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!

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!

pura vida

Pure Life. For anyone who's ever been to Costa Rica, they're probably familiar with the term. Ticos (Costa Ricans) use it all the time, literally. They say it when exchanging "how are you"s, when talking about their days/weekends, when praising or encouraging just about everything. It's such a nice thought.

Which brings us to my time in San José. Ready for your first peak? On Friday morning I awoke to this view from our hotel window. Sure there's a huge parking lot, but I like how you can see the mountains in the distance and the clouds overhead. This truly is a lovely place to be.

We get complimentary breakfast at the Marriott Residence Inn, so each morning I've been gladly helping myself to their array of options. The first day I opted for toast because no matter how delicious gallo pinto (rice and beans) is, I have a feeling I'll get tired of it in the long run. Although I did literally just finish my morning plate of today with a generous serving. Gotta keep it interesting ;). On the other hand, whenever possible, I always reach for the fried plantains.

After breakfast, I've been taking advantage of the wi-fi in our lobby before we head out for our day. Friday we ventured outside the city to explore the surrounding towns that are famous for their crafts and woodwork. The first stop, Grecia.

Then Sanchi where we visited many shops and even a factory where they process the different kinds of beautiful wood and create the souvenirs. I'll let the majority of the photos from Sanchi speak for themselves...

In the past, ox carts like the one above (minus the amazing artwork) were widely used throughout Costa Rica. Now, they're mostly produced for decoration. 

Have you ever seen a coffee plant? Now you have :). They're along almost every single road. Coffee is one of Costa Rica's most important crops and has been throughout the country's existence. As I learned yesterday at the museum, it was also a form of currency for quite some time.

Out of all the wood used in jewelery-making, tiger wood was my favorite. The rings at the cross section look like brush strokes. Gorgeous.

Eventually we stopped our touring for a late lunch. I was starving. We both ordered casados, so the restaurant served us homemade chips and a sweet pico de gallo as an appetizer. It was gone quickly.

Then came our lunch plates; rather than served on one big one like usual, were separated into smaller servings. First came the salad with an odd macaroni salad over it and citrus lime-like fruits to squeeze over it as a dressing. I have to figure out the name of these, they're wonderful.

Then the vegetarian plate with rice, beans, a fried egg, corn salad, fresh cheese, and the belle of the ball, a fried plantain. Yum, yum, yum. I'm not strictly adhering to my veggie ways but there are a lot of options here which is great.

Afterwards, we headed back into San José to wash up and rest up before meeting some of the Gap Adventures crew. They're a fun group :). I was kind of tired but I did have my first taste of Costa Rican rum. For the record, it's very good.

If you couldn't tell already, I'm having a grand old time in Central America so far. I have one more day of San José to catch you up on and then we're headed to the rain forest for two days before traveling south to the beach and Panama. Pura vida just got a whole new meaning...