Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.

 

After traveling for two weeks along the Pacific side of the country, we made our way back to San Jose to catch a bus to the Caribbean side.

So far my view of CR was that it was very beautiful, but we were on the backpacker trail. I wanted to see Costa Rica beyond the western tourist traps.

So we headed to Puerto Viejo, our home for the next month.

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We got off the bus and were greeted with a salty ocean breeze and the smell bbq pollo. People were riding around on bikes, bars were buzzing with locals, and reggae music can be heard on every street of the town.

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Getting a taxi was a little challenging, since all the taxi cars were unmarked. We finally walked around and found a guy who will give us a ride for $6.

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Our rental was in Playa Cocles- one town over from Puerto Viejo and less than 2 miles from the center of town.

This is our street…

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Puerto Viejo is a picturesque Caribbean town. Beautiful beaches, roadside fruit stands, palm tree-thatched bars serving tropical drinks. Good vibes always.

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Our rental was 2 bedroom hut in the middle of the jungle at the end of a long dirt road. It opened up completely with lots of windows, a huge patio, and plenty of giant Orb spiders to keep us company.

Many of our neighbors were American expats - one of whom was a doctor that specialized in holistic medicine.

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Every night we cooked big veggie dinners and went to bed listening to the sounds of the rainforest- which were louder than the fan in my room.

Our means of transportation were bikes that we rented for $40 /month.

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The area of Puerto Viejo is very health conscious. There's a lot of vegetarian restaurants and natural products are sold in most stores. A yogis paradise.

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Coffee and chocolate are widely grown throughout Costa Rica. There's no shortage of cacao here. 

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I tried the Coco Azteca.. Pure melted chocolate with spices.

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We would stop by small coffee shops with local art and homemade pastries.  

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Since there was a surplus of local veggies, and meats and diary were way too expensive- we adopted a vegan lifestyle.

Fresh fruit smoothies, bright green salads, raw cacao cake, and spicy veggie stir fries were all we ate.

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There’s plenty of outdoor activities to do around PV, including waterfall hiking near Bri Bri- right by the border of Panama. 

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The air was hot and humid, which made the pool under the waterfall feel so good.

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Snacks were homemade hummus, fresh pita bread from the market, veggies, almonds, and local chocolate :)

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Curious creatures everywhere…

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Years later I came back to do my first yoga teacher training here. I picked that specific training because it was in PV.

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The pace is slow so you can appreciate the beauty. The food is fresh so you can nourish the body.

The jungle is deep so you can clear your mind.

Puerto Viejo is the place that stole my heart.

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