July 17-19: We traveled to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, quite close to Panama, to the pueblo of Puerto Viejo, south of Limon. In many ways, it was hard to tell which country we were in. There is a mix of indigenous, Afro-Caribbean, and Costa Rican cultures and populations, with people speaking Spanish, Creole, English, and various mixes. Stores accept dollars and colones with equal ease. The food was different, a bit more spice and kick to it, which was welcomed by all.
We stayed in tropical bungalows in the midst of the wettest forest I’ve ever visited; I can’t imagine that anything or anyone is ever completely dry here. The rains were truly torrential, lasting 12-15 hours, drumming our rooftops all night, and we awoke to five inches or so of water covering the forest floor.
the water levels outside our bungalow after a night of rain in Puerto Viejo
When the rains let up, the sun came out, and we experienced 95 degree weather with 90% humidity, enough to make even the most strait-laced Utahn strip off all clothing (or at least think about it seriously)! We headed for the beach in Manzanillo and cooled off in the Caribbean – the surf looked rather rough from the shore but turned out to be a lot of fun. On the road to Manzanillo, we spotted two howler monkeys, small black creatures making noises way out of proportion to their size, and we spotted a sloth moving in slow motion down a tree.
Sunday, on our way back to Santa Ana, we were delayed for about an hour as road crews were cleaning up from a huge rock and mudslide in the mountains. Hundreds of cars, buses, and trucks waited to cross the mountains, but there was no honking or yelling; folks just got out of their vehicles, got cold drinks, and started making new friends. That’s the Tico way: Try to have a good time, no matter what is happening. By the time the mountain road was cleared, many people were hugging and kissing goodbye before they hopped into their vehicles. I wonder if this scene would be replicated in the US?
