update of my plans, and the best hostel ever

So, before I get into naming the best hostel ever, let me offer some quick background info. For the past week I've been in Jaco, waiting for all my credit and bank cards to arrive, after being pickpocketed a week and a half ago in Tamarindo. On Tuesday night I was planning my escape - my final card was scheduled to arrive by UPS on Wednesday, so I was planning on leaving first thing Thursday morning. However, that evening I took out my contacts earlier than normal (normally i just take them out and go right to bed), and discovered that I was missing my glasses! I had a memory of having them a week ago, but had no concretes memories of them after that - they could be anywhere in Costa Rica's Guanacaste province!

After preparing a list of all the hostels I'd stay at, I hit paydirt on my first call - apparently in my haste to escape Tamarindo (where I'd been pickpocketed), I had left my glasses behind. The good news is that the hostela, La Botella de Leche [http://www.labotelladeleche.com/ ] had them. The bad news was that Tamarindo is 6 hours away by bus. To the North. And I wanted to go South next.

This is where La Botella de Leche proves that they're the best hostel ever. In addition to having good rooms, a large common area with a huge tv, and a great kitchen, they also really care about the travelers who stay there, and go out of their way to help them. Mariana, one of the owners, was the woman I talked to on the phone about my glasses. After learning that I was in Jaco, she immediately made arrangements to have the glasses sent down on the next bus to Jaco, saving me a full day's worth of travel. Also, when I had ben pickpocketed, she was very understanding, letting me hold off on paying for my room until I had a chance to cash my traveler's checks the next day (it was a Sunday and the banks were closed), and even offered to loan me money in the meantime! It's great to know that even though there are jerks out there like the kid who stole my wallet, there are also great people out there like Mariana. Thanks again!

That being said, my glasses arrived today, so I'm ready to continue my voyage. Tomorrow I'm catching a 5 AM bus to San Jose and beginning my long odyssey to Cahuita, a small town with great beaches and amazing snorkeling on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. (Jaco --> San Jose, San Jose --> Limon, Limon --> Cahuita).

Well, that's it for now. I will try to engage in enough shenanigans to merit another entry soon.

La Botella de Leche

Me outside La Botella de Leche (with the mutant banana)