A Weekend in the Caribbean (Written by Sara)

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If you like to relax on a beautiful beach or explore tiny shops full of culture, Puerto Viejo is a good choice for you. If you like to experience nightlife full of dancing and socializing down main street and also on the beaches, Puerto Viejo is the perfect place for you.
By day, Nicole, Sarah, Morgan, Ginger, Justin, two members of CPI, Sonia and Aleks, and I explored the many different beaches (Playa Negra in particular) and observed the laid-back atmosphere of the people in the town. Everybody was so quiet, yet extremely polite. We spent a lot of time swimming and taking as many pictures as possible.
At night time the city comes to life. No matter where you are standing, music is heard from every direction. Every bar and club is lit up and full of people ready to party. Friday night we hung out at the beach, while Saturday night we danced and socialized with all the locals and other exchange students. With little sleep and a lot of memories, we made the 4-hour bus drive back after swinging by the largest Burger King I’ve ever seen.
Puerto Viejo was definitely one of my favorite places I’ve been to in Costa Rica, however, it is difficult to compare apples to oranges. Every place we’ve been is different in its own way, and that’s what I love about Costa Rica. From the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, Costa Rica is full of so many different cultures that everyone should experience at least once in their life.

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Photos

Self-Portrait by Sara
Sara is the author of this blog entry, and she took all of the pictures (except for the physically impossible ones that include her).

ASU Caribbean Group (Plus One)
Justin, Ginger, Sarah, Morgan, Sara, and Nicole were the members of the group who spent the weekend on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. The guy on the left is not from our group!

Art Gallery
This art gallery is typical of the town of Puerto Viejo. There are many galleries and small shops with interesting cultural items.

Costa Rican Flag
Sara and Sarah hang the Costa Rican flag that they bought in every hotel that they visit during weekend trips.

First Meal in Puerto Viejo
The group ate their first meal in Puerto Viejo at a small family-owned soda.

Relaxing
Justin and Aleks (from CPI) are relaxing at their cabin.

Leaf-Cutter Ants
Puerto Viejo also has leaf-cutter ants. They cut the leaves and carry them back to their nest.

Beach
One of the beaches at Puerto Viejo.

Morgan
Morgan on one of the beaches

Under a Tree
Aleks, Sonia and Morgan sit under a palm tree on the beach.

Ginger
Ginger sitting in the surf

Justin
Justin checks out an abandoned sunken ship of some kind.

Sara
Sara hits the beach

Dog Chasing Crabs
This dog was chasing the crabs when they peeked out of their holes on the beach.

Locals
Some of the locals on one of the beaches

Storm Coming
The Caribbean right before a storm

Sarah
Sarah walks in the surf before the storm.

Comments

[gina]

love the blog entry sara!!! and the pictures are awesome!!! we are so happy you are having an amazing time. although you may not be ready to come home...we are so ready for you to be back here with us!!! cannot wait to hear stories!!!! hugs and kisses. we love you much sweetpea!!!