Weekend in Puerto Viejo

The first weekend in Costa Rica was truly amazing. We planned the trip during the week and booked the hostel in advance. On Friday, after our Spanish classes, we took the bus towards the Caribbean coast. We traveled for about 5 hours and then arrived in Puerto Viejo, a popular vacation destination.
You can't help but be enchanted by the Caribbean atmosphere—people are everywhere on the streets, Spanish/Latin American music is playing, and many are dancing.
Upon arrival, we checked into the hostel and then went out to eat, where I had Casado again :)
The next day, we visited the nearby national park and saw many exotic animals up close. The plant life was incredible as well!! I saw a sloth, many monkeys, a raccoon, small yellow snakes, crabs, and much more :)
Afterward, we went into the water, which was around 28°!
In the evening, we celebrated the birthday of Oz, a guy from England, and we were at a bar with a live band.
The next morning, we discovered Playa Negro, the black beach, which was truly special. Unfortunately, the journey home didn’t go as planned; on the way through the jungle, many palm trees fell onto the road due to heavy rain, so we had to take an alternate route that took an extra 3 hours.
The weekend was so great, and the Caribbean coast was so beautiful! I’m already looking forward to seeing the kids on Monday when I start my volunteer project for the first time :)
Sleep well - see you tomorrow Paola