Puerto Viejo

I didn't expect to spend as much time as I did in Costa Rica as I did but I did have a fantastic time. Met and spent time with some wonderful people, saw amazing landscapes, gained a new appreciation on travel, cold showers and life in general. Now it was time to move on. Puerto Viejo was one of the top places I wanted to visit in Costa Rica. It is a very common place to visit when crossing over to Panama.
I knew it would be more expensive to go on a shuttle but I was willing to pay for the convenience and security since it was really my first long distance travel on really on my own. I went online and requested a seat on a shuttle from Alajuela to the hostel in Puerto Viejo. The cost was $35 and it was a seven hour ride. Its still difficult for me to wrap my head around taking seven hours to drive 80km but that's the terrain of Costa Rica for you. I got an email back from the transportation company requesting that I pay with a credit card with the agreement that I would be refunded on the card in a week or so, since the bank transfer via PayPal would take a few days. I ended up coming down with a bad cold and was unable to make the bus the next morning and slept right through my deadline to call and cancel. Great. Now I have lost my $35 and will have to pay it again when I am ready to go. Fortunately I was only sick for a day and was ready to go the next day. When I emailed the transportation company and asked if the previous payment could be credited towards this trip, I was not surprised when I was denied. *I WAS surprised when I received an email from them about a week later explaining the PayPal transaction was completed and my credit card would be refunded. No complaints here.*
I normally do not prefer to stay in party hostels but I knew I would meet fellow travelers who were going to my next intended destination if I stayed at Rockin J's. Not to mention I received a raving review from Kelly about this place.

Rockin J's is a 'hammock hotel' right on the beach.

They are most known for the hammock rentals, which is basically a large open covered area with nothing but rows and rows of hammocks with lockers for your personal belongings.

If you don't want to sleep in a hammock, you can pitch your own tent, rent one of their tents or sleep in a bed in a proper room. I opted for the bed since I had been sick the day before but I could definitely sleep in a hammock on a regular basis. My bunk mates were Trine from Norway, Katey from UK and Shaun from California. Turns out we were all planning on Bocas del Toro for our next stop and we all had the same idea on transportation to get there.
Laying on the beach, soaking in the sun and salty air.

A different definition of beach front property.

The coconut man, Andres, who kept telling me how beautiful I was.

William, a really cool guy I met from San Jose that plays guitar, sings, loves Metallica and is in a band called Eternal.

Incredible decor.

Amazing sunsets over the Caribbean Sea.

Winding trails through the woods that ran parallel to the beach and the main street through town.

Sloths in the trees.

We sat on the beach late at night and listen to the guys sing, play guitar with the ever soothing background of the crashing waves. Only bad thing is I got probably 200 sand flea bites and my legs looked horrible for the next two weeks.

There were all ages of travelers staying at Rockin J's including an 79 year old man who was riding a home made bicycle around and writing a book about it, a family with their two small children and all ages in between.

PURA VIDA!! Hasta luego Costa Rica!!