in the first round. When the boring competition finally ends, we dance until 1 a.m., grab a quick snack, and then head back to the hostel. Tomorrow, with a two-day delay, I'm finally going to Nicaragua. I'm excited!!

Well, Costa Rica, we didn't really get along. Whether it's the country or whether I just chose the wrong places, I can't say, but I don't want to test it again. It was nice, but it just didn't grab me. The funny thing is, I will hear the same from many other travelers.