An early start, as we helped ourselves to the first of many Tico-style breakfasts. This one was buffet in the hotel, and included such local treats as rice and beans, eggs, and of course, Costa Rican coffee. In time I grew addicted to the strong, excellent café con leche everywhere we went.
A quick meeting and get-to-know-each other session was held by Julie before heading out. We dutifully went around the room and introduced ourselves. Travelaholics anonymous, anyone? After taking care of the paperwork and essentials, we piled into taxicabs and set out for the bus terminal.
Public buses are interesting in Costa Rica. You are assigned a seat for longer journeys, and in some cases you’re actually expected to sit in your assigned seat. My assigned seat happened to be next to a very chatty man from Sweden who had the worst breath I had ever had to smell for five hours straight. Joy.
On the bright side, the scenery as we descended from San José to the lower elevation of the Caribbean coast was nothing short of spectacular, and I spent a good part of the bus ride gaping out the window.
After a while (I was officially on travel time, which meant no more exact time or even looking at a watch except when unavoidable), we arrived in the town of Limon, on the Caribbean coast. While supposedly one of the more major port cities in the area, Limon didn’t seem like anything special. The main thing we noticed upon disembarking was the heat: the coast was much hotter than San José.
We all bought water, since the tap water is not potable in that part of the country, and we also purchased some snacks for the road. I was slowly familiarizing myself with the three words of Spanish I’d need for the trip (Buenos, cuantos, gracias). Then after a short break, it was back on the bus to head south to the town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca.
My first impression of the Caribbean was that it looked refreshing. The oppressive heat had settled into our bus ride, and the water looked so appealing I was ready to dive right in.
We arrived in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca around lunchtime. The town itself is a hippie haven, full of people – Ticos and foreigners alike – listening to reggae music, wearing rasta pants and smoking weed. After loading our bags into a van, we took a walk through town to our hotel, which was actually a set of bungalows just a few minutes’ walk down the road.
We were right on the beach, and, to our delight, each bungalow had two hammocks. As we settled in and made ourselves comfortable, I thought, I could really get used to this!
We’d skipped lunch, so we headed to a little Italian restaurant for some mid-afternoon snacks. The food was good, and it was great to eat sandwiches and bruschetta overlooking the water. But the main attraction of the restaurant was the waiter, who looked like Antonio Banderas.
The hotel had a beach right across the street, but it was rocky and full of sea urchins and other such creatures. We opted to take a walk to find a nicer beach. Our determination was met with success when we discovered a beach about fifteen minutes to the south with beautiful white sand and gentle waves.
The area was fairly secluded and we practically had the entire beach to ourselves. The water of the Caribbean was warm and inviting, and we all took a dip and lay on the beach enjoying the beautiful scenery. That first swim in the ocean was definitely a trip highlight. I remember thinking that all my friends and relatives back home would be so jealous if they could see us floating in the waves.
Unfortunately, time did not stop right there on the beach. We reluctantly went back to the hotel for a quick shower and change for dinner. Our perfume of the evening – and of a good part of the trip – was what we came to refer to as “Eau de DEET”, in order to fight off the mosquitoes that were everywhere. Limon province has some risk for malaria, so we weren’t taking any chances.
Dinner took forever to be served but was highly worth the wait. Caribbean, Jamaican, Thai and other specialties were the flavours of the house, and a live band added some atmosphere. I had my first shot of Café Rica, a strong coffee-flavoured liqueur. We all ordered fruit smoothies, which rapidly became staples of our diet.
After dinner, we explored the town and browsed in the shops before settling in for the night.
Next: Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge.