"It's 6:26 and the engines started, an on-time departure" Patrick says. There had been some uncertainty about when the ferry leaves, according to our hosts there is one every two hours starting at five, according to the ferry website the first one goes at 6:30. Five would be too early anyway, so we aim to get there a little early for the 6:30 one.
It is only about two kilometers ride to the dock, there is a boat and the ticket-office across the road is open. 1,000C for each of us, plus 2,000C per bike. About $5 each. We can ride on the ferry and settle into the AC lounge with a cup of coffee. Right on schedule at 6:30 the ferry sets off. It is just over an hour sailing to Playa Naranjo on the Nicoya Peninsula. It has an island feel, narrow roads and very little traffic once the cars that were with us on the ferry are gone. We first hear and then see a troop of howler monkeys. By the sound they make we had judged them much larger. These are a little shy, but they make their who-who sounds and stare down at us from their safe location up in the trees.
We follow the bay, climb a few hills and run into a huge thunderstorm downpour above 15km before Nicoya. Patrick does not mind getting soaked, it is just too hot in the sun. We find the hotel listed on IOverlander, Hotel Las Tinajas is certainly cheap; at 10,000C ($17) the cheapest we found so far in Central America. It is also a bit rough; bad mattresses, holes in the mosquito netting in the window and green stuff growing on the shower floor (this is when you are glad you have poor vision when not wearing glasses). But the fan works and there is even WiFi. In places like this we are always happy we carry our own sheets and pillow cases and have a mosquito net.
There is a historic church, but it closed for restoration. Across the road is a decent Chinese restaurant though for dinner.
The ferry is scheduled to depart at 6:30. We arrive at the dock about 30 minutes early, buy our tickets and ride on-board.
We have been hearing these guys from a distance. They sound so large and menacing, but when we finally get our first look at the howler monkeys they are smaller than expected.
One of our secret weapons. Patrick's dad welded a wingnut to a sheetrock screw to make these sharp pointed guys. You can run them in any kind of wood trim, or even in soft stone walls to string up a line in a hotel room. You locate the line so it crosses over the center of the bed and hang your mosquito net. If the ceiling is low and wood you can use one screw directly into the ceiling. Just don't hit any high-voltage wires...... The dustcap is to prevent the screws from poking things you don't want poked
