Cabuya to Dominical (12/23/10-12/27)

The Canopy Tour


Malpais beach shot

with Melanie and Chris

I first drove over to Malpais from Santa Teresa to check out what is basically the other end of the very long road. Nothing here for me, really, and the beach looks to be more of the rocky variety, but pretty. I next headed over towards Montezuma to look for the campground that Itay had described for me. As I'm starting the descent into town, a young couple was walking up this little road. I heard them shout, "hey", so I stopped and saw that it was Chris and Melanie, from Austria. I had met them at Playa Maderas in Nicaragua almost two weeks earlier, they were staying at Camping Matilda, too. They said they were going up to the Waterfall Canopy Tour at the top of the hill, why don't I join them. I had been wondering when I would first do one of these. I guess that would be now. I think we all agreed it was good fun but not the big rush hoped for. I've got a couple of these on my list for the trip back north that promise to be a bit more exciting.

there I go...zipping

one of the waterfall pools

About 2/3 of the way thru we all step out of our zipping gear for a walk down to the waterfalls, one of Montezuma's more famous features. It's a triple waterfall and we come in from the top. You can jump into the top two pools off the rocks. I did the first one, and after the heat of the jungle it was refreshing. I chickened out on the second one, thou; it's a height thing. But, I found out my new Pentax waterproof camera works! Chris and Melanie found a ride back to their campsite in Malpais and I went to look for mine.

Cabuya

southern tip of the Nicoya
Peninsula...click to enlarge

It's maybe 3 miles from Montezuma to the campground in Cabuya. A family run place just off the beach, it has electricity, tables and clean showers and toilets. Everything I need. I spend two nights here, reading, beachcombing, daydreaming, the usual. Even though this is Dec. 23 and 24, no one else is here, which makes this a perfect $6 spot.


Cabuya at low tide...not a
swimming or surfing beach

My first morning I meet Megan, a young woman who lives in Denver! She knows the family and stays here with them in one of their rentals. She gives me the scoop on the area and the name of a panaderia in town that has good food, coincidently owned by the same family. In fact, it is good food, and fresh. I had the tuna with a spicy sauce, rice and salad, then I bought a $3.40 gooey brownie as a Christmas treat. Food is more expensive out here.

Montezuma

one of Montezuma's 3 streets

In order to make the early ferry ride back over to the mainland the next day, I drove the 3 miles back to Montezuma to rent a room for the night so I could just split. I chose the Los Mangos because it might be the only place in town with any parking of the secure kind. It was a tiny room with thin walls and a shared bath, but some times you just have to roll with it. They do have nice individual cabanas but that's for a different trip in a different time.

Montezuma sounded nicer on paper to me than what I saw. It has a kind of a rundown-bohemian-hippie-chic look about it. And I understand there are some really beautiful hidden, hard-to-get-to beaches, and the waterfall is pretty sweet. And I like Megan's choice of a bar, Chico's, definitely a great beachside drinking hangout. But as a destination? Not so much. Barbara (back in Santa Teresa) was right: stay in S.T. and come over here as a daytrip. All of these little towns are very close to one another.

Dominical

Big Yellow loves a boat ride

Not knowing the roads, I leave Montezuma at 6am to reach the port town of Paquera to the north, wanting to catch the 9am boat. It costs $17 for me and Big Yellow to roll aboard. A 1-1/2 hour scenic ride and we pull into Puntarenas and the mainland. I was ready to move on, and I'm starting to think about Panama. About the Nicoya: though I certainly didn't see everything, I love Junquillal, Samara and Santa Teresa - the best beach. My suggestion would be to rent a 4WD for a couple of weeks and find your own favorites.



one stretch of the road south...
miles of coconut groves

After spending 42610 colones on gasoline (the exchange rate is a monopoly-like 500 to 1) - which works out to $4.35/gallon! - I take the very good beach highway south. Another fact of this trip: almost everywhere I looked it was said the roads in Costa Rica are terrible. I am finding just the opposite. As a matter of fact, except for some sections in Guatemala, I'd say the roads in every country are quite good so far. Most dirt roads are no worse than what I lived on in Colorado; they're supposed to be bumpy. Except for the Monkey Trail, of course, that was different.


Dominical landmark

where the river meets the sea,
in Dominical

My original destination was Uvita - about 130 miles and 3 hours south of Puntareans on the Pacific coast -where I had read of a place I could camp. Well, that spot wasn't all that attractive so I backtracked north 20 minutes to Dominical where there is a surf camp. This would have been a good spot anytime but now, too many grungy people laying around right next to each other. No thanks. It's now around 4:30, over 10 hours since I started the day and it's "get a room" time. I have finally hit the holiday traffic and prices and I have to knock on a few doors to find a room with parking. Dominical is a skinny little surf town tucked between the highway and the beach with a couple of dirt roads connecting it all. Right now, though, it's pretty full and $50 is the price, and I'm lucky to get it. The hotel has hot water and wifi, which I need, and is run by Billy Bob, an affable guy from California who has been here for 4 years now and after the endless rainy season this year is headed back there soon (it's rained on and off for the last couple of days - it's not supposed to do that at the end of December). I ended up staying a second night since my tentative plans fell through and I need to scramble to find my next destination and/or plan the next border before the holiday weekend. Sometimes it's a real job trying to figure all this out on the fly. It aint all beaches and hot chicks, you know!