Puerto Viejo


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Published: December 17th 2012
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It's been a few days since I was last in Puerto Viejo, but as my hostel had no laptop and the app for this website does not work on my ipod I have been unable to write anything. So I write this from La Fortuna, at the base of the Arenal Volcano from a small hoste called Bueno Bonite Barrato Hostel.

Monday I took my first public bus. Everything went fine, it was more or less a direct bus to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca from San Jose. Puerto Viejo is a pretty big party city on the Carribean coast so half the people on the bus were tourists heading there to hang out. Luckily my seat was next to Chantal, the Dutch girl I was travelling with, as Anita had quite the ordeal sitting next to a tica who was travelling with her infant. The woman apparently gave her son (I think) too much heavy food and sugar and he ended up throwin up on the bus. That is only the beginning of it, but it is not my story to tell.

We got into Puerto Viejo around 2/2.30 and opted to walk to our hostel. We chose to stay at Rocking J's which looked like a funky hang out place. Chantal and Anita found it in their guide book and we checked it out online as well as got a recommendation from a guy in San Jose. So we were pretty excited. Our arrival however was rather unwelcoming. The woman at the reception was rather rude with us and did not like that we were going to pay the room three ways, she found it too confusing though it was quite simple. We also made the mistake of booking the room before seeing it. On their price chart they listed a 3 person room. We assumed this meant three bunks, however it meant a queen and a single. Chantal was not ok with this and insisted we change for bunks, which pissed the woman at the front desk off even more, understandably of course. Anyway, we changed rooms/beds much to her chagrin and settled in.

While Anita and I were unpacking a storm picked up. We were not really paying much attention to it, it rains here just about once every day, but Chantal was outside skyping on her phone and she came in and asked informed us that it was indeed quite a large storm. Shortly thereafter the power went out. Luckily we all had flashlights and the J (the owner, obviously) set up some candles at the tables in the restaurant. The power ended up being out for the rest of the day, but we made do, playing cards by candlelight. Luckily the stoves in the kitchen were also fueled by gas so we could order food, which was in fact delicious. J went out and got a generator so we had power intermittlently to run the showers, not that I took one, but it was ok. Chantal had been worried about the storm as it had brought down a tree on the other side of the hostel and considered changing hostels, however the storm died down and there was an amazing sunset so she was less anxious and stayed.

We watched the sunset from the beach, glad the storm was more or less over. I also met a girl who had been in San Jose a few days earlier. She was from France and we talked a bit before heading back inside the hostel. As we were headed to bed we were invited out to the reggae party in town but we were rather exhausted so we went to bed at nine.

Having gone to bed so early and because the sun rises early, I woke up at 5.30 unable to go back to sleep. I had intended to go for a swim at the beach however when I got there I realised that it was entirely covered in coral and it would be no good to swim. There was also a lady dog who wouldn't stop following me. In Costa Rica most dogs have owners, this one had a collar, but they run around in packs on their own. Anita had told me about this happening to her and Anita in Samara. Anyway I tried to go onto the coral to escape the dog but she followed me. Her mate was also following her around and at one point had a mini stand off with another male dog hanging around who was infringing on his lady. Put off by the dogs and the storm I could see appraoching from the the ocean I went back into the hostel.

There I met Chantal who was also awake and we decided to walk into town before the rain hit. It was a nice walk as our hostel was about a kilometre from the centre of town. Nothing much was open at seven o'clock in the morning but we did find a grocery store where I bought some water and juice. We then headed back along the beach, saw a few birds and many holes for crabs. When we got back Anita was up and we attempted to make plans for the day. The night before Anita had gone to the hospital as she had a iritation on her skin that had somehow spread to her eye and swollen it up. She didn't have too many problems be she had to go back today to pay and get some medicated cream for her eye. So we decided to head into town for breakfast then Anita could leave to catch a bus to the hospital and we would meet her back at the hostel to surf or swim. As we left the hostel, however, it began to pour. So we headed back and had breakfast at the restaurant. Earlier that morning I had checke the weather and it said Puerto Viejo was going to get 33 mm of rain. I do believe it got it all in that half hour it poured, which was good for us because we turned back soon enough and because it meant the rest of the day was pretty lovely.

Breakfast was fine, though I have had better and expected more from the night before, and it stopped raining once we were finished so we all headed back to town. Anita went to catch her bus while Chantal and I stopped for coffee at a restaurant on the coast. I had intended to get coffee at the hostel but it didn't look too good. It was in a giant coffee maker, which is fine, but the server was warming it up in a rather crusty looking frying pan. The man sitting next to me at breakfast mentioned there was much to be desired in this cup of coffee, so I didn't order any. The coffee in town was much better, an americano made right before my eyes. Chantal got a delicious jugo mixte and we drank while discussing our travel plans. She was heading down to Panama the next day to hang out in Bocos de Toro before flying to Panama City where to meet her mother and fly back up to Guatemala to tour the Mayan ruins; a trip similar to mine but much faster due to planes.

