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!!

Playa Nosara

Kelly is a writer for the Tico Times and the Voice of Nosara and was asked to cover the making of a film. Tico film director, Miguel Gomez, was filming his newest work, El Fin. She invited Max and I to go with her for a weekend of work and fun in Playa Nosara. The three of us piled in the front seat of Max's single cab, stick shift Ford Ranger and we were on our way.

It's about a seven hour driveand about half way through, I decided we would all be more comfortable if I made a bed in the shell of the truck and laid down and watched a movie. We stopped at a convenice store and before we even walked in, we stopped this guy and asked him for a photo because we thought his shirt was so funny. Even more funny was that there was a good chance he didn't know what it meant.

Josh and Marcia welcomed us at Hostel Refugio Sol in Playa Pelada. They are friends of Kelly and Max who moved down to Costa Rica from Savannah, GA to open this hostel. There's a calming garden, a bar, furniture made of wood and hammocks that line the front of the hostel and it's only a ten minute walk to the beach.

We had breakfast the next morning at Olga's, walked down the beach and went over to Playa Nosara through a shortcut in the woods:

The beaches aren't crowded. They're perfect.

There are sand dollars everywhere.

Costa Rica seems to have horses everywhere, especially on the beaches.

Monkeys.

That afternoon, Max and I went with Kelly and Marcia to the filming. Since the girls wanted ot take the golf cart, Max thought it would be a good idea to follow them in the truck just in case he wanted to leave early.

This part of the filming was set in an abandoned resort called Hotel Villaggio on Playa Pavones.

It was obviously vacant for some time but when I saw it, my mind went running wild with images of how incredible this place was when it was active and how amazing it would be if someone wanted to put some time and effort into reviving it.

There were multiple buildings that used to be sleeping quarters.

A pool.

What used to be an outside bar.

It was right on the water and I was mesmerized.

Kelly was interviewing the cast and crew between scenes and we were all getting a really good inside scoop on the movie and the ideas behind it.

There is so much that goes into filming, especially when it is taking place outside. It started raining a few times and they had to start over each time.

After a few hours of watching and interacting with everyone involved in the filming, we all headed back to the hostel.

Apparently, the golf cart was not fully charged before they took it out and it died about half way back. Luckily, Max had some tow straps in the truck and hooked them up so we could all get home.

Max explained that they needed to make sure they stayed behind the truck far enough so that the straps remain tight...

aaannnddd the straps broke when Marcia got too close to the truck and the strap went under the tire of the golf cart and SNAP!!

We had to tie it back together to get it back to the hostel.

That night, a group of us got together at the hostel for dinner, drinks, video games on the projector and to go out on the town.

Kelly and I got all purtied up to go out after she had me buy a dress and some heels, seeing as how I didn't have any going out clothes.

Good times at Tropicana where everyone got to shake a lil some'

Our last day was filled with morning pool time at the Green Iguana with some poolside jugo and lunch, the final filming pieces, photos and interviews of El Fin with a beautiful sunset...

Too bad Kelly has to get back to work... I could waste a lot of time just relaxing here.

Paso Canoas Trip with Max

Max had been talking about doing a beer run to Paso Canoas, Panama since we met and we decided TODAY'S THE DAY! To be fair, beer wasn't the only thing we were going to get. Things are so expensive in Costa Rica. Paso Canoas is apparently the place to go to buy what you need, duty free and bring it back to San Jose. We packed our bags and we were off.
On the way through Jaco, Max pulled off the main road onto a gravel road and said, "You have to see this place." We saw a sign for the restaurant.

We drove up some pretty steep slopes, all the way to the top of the mountain, which was accompanied by fog clouds all around. A simple, very rustic soda was at the top of the mountain called Rancho Shaddy. The sign reads "Welcome to the place where there's no world crisis." I couldn't have put it better. They had a new floor intalled since Max was there last. After speaking wih them, we learned that the government requierd them to install the floor for safety reasons. They perpared one of the best dishes of chicken and rice that I've had on this trip so far with the most basic of equipment. The view was really amazing from the top of this mountain and because it's at the very top, you can get pretty much a 360 view.

