Costa Rica has been quite the adventure. We zipped over the jungle in Monteverde and rode the rapids in La Fortuna. A night walk was part of the agenda in our glamping site in Sarapiqui. Later we watched a turtle lay eggs in Tortuguero. Now we were headed to our final destination, Puerto Viejo.
It was a rainy morning for our hour long boat ride back to the main road from Tortuguero. Because of the rain, they pulled the plastic walls down on both sides of the boat to keep us dry. This made the boat hot and sticky inside and prevented me from looking for sloths. As we were going on the brown river full of caiman (well, probably not full, but we saw a few the day before!), our boat started making noises and came to a stop. This was not good. Everyone was looking around at each other thinking, “What is going on? Are we going to have to swim? Do we need to call home and say our final goodbye?”
Danny was sitting at the front of the boat completely unbothered. I yelled his name to get his attention to see if he could provide some information about what was happening. He told us that he’s used to things like this happening, and he forgot we aren’t! I don’t recall what was wrong with the boat, but we were all on edge for the rest of the ride. Luckily we made it back! Our boat pulled up on the river bank that was all mud from the continuing rain. The challenge now was getting the luggage off the boat without getting it muddy, or someone falling. We made an assembly line to pass the luggage off the boat. Team work!
With all the luggage and ourselves on the bus, we started our long journey to Puerto Viejo. Puerto Viejo is a charming town on the Caribbean with beautiful beaches. We arrived in the early evening and had a quick walking tour of the town and then dinner.
The next morning my friend Cori and I went out to enjoy coffee on the beach. It was a beautiful, peaceful morning. I love being at the beach. Afterwards went back and met the rest of our group for a bike ride.
We all got beach cruisers and rode our bikes on the road, parallel to the beach. We eventually stopped at one beach to just hang out. However, with no shade and the UV index being 11 (burning weather) I knew I’d have to cover up. This was not an ideal day at the beach of me. Everyone else, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind that the UV index was extremely high. That evening, however, they would regret it when their sunburns appeared. About an hour into our beach stay, the group decided they wanted to go snorkeling. We biked back to the hotel and piled into a minivan that would take us to our final boat ride.
I have been snorkeling many, many times, all over the world. I’ve seen some incredible things snorkeling. This snorkeling trip, well, let’s just say I’ve seen better. I couldn’t get my mask to defog, and someone threw up from the motion of the waves. Another person got cut from the coral AND stung by a sea anemone. The group asked to return to land before the tour was over. It wasn’t the best, but it’s all part of the adventure! Thankfully there’s a 24 hour clinic in Puerto Viejo, and the doctor was able to remove the anemones from her leg so she could enjoy her 18th birthday! Yes, it was her birthday. No, that was not the present she wanted!
The next morning we packed our bags and loaded up the bus for the last time. We were headed back to San Jose where the trip would come to an end. It seemed I was not going to get a close up view of the one thing I had really wanted to see in Costa Rica, a sloth. Throughout all my adventures, I was always looking for a sloth. However, as luck would have it, on our final drive back to San Jose I finally saw one up close!
We were all in the bus, headphones in our ears, when the bus unexpectedly pulled off to the side of the road. Danny yelled my name, and I knew it was a sloth! We all rushed off the bus and walked down the road to where the sloth was hanging. Danny was a little nervous because there wasn’t a sidewalk. As soon as we got to the sloth, Danny took my phone to get a good picture for me. He was trying to get us back on the bus as quickly as possible! Nevertheless, I saw my sloth! I was very thankful that Danny pulled the bus over so I could see it. I even shared the story with my students!
We made one more stop on the way to San Jose. We stopped at a restaurant with a beautiful view of a river. While eating my final empanada in Costa Rica, I watched people swim and fish, and hummingbirds flying around. If only all pit stops were as beautiful as here!
We had one last dinner together in San Jose and said our final goodbyes. Feeling exhausted and tired of wearing the same clothes for two weeks, I was ready to go home. However, I would have to stick it out for one more night as I booked a cheaper flight that didn’t leave until late Sunday night. Feeling exhausted, I spent most of my final day making the most of having fast WiFi in my room!
Overall, I had a wonderful time in Costa Rica and would love to return one day. I’d really like to have another attempt at the Tarzan swing. I’d like to think I could redeem myself and jump off a 130 ft. platform! If I were to visit again, I’d try to visit during the less rainy season. I think it would be nice to snorkel, go on a boat tour, and zipline over the treetops without the fog and rain. I would also love to return and see the baby turtles head to the ocean. There is so much to see and experience, even glamping with poisonous frogs! Costa Rica is a beautiful country, and I would highly recommend it to anyone!
A big thank you to Andrea for sharing her experiences despite a busy schedule of starting a new school year. If you have any final thoughts for her be sure to put them in the comment section below.
Wow. What a trip!
It was a wonderful trip! Better late than never! :o)