20 April, 2001

Morning came early, as we were trying to leave by 8 a.m. Steve was happy to learn that our boat captain was to be Maynor Lara, with whom he had the pleasure of diving years ago in the same area. It is always fun to see familiar faces when you've pretty much figured you would never see them again.

To make a long story short, we didn't leave until noon. The cause of the delay was that Frank couldn't find any 10w-30 oil for the compressor's engine and had to make an hour-long round trip to buy a single quart of oil. Frustrating.

Once underway, the water was fairly calm at first, but got more and more choppy as we got out of the protective bay from which we started. At the end of the day what should have been a two-hour boatride took us until 5 p.m. We stopped twice, as the water was so rough, Frank was having second thoughts about actually getting to the island with all the people and gear in the boat. It isn't a very large boat (about 30-odd feet) and in addition to the 10 people onboard (Axel, Bb, Francis, Frank, Lee, Jeremy, Maynor, Richard, Simón and Steve) we had food, baggage, scuba gear (including tanks) and a compressor for filling tanks. That made Bb a wee bit unsettled. Turns out Axel wasn't too happy with the situation either.

We were very wet and cold, (Frank's two sons were shivering- poor guys), when we spotted a park boat close by. We found some calm water in a small bay and waited for it to come to us. Orlando (more about him later) was driving out to check on a fire near the shore. It turned out to be quite a boon as the roughest part of the trip still lay ahead of us. We thankfully moved all our gear into the second boat, along with the three of us and Simón and off we went, completing the trip much more quickly, comfortably and safely. The downside to arriving first with all of the gear, of course, is that you've gotta unload all the gear. Still it was a good deal.

At the point of switching boats, if Bb had had the choice, she would have gone back to the mainland. She was very unhappy and uneasy with the first boat and its capability of keeping so much weight in such rough water afloat. In short, the ride was miserable. Steve, on the other hand, while agreeing that the conditions were lousy for riding out the island, was enjoying himself- there's just something about being out in the ocean that he really loves.

So after a long, wet and cold trip we finally made it to Isla San Jose, part of the Islas Murciélago (Bat Islands). The first impression that we got from the island is "brown". Other than a few leafless trees, the island is completely covered with grass- still dry right now as the rainy season is only just starting. Seen from the beach at the northeast end, the island appears to be a steep-sided valley sloping into the water with the two-story field station off to the left and a small well near the center. Under the grass the ground is mostly sandy dirt. What you can't see from the beach is that in addition to the valley with the station, a ridge extends southwest for a few hundred yards before falling into the water. Not too long ago some disgruntled fisherman set fire to a part of the island in protest of the national park's assertation of authority so there is still a charred stretch off to the west. Due to the dead grass and the fire damage, the island looks as a deserted (mostly) island should: bleak, but beautiful. Isla San Jose is bordered by the rest of the archipelago of the Bat Islands and the vast dark blue Pacific. The hills come to sharp, narrow tops affording incredible panoramic views of water, more water and blue sky. It was exciting to be here.

Orlando, the park employee who lives alone on the island about half the time and was very glad to have company, dug into our supplies and made a superb dinner of rice, beans, pork chops and potatoes. Steve offered mininal assistance. It seems hard to believe that rice can taste so different when made by different people. Bb made sure that Steve was watching carefully.

We went to bed tired and full with the howling wind thrashing vainly at our windows.

Axel spent some quality time relaxing and reading the ever addictive Harry Potter, while Bb spent most of the day sunning herself and beach combing. Steve told her later that her decision turned out to be a good one as the diving was good, but fairly challenging. Visibility was low due to the stormy conditions and the water temperature was unseasonably low- way down into the high 60s. Brr.

The reason we are all out on the island in the first place is to do some research for two ongoing studies upon which Frank has been working for a few years. The first deals with a Norweigan rat population that has exploded on the island (they estimate that there are several rats per square meter on the island). The second, and the reason for the diving, is a study of blennies- cute little fish that live in holes that they encounter opportunistically on the reef. With the intention of understanding their hole-selection habits better Frank has placed several concrete pyramids with holes in them on the seafloor around the island and returns periodically to place new pyramids and check on the old ones.

The huge (yet harmless) bug on Steve's collar was a stow-away in Lee's luggage	Frank's sons found a dead sea snake which turned into science project	Hermit crabs	A deserted Costa Rican island crawling with iguanas is a great place to read this book	Sea snake in a tidepool

Later in the afternoon, while the group was on its second dive, Axel and Bb set off to hike the island. Having only her flip flops, Bb was a bit dubious as to just how far she'd get, but it turned out thongs make fine hiking shoes. Okay, not really, but they worked well enough that she spent an hour an a half traversing the island in them.

