We meet our intrepid travelers as they arrive in Montezuma around 5pm. No reservations, but an idea of where we wanted to stay. Unfortunately, that place was booked. Around this same time we realized we were hot. Profusely sweating better describes it. Off came the long sleeves and we started on our dirty trek through Montezuma proper looking for a place to stay.
A few notes about Montezuma- first, it is dirty. not polluted or trashed, but covered in dry, dusty, dirt. The trees seem brown because of the dirt that is kicked off of the dirt roads by passing, rumbling ancient buses, or horses, or just people like ourselves walking. Second, "proper" denotes something that Montezuma is not. It is basically an intersection with about 10 hotels, and 10 cafes and a shop or 5. We initially found a place for $40/night with AC, but as that would double our nightly budget, we decided against it. We then stumbled into Hotel Lys. I remembered this place from the interwebs, but couldnt recall any specifics.
We wandered around back past tanned shirtless people painting a large canvas propped up against the building, and others painting what appeared to be an abandoned school bus next to the "hotel." Past that was a camp site, not sure if it was open for guests or just people living there. It looked more permanent than not. We walked to the back of the "building" (again, a loose term) to a stone patio strewn with hammocks a few wooden chairs, and a bed covered in mosquito netting. The back of the hostel faced the sea. 3 white boats rested on the shore and there was a thin, pale band of mountains stretching to the left of the horizon.
It was beautiful, we were exhausted, so we decided to stay. At the "reception window" a man who looked to be our age with long scraggly hair (the look of a Montezuman, we came to learn), wearing only shorts (another characteristic of everyone here) greeted us. I sized him up- Likely a homemade hackey-sack champion in a former life in the states before dropping out of college to open this hostel on the beach. Rooms are available! $20/night, shared bath. We'll take it!
Our room is purple with a double "bed" (sagging mattress that we learned you must carefully position yourself on or the boards of the "frame" below it will either cut into your hips, or your butt will just fall through the cracks!) There are approximately 411 mosquitos so we bathe in our DEET spray. FYI- when you have extremely baby sensitive skin, putting 100% DEET on your face stings. But it gets the job done.
the sheets are mismatched and a bit dingy, but at this point we don't care. We change into shorts and tanks and go out to sit at one of the picnic tables on the beach. Our fellow hostellers sit on various benches and tables, drinking Imperial beer, smoking cigarettes and joints. Reg buys us 2 beers (1200 Colones, about $2), we fill our waters from the sinks (told the water's fine). It starts to get dark and we realize those are bats, not birds, circling overhead. There is a faint citronella smell as candles are lit.
We find some cheap food in town and end up going to sleep at about 730, and waking up the next morning at 730, surprisingly well rested and not mosquito bitten! Our room comes with not only the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach as the tide came in last night, but also the sounds of various hostel parties from the hostels around ours. Our room is right on the beach, so we hear everyone that passes. It was a bit unnerving. We positioned the stationary fan in our room right next to the bed and were actually able to sleep without sweating too much.
In the morning sun, we can really take in our surroundings. Another note about Montezuma. Without dredlocs, some form of homemade clothing (if you wear it at all) and a musical instrument- you are an outsider. If you wear shoes, you are an outsider. Im guessing if teeth are brushed you are put in this category as well. And then I realize as Im writing this, Im in a hammock supported by a coconut tree, staring at the Nicoya gulf!
We returned from breakfast of fruit, yogurt, eggs, rice and beans and it occurred to us that we had not peed for about 15 hours. yikes! We purchased a 1.75L water bottle and guzzled. Probably explains my creeping headache....
We decided to spend the day hiking to the Montezuma waterfall....
to be continued......
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