Days 60-64 - Jaco and Montezuma, Costa Rica

It was definitely a sad story when Kels left us on Thursday morning. We had such a great time hanging out the three of us, it was just like old times except we had nothing more to do than enjoy each others' company.

She departed to San Jose early in the morning, and Nic and I hung out by the pool and had lunch before hiring a ride from Si Como No to Gretchen's condo in Jaco.  We'd heard mixed reviews about Jaco (being that it is a bit sketchy, but the going out scene is good); however, we did not doubt that Gretchen would know where to take us so we'd enjoy our visit with her.

We arrived in Jaco around 3pm and caught up for a while.  Nic and Gretchen instantly found common ground which was nice as well.  Later on, she took us to her favorite restaurant in town which happened to be Italian.  Her boyfriend met us as well which was very nice.  We had a great time perusing the scene with them.  Throughout our days in Jaco, Gretchen was a great hostess and showed us the main beach as well as a few other hot spots in town, including Playa Blanca just outside which was absolutely gorgeous.  The only hitch was that Nic stepped on a stingray our second day and sought medical attention.  The clinic in Jaco was great and all was resolved by nightfall, so we were pleased.  

Also, we went to see a reggae concert of a group from the Caribbean side (Puerto Viejo, where I'll be going shortly) at the Backyard on Playa Hermosa.  This area and venue were perfect for sunset as Hermosa was much less touristy than Jaco itself.  It was great to be relaxed and seeing more of a local scene in Costa Rica.

We stayed with Gretchen until Monday morning at which point Nic and I got on a boat bound for Montezuma on the southern-most tip of the Nicoya peninsula.  She was a bit worried as boats are not the preferable mode of transport, but it ended up being alright.  

When we arrived to Montezuma, we found El Sano Banano where we had arranged a room for a few nights and put our things down.  It is great, because this town is pretty small and we are in the middle of everything...we are also able to use the facilities of their sister resort, Ylang Ylang, a 15 minute walk down the beach.  Montezuma is quite serene and non-touristy...there is a hippy vibe which is a great change from the very Americanized destinations we've encountered thus far in Costa Rica.