Up for another tasty breakfast before checking out of my hostel. I had asked the night before where to catch a bus to Tilaran as I needed to transit through there on my way to my next port of call. I found a bus stop where the señorita had indicated but with no idea of bus timetables, I stopped to ask at the restaurant across the road from it. The señora I spoke to didn’t know, but asked a co-worker who told me there were only two services a day – 6am and 4pm. As I had well and truly missed the 6am bus, I had six hours to fill in before the afternoon option.
I decided to stop at a lovely little cafe for coffee while I weighed up my options. I looked in the guidebook to see if there was anything in there I might want to check out and found there was a bat refuge and education centre about 2.5kms out of town. Finding it on Google Maps, I also noticed there was a lookout and waterfall en-route. That was enough to keep me busy until my bus left. Decision made, I set off.
Santa Elena is situated in the mountains and anywhere you walk involves extremes of inclines and declines with the occasional ‘flattish’ section to catch your breathe. Add in heat, humidity and altitude, and walking is not a fast affair. But the slow pace of travel allows one to see what would otherwise be missed. While stopping to take a photo of the landscape, I spotted a little squirrel darting up and down some small trees. He was way too quick and far away to be able to catch on my phone camera so I had to be content with just watching his antics.
The lookout indicated on Google Maps was most definitely a wow factor. Popping up a steep incline, the road traversed around a wide valley which opened up to spectacular views below and beyond. The road crossed the main watercourse for the valley and continued around to where ‘The Bat Jungle’ was situated.
‘The Bat Jungle’ is a rehabilitation and refuge centre dealing solely with bats. It has a small educational museum and a larger bat enclosure. Unfortunately, when I got there the power was out and the guided tour didn’t go ahead. Still, it was interesting and I was happy to support a grassroots conservation project.
Coincidentally, the waterfall across the road was called the Waterfall of the Bats. I had to check it out! After paying the admission fee, I walked down the steep steps that led down into the valley to the little river. Following it around a bend, the cascade thundered into a small pool. This was the same watercourse I had passed on the road. I spent some time just chilling and enjoying the ambiance before turning back to tackle the trail back to the top.
Then it was back to Santa Elena to wait for my bus. I had about half an hour to spare so grabbed something to eat and a beer in a nearby restaurant, then walked back up to the bus stop. After a short while, a señora came along to wait as well and I was able to confirm where to wait and approximate time the bus would arrive.
If the great Costa Rican coffee doesn’t jolt you awake, then a ride at the back of one of its buses will. These old jalopies are not known for their comfort value but are a great way to experience authentic Costa Rica. As the bus ground it’s way through its gears and out through the valleys, it was best to hang on as it flung itself around the sharp mountain corners. Eventually the dusk permeated the vista and darkness prevailed. We arrived in Tilaran shortly afterwards where I decided to stay the night and continue on the next morning. I found a cheap hotel close to the bus terminal where I could get away early the next day.
Wild Woman Wandering 