hope for Liberia

Making our way back to the main bus terminal, we can only hope to catch a bus straight to Liberia since we hadn't really planned or researched the departure times. We get there to find out that the bus which leaves for Liberia (a good sign) leaves from another terminal on the other side of town (bad news). First piority: FOOOOOOOOD!!!! Danny scoped out where the locals were eating and what they were eating, done deal.....5 min later we are chowing down probably one of the best soups of my life!!! A hunk of meat on a bone mixed in with a wonderful broth and full of plenty of carbs in the form of dumplings, plantain, potato and all with a side of corn tortilla and rice!!! This was necessary for the 3 hour bus ride ahead.
Part of what takes so long on most local bus rides besides the horrendous roads is that they stop very often. One particular stop peaked our interest however, in the town of Santa Cruz. At this point it is about 2 in the afternoon and there is a full blown festival in at it's peak right before our eyes!!! Mental note, come back tomorrow and check this out!!!
Once in Liberia (we both got a seat on the bus, yay), it was back to the grind to find home for the night. Not much luck here either!!! Plenty of availablity but really lacking in the cleanliness and comfort department. Now, we are willing to 'rough' it a bit but when you are paying the prices they are asking, we could only hope for certain ammenities, like AC and space between the bed and the wall, maybe??? We finally settle on Casa Vieja, close to the Central Park and equipped with a kitchen which we like. Private room with an extra bed for Tim when he arrives although it's very tight.....this is our settlement for the next 4 nights....