Puerto Viejo

Last weekend Megan, a classmate, and I hopped a bus to Puerto Viejo, the Caribbean costal town with a reputation for parties and great surf. We got in late and unfortunately were met with rain and a mile long hike to our hostel, Rocking J’s. Other than the anticipated collection of European and American tourists, this hostel was unlike any other place I’ve stayed. The décor included tiled mosaics covering the walking paths and carved out trees for benches. It was almost completely open air and offered campsites and hammocks along with a couple of enclosed rooms. Feeling adventuresome I decided to brave the $5 hammock which I only partially regret due to all the mosquito bites I’ve been itching ever since.

The next day we were treated to clear blue skies and decided to venture out from Puerto Viejo to Manzanillo, a town and national park just down the coast. A group of us, including several Brits, a Canadian and a guy from Seattle that Megan had rounded up the night before, rented cruisers (you know, the bikes that brake when you pedal backwards) for $4 and hit the road. On the way, we happened across a pack of howler monkeys in the trees. They look like you’d expect monkeys to look with gangly limbs, long, agile tails and big balls (as Megan graciously pointed out and insisted: “well they do!”). However, what’s unique isn’t their appearance but rather the sound they make that has earned them their name. It’s a deep, eerie, guttural noise that starts from an individual monkey and is then compounded as others join in. It sounds like something you might expect to come from a creature in your favorite horror flick. Occasionally, as we biked, we’d hear the noise come from deep within the forest, each time giving me the creeps.

The second most notable part of the trip for me was… breakfast! At the hostel, the most popular item on the menu consisted of gallo pinto (rice and beans), huevos revueltos (scrambled eggs), fresh fruit, tortillas and coffee. Lather that in salsa picante (the Canadian’s idea) and you’ve got “El Desayuno Mas Famoso de Puerto Viejo. “ Yum.

Sadly, much of the rest of the weekend was slowed by torrential rains allowing me to meet my alcohol quota for the whole trip, engage in broken conversations in English with some of the foreigners at the hostel and finish Running with Scissors. As it turned out, that was for the best as getting back early made it possible for me to see Shakira live in concert! And yes, I’m still bragging about it! :D