Posted by Britt on Dec 14, 2014 in Adventure, Costa Rica, Live Your True Nature | 0 comments
The only thing I booked for my winter in Costa Rica was my first two nights just 10 minutes from the airport in Alajuela. I went on a recommendation to stay at this little hotel with a handful of rooms, communal kitchen, back garden, wonderful English speaking manager, kind cook and night receptionist. I ended up staying a bit longer to settle into hearing Spanish, buy a local phone and decide where to go next (which has perhaps been my greatest challenge so far;-). While in Alajuela, I was reminded of Thailand with the bustle of the traffic in town and simultaneous easy going spirit. I explored the local market and headed out on a day trip to Ojo de Agua which was recommended as ‘muy lindo’, very beautiful. Eye of Water or the source of water was a spring bubbling up into natural pools for swimming with hiking trails around it. I was up for a dose of nature, so I walked to to the bus station searching for the San Antonio de Belen-Ojo de Agua bus. No easy feat with a big bus station lacking signs. After wandering around looking for a bit I stopped to ask a gentleman dressed in dress slacks and button down shirt where that bus was. He turned around with me, walking the opposite direction, asked a man seated at a bus stop if this was the right spot for that bus and confirmed it was. I waited and observed.
A closer look– look at the cuteness of those shoes and that little hand on the right. I took another close up of the hand, but I’ll restrain myself with the postings;-)
The bus came. It said Ojo de Agua and I confirmed with the driver. I talked with a woman who sat next to me speaking impeccable English to her phone. She mentioned Ojo de Agua would be the last stop. Indeed it made sense since that was written on the bus. It was wonderful to leave town and get closer to the green hills I’d been longly eyeing. At one stop the bus driver stretched, leaning back looking at me expectantly. “Ojo de Agua?” I asked. Somehow I understood from his Spanish explanation that we had already passed it. I was relieved he was headed back that direction. He told me where to get off though when I crossed the street and laid eyes on Ojo de Agua, I was sure there had been a misunderstanding somewhere. I saw a couple big swimming pools. I tried communicating with the ticket takers. I explained I wanted to walk. The woman called a security guard who took me around on the cement path. I tried to explain I wanted to see the source of the water, so he brought me to the cement basin where the water bubbled up and then down into the swimming pools. Sure the water was natural in the pools–no chlorine, but the true natural pool I saw was not for swimming. It didn’t look so clean and was just for the ducks. I decided to make the most of it and discovered horses on the steep hillside and a few birds. So behind the initial lack of beauty, here is what I experienced:
Banana Trees with their purple ‘flowers’ which I haven’t seen anyone eat here like they did in Thailand.
May you find beauty wherever you are even it there doesn’t appear to be much at first glance!