Picturesque Puerto Viejo

Though my adventure to picturesque Puerto Viejo started off less than ideal, it ended up being a pretty great weekend. Between sleeping in a hammock, exploring the town, going to a botanical garden, stopping into an art gallery, and soaking up the sun on the beaches, this trip was definitely one for the books.
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On Friday, I left my Spanish class early and hung out for a bit until I met up with some girls to head to Puerto Viejo with. With five of us, we split up into two taxis. Our first taxi ride was not very pleasant. Even though I stressed to the taxi driver that we needed to go to the bus station for Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, not Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, he ended up taking us to the wrong stop anyways. I basically fell trying to out of the cab, and lost one of my flip flops along the way. I ended up just throwing the other one away because what was I supposed to do with only one shoe? When we arrived, I had a very strong feeling we were not where we were supposed to be and that was confirmed when we made it to the ticket counter. We rushed to find a taxi to take us to the other station. We sat in traffic for what seemed like forever, but eventually made it to the correct bus station. Unfortunately, the taxi driver had taken us to the wrong terminal. Upon our looks of confusion, one taxi driver was kind enough to give us directions to the correct terminal which was a couple of blocks away. We started following his directions, but when the route appeared to be sketchy, we turned back and stood hella confused on the corner. He ended up driving up in his taxi and reiterated his directions so we wouldn't get lost. Without that kind taxi driver, we would have never made it to the right terminal.

We arrived at the correct terminal about a half an hour before the bus was set to leave. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the ticket counter, all that was left were standing tickets. Keep in mind, this is a five hour bus ride. Not wanting to be separated from the other girls once again, we decided to just roll with it. We paid for the tickets, boarded the buses, and things were finally looking up. We were finally on our way to Puerto Viejo and the other girls no longer were freaking out (and rightfully so) since they couldn't get in touch with us. After about an hour and a half of standing, the two other girls and I decided to just sit on the floor. With all the jerks and turns and countless times I almost fell, I was over it. We were near a staircase in the back of the bus, so we ended up squishing near that. About three hours into the travels, a woman walked with her toddler to the back of the bus toward the staircase. We got up from the stairs and moved out of the way so the woman could get through. I assumed that she was going to exit the bus. Soon after, she pulled down her little girl's pants and the little girl proceeded to pee all over the stairs. Well, so much for sitting down. Interestingly, five minutes later, we made it to the quick pit stop for everyone to get off, stretch, get some snacks, and use the restroom. We reboarded and stood most of the way. Many folks got of in Calhuita, so we were able to find seats for the last 30-40 minutes of the ride there.

We finally arrived in Puerto Viejo that evening. Unable to find any authorized taxis and not knowing how far the hostel was, we ended up taking a pirata, which is basically a person who uses their personal car as a taxi. They tell you how much to pay them, rather than starting a meter, or a maria  as they are called here. You basically hop in a stranger's car and pay them to take you somewhere. A little sketch, but we didn't have much of a choice. Some of the girls had utilized piratas before and assured us it was safe. We hopped in an soon arrived at the hostel of choice: Rocking Js.

Rocking Js is THE hostel to go to in Puerto Viejo. I received the recommendation from a friend, because it's where everyone goes. You have the option of sleeping in a hammock (the cheapest option), tent, dorm, or private room. It's known as the party hostel with an on-site bar. The hostel is basically outdoors with some roofs over the top. It's really chill and artsy, with mosaics covering every wall and piece of the ground. Though it's a walk from the main part of the town, it is right off of a beach, albeit a rocky one you probably wouldn't swim in. I knew as soon as I stepped in and got the key to my locker that was conveniently located next to my hammock that it could only go up from here.

