Blogs from Puntarenas, Costa Rica, Central America Caribbean - page 105

Just a few Kilometers up the coast was the small town of Santa Teresa/Mal Pais the reason for the two names is that both towns just comprise of the beach road and they merge into each other at some point...exactly where, we are not sure. Unfortunately we jumped off the bus at the start of the one town and the Funky Monkey, where we were going to stay was at the end of the other town. We walked with full backpacks, on the dustiest road ever in 30degree heat. Can you imagine how I was bitching! We arrived after walking for nearly an hour at the Funky Monkey. We looked like two members of an African tribe who cover themselve in clay before warfare. Did I mention the 30degree heat? We had met Sam, an Australian ... read more

We loved this place! So great being cooler than the beaches (never thought I would complain about being too hot!) and it was loads cooler than La Fortuna too. The Jeep-Boat-Jeep ride was most definitely worth every cent and we arrived cool, calm and collected at a wonderful hostel called Posada Elena. The area was a collection of really great activities and small industries, with a real rural village feel.The first thing you notice is the large old fashion milk tins in front of lots of driveways. We found out latter that the small farm owners milk their cows and leave the milk to be picked up by the local cheese factory to be used for producing cheese. When you buy milk in the supermarket you pour it out of a milk tin into plastic bags ... read more

Phase II was back on environmental project in Piedras Blancas but with a new group and new fellow project manager Kris. Kris is a trek leader but didn't want to do a trek all three phases. We were due to build the second accommodation cabin and continue with trail building. It was a tough phase, with some interesting characters who developed a habit of preferring sunbathing and reading their books to working... but when they applied themselves a great deal was achieved. We built the second cabin but again couldn´t paint because the generator failed to give us enough power to solder the roof. We also finished the loo, septic tank and drainage alongside the classroom and built about 300 metres of trail. The weather became more challenging as it started raining more but I had ... read more

Saturday 15th - Wednesday 19th Just a brief run down as i'm on the clock! Will fill in more details soon! Saturday - long day of travelling to San Jose, Costa Rica. Just chilled at a hostel. Sunday - Met up with my cousin Jon and we got a tiny but colourful plane to Manuel Antonio near Quepos on the south west coast of Costa Rica. Afternoon was spent in the sea and watching the sun set followed by a great meal of Wasabi and Mahi Mahi (fish! i usually hate it!) and drinks at a local bar listening to some very cheesy classic rock! Monday - Got the bus down the road and then walked to a very secluded beach area where I did some fantastic snorkling. I was hovering round the coast area but ... read more

I am now home and sitting at my desk in fact. If it was not for the great memories and overall experience it would feel like I never even left. It is funny to come home and realize how easy it is to fall right back into the routine I had left. Not saying the routine is bad, I always enjoy hanging out with my roommates and other friends. Plus, living in Newport Beach is awesome. When you look for it, one can easily find the sense of community that exists on the penisula; additionally, we have the ocean as our backyard. Life is good here. As for the recap for the last couple days we were in Costa Rica. Everything ended on a good note more or less. Thursday we hopped on a bus from ... read more