Tamarindo-Sámara

Tue 21st 1848 On lower terrace of new hostel. Feels like I've maybe fallen on my feet. Not *perfect* as room is v small and I will be almost face to face with woman in double bed next to my lower bunk, but so far it seems reasonably friendly and low key and I got to meet my three new roommates just after I checked in (so I technically have seniority :-) )

Got up about 0745 - made a tiny effort not to be rushing - and had breakfast (leftover sandwiches and bit of milk, coffee perhaps helped promote desired bowel movement) and left. Overheard in dorm some of the girls were going to Samara and I essentially shared the three bus trips with a group of about 5 girls, including I think the annoying Swedish woman (although since she was with existing friends I was spared her CV and stories of how wonderful her life is). I kept aloof and didn't speak to them etc but it was mildly annoying. (Dunno if this seemed weird, but probably not. It's not as if we'd been speaking in prev hostel or anything.)

First impression of Sámara (I think that's the right place for the accent) were that it's Tamarindo Lite, but I think it's OK. My hostel is kind of outside towards Cangrejal and although I picked it on cost grounds I went down to C beach this afternoon and had a bottle of water and then a beer from a nearby mini supermarket while staring at sea and thinking about trivial stuff. Came back just after sunset (it faces wrong way for spectacular sunset) although some guys had lit a fire and people seemed to be heading down so I may go later tomorrow, but I wanted a shower and was a bit worried about the short walk after dark.

Just been chatting (a little awkwardly) with a possibly German guy and had a bit of chat with one of roommates after shower and also a French Canadian couple - not expecting to be best buds with anyone but it's nice to speak to people etc.

I am hearing good-ish things about Montezuma at southish end of Nicoya peninsula so that is probably somewhere to head for. I have no idea if I might go somewhere else first or how the buses work out. I think it will (subject to rather hot feeling and small dorm with somewhat shitty mattress not spoiling things) be kind of relaxing to sit here and do next to nothing in a more relaxed way than in Tamarindo for three days, but I don't want to massively overdo it - there are probably all sorts of other vaguely beachy places I might "relax" and I would also like to do something vaguely energetic etc and while I am not exactly short of time I also don't want to excessively waste time over-staying.

Apparently there are mosquitos here but no malaria risk, I *haven't* gone up to put spray on but we'll see how it goes.

On bus to Samara there was a slightly cheesy synth-jazz kind of instrumental cover of Alphaville's "Forever Young" playing at one point which made me smile. Subsequent pan pipe music a little more irritating but I suppose vaguely atmospheric.

I am probably going to go to bed 830-9ish, for the usual "slightly bored and very slightly tired" reasons. It was an earlyish start too, although even so going to bed at 9 is hardly a long day.

There are sodas here, at least on the outskirts of Samara and for all I know maybe in the centre. Vague feeling for tomorrow is I might try (if map suggests it's possible) to walk from local beach down to "central" Samara along the beach, have a look round and walk back along the road I came out on today after I got off bus.

I was a bit worried the group from my hostel would be at this hostel but felt unlikely and afaict they are not.

I had a very nice casado with chuleta de cerdo at a little soda just down the road for 3.5k with a tamarind juice, perhaps I'm just more appreciative after eating hot dogs and bologna sandwiches for a few days but it really did seem pretty decent.

Knees hurt a smidge, probably from sitting on the bus.

1929 Someone (I suspect a real person) is playing Take 5 on saxophone somewhere down the road.

1944 Slightly awkward as (they asked and I was here first and I offered to move, all very polite) I'm sitting here with three Germans chatting away in German. I don't *mind* - I already had my fill of "chat" , so to speak - but it does feel a tiny bit awkward.

1953 Ah, finished water, went for much needed piss (just said "excuse me" ), got a fresh cold bottle of water and put a bit of repellent on as well. Back down sitting on own, quite happy to chat if anyone wants but not feeling any need to force it at this point, spoken enough so as not to feel overly awkward. Am feeling a bit tired but also don't want to go to bed too early as lying in bed hot and not quite going to sleep probably be a bit shitty.

Mildly tempted to have another beer (1k for prob 350ml here at hostel) but I already feel vaguely sleepy and I don't see much reason to push it.

Hostel has shuttles to Montezuma and Santa Teresa at USD50 but rather not. I probably saved USD40 in return for an hour or two sitting on my arse on the 3-bus journey from Tamarindo to Samara today and I suspect it would be similar going to M or ST. However, while I *don't* want to be making definite plans tonight, maybe I will force myself to look at map and/or guide book for ideas on where to go next and how to get there.

Oh. I have a socket next to bed (albeit about waist position not near head) but it's low enough that having anything plugged into it while I'm in bed is likely to tear the already wobbly socket out of the wall. So I've left my power bank charging since I checked in.

Except for vague interest in recorridos mentioned in RG in Nosara for weekends in February, gut feeling is I'm not too bothered about Nosara right now.

Hmm, casual mention in RG suggests Montezuma may be Tamarindo-ish. Maybe won't go there unless there's something specifically attractive.

The sunset at Playa Carillo 6km east of "here" (Samara) sounds good, but it may be a faff to access - it's a 90 min walk I think and hardly something I fancy doing after dark. And tomorrow at least I think I might head down to/already be at the local C beach after dark a bit (there are a few poss stray dogs around but they seemed fairly friendly today, also some loose chickens about which implies dogs not out of control, and it's a short enough walk back here I think it would be fine, and probably quite a few other people doing it).

The bus I came in on does run a bit SE down coast but can't remember name of final destination and I don't think judging from RG it's going to be super practical to follow the coast round too far from here. Although it is dry season and roads probably fine, there may not be great roads and/or buses running along here.

