Puerto Jiménez – Day 1: Delays & Disappointments
PUERTO JIMÉNEZ
Day 1: Delays & Disappointments
January 28, 2023
More disappointment was to follow, as the three-hour journey to our next stop, Puerto Jiménez, ended up taking over fourteen hours.
We got up early to catch the 7AM bus to Quepos in order to board the 7:30AM bus to Sierpe – which, of course, followed Latin time and arrived an hour late. After around four hours, we were told to get off at a bus stop in Palmar Norte and wait for the next bus, which the driver explained would show up at 5PM. At 6PM, we were finally back on the road, arriving at our destination at 9PM, which, by that point, was past my bedtime on most days.
“It’s okay!” I reassured Amelia. “Corcovado’s worth this hassle!” I’d been intent on visiting the reserve ever since I started planning the trip – it was my biggest chance to see tapirs and jaguars. And finally, we were there!
Only, the moment we arrived, our Airbnb host informed us that it was too late to book any tours for the following day and that we wouldn’t be able to book any for the day after either, as the park is closed on Sundays. That meant we’d have to extend our stay by at least two more nights to visit Corcovado – something neither of us could afford given our time constraints.
I’m not gonna say I was devastated. It felt more like a kick in the nuts, having travelled so long for something I desperately wanted only to be unable to do it. But if I’ve learnt anything on this trip, it’s that man plans and God disposes. The worst part was that Amelia had changed her plans to accompany me for an extra couple of days. Originally, she’d planned to go to Uvita to dive, but knowing we’d be saying goodbye again so soon, she decided to tag along.
And so, all dejected and drained after a day’s worth of travelling, we decided to just chill in our room and watch Grey’s Anatomy – specifically the episode “Into You Like a Train” from season 2, which is arguably the saddest episode in the entire series. I cried like a baby – as I always do during this episode.