The rain woke me during the night, hammering down on the metal roof, great pellets of rain, and I thought to myself, hmm, I wonder if the trip will still be on? It’ll probably stop by the morning. And the island is 45 minutes away anyways, it’s probably not even raining there. I rolled over and went back to sleep and the rain went clink clink clink on the roof.

In the morning it was still raining and it was cold in the room, a damp cold. Everything was damp, my clothes, bag, everything, just horrible. I packed my bag ready for my trip.

We arrived to Montezuma on the 10th. It was the 11th. The first game of the 2014 World Cup kicked off at 2 o’clock on the 12th. We had to be in Monteverde for kick off. The plan was I’d go diving on the 11th and we’d leave early the following morning. But we’d looked at the bus and ferry schedules when we’d arrived and it didn’t appear that we would be able to get there in time using public transport from Montezuma on the day. This left us with two options. Either take an expensive private shuttle, or move to another town closer to the ferry port after I returned from my dive trip (thereby ensuring we could catch the early morning bus on the other side).

I was resigned to it. We were going to miss the first game. God dammit.

It was left in Boxhead’s hands while I went on my trip.

You know what you need to do?

Yes

What?

Uh…

Just make sure that god damn bus in the morning exists!

I really wasn’t expecting to make Monteverde in time for kick off.

Well, I returned from my dive trip five minutes after leaving because it had been cancelled due to the weather. I walked back up the hill to the hostel and listened to the bird calls and the monkeys. Three, four, five minutes is all it took. It wasn’t a very big hill.

Still, I burst into the hostel blinking through the sweat falling down from my face

CANCELLED! WE CAN GO TODAY

LET’S GET OUT OF HERE!

I looked at the bus and ferry schedule on the wall, calculated the timings of the four connections in my head.

Boxhead asked if we could check-out a day early.

Sure you can, but we can’t refund you your money

Why?

Because by paying for the room you have reserved it. No one else can book it.

Small price to pay, Boxhead said sagely.

I think we can do it…, I said, squinting, no, wait…, we can’t… The furthest we can go is the port town on the mainland.

The girls working in the hostel got involved. All of us straining our eyes at the timetable.

If you take the 10am bus to Cóbano, then the 10:15 to Paquera… oh, no…

You can’t get there today.

Don’t you think she looks like Selena Gomez?, Boxhead said.

We went upstairs to think. We figured we’d leave on the 10am bus and spent the night in the port town anyway. We’d be closer that way. As we were packing our bags I had a thought.

You know, having to get a hotel at the port and not being refunded here, it’s getting to be the same price as the shuttle.

Yes…

Let’s go into town and ask

We walked down the hill into town.

You have a shuttle going to Monteverde tomorrow?

Yes, we do. $55 per person. It leaves at 9am and gets there between 2-3pm.

WELL THAT’S NO GOOD!, Boxhead screamed in the man’s face

The man was stunned. I patted Boxhead on the shoulder.

We asked across the road. Same story.

How much would it cost to rent a car for the day? To drop it off in Monteverde?, Boxhead asked

The man made a phone call. He gave us an answer and it wasn’t too expensive slightly more than the shuttle but we couldn’t drop it off in Monteverde and it would cost another $25 each to get to Monteverde from the drop off point.

We talked it over over coffee. Mostly we complained about the weather, the desolate stillness of the air. It had been so unpleasant the day before I could have puked.

We decided to stay the night in Monteverde and leave the next morning whatever.

We walked back up the hill to the hostel.

Back in the room.

What if we drop off at Liberia, I proposed, and miss Monteverde and Timo and Frauke (wah!)?

Or shuttles…

We asked about shuttles to Liberia downstairs. The price would be the same as going to Monteverde.

You could do it on the bus, the girl said, maybe even today

What times do they go?, I asked

She started looking at schedules

Don’t you think she looks like Selena Gomez?, Boxhead said

You wouldn’t be able to do it today… and tomorrow you wouldn’t arrive until 2pm…

We sat there glumly. Told her about our other ideas. She told us that the drop off for the car is a cool place.

We could just stop there, I supposed. Then it came to me.

Wait a minute… WHAT IF WE GET A CAR FOR MORE THAN ONE DAY? We could drive to Monteverde for a couple of days, drop it off in Liberia, we’d be right next to Nicaragua!

Boxhead looked at the girl, could you call the rental company for us?

Sure.

The price for five days was $345.

…

We’ll think about it.

Have you seen a tv since being here?, I asked, walking back into town

No…

What kind of shit pla-

We walked back to the company that had given us the original rental quote. As we approached, I thought I heard the guy mumble,

What do these bums want now?

WE’RE BACK

Yes?

Can you give us a price for rental for five days, drop off in Liberia?

Claro.

The price came back at $290.

WE’LL TAKE IT!

You’ll need your credit card, passport and driver’s licence…

We walked up the hill to get them.

So, I’d be on this side of the road, Boxhead said, indicating to the left side.

No, they drive on the right here.

So, I’d be this side?, he pointed to the left again

Uh…

Boxhead stood under the fan with his shirt off. A strange chill finger ran down my spine, which was pleasant. We justified getting the car to ourselves.

There is no way we can make kick off going the other options

This way we’ll see a lot more!

I’m begging you, put your shirt back on

If our mothers really loved us they’d reimburse us

We walked into town once more and reserved the car, finally, like death.

It was another unbearably hot day. The weather was foul. Man, I couldn’t wait to get out. We’d made it. Almost. We’d come to Montezuma to do some diving. We didn’t do any, instead leaving with a car for five days. How these things happen.

Epilogue

We didn’t make it.