Hungry, we settled in and then took off in search of food. Another student from the program had recommended that we check out this restaurant/bar called Hot Rocks, so that's exactly where we headed. Friday nights were karaoke nights, and in between eating and drinking, some of the girls and a couple of the boys we knew got up and belted some songs. I have videos, but I won't post them, out of respect for the fact that the boys were drunk and in respect of their identities. If they ask me to post them, I will later on. It was a good time. Exhausted, we headed back to our hostels and went to sleep in our hammocks and tents.
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On Saturday morning, I woke up well before sunrise, one, because for my first time in a hammock, I didn't really know how to position myself to sleep, and two, monkeys were howling non-stop. Luckily, a couple other girls woke up as well, so we decided to go watch the sunrise along the beach. It was hard to see because of where it was at and how far we could get out without getting into the water, but it was beautiful nonetheless. After watching the sunrise, I headed back to sleep for awhile while the other girls prepared for their trip to Panama.

I decided to sleep for awhile longer after watching the sunrise. I started the rest of the day by exploring the town. I first stopped into the supermarket to buy snacks as well as a towel, since I didn't have a beach towel for the beach or a towel for the shower at the hostel. It didn't cross my mind to pack one back in the states. I browsed a ton of the local shops. There was so much I wanted to buy, but I stuck to my mission: a postcard for my tutee back in the states and maybe gifts that were made in Puerto Viejo. My favorite shop was this store that had a little bit of everything. The majority of the projects there were made right there in Costa Rica. There were even a ton of natural products that I was sure my best friend back home (Alex Q) would love. After purchasing a postcard and a small wristlet (I really needed something smaller than my owl purse), I finished exploring the shops along the main roads and headed back to the hostel to research things to do in the area.

While I was researching, a Tico student from a local university asked to interview me for a project for his English class. I said sure. He and his classmates were interviewing English speakers for their conversations class to see what non-natives thought about Costa Rica.

I found a couple of places to visit thanks to Trip Advisor. I had discovered them earlier during the week, but I wanted to confirm that they were open and exactly where they were located. The first place I visited was La Finca de la Isla. La Finca de la Isla is a tropical botanical garden. With a three mil entrance fee (about $6), I started on a self-guided tour. I got a chance to chill with some red poison dart frogs and another type of poison frog that I can't remember the name of. There were so many beautiful plants, like flowers, fruit trees, and more. After my self-guided tour, I got to try various fruits, fruit juice, and chocolate from the garden, which was delicious. I would definitely recommend it; I will say it is quite a walk from the main part of town, though.



On my way back to the hostel, I stopped at an art gallery/shop called Luluberlu. There were so many cool pieces of art that I wanted to purchase, but I didn't have the money. I really enjoyed browsing the shop. All of the art was created by local artists in Puerto Rico. I ended up buying natural soaps made right there in Costa Rica, which didn't cost too much. I wish I would have had more money with me to buy more. The art was beautiful and the atmosphere there was so friendly. Those artists in Puerto Viejo are very talented. My bestie (Alex Q) would have loved it.

The rest of the evening consisted of my getting caught in the rain, eating dinner, and then passing out it my hammock. The only notable thing I feel like was my frozen mojito that I had with dinner. It was delicious. Oh, and I almost forgot -- there were fire twirling people at the hostel. Pretty cool.

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On Sunday, I started the day early, hoping to get in some time at different beaches throughout the day. Despite having bought snacks, I decided to search for real breakfast. Upon walking around, there were not very many cheap options for the breakfast. I decided to head back to the hostel and eat there. Upon my return, right outside the convenience store across the street, a fight broke out between two guys. They were going hard at each other, one with a bat and the other with a giant rock. I passed them as they continued fighting. I heard a loud pop. I wasn't sure if it was sort of weapon, so I sped up to make it back into the boundary of my hostel. I ended up eating there, as they have cheap breakfast options.

The first beach I headed to was a beach located about a 15-20 minute walk from my hostel in the opposite direction of town. It was a nice yellow, sandy beach, that was not as packed as the other beaches closer to the town center. I laid out in the sun for awhile, then enjoyed the waves for awhile. I alternated like this for awhile until the heat and sun and humidity, that nasty combo, began to get to me. I headed back to the hostel, purchased a Powerade from the convenience store, and took a break from the sun.


