I’ve always been of the opinion that when things start off rocky at the beginning of a trip, it will be much smoother sailing down the road. That couldn’t have been a better mantra when the airline lost my bag, apparently accidentally sending it to Mexico. The initial response was that it wouldn’t arrive until after we had left for the coast… So, lets just say I’m thankful for my kind and loving boyfriend, who calmed my stressed mind down. A few million phone calls later, I was able to convince a kind airline employee to get it on another airline and boom.. I had clean clothes to wear a day later.
I’m going to be honest here – I did not like San Jose. We had a rad little apartment, but being from a small town does not exactly foster a love for traffic. Our Costa Rican adventure began with a lost bag, a 2 hour (for 10 miles!) taxi ride, and two very tired, hot, and hangry Alaskans. I did not find the city particularly enjoyable to walk around, nor easy to navigate. Later we learned that a politician is trying to stay in office by re-doing all of the roads… which was apparent in the current chaos. We had some great (albeit spendy) food there, and chose to cook breakfasts at home both days. I was very grateful when the morning of our departure arrived.
The bus to Puerto Viejo was pretty standard for Central America – advertised air conditioning but the vents were bizarrely glued shut. 5 hot hours later, we arrived in the hippy tourist town. Our place came with bikes, which made it much easier to get around as we stayed about 1.5 km from the center. Reggae floats around in the air with the breeze, and the sound of crashing waves follows you everywhere. I’ve been quite thankful for the tradewinds that have been a constant, the mornings start in the mid 70’s and by 8 am it’s in the high 80’s. If you’re missing something from home (food wise) there are munchies for you no matter where you’re from. The tuna is to die for, and so is any fresh caught ceviche.
This morning we undertook an adventure that Grant was pretty hesitant about – a 26 km (about 18 miles) round trip. Me being me, I believe things are attainable until I’m puking from minor heat stroke on the side of the road about 10 km into the trip. I decided to concede, and we made stops at some gorgeous beaches along the way. It probably didn’t help that we had some of the crappiest(though free) bikes on the planet. I think I’m going to take my own advise and be in the moment – so it’s time to disconnect from Wi-Fi and focus 100% on my tan. Off to Bocas Del Toro maƱana!