Axel and I stayed together for the first three hills, from which the views were just spectacular. The wind was really stiff and it felt like if you let it, it could blow you right off the top. We saw the divers and I tried to see if Steve was looking up, but couldn't tell and didn't want to wave. Waving means you need help (in diving) and I didn't want Steve or anyone else on the boat, to misinterpret. Turns out Steve saw us and waved, but he was too far away for us to tell. We were hiking on the top of the ridge for about 20 minutes when the path ended. We could see where it took up again, but there was a steep traverse on loose dirt/rock and I thought it best not to try it in my thongs. Wind still blowing furiously, gusting enough to make me stop and hold my balance, I left Axel to his hiking and went back the way we came.

The sound of the wind whipping around the islands and over the water, with no other noises, but maybe a bird or two is incredible. This experience was great. I had hoped very much to do some diving or even just some snorkeling, but the water was rough enough that it kept me away. At first, I was disappointed, but after this hike, I felt like I had experienced something very unique and special.

I wasn't done walking around when I got back to the station, so I decided to see if there was another path that I could take up the hills and maybe meet up with Axel again. The path I found ended quickly, but I was climbing in the burn area, so I just picked my way through the leafless stalks of trees. Very eerie. I found Axel at the top and although we decided to try heading on, his leg began to give him trouble (he injured his hamstring training for a marathon just before this trip) so we called it a day and went back to the station.

Axel and I went to school together at UCLA and I think he thought it was fun to see me in this granola, nature-girl role -- an about face from my bleach-blonde, work-out-at-the-gym, paint-my-toe-and-fingernails-to-match-my-outfit-everyday self he met six years ago. He asked me if I missed smelling like a girl -- soaps and lotions and hair stuff and perfume all rolled into one. I said yes.

Orlando made us dinner again, this time chicken and Bb made a salad. The 11 of us (nine adults and Frank's twin sons) ate in muffled quiet. The station has no electricity yet and so we ate by one small Coleman lamp. Kind of neat really. Makes you realize though, that once sun sets and dinner is over, it's pretty much time for bed. You can use a flashlight to read, but that's mildly annoying and really, batteries should be reserved for necessity.

Started the day off by taking some early morning photos and saving some sea snakes that had been blown up on shore overnight. A cousin to the famous Cobra, sea snakes are very venemous but fortunately (for humans) are rear-fanged and have very small mouths. One would literally have to chew on your finger for a while to envenomate you. Small mouth or not, we still used a stick to move them around.

Having done our good deed for the day, we headed back to the station to find out if/when we were leaving. Axel and Bb were a bit sceptical of us actually getting off of the island today. The wind was blowing fiercely and the water was looking every bit as rough as when we came, only this time we only had one boat to take us through the "bad" part. Axel had until Tuesday to catch his plane, so one day's delay wouldn't be the end of the world, but we had things to do and that would be cutting it awfully close.

Leaving or not, Axel made the whole group pancakes and Bb made a fruit salad. Both were excellent and well received. The group went out for a dive and after packing up Axel and Bb started making lunch. We figured that would be a good way to get us out of here by the two o'clock deadline. It was. We had a great time laughing and cooking together and the group did manage to leave at two. We even had time for Lee, Frank and Steve to do a quick free dive (holding your breath and swimming down) to check the blennies one more time. The water was so stirred up though, that visibility was only about two feet and they couldn't find the blocks.

The ride back was cold and wet as expected, but we three wore our rain jackets and stayed out of the wind as much as possible. The boat was also a little less overloaded as we had used up some supplies and Jeremy was staying on the island an extra day or two with the compressor and some of the scuba tanks. Still, with the wind so high and the boat so small, the water gets blown in in sheets. Yuck. By the end of the first hour Bb was shivering and Simón gave her a wetsuit to put on. An hour later he asked the captain to give her this huge, thick tarp to wrap around her. Thank goodness for Simón. After the tarp Bb was warm and dry (or at least no more wet) the rest of the way back (nearly another hour).

Simón needed a lift back to San Jose. Well, we honestly were too tired to drive him all the way there -- we didn't leave Cuajinaquil until almost 6 p.m. and San Jose is about a four-five hour drive. He invited us to stay at his place, but we just didn't have the energy. We got him to Liberia (only an hour away), where he caught a bus. Knowing what we know about the guy now, Bb feels a bit bad. He is so very nice and incredibly generous. Nonetheless, we ate a quick dinner with him and while Steve took him to the bus station, Axel and Bb found us a hotel room at the same place, Hotel Liberia, where we had stayed with Todd. We even got the same room. We walked around town for an hour or two, trying to help Axel make a phone call, but the internet cafe we like was closed, the other cafe owner was a jerk, and we couldn't find anywhere open to buy a phone card for Axel to use the payphone. As modern as Costa Rica seems most of the time, it is still pretty difficult to get anything at all done on a Sunday night. Exhausted from a long weekend, cold boatride, and frustrating telephone hunt we crawled into our beds and quickly fell asleep.