The second beach I headed to was named Playa Negra. It is a small beach with black sand. Because it is often compared to Playa Jaco, another black sanded beach which is apparently beautiful, not many visit it. It wasn't crowded, so I laid out my towel and spent some time just dipping my toes in the pretty sand. I alternated between laying out in the sun and enjoying the waves. I preferred this beach over the other because the waves weren't as intense and the water was the perfect temperature. I stayed here for a couple an hours until the afternoon rain looked like it was going to begin. Not wanting to get caught in a downpour, I gathered my belongings and headed back toward my hostel. I stopped to get a drink to quench my thirst at the super market just as soon as it started pouring. I had forgotten my umbrella and rain jacket, so I waited it out for awhile, as many others did. When it was clear that it was not going to stop for awhile, I headed out into the rain and walked the rest of the way back to my hostel.

 I hung out at the hostel until I ran into the girls again. They had decided to visit Panama that weekend as well. I joined them for dinner at a nearby pizza place. The pizza was so delicious, as were the desserts. We had a great, fun time, one of the few people in the restaurant, probably because it was pouring.
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Monday morning, I checked out of Rocking Js and headed to the bus station. This time, I was determined to get a seat. I bought my ticket and relaxed in the mini park while waiting for the bus. I took the bus home. On the return, traffic was backed up due to the protests in Limón. If there are people that know how to organize and protest, Ticos are up there. They have regularly scheduled protests. That Monday, they were protesting about wages, employment conditions, and governmental corruption. It was great to see this action being taken by the citizens. The other people on the bus thought it was great too. It was nice to be around people that didn't shrug it off or say that the people were just complaining and that they were causing trouble like I hear people say about protests in the US.

I eventually made it back to San José. I was out of cash (well that I brought anyways) for the most part, since I overestimated how often I would be able to use my card. There are taxis that take credit cards, but they are difficult to find. I was about to go on to a search when I was approached by a taxi driver asking where I needed to go. I told him Universidad Veritas, but unless he accepted credit cards, I couldn't take his taxi. This woman overheard me and said that she was going to Veritas as well and asked if we could share a cab. I explained to her that I needed a cab that took cards. She relayed that they are very hard to fine and offered to pay. I felt bad not paying anything, but she was insistent, so I hopped in the cab and rode to Veritas with her. Turns out, she is a local who lives in Puerto Viejo but had decided to go back to school and take classes at Veritas during the week. Since she lives and works in Puerto Viejo, she stays with a friend during the week since it would be a long commute. We arrived at Veritas and parted ways. I will always remember that act of kindness.

Magnificent Manuel Antonio

Evening at the beach

For my third weekend in Costa Rica and my last "free" excursion with ISA, we headed to Manuel Antonio. To be more specific, we headed to a beautiful hotel next to Manuel Antonio National Park, located near Quepos, Costa Rica. That trip had a bit of everything: hiking trails, beaches, swimming pools, wildlife; it was magnificent. I got a chance to see monkeys, the first time I've ever seen them outside of a zoo. I got a chance to return to my Colorado element by hiking through the national park, but at the same time enjoy the different type of hiking: in a forest, at a low altitude, humid, with views of the ocean. I also got attacked by a bat and almost had raccoons steal my belongings. Overall, I'd say that it was a successful weekend.

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I started Friday, before I even left for Manuel Antonio, already having a good time. My Spanish class took a field trip to an amusement park to play traditional Costa Rican children's games with the other Intermediate 1 classes and to go on a scavenger hunt within the "old town" area of the park. No, we didn't get to ride any rides, play carnival games, or eat amusement park foods, but we still had a good time. Each class taught the rest of the students a couple of games that they had learned within their classes. My class was assigned "Arroz con Leche" and  a game that very much resembled "Red-light, green-light" (I forgot what the name was).

Arroz con Leche is a game apparently played by young Costa Rican children. It starts with someone in the middle. Everyone sings the song to the game:

           Arroz con leche. Yo quiero casar

           Con una señorita de la capital

           Que sepa barrer, que sepa caser

           Que sepa abrir la puerta para ir a jugar

           Con esta si, con esta no

           Con esta señorita me caso yo

Upon the end of the song, the person in the middle points to someone. That individual picks a number and everyone has to form a group with that many people. The people not in a group are out. The game continues with the chosen person in the middle.

