Random Thoughts about Puerto Viejo

Here I am, back in the rainforest. Listening to howlers, toucans and the odd truck passing on its way to Panama.  Google where I am.  It is not quite as isolated at Zancudo or the Osa Peninsula (both in the south west of Costa Rica) but it is pretty out of the way.

 I stayed at a small resort, owned and managed by an older French woman who is so stero-typical - slim, cigarette smoking, elegant looking, black hair, red lipstick, red long fingernails, multi-lingual, very present with her staff and so forth.  Oh, she has a dog who follows her everywhere. Place is super clean though which is more than I can say for some of the places I have seen around here.  Shwandha Lodge.  Food was great, french trained chef, what can I say.  Last night I had tuna with ginger sauce. Tuna was perfect! French as well as Chilean wines and good jazz in the lounge.  Nice pool, small but lovely and great landscaping.

There is a definite Caribbean feel here in the region.  Lots of mixed race folks of various hues, lots of music, mostly reggae of one sort or another; rap reggae is the new thing I guess, at least I had not heard it before.  I haven’t seen many Americans or Canadians.  Lots of Europeans from all over.  This place has French and Swedish with a couple from Spain.

The Caribbean coast is quite different than the west.  For one it is is more humid than what I remember on the west coast and I am told it has been quite rainy this year.  The night I arrived it rained so hard I thought the roof might leak but the palm fronds held up. Yesterday was sunny and I went to the beach.  Warm water but because of the storms the sea was quite rough.  I didn’t swim near the hotel but later walked down the beach toward Punta Ulva and found a pretty good swim beach. 

 As I passed through Puerto Viejo it looked like a ratty seaside town with loads of young hippy types who must be Americans or young Europeans, hard to tell. I am told Cahita has a drug problem but Puerto Viejo does not. Not sure why but I do know that we are close to Jamaica and there must be traffic between the two places.  Also, the road got paved about 5 years ago and I think it has brought more traffic to and from Panama but it is still a back road and many of the young tourists are all on bikes. My sense is though that it is a pretty low end area, no big hotels that I can see, lots of small cheaper versions of where I am staying.  In any event,  I just wanted to see what this area is all about.  Nice so far but i probably won’t come back. I had hoped it offered a bit more than what I have seen. I think the west coast is nicer, at least that is my impression after a short stay, that and all my clothes are damp or wet.

Notwithstanding, life here by the beach is Pura Vida