Puerto Viejo

After San José, my first stop on my journey was a small place called Puerto Viejo. In the past, many Afro-Caribbean people from Jamaica came here to help with the construction of the railroad. To this day, many descendants still live in Puerto Viejo, which makes the place very special compared to 'normal Costa Rica.' It is not the typical Costa Rica that one usually knows, but an interesting mix of different cultures that meet here. Due to the Afro-Caribbean influence, for example, the food is different, and overall, there is just a completely different atmosphere here. For me, it often felt as if I were on a small Thai island.

By coincidence, I was there at a time when the place was particularly crowded. The 'Día del Negro' was being celebrated. This is a holiday that commemorates the 'First International Convention for Blacks.' Accordingly, the atmosphere here was amazing and everyone was celebrating. On my first real evening, I went out with a few people from the hostel after I had explored the town and the beaches during the day. The evening was genuinely fun, and it felt great to dance again and be at a party. The next day, I needed to sleep in for a long time. I had gone to bed quite late and had also had a few drinks :D

Nevertheless, I became active that day. For a few dollars, I rented a bicycle and rode it to the end of the main street. This street goes all the way to 'Manzanillo' - a significantly smaller and quieter place. On the way there, there were really great beaches that were a bit different from those directly in Puerto Viejo. It was incredibly relaxing to just ride around on the bicycle and observe everything around me. I actually rode quite a bit. A total of about 30 kilometers. I then let the evening wind down quietly because I was pretty tired from the last two days and had to take my transfer to Tortuguero the next morning at 6:00 AM.