Day 1

YYZ – SJO

I left Toronto at 6 am for my 8:25 am flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. My mom dropped me off at the airport and I went inside, taking my first step on a big adventure alone. After getting through security, I must have looked like a terrorist that morning because at random I got my hands, waist and shoe laces swabbed (because those are the things you touch with your filthy drug residue hands FYI frequent flyers), had my camera bag ripped apart at security and it took me nearly 10 minutes to repack my carry on.

Then I finally made it through and asked some guys to wait in the Starbucks line while I fill up my bottle at the water fountain. The airport pages, “Ruby Wray, please come to gate E79,” and I’m like holy shit that’s me! I start trying to run through the airport, dropping stuff as I go and having to go pack and pick it up. I was just a hot mess. I Get to the terminal and I’m the last person on the plane! Keeners; the plane left 10 minutes early.

I start chatting with the gentleman next to me on the plane, Carlos, he’s here to teach an eco class in Costa Rica and Panama through University of Toronto. He has a driver in San Jose and agrees to take me with him to the bank, then drop me off at the bus terminal.

San Jose is a busy city, my friend Kimberely describes it as a giant ChinaTown, I would say more of a Tico town, but you catch my drift.

I buy a bus ticket to Jaco for San Jose and it costs about $5, but my conversion skills are still a bit rough. Thought it would be good to use the restroom before I go, but that’s also something you have to pay for, I feel like it cost me $4. To pee.

I get on the bus to Jaco and sit right at the front near the driver and there was extra leg room to put my bags under me. I was happy, sitting in the front, looking out the window, totally relaxed. Until these two guys get on an hour later and the bus driver starts yelling at me in Spanish, I’m just like what? and some lady says I have to move because the seats are numbered. Oh, ohhh, seriously? Pissed off, I grab my bags and plough over every person’s head in the aisle seats while screaming, “I can’t do this!”

I finally get to the back of the bus, my seat number is #25 and sure enough there’s a kid in my seat. I try to cram in to an empty seat but the whole time the curtain blocks the window and I’m trying to pull it back to see where the f*ck I’m going. Bus trip takes 2.5 hours and I get to Jaco by sundown.

Expecting my girlfriend Kimberely to be waiting, she wasn’t there. Two Aussi backpackers didn’t want to leave me there because it was getting dark and literally the bus terminal is an abandoned building with no signs, no bus schedules, nada. Oh and did I mention that barely anyone in Costa Rica speaks English? Like there are the odd few, but luckily my Spanglish is pretty good. If you don’t speak Spanish, definitely learn some key phrases.

So I put on my backpack and start walking with the Aussis and finally Kim shows up in a cab and picks me up. Bye new friends!

She has a shift at a restaurant on the strip in Jaco called The Green Room. Funny because we have The Green Room in Toronto, also a chill joint. I go with her, throwing on an ensemble from my carry on, I’ve already changed once since I got here and my clothes are soaked. It’s really hot in Jaco, like so much that I went to the bar, ordered food, a ginger mojito and some coconut water and couldn’t finish anything. Must get back to Kimberely’s and sleep is all I could think between scratching my new mosquito bites and trying not to vomit from the sauna like heat.

Overall, day 1 was a success and I got to Jaco unscathed. Apparently I’ve done better than some of Kim’s other friends who visited her in the past. I must say though, there are no addresses anywhere, only landmarks when giving directions. This makes it really tough, especially when no one speaks English.

I walk back to Kimberely’s place with the vague landmark like directions she gives me. Think I walked too far and walk back, then walk the other way again. Lightening starts streaking through the sky and I get slightly nervous but just trust I’m going the right way. I try to give a stray rottweiler some of my leftover quesadilla that I didn’t touch but he’s skittish and starts barking at me, so best not to push that on him. Finally get to Kim’s and she’s given me the top floor, like a loft overlooking the kitchen with a single bed and a walkout patio. This is pretty nice! I make my bed with my fresh sheets and fall asleep listening to salsa music and watching the lightening through the open patio doors.

Follow my adventure on Instagram @RubyFayWray