At 4:15 last Thursday morning I rolled out of bed to catch a bus with Tor and Gabrielle to Puerto Viejo in Limon. After 4 hours on the bus we arrived in paradise. The other people in our group met up with us Friday morning. There were nine of us total.
Puerto Viejo is by far the chillest place I have been to in Costa Rica. I mean, between the Rastafarian/ Caribe vibe, the friendly people, and the relaxed lifestyle how could it not be the most tranquilo (relaxed, calm, chill) place?
We stayed at Rocking J's, a super cool hostel. Every thing from the ceiling to the floor was covered in funky/ artsy mosaic. The people there were fun to hang out with and it was also right on the beach.
The front desk at Rocking J's
The beaches in Puerto Viejo are beautiful! We went to three different beaches during our stay. To get to Playa Manzanillo we rented town bikes for $3 and embarked on a mini Tour de France. The ten mile bike ride to the beach was fun, but I'll admit the ride back was a little tougher. It was well worth it though; the beach (similar to the others) had calm, clear, cool water and soft white sand. The weather was perfect and the beach breeze only added to that. Honestly, I think I've found my new favorite place in Costa Rica.
One of the beautiful beaches
CRAB RACE! Rocking J's organized a crab race. For a dollar you could bet on the crab you thought would be victorious. Gabrielle and I were ready with our dollars in hand. Crab #5 was the underdog; he was missing a claw, but he was by far the biggest crab in the bunch. I knew he had potential. I put a dollar down on The Beast and Gabrielle randomly bet on #1. We agreed to spilt our winnings.
To win the race a crab has to cross the finish line three times. With little competition #5 stole the race! I collected the money we had won: a whooping three dollars each (the pot was split between us and another better). It was a lot of fun cheering on the crabs... winning wasn't bad either.
The Champion (and competitors)
You may have noticed that #2 is missing. He fell off the table and was half way eaten by the hostel dog. Sad day for crab #2.
oh no! poor crab 2! haha good thing you didnt bet on him. That beach looks super amazing. I think we should go there next time I come visit : ) I think i can handle a 10 mile bike ride. The art looks really cool, you should learn how to make some. - Ryan
ReplyDeleteBetting on the crab with one claw, so totally Sydney! I am glad you didn't have another encounter with a Medusa! IT might be hard to come home after spending so much time on such fantastic beaches. Love you Mom
ReplyDeleteIt looks like #5 was the Secretariat of the bunch!! How funny(except for #2)!! The beautiful beach picture reminds me of Punta Cana. Sounds like a great trip. Good for you, Syd.....enjoy.
ReplyDeleteLove, Dad
I think coming back to Lawrence in January is going to be quite the shock to your system. You are going to class, right? Learning a lot at the university? Hope so.
ReplyDeleteLove you, see you soon.
-John