The Art of Negotiating on the Side of an Active Volcano

So there I was standing on the side of an active volcano in the Rincon de al Vieja National Park in Costa Rica arguing with our driver over the cost of our excursion.  I was refusing to pay the full cost and he was refusing to drive us back to our hotel until I paid the exorbitant amount.  Held hostage with me was my wife, my mother and father-in-law, and my wife’s eighty year old grandma.  Oh, and it was getting dark.  How did we end up in this predicament?  Well… I’m glad you asked.

Precaucion – Rincon de al Vieja National Park in Costa Rica

You see earlier in the week my mother-in-law booked us on an excursion with Jorge from the Hilton Garden Inn Liberia Airport.  Why we were booking with Jorge from the Hilton Garden Inn Liberia Airport instead of the excursion desk at our actual hotel, the Hotel Condovac la Costa, is a different story for a different day (and probably not that blog worthy).  The glossy brochure sold us a day of adrenaline packed adventure in the Rincon de al Vieja National Park.  And a glossy brochure can’t be wrong, verdad?  There would be horseback riding, whitewater rafting, zip lining, mountain climbing, and a grand finale in volcanic mud baths.  You know, things suited for an 80 year old grandma…

Jungle Lodge in Rincon de al Vieja National Park

Our driver picked us up at our hotel and drove us to meet Jorge from the Hilton Garden Inn Liberia Airport to pay for the excursion.  The excursion was $135 per person and Jorge didn’t accept credit cards.  I’m not a baller so I normally don’t walk around with that kind of coin in my pocket.  “No problem,” he said, “The hotel has an ATM.”  Which just so happened to be out of money.  “No problem,” he said, “The drive can take you to an ATM.  You can pay after.”

Another Walk in the Woods – Why is it I only end up in these places with my in-laws?

After our stop at the bank in Liberia we headed up the bumpy road (do I have to use the word bumpy when describing a road in Costa Rica?) to Rincon de al Vieja National Park.  After an hour ride, we arrived at a lodge on the edge of the woods.  There were no horses, no zip lines, no rafts, nor even any rivers in sight.  Something was amiss.  Over a pitcher of fresh squeezed fruit juice, our guide began to describe an itinerary which involved a six hour hike.  Let me repeat.  A six.  Hour.  Hike.  In the humid Costa Rican summer.  Awesome.  Not exactly what the glossy brochure sold us.

Grandma Gene and Our Guide

Might I remind my readers that I don’t like the outdoors.  I don’t like to sweat and I don’t like bugs.  The damn jungle we were about to enter undoubtedly would involve both.  I especially don’t like paying $135 per person for a day involving the woods, sweat, and bugs.  And since I was the only one with a working ATM card, I bankrolled all five of us.  But what could we do?  We were there.  The guide quickly calmed our nerves and convinced us to give it a try – that things happen for a reason.  He said we would see great wildlife – various species of monkeys, beautiful birds, 2-toed sloths, anteaters, ants (obviously), etc – and amazing floral and fauna.  He even said grandma could handle it.  Which meant I was screwed.  If an 80 year old lady was up for the task, I’d better be.

A Jungle Rat – Really??? Where are the damn monkeys???

The guide sold us a turd worse than Denny at Miracle Motors.  All we saw were some trees with big ass trunks and a damn jungle rat.  We did witness a cluster of ants carrying away a leaf, but this doesn’t make up for the lack of monkeys.  I don’t want to be completely negative though.  We did visit a few steam pits and mud volcanoes.  While the others in the group found the sulfur smell of the steam pit repulsive, I found it quite fascinating.  I also enjoyed watching the mud bubble in the mud pit.  If it wasn’t for the extreme heat – I could have watched this for hours.  It was meditative.  Or maybe that was just heat exhaustion setting in?  Still not worth the $135 per person price of admission.

Beautiful but Hot – Yes, it was as hot as it looks…

At the end of the hike, our driver met us at the lodge to drive us back to the hotel.  But first, he required the rest of the payment that he knew was in my pocket.  I refused.  This was not the day we were sold.  First, we would have never brought grandma on such an excursion (although she handled it like a champ).  Second, I wouldn’t have gone on such an excursion.  I don’t do well in the heat (almost passed out before Grandma came anywhere close) and my balance sucks from my multiple eye surgeries –balancing on log bridges over ravines doesn’t work for me.  Still, we owed something.  As a collective group, we felt that half (after a tip to the guide of course) was fair.

I explained our stance to the driver who called Jorge from the Hilton Garden Inn Liberia Airport on his celluar.  Fifteen minutes later, the driver came back with a counter offer.  $125 per person.  I said no.  After another fifteen minute phone conversation that was eerily reminiscent of a car dealership, the driver said their offer was firm.

A Natural Hot Tub

When it comes to the art of negotiation, each side comes to the table with an understanding of what they have, what the other side has, and what both wants.  In this scenario, I controlled the money but Jorge from the Hilton Garden Inn Liberia Airport controlled my way off of the active volcano as night quickly approached.  One would think the cards were in his favor.  However, at the last minute, and I’m not sure how proud I am of this decision, I realized that I wielded far more power.  I explained to the driver that I would gladly pay the amount requested.  I would then report their fraudulent actions directly to the Hilton Garden Inn Liberia Airport which would most likely lead to both of their immediate unemployment.  Jorge from the Hilton Garden Inn Liberia Airport quickly agreed to my terms.

One Big Ass Tree Trunk

What would you have done in this situation?  Was this a complete jerk move?  Or was I justified in paying what I thought was fair given what we were sold and the goods actually delivered?  I welcome your feedback either way. (While I welcome all comments and enjoy responding, I am currently wandering and will respond when I am back).