Day -2.  August 10-11.  San Jose, Costa Rica.  Crossing from Puntarenas.

Left home at 3 am.  Arrived Atlanta airport shortly before the
Continental airline counter started at 5 am, and was off on the
6:10 am flight to San Jose, via the obligatory stop in Houston.
without any unexpected delays en route, I was at the Aggressor-
booked Bacelar-Amon hotel before 2 pm local time.

The Cocos Island trip didn't start till the 12th, but I came a
day early to take in some local sights and also because First
Class seats were not available on the 11th. ;-) The center of San
Jose is at Avenida (Avenue) Central and Calle (street) Central.
The Avenidas run E-W, and the Calles, N-S.  The EVEN numbered
Calles are West of Central; and the ODD numbered Calles are East.
Sort of like Cozumel, where Central-Central would be the
downtown Square in Cozumel.

The MOST interesting thing about these streets and avenues is
that many are NOT labeled and MOST locals DON'T know them by
numbers (not even the policemen patrolling the streets!) because
several times I asked vendors on the streets which street (or
avenue) we were on, and they either didn't know or guessed
(wrong).  :-)

People in San Jose seemed to be Early Birds!  By 7:30 am,
downtown San Jose was already buzzing with people and cars and
street vendors.  By 9 am, I was told it was too LATE to go on
any day-tour because the rain forest and other excursion trips
all STARTED around 6 or 7 am.  So, I ended up wandering the
streets in town. I found many Internet cafes charging only about
$2 per hour but I hardly spent any time there because MY
vacation TIME costs much more than that. The only place of some
cultural interest within walking distance of downtown was the
Museum of Costa Rican and Colombian Gold.  I spent a bit more
time at the local casinos than I did the Museum cuz the latter
charged admission while I was LUCKY enough that the former paid
me to play.  :-)

Judging by the number of street vendors of lottery tickets
(every 10 steps or so on the streets), I think that could well
be the chief occupation of locals in San Jose.  :-)  No.  I
wouldn't engage in a game of infinitesimal odds for winning.
IMNSHAWAPO :-) there's a clear line between an Optimist and a
Wishful Thinker.


Days 1-2.  August 12-13.  From San Jose to Cocos Island.

The trip was SUPPOSED to start at 12:30 pm at the Bacelar Amon
hotel where a bus would take us all to Puntarenas (about a 2.5
hr. bus/scenic ride to board the Okeanos Aggressor to start the
journey by 4 pm before low-tide would keep the boat (which draws
15 feet) from leaving the inlet.  A series of comedy of errors
(such as the bus went to the Marriott to pick up Albert (owner
of PRIMA restaurant in Cozumel) when he was already on the bus,
and then the crew realized SOMEONE was left at the Amon hotel.
So, we were almost two hours late when we re-started at the Amon
hotel.  When we got to Puntarenas, we had to have a chartered
boat to take our luggage and us to the Okeanos Aggressor boat
which had to leave dock to get on the deep channel before
low-tide.

The Okeanos Aggressor started moving as soon as we got on it,
and it was about 5:30 pm, and it was expected to take 32 to
36 hours to get to Isla del Cocos.

To prepare for the expected "rough" crossing, I had tested the
Sturgeron FORTE pills to know that it worked quite well (and had
used it in the 7-hour Cayman crossings).  But Albert bought
Sturgeron RETARD, which required prescription in Mexico, perhaps
because it was FOUR TIMES the dosage of my Sturgeron FORTE,
which in turn was about four times the webpage recommended
dosage.  :-0    But the capsules had time-release pellets, so in
the pursuit of a barf-free crossing, I decided to try Albert's
pills (recommended by our mutual friend Dan who goes to Cocos
twice a year, on a SMALLER Sea Hunter boat).

Sturgeron RETARD worked GREAT the first 24 hours. (On my previous
trip, everything quit working after 8 hrs, even the SCOP patch).
I slept well, and woke up feeling well enough to have eaten a
full breakfast and lunch after the 2nd 12-hr capsule.  I was
ecstatic and was beginning to visualize an ANNUAL trip to Cocos
similar to my annual pilgrimage to the Cayman Aggressor.
Sturgeron's success on me even persuaded an M.D. on board, who
had never heard of it or its chief ingredient Cinnarizin, to
take one about this time, on faith.  :-)

Alas, the sea got ROUGHER the 3rd 12 hours, and da Feeesh
started feeding fish!  I was in BED, and got up just far enough
to barf into the airline barf-bags I brought along.  Albert and
about 5 of the 21 passengers survived the ordeal, but he said
shortly after dinner, everyone else was leaning over the rail of
the dive-deck.

Both Albert and I were instantly awaken by the CALM of the seas
at about 5 am.  The trip had taken 36 *$#@$#% rocking, rolling,
and pitching hours!  But I was GOOD AS NEW, as soon as the boat
stopped, except misreading 5 am as 6 am, and promptly got up (as
did Albert) to hydrate myself to get ready for breakfast at 7
and the first dive at 8!  We were THERE, with a rare welcoming
SUNSHINE on an island that has an annual rainfall of 300+ inches.

< ... to be continued ... >

-- Bob.