Though the game is fun and silly when played by college students, it is a great illustration of the culture of machismo that is present within Costa Rica and other Latin American countries. In these countries, women are seen as the caretakers of the home, the good mothers and wives. Catcalling is a regular part of the culture and is meant to be taken as a compliment. Women are seen as inferior to men and their place is in the household. Though gender roles reinforce this machismo, and though women are supposed to be limited to the household, they are very much respected in that role. Women are the heads of household and have a lot of power in that domain. With newer generations, we see a shift in this belief that women are limited to the home, with more women out in the workforce and obtaining educations than ever. For example, my mama tica is a dentist, as is my papa tica. Catcalling definitely exists here, and I've received it, but for me, I think it's more of a problem in the US because in the US it is more forceful and persistent, whereas the catcalling doesn't really go past the initial call. 

When your professor decides to play jumprope too

Other games included jumprope (which the professors joined in on), hide-and-seek, and a couple of others I missed out on because the people who were sent to find us during hide-and-seek never came and found us. After a good 10-20 minutes of hiding, we gave up only to find everyone else playing other games. We ended our field trip with a scavenger hunt around Pueblo Antiguo and my team, despite our lack of competitiveness, got some snacks as a prize for being one of the first groups done. I wasn't looking to beat the other teams, but I won't say I didn't enjoy the treats.


After the field trip, I headed with the rest of my program to Manuel Antonio. On the bus ride, we got to see a couple of monkeys just hanging around the town. When we arrived, I was not expecting to see what I saw: this big giant hotel right next to the national park. The amenities and view were amazing! There were pools, a view of the national forest, balconies, several beaches within walking distance, and the architecture reminded of me of that which you would see in Morocco. There was even a little underground tunnel that led to one of the beaches nearby. That evening was pretty chill. I ate dinner with some of the other students at a small place by the beach, explored the hotel, and watched part of Man of Steel with my roommate and some of the guys from the program. While exploring the top floor of the hotel, where there was an adult only pool, bar, and several lounge areas, a bat flew out of nowhere and ran into my face. Needless to say, that was the end of my exploration.
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On Saturday, I was fortunate enough to spend my entire day within Manuel Antonio National Park. This park is much different than the ones I'm used to seeing back at home. The park had many different hiking trails with different viewing points, as well as several different beaches. While the people I normally talked to headed straight for the beach, I ran into some guys from my program who desired to hike most of the day, as I did. I asked if I could join them, and that was that. 

Our first trail to hike was a short one which led to a small waterfall. Right away, I knew hiking in this park would be so different from other hikes I had been on. Back at home, trails are basically just marked terrain. Here, they were almost like sidewalks with wooden staircases. I thought this was odd and a little unusual, but kept at it anyways. 

After enjoying the view of the waterfall, we hiked back to the main path, following it straight until it divided in two. At that fork, we saw our first couple of monkeys. There were white-faced monkeys and howler monkeys. They were cute and pretty energetic, not really enjoying all the foot traffic, trying to pee on all of the people below. I don't blame them though; how would it make you feel if people were exploring your home every day and taking pictures of you all the time? At that fork, we decided to take the left path, which held three hiking trails, a private beach, and a beach that's not really swimmable, while the other path led to several beaches and one hiking trail. Since hiking was our focus, we headed left to begin with.

The first trail we hiked was the sloth trail. Apparently, this trail follows the areas where the sloths were likely to hang out. Though there were some great viewing points, we didn't see any sloths. It was rather disappointing.

The second trail we hiked was the mirador trail, it was the longest trail of the park and led to a beautiful view of the ocean at it's end. We spend some time there taking pictures of the landscape and taking some selfies of us taking selfies with the background, or "self-ception" as we called it. The views were unlike those I would normally encounter back home. Normally, hiking views consist of city skylines or mountain ranges. Here, the views consisted of the ocean and beaches. You don't get those views in Colorado.