I also picked up a few bracelets and anklets for $1000C ($2USD) each. They were hand made and I really just wanted to support their business. They are really cute though. All made of seeds and string. Two of them I actually really like and plan to wear until they break.

On the way back down the mountain, Max's surfboard fell off the top of the truck. He didn't think to tighten it down on the front as much as he did the back. Oops!

I kept seeing these buildings that used to be homes but now are nothing more than walls. No windows. No roof. Some of them are simply falling apart but you can see they were probably pretty nice in their earlier days. I really am fascinated by these buildings and the thoughts that accompany my view of them of what they were before, who lived there, how they lived, who laughed between the walls, who cried under this roof and everything else. You can walk through the doorways and see very clearly what used to be a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen and so on.

Just the basic living that most of the people have here also interests me. In the United States, we don't realize how spoiled we are with everyday life. The people here really live off the land and live so simply. Many of the homes are basically glorified shacks with tin or palm tree leaf roofs.
The barns or other areas to contain animals are really the most basic necessary.

The fences are basically small trees that have been dug up and replanted in a straight line and then have wire of some sort tied between them. I think they're nicer this way because of the more natural feel.

The ride down to Paso Canoas was enjoyable with the view. Most of the way, we could get a clear view of the ocean.

There were lots of fincas (farms) along the way as well. Cows, palm trees, horses and goat farms are seen all along the way. There is a strip of the highway about 30KM long that is ONLY palm tree fincas. They harvest the palm oil and the kernal. The oil is edible and the kernal is used in foods and to make soap. This is a very profitable business but requires a lot of work.
As soon as Max saw this truck, he screamed at the top of his lungs, "DATSUNNNNNN" because that's what this truck makes him think when he sees it.

Pizza Hut in a trailer. We also saw a Burger King but I didn't get a good photo.

I have no clue what this animal was, so Max turned the truck around so I could get a good photo:

We got to Paso Canoas after a seven hour drive and found a hotel room at a very simple place and had dinner. For some reason, I felt like I was in the middle of Mexico. The room was basic, at best. Two beds, a fan and a private bathroom. The shower faucet is was caught my attention. Of course, hot water is not very common anywhere around here but this was the first time I had seen this as a shower faucet.

The next day, we went shopping. Max got some new tires for his truck and he stocked up on beer since it's so much more expensive back home.

We got some Mystery Meat Skewers from a street vendor, which were great!!

Then we were off to Playa Pavones. The new off-roading tires made the 30km stretch of very bumpy gravel roads just a little bit easier to endure. I felt like a little kid, seeing all sorts of new things and I kept asking Max to stop the truck so I could take photos and get a better look at some things.
Typical bus stop:

Awesome view of the coast:

There is wildlife everywhere here:

Horses are often used as a mode of transportation in this area. It is very remote. I saw these guys and wanted to take a photo of them so we offered them beers. They were very happy!

Playa Pavones is a beautiful beach town, seemingly cut off from the outside world. Most of the land is untouched and it is a surfer mecca.

Playa Pavones is home to one the longest left breaks in the world. There are horses that run wild, beautiful flora and fauna, tons of beach front and not many tourists.

I found this great place that for just a second, I considered what it would be like to buy it and fix it up and live there...

An amazing little place called "Cabinas Gemelas" with cabinas for rent that is run by a family and little kids that love to sit in the hammocks and chat with you til midnight.

"Chinese Suckers" as they are called in Costa Rica. Mamon Chino is the official name. The inner white part is edible and quite tart:

We met up with Max's friend, Dave, from the US. He has a palm finca in Costa Rica and has turned it into a very profitable business since he bought it. Palm oil oil is used in soaps and many other products all over the world. He is a very sweet man, very laid back and loves to have a good conversation.

Time to head back to Alajuela... We have a very long drive ahead of us.