Casa en el Agua

28th Jan 2025 sarakmorrisonLeave a comment

For our last destination along Colombia’s Caribbean coast, Hannah and I headed somewhere pretty special. Months before we got there, when we were still in Scotland and planning the trip, we were trying to figure out a rough itinerary. Seeing as it was a long trip, two and a half months over three countries, we wanted to leave room for flexibility. The itinerary for Honduras was pretty set but beyond that, we had started to figure out where we wanted to go and a rough order but considering we were going to be travelling in low season for Central America, it wasn’t necessary to book everything way in advance.

That is, other than this place. I can’t remember exactly how I came across it but I think it was on Instagram. A picture perfect location that honestly didn’t look real and definitely not like somewhere I would ever have thought I’d be able to visit. Except, it was just a few hours from Cartagena where we already knew we would be going! Because it’s such an incredible place, it books up fast all year round. So the first part of our time in Colombia was built around the nights that we were able to book in what is possibly heaven on earth – Casa en el Agua.

Casa en el Agua touts itself as an eco-friendly hostel and is located in the San Bernardo Islands, about two hours by boat from Cartagena. Ten islands make up the archipelago, nine natural and one man-made, and Casa en el Agua is found just off the largest one, Isla Tintipán, and near Santa Cruz del Islote, the artificial island that is known for being the most densely populated island in the world (you might want to fact check that though). Almost all of the staff come from the surrounding islands. The hostel is in Parque Nacional Natural Corales del Rosario y San Bernardo and does everything it can to respect and protect the beautiful surroundings. This park holds the biggest coral reef on the Colombian Caribbean coast and you can find 170 species of fish, 52 types of coral and 25 sponges.

To get there, you have to book the boat journey through the hostel’s partner boat company, Tranq It Easy. It leaves the main pier in Cartagena at 9am and costs $70 for the return journey. You can pay this online as well as for the hostel but make sure to bring cash for your bar tab, any tours and extra food! It’s also recommended to leave your big bags on the mainland as space on the boat and in the hostel is limited. We had stayed in Republica hostel in Cartagena, partly because we had seen that they have bag storage (and it was a great hostel anyway).

As soon as you get off the boat, you’re welcomed with a drink and a snack (an empanada for us) and then we got shown to our hammocks. Upstairs, there are a number of private rooms and one dorm but running around the outside is a balcony full of hammocks. We had opted for this because the dorm was sold out and the private rooms would stretch the budget even more than we already were! I actually loved being in a hammock though – I love sleeping in a hammock, the balcony got a nice cool breeze at night and seeing as it’s literally a floating hostel, I didn’t have any concerns about leaving my stuff lying around. There is a bit of noise that comes up from the party downstairs at night that might bother you if you leave early but that’s just part of what you sign up for.

Downstairs, there are plenty of spots to lounge including hammocks, the central table used for meal times, other tables and sun beds. Hannah and I had gotten a bit confused in our research and initially didn’t think that food was included in the price but it turns out it was! Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all included which made the more expensive beds (or hammocks in this case) better value in our eyes. Breakfast was usually eggs, some Colombian pastries and fruit. For lunch and dinner, there’s either a fish or veggie option plus you can change it to fresh crab and lobster for an extra £8. There’s a bar where you can buy drinks and snacks (though the meal portions were big enough that I didn’t need anything!), all done through a wristband you get when you check in. Plus, there’s coffee, tea and drinking water available for free all day!

First things first after we arrived, it was into our swimsuits and that was pretty much it for the weekend! I found my friend Jing who I had originally met in the bus station in Santa Marta on our way up to Punta Gallinas. I introduced her to Hannah and she introduced us to a Dutch girl called Rachel and we became a little crew, not just for our time in Casa en el Agua but beyond! We met lots of great people while we were there, only a night for some of them but there’s a few that I still keep in touch with. There were Carlos and Ana, a couple from Gran Canaria, a group of English lads that I definitely stereotyped before we got chatting to them but who were actually lovely (I figured out that one of them had lived in China as well and spoke Chinese too so we baffled the group by having a conversation together!), Rachel and Evan, an English couple on a big South America trip, and a Colombian guy called Daniel.

