Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Within minutes of leaving San Jose, we’re slowly climbing up a densely-forested, misty mountain.  Leaving behind the urban expanse of concrete, I’m instantly struck by just how beautiful this country is.  

The ride between San Jose and Puerto Viejo is around 4.5 hours. Most of the passengers on the bus are foreigners. We pass through Limón and stop at a gas station with a snack kiosk and only one bathroom for over forty passengers. Craig and I buy two cans of Imperial beer, Costa Rica’s signature brand, which instantly reinvigorates the ride. Soon we are racing along a flat, two-lane road toward Cahuita where we catch our first glimpse of the Caribbean. Flat and muddy brown, empty beaches, a tanker…it isn’t exacly how I imagined it. But the German girls sitting in front of us squeal and grab their cameras and their enthusiasm catches.

Some of the terrain reminds me remarkably of Malaysia. Palm oil plantations have been exchanged for Chiquita Banana, Bahasa for Spanish, mosques for churches; but the colorful stilt-houses hidden amongst the palm fronds look nearly identical.

Several friends whom I had spoken to in Antigua – tour guides by profession – had wrinkled their nose at the mention of Puerto Viejo, so I wasn’t expecting much.  However, I had a good feeling the instant we rolled into the sleepy coastal town.  Touristy, yes. Yet somehow, the influx of visitors hadn’t robbed the area of its charm.  There was Reggae music and barbecued fish, locals sitting around drinking and listening to the radio, children riding their bikes down quiet neighborhood streets.

We didn’t do a whole lot during our three day stay, mostly swam and picnicked at Playa Negra, the crescent of black sand on one side of town.   We also wandered up to the cemetery with its tiled tombs and peaceful hill overlooking the ocean.  The one short day trip we took was to the Jaguar Rescue Center just north of town.  The facility not only rehabilitates injured wildlife, but also offers educational tours to interested visitors. Contrary to the name there are no jaguars, but we did see a plethora of other animals including eagles, an owl, caiman, a margay (small, spotted wildcat resembling an ocelot) and several species of frogs and snakes. The baby sloths were even cuter in person than on YouTube and Craig was a big hit with the monkeys, who kept contentedly falling asleep on his shoulders and arms.