Overhearing prob-owner saying to someone "you can't walk to Carillo along the beach" .

FTR RG says it is wrong time of year to see olive ridley turtle arribada at Nosara so don't need to worry about that.

Left ankle feels itchy, can this be existing semi-inexplicable-but-I-always-get-them mosquito bites?

Reserva Karen Mogensen might be worth visiting. But if this is best accessed from Jicaral, looking at the map it might be a good thing to do shortly before getting ferry over to Puntarenas to carry on south down the coast there.

I am half wondering if (unless Cabo Verde reserve at southern tip of peninsula is accessible and interesting) I should not bother trying to go near Montezuma/Santa Teresa. I am not super interested in resorts/overcrowded beach places and it may be as well to spend time down the west coast of the "mainland" instead of hanging around there. If so, this would kind of argue for heading towards Jicaral, seeing what I can do wrt RKM and then getting on the ferry. But I'm continuing to read through RG to try to get some kind of feel for what I might miss.

Guide book does make the walk along the beaches N of Montezuma sound attractive, but not necessarily enough in itself to draw me there. OTOH Montezuma is not necessarily an immensely epic or expensive "side trip" from Jicaral or something like that.

Kind of feeling I could take or leave RKM based on guide book; perhaps a bit over-popular and also maybe without getting into guided tours I'd probably not see any animals I haven't already seen, and I have been into (not saying it's the same) forests round Santa Elena etc.

I think Santa Teresa can fuck off based on guide book; maybe in low season it would be nice to visit, but doesn't terribly appeal (sounds Tamarindo-ish) in high season.

Parque Nacional Carara sounds good, though that is on "mainland" south of Puntarenas so not an immediate option/concern.

Catarata Manantial near there may be the one that woman told me about on Arenal volcano tour - RG makes it sound slightly dangerous, but I would be going in dry season so hopefully not too treacherous, the hike sounds tempting and RG doesn't lay it on thick about the dangers like some other waterfall I've been reading about (poss round Montezuma, but I don't remember for sure - not going anyway, given stuff about dangers).

Jacó doesn't sound of much interest TBH - uber-Tamarindo etc.

But this has already taken me off the Nicoya peninsula, and my immediate concern is what to do *now*.

Gut feeling is I might want my next step to be a 2ish bus hop Samara-Nicoya-Jicaral (maybe not actually Jicaral, somewhere near there), see how I feel about RKM, see how I feel about popping down to Montezuma from there, then cross over to Puntarenas on the ferry.

Did I mean Cabo Verde when I said RKM could probably be missed out earlier? Let me re-read guide book. OK, RKM sounds promising (and is kind of en route, given I'm oddly keen to do this ferry crossing).

Hmm, guide book says you *can* walk to Playa Carillo from Samara. Fk knows.

Isla de Chira can fuck off based on wanky descriptions in RG, incidentally.

Cabo Blanco not Cabo Verde, duh. Yeah, not going to bother about Cabo Blanco.

I half wonder if I should see if I can putter a little further SE from here by bus before heading back up to Nicoya to bounce out to Jicaral-ish, but unless there's promising cheap accom in such places on web I probably won't. I suppose could stay here longer as a base and get the bus (there's a good few a day, probably not too risky) out there for the hell of it and see what it's like - that would only "cost" an extra day or two, and if I'm comfortable enough here it's cheap enough.

Anyway, at least some sort of plan is starting to come together.

It's 2048 and I'm toying with going to bed. It does feel a bit early but fuck it. I've "proved I'm human" by engaging in a little chat at various points today after the frustrations of Tamarindo, I am *not* gagging for a chat and most of the little groups around seem to be chatting in foreign languages (not Spanish) and/or to be couples.

As I say, plan for tomorrow is probably to go over to Samara "proper" , via local C beach if I can, have a look round, perhaps lunch/early dinner at that soda I went to today then head down to beach here around sunset and see what it's like. I can worry about whether I want to extend here to eg do an experimental jaunt to end of bus route once I've tried sleeping here...

Kind of wondering if I can just read quietly until say 2130 then by time I clean teeth etc it might be 2145ish by time I go to bed. Though TBH maybe I should just go to bed. As I say I'm a smidge tired (perhaps partly from that beer on beach this afternoon), I'm just not so tired I'm confident of getting to sleep sharpish and it's probably more pleasant down here in open-air small courtyard than small stuffy room.

Oh, I did give top I wore today a quick no-soap washing in the sink when I had a shower - it's hopefully drying on end of my bed and I will wear it during the day tomorrow. They have a laundry service here and it's probably not too expensive but I'd rather keep my options as open as possible.

Mosquito flitting round but it seems reluctant to settle on me. It may just be distracting my attention while its pals get in on the back of my neck of course.

2106 Fuck it, I'm moving towards bed.

2118 Brief chat with roommate spoke to earlier, she's trying to cool room down. Other two just came back I think, said hi as came back down to terrace. I've cleaned my teeth so except for maybe an additional piss I can jump straight into bed but will have a further drink of water down here for 15 mins or so.

2130 Roommates just gone out, they said (as they had earlier) they weren't late night types, go to bed 10ish, I said it's all fine, etc etc. But it would probably be psychological comfortable to go to bed in 5-10 mins then I'll be in before they get back.

2133 Sod it, let's go up.

2143 Bed. Room so small my water bottle caught against edge of double bed and a tiny bit came out, I've mopped at it with my towel and fingers crossed it's already mostly unnoticeable but not ideal.

Mattress feels a bit saggy but probably OK.