On our way back to the hostel I stopped at a travel agency to check out what tours they offered to Tortuguero. Torrtugerro is small town north on the Carribean coast of Costa Rica. It is well known because thousands of turtles nest there every year. I happen to be travelling at peak turtle season as turtles are both laying eggs and hatching. I had looked at the tour offered in our hostel but had been unimpressed because they charged a single's supplememt (something I object to on principal) and because it did not include transport off the island. The tour offfered by this travel agency was more expensive however it included meals, a nicer hotel and transport to Tortuguero and then on to either San Jose or Arenal. I was not sure about the price or that it would be too hard to do it on my own so I left to think about my options.

Back at the hostel Chantal and I waited for Anita to come back. I looked into travel to Tortuguero and resolved I could do it on my own. When Anita returned we contemplated taking a surf lesson but the weather was still rather dubious and I have no idea how to surf, so we decided to rent bikes instead and bike the 12 kilometres to Manzanilla which is supposed to have an amazing beach. It was quite a long ride and a bit uncomfortable on the rental bikes. We also had a few hills to climb so which was a bit of a challenge. When we arrived there was mcuh to be desired for Manzanilla. It was a cloudy day and the rain had made the water cloudy and full of leaves and weeds. We swam for a bit but did not stay in the water long before going in and getting some coffee and ice cream. We then decided to head back fearing and rain and preferring Playa Cocles which we had passed on our way to Manzanilla.

On the way back we turned off the main road to see what was advertised as a chocolate plantation with tours etc etc. We biked up a bumpy and rocky road only to fin we needed to go up a very steep hill. Not sure what was on the other end, Anita and I waited with the bikes while Chantal went to check it out. While we waited we made friends with an incredibly cute and friendly black cat. Chantal returned informing us that the chocolate store or whatever was closed and in fact not much of anything at all. So we turned back.

At Playa Cocles we ran into the French girl and went swimming. The waves were huge and quite a few locals were surfing. Anita and Chantal thought the waves were too rough for them to try. I swam longer than the rest because I love huge waves. They were enormous and had quite strong currents but it was fun to swim in them as it has been a long time since I have had some nice waves. We then headed back to take showers and do some laundry.

AND ...



3 months passed in seconds . No, not quite. As anyone who read the first two entries in this blog knows I have more or less failed at travel blogging. It requires a strictness and commitment that I failed to keep. Alas, I have extended my travels and am not flying home today, which was the date for which my flight was scheduled. I am back in Guatemala and kicking around for the week and have decide to work on updating my blog. So I will try to finish this entry and then further entries. The dates will be a bit off but the places will be on spot. The other night I even mapped out my blogs so that it is easier to do. That said, let us resume our story of Puerto Viejo...





So this was my second last day in Puerto Viejo. After laundry and showers we sat down to have some drinks at the hostel. There were a few guys playing beer pong and asked if any of us wanted to play. Though I do not greatly enjoy drinking games I said I would. I had had a few drinks so I was a bit more willing. Being paired with another novice beer ponger it was obvious we would lose, and did, though we had a good time. We were all then told of a party happening at a bar down the road and the group of girls I was with decided we would go. The guys said they would meet us there.

The party at the bar was super fun. They were playing all the pop hits of the moment and I rocked out like I do in Design Method at the gym. There was also had a free shot moment where the bartenders blew whistles, stood on the bar and poured bottles of mixed shots from bottles into people´s mouths. It was good and very interesting.

After the dance party we walked back to the hostel. We had met back up with the boys and a few of us decided to sit on the beach for a while. It was a beautiful night, totally clear and we could see the lightning on the horizon. This is why I love beaches, and night, and the carribean.

The next day Anita and I planned on going to Cahuita, a national park just down the road from Puerto Viejo. Being hungover, our spanish somewhat limited and the woman at the travel desk unclear, we missed our bus to Cahuita. After two failed attempts of catching the bus, we decided to cab it to Cahita. We then dragged our sorry selves through the park. Here is where I actually got to see the only two sloths in Costa Rica. It was very cool. There was also a raccoon, which for me is no big deal, but Anita, coming from Switzerland, found the raccoon very exotic. Cahuita was very beautiful and had a lovely beach, but as neither of us we in perfect condition we headed to the bus station and went back to Puerto Viejo.

We pretty much lazed around for the rest of the day. I gave in and decided to book a tour for tortuguero leaving the next morning at 6 a.m. Anita was leaving for Bocas de Toro. We then went out for super and headed to the hostel for an early night.

Next morning, I left.

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