Bus Sweat and Backyard Beats: Nicoya’s Bicentennial Bash

This whole adventure started with an innocent text from my apartment manager. Well, actually I live in a hotel room with a kitchen, so technically, she is a hotel manager, but I digress. She informed me that a tour leaves from Sámara tomorrow to visit the historic town of Nicoya, Costa Rica. This entire peninsula is currently celebrating the 200th anniversary of the annexation of Guanacaste to become part of Costa Rica. Think of 4th of July, but instead of a bloody battle to form a new country, it was a peaceful vote by the province to join Costa Rica. Party!

I’m in!!!

A mere $40 gets me on this tour, and with a 2pm departure, I’m treating myself to a leisurely morning! They will drive a van of people to the festival in Nicoya, describe the history of the area and the people, and drive us all back. Sounds fun. Sign me up! Unfortunately, they didn’t get enough people to make the drive worth it, so they canceled the entire thing. WTF! The tour-guide was nice enough to send me tons of info so I could head up to Nicoya via bus or rental car.

My cousin was dying to explore Nicoya while he was visiting me in Sámara. I felt terrible turning him down, but the idea of a two-hour bus ride to see a few historical sites just didn’t appeal to me. Sámara had everything I needed: beaches. Simple as that. Then, as misfortune would have it, he got injured and couldn’t enjoy the surf. I know I should have sucked it up and shown him the mountains, but it never happened. Still kicking myself over that one, cousin!

Well, now there are all these big festivals to celebrate the week of Guanacaste Day (200th anniversary!!!) and I really should go. The best day will be on the 25th, which is the actual day of Guanacaste Day. I’m totally going… assuming it is not pissing down rain. Time to plan. I haven’t used the bus system here yet, so this is as good a time as ever to start.

Getting there

The tour guide sent me a photo of the bus schedule, which was very nice of her. However, the schedule looked pretty confusing. It looks like a bus heads to Nicoya every two hours. I found another schedule online, which helped. I still get to sleep in! The last bus to get back here leaves Nicoya at 8:30pm, so I cannot miss that! I should probably catch the earlier bus just in case the latter bus gets too full. Don’t want to spend the night in the mountains. Especially with accommodations most assuredly being booked out months ago for this massive party.

Alright, I have some snacks, a liter of water, and I put on bug repellent. Time to head to the bus stop. Why are people holding tickets? Do I need a ticket? I thought I could just pay as I got on the bus. My cousin said I could just pay as I got on the bus! Some gracious lady at the stop noticed me looking around, no ticket in hand, and pointed me toward the ticket booth. Ticket purchased, I head back to wait at the bus stop again.

The bus was way behind schedule, but thankfully, I wasn’t alone in the sticky heat, so I know I didn’t miss it. Finally, the bus arrives. Everyone makes a mad dash for the front door of the bus. I casually queue up at the end of the line. I have a ticket. The bus is surprisingly comfortable, with reclining seats and overhead bins. I have a ticket, so I know I’m getting a seat… right?

Nope… nope… nope

Here’s the thing. Just because they sell tickets, doesn’t mean they are only selling enough tickets to fill the bus and then they stop selling tickets. One ticket does not equate to one seat on the bus. Oh, no. By the time I make it onto the bus, it is standing room only. And I mean packed to the gills with humans. I’m going to have to stand for the entire two hour winding mountainous bus ride to Nicoya. Crap monkeys.

At least they have Air Con? No, they do not! The open windows help a lot and I squeeze myself into a spot in the strollers/wheelchair section where I can lean against a railing. At one point, the bus stops for a good 20 minutes. The driver kicks a few people off. I am too far away to hear what he is saying, but he definitely is counting passengers and I get the impression that the bus is overweighted with people. I think he may have been asking for volunteers to get off or no one was going anywhere. That bus is really struggling to make it up the hills into the mountains!

After two hours of hot, winding roads, I am absolutely shocked that I don’t have motion sickness. I am, however, pretty soggy with sweat. Sorry, fellow humans around me! We finally make it to our destination. The park with all the events (Parque De Nicoya Recaredo Briceño) is only about four blocks away. It’s noontime and that tropical sun is intense! Once I make it to the park, I see something very interesting.

This umbrella is not working

People are taking up every single inch of shade in the entire park. The park is really nice because it has an abundance of very massive trees for shade, as well as palapas. There is a giant stage setup where people are speaking. A different stage has a band. There are booths everywhere selling everything from delicious smelling foods to gorgeous paintings and all kinds of different ice creams. Those last ones are doing the most business because it is tropical hot-hot!