The third trail we hiked was that to Puento Escogito. The view at the end was beautiful, but not quite like that of the mirador trail. We noticed a ladder than led down to a rocky beach below. Half of us stayed to explore, while the other half headed down the path to the beaches. Looking back, I regret going down that ladder. When I got off the ladder, which was so high of the ground that I about fell off of it, all that was below were a ton of rocks and a little private beach that would be difficult to get there. I decided to take this as a challenge. I climbed over rocks, trying to not squish any of the hermit crabs chilling on them. At several points, I fell into the water, and at one point, my camera fell into the water and stopped working. Thankfully, I set it to dry out back at the hotel until we left and now it is working once again. When we finally made it to the private beach, I was over it. I was soaked, dirty, and my camera wasn't working. There was a tiny island that one could explore, but that consisted of even more rocks and struggle. I decided I was not about that life and headed back. Trying to get back up the ladder was a struggle because of my short stature, but when I got back up, I decided I was done with that kind of exploring for the day.

The private beach that almost killed me

Heading back down the trail to the fork in the road, I stopped at the non-swimmable beach along the way, Playa Gemelas. I took my tennis shoes off, put my feet in the sand, sat down on a rock, and wrote in my journal. After my less than pleasant experience at the private beach, I was ready to sit down and relax. I stayed their for awhile just enjoying the view and the sun. After some time, I put on my sandals and headed back to the fork.

Hide yo wife. Hide yo kids.
Hide everyone cause these raccoons be stealing yo stuff.

This time, I took the other path. My first, and little did I know last, stop in the park was Playa Manuel Antonio. It was a big, popular beach where tons of people were swimming and soaking up the sun. I laid out in the sun for awhile, making sure to keep my belongings near me. I had just seen some raccoons steal some food from some of the other visitors and I was not about to let them steal my belongings too. I headed into the ocean to cool off and swim, and then headed back to lay out in the sun. I did this for awhile, until it started to rain. Knowing I was over hiking for the day, and that I really didn't want to be caught in a downpour, I exited the park and headed back to the hotel with the guys after reuniting with them at the beach. 


Upon our return, we changed and got ready to go eat, since it was well past lunch time. I woke up my roommate so she could eat too and we went on a hunt to find food. We ended up going to a restaurant down the road right off one of the beaches and then explored some of the nearby shops. I ended up catching up with my other roommate at the beach, and went with her, my other roommate, and their new friend to the same restaurant we went to for lunch a couple hours earlier. Not hungry, I just chilled. We then moved to a really cheap bar. Having been in the sun all day, I was not about the alcohol life, so I chilled once again. I ended up heading to the store to get some snacks in case I did get hungry later that evening and headed back to the hotel. I was supposed to meet back up with them to go to the city, but I ended up getting distracted and sitting in the hotel watching tv. I was content.

We missed the sunset by like 15 minutes. Unfortunate.

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On Sunday, I spent the day talking a walk along the beaches and exploring the shops. I wish I would have been able to enter the Nacional Park again and finish the last hiking trail, but I was not about to pay an entrance for an hour or so. I walked around but didn't buy anything. We also stopped to eat lunch in Jaco. I wish I could write more, but it honestly wasn't that eventful.

Día de las Culturas, Not Columbus Day

Monday October 12th was Día de las Culturas here in Costa Rica. In the United States, it is more commonly known as Columbus Day. This holiday celebrates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas and the fusion of different cultures between Europe and the Americas. It was a very important event that affected the geographical, economic, and political landscapes of the Americas. Unlike the in the United States, where the holiday is named for and celebrates a man contributed to the enslaved and slaughtering of many indigenous folks, the holiday focuses on the cultural activities of Costa Ricans and the indigenous groups of Costa Rica. It's a day to spread the message of respect for others. 

As a result of the holiday, we had no classes. I originally was going to travel to Jacó with my roommates, but seeing as there were very few seats left on the bus that morning and the fact that I could sense that I would be more of a burden than companion to the trip, I decided to forego the trip all together and remain in San José. After all, I had not been able to explore the city I was living in due to my weird class schedule and the weekend excursions with my program. Content, I began my first of hopefully many solo travels.