We caught up with Simón at his work, which is in La Sabana, by the big ICE building (for any of you familiar with San Jose). His wonderful girlfriend, Vanessa, hopped in the truck and guided us to their incredibly cute apartment. They gave us a set of keys and told us to make ourselves at home. Wow.

Axel, Steve and Bb took off for the market (Axel wanted to get a couple of souvenirs) and left Vanessa and Simón to their siesta. We ate great food for cheap (hard to buy expensive food in the market) and poked around. Just before closing, Axel bought a couple of bags and we hightailed it to the bus stop. We didn't want to be waiting in the dark in that part of town (we've read that it isn't such a good part of town at night). The bus ride back was so long. Traffic, an accident and roadwork made what was a 15 minute ride in the afternoon, a 45 minute ride in the evening. We got off and walked the last 10 minutes. It was probably quicker than riding.

We stayed up late watching videos that Simón had filmed of Isla de Cocos (a Costa Rican island a few hundred miles off in the Pacific) and an IMAX film on the same place. All of the footage was really amazing and the island is now on our list of must-see locations.

We crawled back into our bed at Vanessa and Simón's and crashed until late morning. We hung around doing computer stuff and went to the store to get some food. Vanessa had invited us to join her yoga class that evening, so we planned to stay until Wednesday morning. Well, we spent some time talking about what we wanted out of the next three months (we return home mid-August for a wedding and will stay a couple weeks or a couple months, depending) here in Costa Rica. Three months is too short a time to start a business, but enough time to explore a good portion of the country and get some summer jobs. We decided that we'd have the best chance of doing both these things from San Jose, rather than Monteverde. Monteverde is a small (but beautiful) dirt-road town up in the mountains at the end of a pretty bad, very long road. It is one of the best places in the country for hiking and wildlife viewing, but isn't a very central place for weekend tours and the money we'd save by living there (cheaper rent) we would probably spend on transportation.

So with some trepidation, we decided to settle in San Jose for the moment. Yoga was just what we needed to relax from the big decision making. The class was wonderful, thanks Vanessa.

The next few days were all very similar. We got up, bought a newspaper, then spent some time calling potential rentals from a noisy payphone by either a grocery store or the side of the road, then drove around trying to find the place to take a look at it. Finding anything in San Jose is a bit frustrating as for the most part there are no street names. Not just missing signs, mind you, but there are actually NO NAMES. Typical directions are, 50 meters north of the post office and 100 meters east, or 500 meters north of the middle school. For locals the system works ok, but when you don't know where anything is, the system is frustrating and slow.

Having Simón and Vanessa to chat with at the end of the day was a real sanity-saver for us. We also really enjoyed making lunch for them one day and watching The Empire Strikes Back one evening.

Some of the places we saw were great, but too expensive for our budget, others were cheap but really just not somewhere we wanted to live. Some of the more memorable moments of the search are: a huge (at least 2,500 sq foot) 3-bedroom apartment with a bathtub that would seat at least 5 people for $650/month, an entire house in a not-so-great area for $400/month, a tiny, dark little unit attached to someone's home for $350 (the "pool" was smaller than the aforementioned bathtub), and learning that in Costa Rica when someone offers an unfurnished apartment, they aren't kidding!! You don't get a fridge or stove and sometimes not even a kitchen sink! Funny, the things you take for granted.

A view of part of San Jose		Pretty excited for another day of hunting

After looking for three days Bb implored Steve to call one place that we had read about on the first day but which was just slightly outside of our self-imposed budget of $350. The place in question turned out to be a fully-furnished one-bedroom apartment built into the lower section of a beautiful house in the hills of Escazú (about a 15 minute busride to the center of downtown). We were both very pleased by the place, but the $450 price tag was just too much. After a long day of looking around some more, we finally decided that if they could come down to $400, we'd take it. So we drove back and after about 5 minutes of chatting the owner offered to rent the place to us at $400. We took it. Our lease starts the 1st of May, between then and now we'll head up to Monteverde to pick up some things we left there before the island trip and hopefully get a chance to visit with Travis and Frank.

Having found a place to stay is both scary and exhilirating. Scary because after nearly 18 months of being nomads we are about to settle down, exhilirating because after nearly 18 months of living in other people's space we'll finally have some space of our own.

A special thankyou to Vanessa and Simón who, despite hardly knowing us, offered to let us live in their home while we hunted for our own.