I’ve been living in the tropics for a while now with no A/C, so I’m fairly used to the heat. But I usually head inside in front of the fan for the noontime heat. Siesta! I’m not used to this kind of heat and I can’t find unoccupied shade anywhere. I try out my umbrella but it’s just not good enough. Plus, I’m so short that I can’t see over all the people and their umbrellas. I know there are performances happening, but I can’t see anything.

Screw this. I’m heading for lunch. The sodas surrounding the park were packed to the brim. Forget about lines. It was more like a human traffic jam. I’m at the hungry point where I can’t decide where or what to eat. I’m approaching hangry. Luckily, I happen upon this adorable little soda with a few open spots at an occupied table. I ask the people if I can sit with them and they are happy enough with the arrangement. No menu? No problem. The owner kindly informs me of their limited offerings, and I eagerly order a casado.

Noms!

The casado con carne en salsa (rice, beans, meat in sauce, salad) is so amazing! The beef is slow cooked to perfection, and the salad is delightful. And that’s coming from someone who is not a huge fan of salad. The owner even brings me more rice, which is so thoughtful. A whole new group of people come and sit down at my table after the other couple leaves. Despite the noisy surroundings and my broken Spanish, I manage to convey to my newfound friends that I’ve just arrived from Sámara.

They are also from Sámara, so we are all instantly fast friends. Most of them order the soup, which looks amazing. Beef broth filled with big chunks of meat, corn on the cob, plantains, yuca maybe? I am totally getting that if I come back here. Lunch is delightful and I feel like a new person. We can all hear the fire station blaring their whistle for the festivities. Earlier, while looking for food, I spotted a bunch of people in costumes gathering in front of the station.

After paying my bill, I head back to the park. One of the oldest churches in Costa Rica (mid-16th century!) is open for visitors. Iglesia Colonial de San Blas. It’s a really pretty church with old artifacts scattered about. I got a ton of pictures for you all. I try to watch the choreographed dancing happening near the stage from the shade of the church, but I just can’t see anything. Sigh.

How fun is that?

I wonder around for a bit. The organizers are handing out free slices of cake and tiny cans of Coca-Cola, and everyone is pretty excited about that. From what I can tell, people are hanging out, waiting for the cool of evening for the actual party to start. I will be long gone by then, but it’s fun to people watch while I can. I find a makeshift bar with people drinking and having a good time. The bartender is learning English, so he practices a bit with me.

After a bit, the guy next to me asks where I’m from. I say “Sámara” and he just laughs. “No, you’re not. Where do you originate from?” “Oh, Seattle.” Turns out, he is an orthopedic surgeon and did his residency in Seattle. What a small world!?! His kid went to college in Spokane, WA, USA. We chat it up about all things Pacific Northwest. He’s not from Guanacaste Province, he just came for the party. 200th anniversary, it’s a big deal. Once he goes back to chatting with his friends, I decide that I’ve seen enough.

While I had grand plans of staying until the 6:30pm bus, the heat is unbearable. Decision made: I’ll catch the 2:30 PM one instead. Back at the bus station, I find it closed. A quick glance at my watch confirms the posted hours. Sigh. Pura Vida! I wander around a bit more, checking out the fruit stands and shops. The ticket booth finally opens and I grab a ticket for the next bus back to Sámara. I’m going to be first in line because I, for sure, want a seat!

I’m getting a seat

There are so many people waiting for the bus (some I recognize from the ride here!). I’m actually a little worried that I might not make it on, and that I will have to wait two hours for the next bus. It starts to rain, which you would think would make it feel cooler, but it just makes it feel more humid. The bus to Sámara is clearly labeled and parked, but there is no driver. People begin to queue up, so I get in line as well. Then someone spots something out of sight along the side of the bus. Maybe they are loading people from the back entrance?

We all rush back there and I realize there is a second bus parked behind the first bus. We all start loading up and I get a fantastic seat. Go me! No need to worry about seats, as not everyone who was waiting gets on this particular bus. Including people I’m sure I previously rode with to Nicoya. That does give me pause… am I on the correct bus? I’m sure I saw a Sámara sign in the window when I got on, so no worries. The ride back is so much better than the ride here. It gets noticeably cooler the closer we get to the Pacific Ocean. Plus, the driver is going downhill fast, so it only takes about an hour.

Back in Sámara, turns out I did hop on the right bus, but there was a twist. The 2:30 bus actually splits into two different routes after arriving in town. Either one would have worked for me. Pura Vida! Overall, it was an adventure, but I’m not sure Nicoya is my favorite spot. Many places in Costa Rica’s mountains are known for cooler weather, but not today in Nicoya. I can’t say for sure about the rest of the year. Anyway, enjoy the pictures! I’m doing this for you! It’s an adventure!