To start off my day, I ventured off to Pequeño Mundo to treat myself to a couple articles of clothing, since I packed way too lightly when coming here. Pequeño Mundo is a really cheap store that has food, house products, clothes, among other things. I managed to score three shirts, a pack of lead pencils, a thong, and a pair of leggings (though they are two see-through to wear as pants :(   ) for less than $11. I was very pleased with that.

Since Mall San Pedro was within walking distance of Pequeño Mundo, I decided to venture there and check out what kind of shops were there. When I arrived, I was shocked at the size of the mall. The mall had three different levels, with tons of shops, restaurants, and stands on each floor. The top floor even had a small arcade and a movie theatre. The arcade contained my two favorite games of all time, skiball and basketball. I was so excited when I saw those machines there. I haven't played skiball in ages, as nowhere nearby exists anymore to play that game. Seeing as the arcade was overrun with little children, I decided to venture out and explore the rest of the mall. When walking around, the U.S. influence on that particular mall was apparent. I saw many familiar restaurants such as KFC, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, and more. Many of the stores appeared to cater to rich tourists. I found the stores quite expensive, as they are in most malls around the world, so I mostly just browsed many different stores. I did stop into a store and get some mascara, concealer, and makeup remover since I was out, but I made sure to not spend more than I had planned to. I was happy to find a couple of stores very similar to ones that I love back home. I found Costa Rican versions of my favorite stores, Zumiez and Hot Topic. I also found a lot of shops my friends back home would love: several anime stores, a large bookstore mimicking Barnes & Noble, a couple smoke shops, and a Rasta shop. I stayed there for a couple hours and ended up purchasing a frozen caramel drink and a giant chocolate muffin to consume on my walk home. The frozen drink was very similar to a frappucino and it was delicious. Starbucks, you better watch out.

My walk home was pretty relaxed, except for the endless stream of rain that began to flood the streets. I'm glad that I had remembered to bring my umbrella for the somewhat long walk back to my homestay. Had I not brought it, I would have been soaked. Side note, I have a feeling that people reading this will wonder why I did not get a taxi there or home, since taxis tend to be fairly cheap here. The truth is, I love walking everywhere. It's something I do regularly back home in Denver. Long distances don't really bother me. Also, I really don't like to spend a ton of money on taxis when I could walk. Though the majority of the taxi drivers here are friendly and awesome, I've had the unfortunate experiences of being in taxis where the taxi drivers attempt to take advantage of the gringos by overcharging us greatly. If we remember to ask them to start the maria, the meter (it's sad that I had to look up the English word because I completely forgot it), those particular taxi drivers take long ways to produce a higher fare. If we don't remember to ask them about the maria, those particular taxi drivers charge us much more than we would pay had the maria been started. I don't blame them, though, and I understand part of the motive behind it. The history between the U.S. and Costa Rica is not great, and there is a huge stereotype that visitors from the U.S. have money. Oftentimes, that tends to be true of people who travel in general, especially those coming form the U.S.; I just happen to be one of the exceptions. On top of that, taxi drivers don't have a regular wage. It can be difficult to make a wage one can live off of. Income inequality is fairly persistent in Costa Rica as well. Plus, as I noted before, I love walking, and despite the rain, the day was beautiful.

After returning to my homestay to drop off my purchases, I took a relaxation break and just hung out for an hour or so before making the trek in the other direction to downtown San José. I arrived at Avenida Central and checked out the stores and restaurants along the streets, as well as the avenues above and below, since Avenida Central is the main avenue. Avenida Central reminds me of the 16th street mall in Denver, but on a much larger and busier scale. I marveled at the architecture of the buildings downtown, the widespread appearance of public art and murals, and the parks and green areas. I watched locals in the street selling goods, saw children running though puddles, and just experienced the relaxed atmosphere that was there. I made sure to head back to my homestay before dark, just so I could be home in time for dinner and also finish up some last minute homework. I hope to go down there again and visit the many museums and art galleries, as well as El Teatro Nacional, the national theater.

The lack of seats on the bus to Jacó caused me to have a great Monday. There is so much that the city has to offer, and when I find myself wanting to do something before my evening classes in December, when I no longer have a morning Spanish class, I know where to head.