We grabbed a ride late morning with a French guy from our hostel to Santa Cruz, boarded a bus to Nicoya, then took a cab to Jicaral where we boarded a bus that took us to another bus that took us to Paquera, where we waited around for two hours for another bus which took us to Mal Pais!!!  By the time we arrived in Mal Pais, I was dead asleep and Ilse had to shake me awake.

All together, we rode 1 car, one taxi and 5 buses for a 193 km (119 mile) journey.

Note for other travelers: if you're traveling from Tamarindo to Mal Pais, it may be a good time to splurge on a $50 shuttle that will bring you there and take (only) five hours.  However, I very much enjoyed our journey, getting a glimpse of many sleepy Costa Rican towns without any hint of tourism.

We are now staying at Casa Zen, and it is exactly as it sounds.  My first day here consisted of a fruit-filled breakfast, some lazy beach lounging in a hammock with a book, and a relaxing evening yoga class.  I've been moving around quite a bit and looking forward to spending a few days in one place, with yoga everyday.