Well, I finally made it. I made it to the border around 9 or so and wasn’t finished until 3. Then the problems started. Having a car that is Panamanian, and driving it out of the country as a tourist, is a major hassle. I had to sit with the “boss of everyone” again, as his henchmen eyed me up and down, to get his permission. He is a nice enough guy, and I suppose my situation is rare, so when he gave his go ahead, I should have been pleased.

They produced a bunch of papers for me saying this and that. Photo-copy this and that, and carry on to the Costly Rica side.

That side was jammed to the rafters. I had my “helper” standing in one line, while I waited in another. They only had one officer at each window for well over 400 people, standing, waiting, dehydrating in the mid-day sun. That being said, I said I wouldn’t bitch about Costly Rica too much, so I will just have to end it there.

They have improved the road considerably since I was last this way, so the road before the turnoff at Palmar Norte (where I finally found a bank machine that worked for me), was pretty good.

I found my way back out to the road towards Dominical, back to the very same spot I stayed last year, and if you didn’t know it was here, you would miss it entirely. Perfect.

Too late to go for a dip, so I will save that for the morning. The food at this place is good, cheap, and basic. Same with the room. A fan, a bed, a shower (tube sticking out of the wall that ran some terrible color of mud for a few minutes before clearing up), and a nice little seating area outside where I am typing this now.

I like this place mostly because of the beach it is close to. I don’t know it’s name, but it is close to Tortuga Abajo, just past the little bridge going north, and the beach here was deserted last time I was here. Just cut across a field, stumble over some dead fall, and you are on the beach with no one around and good body surfing. I hope there aren’t any more jelly-fish.

I guess I am also going to keep monkeys in mind if I want to keep my stuff. I read they are pretty light fingered little buggers, and if given the chance, will take off with your bag on the beach. Just tuck it under a log or something heavy.

That’s all I have for now. Looking forward to a good nights sleep.

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Well, I got one. Went for a dip in the morning (they have since built a little wooden walkway over the dead fall and “wetlands”). It was too hot by 10, so I went back to the room, showered, and left for Uvita where I am now. The place is called..  oh I forget. I am going to try camping for a night to see how that goes. 2000 Colones for a night. That is like 3 buks or so. Not sure of the exchange rate here right now. Don’t care, either.

I am waiting until about 3:30-4:00 to head down to the beach here and see what it is like. No idea yet but I see a lot of surfboards around. Gonna take a splash before I go. Will post some pics later.