rocking j's & puerto viejo

Puerto Viejo is one of the largest tourist destinations on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast, and yet it still manages to feel like a small community. By my third day, I was recognizing locals. Seriously. It's also one of the most laid back places I've ever independently visited. Case in point, our hostel of choice: Rocking J's:

The entire hostel is decorated in mosaics, murals, and graffiti. They offer tents and hammocks as lodging, in addition to the expected bedrooms. The crowd includes backpackers of the hippie, stoner, and surfer variety as well as the standard eclectic like me. Sounds super cool, am I right?

Well, it is, but unfortunately I arrived there in a bad mood. We had to walk about a 1/2 mile in the pouring rain to get to it, and that may have thrown off the rest of the dismal weather day. The next morning, we woke up to the same scene. And I was ravenous.

As such, I braved the elements with my trusty raincoat to retrieve breakfast at a cafe in town. I went traditional: un café con leche, gallo pinto y huevos revueltos. Delish. It was just what I needed to perk me up for my walk back and enjoy the company of new faces we'd made the night before.

It's surprising how well you can get to know a few strangers when all there is to do is sit around and talk. Despite the undesirable weather, I had a great day.

Followed by a great evening too. The hostel had a Mexican asado so I shared a plate before a thorough introduction to Puerto Viejo bar culture. 

It's all about the research ;). Fun times.

The next morning, Matt and I actually did switch hostels for research purposes. The second one wasn't nearly as awesome as the first, but it was right around the corner from Bread & Chocolate. The air was hot, I was hungry, and so I ordered a large iced tea and a bowl of plain yogurt, fresh fruit, and homemade granola.

It was just enough to prepare me for a Sunday of perfect weather.

We walked around, and then, hit the beach as fast as our legs would take us.

A week and a half in and I'm finally getting a true start to my tan. I could get used to this, I thought...and to be honest, in the past few days, I have. (Don't hate me.)

That night, we celebrated our prosperous day with a seafood dinner. I had a glass of wine, a plate of grilled red snapper, and the company of a few entertaining Americans and Canadians that had become my friends. The next morning was an early one of border-crossing to meet up with two of them in Bocas del Toro, Panama, but I'll save those stories for another day :). Off to yoga class!

monkeying around in cahuita

Hola from Panama! It has been too long, my friends. At this very moment though, I am safe and sound in Bocas del Toro with high-speed wi-fi so we shall be catching up with each other very nicely. I hope you're as excited as I am :).

Situated along the Carribean Coast, Cahuita is a quaint, relaxing beach town situated to another national (rainforest) park. It receives it's fair share of backpackers though, case in point: Café Chocolatte.

We arrived there late on Wednesday evening so I awoke the next morning, starving, and ready to explore. I enjoyed a vegetarian plate from the incredible Swedish-founded Café Chocolatte alongside a perfect cup of coffee con leché.

Happily fueled, Matt and I embarked on a hike. Join me as I re-live it, won't you?

 [Howler monkey spotting!]

 [See the sloth?]

The hike was cut short due to flooding on the trail. Luckily, however, the heavens opened up as soon as we arrived at the beach. I wasn't ready for the water but that doesn't mean I didn't splash around a bit! It was beautiful.

And look who we saw on our walk back? More monos! White-faced capucins, to be exact. The set pictured above is one of two pairs. They're so adorable and it's incredible to see them in the wild.

The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering to the other side of the island, finding cheap empanadas for a late lunch/snack and singing old Disney songs. Really. Except, not exactly, because I was the only one singing ;).

That night we each had a casado Carribean-style. Mine included the expected salad, rice, and beans, with a special vegetables in coconut milk addition and the replacement of fried plantains with plantain chips. After an active day and satisfying meal, I slept very well that night.

Friday morning we packed ourselves up and got on yet another bus headed south. Our small town break was nice but we were ready for a big time backpackers hub. Stay tuned for a recap of our fabulous Puerto Viejo weekend!

turtle, turtle

rain in tortuguero

The rainforest is named as such for a reason. Seriously. I know this fact seems rather obvious, but it is even more wet than you imagine. I'm not complaining though ;) thanks to Matt’s partnership with Gap Adventures, we were able to join a tour as they went northeast to one of Costa Rica’s incredible national parks.

We left San José quite early on Monday morning and stopped about half-way along our journey for a delicious breakfast of fruit, gallo pinto, scrambled eggs, and palm hearts. Before we left, I took a peak at the butterfly garden:

Eventually, we arrived at the river where our boat was waiting for us. I have mentioned that you can only travel through Tortuguero National Park by boat, right? It’s awesome.

Along the sides, I saw more unique plants than I ever have before, a multitude of birds in colors that I hadn’t known to exist in nature, and even a pair of monkeys. Unfortunately, we passed by too quickly for any of us to snap a photo of the couple but I assure you that the white-faced little things were beyond adorable.

After lunch at the lodge, I walked through the grounds and alongside the beach. The rain stopped for a short amount of time, leaving only clouds and a humid mist hanging in the air. Hope you enjoy the tour as much as I did:

Following my paseo, I showered, read more of Three Cups of Tea (it is such an amazing book and story, by the way) and made new friends with guests staying in nearby cabins. Before long, dinner was served, and this time I felt comfortable enough to reveal my blog habit of photographing my meals.

And that brings us to Tuesday, the rainiest day of them all. We had plans to take a morning open boat ride at 5:30 a.m. and see the wildlife out and about, but it was delayed due to the rainy weather. Fortunately, by 8:30, we got our chance and were able to spot quite a few animals:

We also saw yet another pair of monkeys that went unphotographed. So sad. The snapping turtles may have been just as cute though and I have a video coming your way soon! Anyway, once we returned to the lodge we were all astonished to see blue, sunny skies. I was determined to make the most of it before lunch:

Buffets at Turtle Beach Lodge were such a treat. Tuesday afternoon I enjoyed a plate of rice and beans, green beans, tomatoes, and squash alongside a glass of juice. Similar to Ecuador, fruit juices are very common in Costa Rica and most restaurants serve fresh ones throughout each day.

Later that afternoon we went out on a hike joining a team of leaf-cutting ants.

It took about an hour to get to the top, but when we did we sure did have a view to feast on of the river, rainforest, and Caribbean Sea:

Tuesday evening was mostly uneventful as I'd woken up so early that morning so before I knew it, it was Wednesday, and we were leaving.

The rainforest was so incredible that at times I felt as though it were fake, as if I were somehow living in the Jungle Book or something silly (I hate that word) like that. I'm so glad that I had the chance to experience it, even if were for a short time, and now I am in the southern part of the country hopping through beach towns until we reach Panama. Hasta luego, my friends!