23 November 2023 Uvita

In search of a relief

“The things you frequently think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the colour of your thoughts.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Awake at 5:35 but the alarm is set for 9 am so I went back to sleep for a couple of hours.

A banana and black coffee for breakfast. Packed my bags and tidied up the apartment. The bus to Uvita isn’t until 2:30 pm, so I left my bags with Abi, the owner of the apartment and went for a walk.

The tide was in at Quepos seafront so it looked very different to the first time I saw it when it was dominated by a large sandbank that small boats had to navigate around.

As I walked along the short promenade I noticed two separate colonies of Leaf Cutter Ants going about their business, and what a busy business it is. Some ants were managing with reasonably sized offcuts, while other industrious individuals struggled with huge chunks of foliage many times their own size. Get along mind… PPS + r they don’t exhibit the ‘me’ principle but conform to the ‘we’ principle to ensure that everyone in the colony gets fed…

It was both fun and interesting to watch pelicans riding the waves like avarian surfers… then taking to the air to ‘dive bomb’ their prospective lunch options.

And, the iguanas, scuttling along the path to get to an exposed rock to practice stillness in the sun.

I started to not feel great, a bit clammy and would like to go back to bed but I don’t have one until I get to Uvita late this afternoon. I sat on the promenade until 1:30 pm then with great effort took a slow circulatory walk to the supermarket to buy a bottle of water. I sat outside the store sipping water until it was time to collect my bags from the apartment and head for the bus station to take the 2:30 pm bus to Uvita.

This was challenging but I started to feel a little better once I sat on the bus. Arrived in Uvita around 4pm but I was unable to see any taxis. Foolishly I didn’t think to ask even though I know the Spanish for ‘I need a taxi’.

So, I started to walk the route that takes 4 minutes in a car and 40 minutes on foot. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. Google maps tells me the walk took 42 minutes, it felt a lot longer.I arrived at the Uvita Pirates Hostel just before 5pm. Literally on my last legs. I dumped my bags on a picnic table outside and took a seat; I couldn’t move any further just now.

An American visitor asked me where have I come from, so I replied the bus station; I said that I had to walk because I couldn’t find a taxi. ‘Wow’, he said. Then he explained that taxis are not allowed to park at the bus station so they wait across the road at the supermarket! I did notice several other travelers from my bus cross the road but I just assumed that whatever accommodation they had was in that direction.

Top Tip: Ask a local if you want to take a taxi… “¿Necesito un taxi?” which might not be perfect but it's unambiguous.

I checked in, went to my room, took a cool shower and was in bed a little after 5 pm. I had the intention of getting up after a couple of hours but my body told me ‘No’!

Good night.

Budget costs: