The trip from San Jose to Bocas Del Toro when we first arrived was long but easy. We were on a fairly empty, air-conditioned bus and had quick transfers.
The trip back to Costa Rica from Bocas Del Toro was not easy. We woke up at 6:15 a.m. to finish packing and be out of our Airbnb by 7 a.m.
We caught our first water taxi from Bastimentos to Isle Colon where our second water taxi would take us to Alamente. We arrived at 7:20 a.m. and our water taxi didn’t leave until 8 a.m.
We arrived in Alamente at 8:40 a.m and waited another 20 minutes to get in a small crowded shuttle bus to the border. That ride took about an hour. Lucas slept and Henry watched an R-rated martial arts movie (We are filing that one away for our application for parents of the year).
The border crossing was just as easy as before. We had to dodge some wild dogs that kept fighting and humping each other, but it took less than 15 minutes to leave Panama and enter Costa Rica.
We thought we were going to be on a shuttle directly to San Jose. The company we booked the transfer through mislead us a bit. They ended up putting us on the public bus that we would have gotten on anyway.
Our bus back to San Jose was not air-conditioned and some people who got on the bus in Limon had to stand for 4 hours.
It was so hot on the bus that I (Judy) felt hungover even though I did not have anything to drink the day before. Michael and I both had horrible headaches the whole way. It was rainy and the traffic was heavy. The ride from Sixaola to San Jose took almost 7 hours.
We arrived in San Jose and took an Uber to Alamo to see if we could rent a car. It is high season here, so there are no cars to be found. We ate dinner and rushed to another bus station to catch the last bus to Puntarenas (where our hotel was for the night).
The night bus from San Jose to Puntarenas was packed with people commuting home. The ride took 2.5 hours and stopped frequently.
About 30 minutes out of Puntarenas we heard a loud cracking sound on the bus. The bus kept driving for a minute and then pulled over. A large rock hit the windshield and made a giant hole.
We sat on the side of the ride for about 15 minutes while the bus driver called his boss. We contemplated hopping off and getting a taxi the rest of the way, but then the bus started moving again.
We rolled into the bust station in Puntarenas at 9:30 p.m. and walked 7 blocks, our heavy backpacks and luggage in tow, to our hotel.
I never thought it would happen, but we were all fighting for the cold shower in the hotel room. It felt like heaven after being on non-air-conditioned buses for 10 hours.
Our hotel room in Puntarenas was small but it had air conditioning and soft beds. It was heaven.
Even though it was a long day, we made it to our destination. We figured things out. We knew this travel journey was not going to be all sunshine and lollipops. We signed up to take the good and the bad. The stifling heat, long bus rides, and torrential rain are all a part of the adventure.
We woke up in Puntarenas to sun and heat. Our hotel included breakfast. We all got the Americano breakfast – eggs, toast, bacon, fruit, and juice.
Michael’s dad and stepmom were docked nearby on a cruise ship so we met them in the morning and hung out by the beach. It was great timing that they were on that cruise and we were able to see them.
After lunch, we lugged our luggage seven blocks to find the bus to Monteverde. No bust stops, no signs, no air-conditioning. We just got on the bus that was there and hoped for the best. $16 for the four of us to take the two-hour trip.
Next stop Monteverde, the cloud forest.
Love the storytelling. Stay safe, keep having fun and stay encouraged. We are rooting for you. Meanwhile mold has been discovered in the roof and HVAC in b95 and some in business ventures are quarantined at home due to C-virus exposure. You are better off in the jungle 🙂
Thank you for your note. Yikes! about the mold and the C-virus exposure. Stay safe up there.