Costa Rica Journal...Day 2...Wednesday, February 13, 2013...San Jose to Santa Elena

Upon waking up this morning...my first thought was that, sometime during the night, someone hit me in the forehead with a two by four.
Bleary-eyed, I stagger down to the hotel lobby for coffee and later, outside for a morning cigar. Outside, I'm befriended by a local who wants to "shine" my water sandals and an older U.S. ex-pat who is here with his friend that has trouble walking because a Fer-de-Lance snake bit him and "..he lost most of the meat on his right leg". Yea...it's one of those mornings.
Several cups of coffee and a long shower later, my rental car is delivered to the hotel...a Daihatsu Terios Compact SUV. I load up and immediately set off...in a big city, driving a strange vehicle, with a Garmin GPS that may or may not work.
To my surprise and relief, the Garmin performs flawlessly, and I am effortlessly guided to a huge local WalMart where I purchase a small cooler, a grill and plenty of food.
Then I am off on the 100+ mile drive to Santa Elena, next to the Monteverde Cloud Forest. For the most part, the roads a re pretty good...for awhile. The first 40 miles is "Interstate-quality", but each new road means a decline in quality. The last twenty miles combines the worst of the "Top of the World Highway" in the Yukon with the "Trans-Labrador Highway" in Labrador. In no particular order, I encounter...plenty of gravel, massive potholes, one-lane bridges, cows standing in the road, crazy drivers coming the other way, something that looks like a wild pig running in front of me...all this on a road heading straight up with no guardrails.
Around 4:00PM, I arrive at the Pension Santa Elena...a very friendly hostel that has a few camp sites on the lawn. The staff is friendly...helpful...welcoming. Soon, I have set up camp, and I'm ready for a cocktail. With the supplies that I purchased at the WalMart, I am able to cobble together a primitive Manhattan...most welcome after a demanding drive.
There's a taco place next door...that's dinner, and it's really good. Lots of friendly people staying at the Pension Santa Elena...backpackers, ex-pats, world travelers...thirty people and a thousand stories.
After dinner, I book a guided tour for tomorrow morning in the Moteverde Cloud Forest. Then it's time to kick back and relax with a few beers.
One of my fellow travelers, Allison, needs a ride to the tour tomorrow morning, so I'll have some company.
I'm tired (particularly after last night's "festivities" in San Jose) and the tour starts early...so...I'm in my tent at 930PM...ready for a good night's sleep.