Heading to Costa Rica

Ferry to Paquera from Puntarenas
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After spending 6 weeks in Nicaragua and surfing my brains out, I decided to make the jump into Costa Rica.  I had hesitations about going into Costa because "everything is more expensive, its been gringo infested, the locals are try to take your money, etc." but I had to go see for myself.  Adam from Jersey was headed down and I decided to split the cab fare with him and cross the border together.  I have learned that when traveling with a surfboard bag its always best to travel with someone else who has one. Taxis are most convenient as long distances walking with a board bag truly suck, and cab fare can be split two ways.

Landing in Paquera
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The border crossing was uneventful and quick.  Its amazing how little the customs officals actually care when moving between countries.  The bus from the border to Liberia got a little sketchy though as 2 police officers boarded our bus and searched every bag and checked every passport.  Im glad I didnt have my passport in my pack under the bus!  After confiscating some stuff from a really old woman, the bus went on its way and none of us had a clue what they were actually looking for.

Total travel time from San Juan to Santa Teresa- 18 hours

Adam and I jumped off the bus in Liberia and immediately ran into another english speaker.  Its amazing how much we stick out among the Nicas and Ticas with our huge packs, surfboard bags and pasty white skin.  Niel is from England and was traveling "the long way in" from Tamarindo to Santa Teresa, where Adam and I were headed, so we joined up.  The bus from Libera to Puntarenas was winding and beautiful, skirting rainforest, rivers and the southern peninsula on its way to the coast.

From Puntarenas, we grabbed dinner, drinks at a bar, and watched "Step Into Liquid" on my laptop while waiting for the ferry to arrive.  Catching the bus on the Paquera side to Santa Teresa was expensive (7200 colones with surfboards, about 12 bucks) but put us within walking distance to the hostel in Santa Teresa at around midnight. Total travel time:8am to 12am= 18hours.