Our loyal readers are probably getting a bit bored of details of our bus journeys, but the latest deserves a special mention.

We set off for the Costa Rican border very early in the morning. After struggling though some crowds of 'helpers' (although only for a fee), we negotiated the Nicaraguan side successfully, but got a little confused when entering Costa Rica. We saw a massive banner for a restaurant, signs for buses and cash machines, but no immigration... finally we stumbled accross a small door with no sign and got our stamps.

We had been warned that the route to Monteverde (a small mountain town) was difficult on public buses, so we (Emily) made sure to ask the driver to let us out of the bus at the right junction. After a while, Emily went to enquire again about the junction, at which point the driver hit his head with his hand and pulled up at the side of the road. It appeared he had forgotten to let us out, so suggested we stand on the other side of the highway and hail a bus going back.

We made friends with the only other people stupid enough to hang out on the side of a motorway in the pouring rain - a couple trying to sell come leather hats. They assured us there was a direct bus to Monteverde, so for 2 hours we stood in the rain letting all the buses to the junction go past, waiting for the Monteverde bus. At this point we thought that taking advice from people trying to sell hats on a motorway in the rain was not so good, so we jumped on a bus to the junction.

The drivers helper was unusually unhelpful, but seemed to understand that we wanted to get off at the junction. However, the junction came and went for the second time! We were stuck at the back of our most crowded bus yet, with our luggage underneath the bus and no means of contacting the driver. By this point it was so late we had missed the last bus connection to Monteverde, were a bit panicky and thought we would just have to find a motel somewhere.

After some hurried conversations with the locals Emily found out somewhere there might be some taxis, so out we jumped and luckily found a guy willing to take us up the mountain for not too exorbitant a fee. After an hour and a half in failing light, mist, muddy roads and passing several buses that had got stuck in the mud we made it to our friendly hostel! Missing the bus might not have been so bad after all, the rainy season seems to be truly living up to its name in Costa Rica!