The afternoon was basically spent alternating between swimming and reading which is my idea of heaven. It was such a picture perfect place, a photoshoot had to be had and then we sat around taking in the beautiful sunset before grabbing a shower. The showers are only available in the evening for a couple of hours. They’re not great, really just a trickle of fresh water but it’s good to wash the salt off. That’s all you really need seeing as most people are only really there for a day or two and you’re just going to get straight back into the ocean. The toilets were not as bad as I thought they would be either. Casa en el Agua has dry toilets meaning that they don’t flush or use any water so you just have a pee into it or if you have to go number two, you pour some sawdust and lime onto it which helps it decompose. It’s another part of the eco-friendly nature of the hostel.

In the evening, the vibes really pick up and the party starts! I was having a great time, having a bit of a boogie and decided to join some of our new friends for a night time swim which was great fun! Until… I got stung by a jellyfish! Something was irritating my neck and then there was this sharp pain across my elbow and a little over my stomach and back. I knew what it was because I’ve been stung before but it doesn’t make it hurt less. I got some ice and one of the girls that works there got me some vinegar. Thankfully the pain didn’t actually last as long as the last time I was stung and the ice helped relieve it. I stayed up for a little longer having a dance and then slipped away to go to bed.

I woke up with the sun on our second day but was quite happy just chilling in my hammock for a while. Then it was bikini and shorts on, kindle in hand, ready for the day. We said goodbye to those people that were leaving after breakfast and then the day alternated between reading, swimming, playing some cards before watching the sunset again. The hostel does have equipment you can use for free like snorkels and ones you can rent like stand up paddle boards, kayaks and wakeboards as well as tours but Hannah and I were mostly happy doing nothing. We did do a lap of the hostel with some snorkels and I watched Hannah jump off the platform upstairs. I wasn’t feeling as much in the party mood that night and it seemed like most of the people I had been spending time with also opted for an early night. I quite enjoyed lying in my hammock with my book, listening to the music from downstairs.

On our last morning, I got woken up at 4am by the biggest clap of thunder and ended up watching a thunderstorm across the water which was a bit magical. Other than the faraway storm, it was quiet with most people still sleeping and the temperature was lovely and cool. I got a little more sleep before getting up properly at 6.30. I decided against getting in the water, as much as I was tempted, but I didn’t want to be damp on the boat back and it was actually a little chilly! I spent the morning reading more (why break a habit of a lifetime!) and then it was back to Cartagena to pick up our bags and head to the airport to move onto the next stage of our Colombia trip…

This was an incredible experience, I’m so glad we did it and two nights was the perfect amount of time but it is also a very expensive experience. We stayed in hammocks for 230,000COP (£46) a night and the return boat ride was $70 (£56) so a total of £148. I think the bed (or hammock in this case) price is justified because that also includes three meals a day. However I do think the boat is overpriced even if it is a two hour journey. I have no regrets but I recognise that it’s an expensive thing to do, especially if you add on tours or activities while you’re there. I was more than happy to do nothing and appreciate what we were paying for – the stunning location and the novelty of staying in a floating hostel. For me, it was worth it.

Punta Gallinas

1st Oct 202427th Feb 2025 sarakmorrisonLeave a comment

At this point in our trip Hannah and I were six weeks in with four to go. We had been exploring the northern coast of Colombia for ten days and after visiting Minca, Hannah wanted to do the Ciudad Perdida trek. Also known as the Lost City trek, it’s four days of hiking through the jungle to an ancient archaeological site. I knew from the beginning that I didn’t want to do it (four days of trekking in extreme humidity isn’t my idea of fun) so I was looking for something else to do for a few days.

I decided to visit Punta Gallinas, the most northern point not just in Colombia, but in South America. There are many reasons to explore this often overlooked area of Colombia, not just because it’s cool to say you’ve been there! The desert landscape of the region of La Guajira is unlike anywhere else in the country, the beaches are stunning and you can get to know a little about the indigenous Wayuu culture.

It’s not really possible to go further than Manaure (the first stop on day one of most tours) by bus because La Guajira doesn’t have much of a public transport system. I booked a three day tour through Expotur which, after doing some research, seemed like the most reliable option. They have a two day tour but that only takes you halfway to Punta Gallinas, the three day tour, which is the one I did and would recommend, and a four day tour. I met some people later on in the trip who had done the four day tour and wouldn’t recommend it because it was basically the same as the three day tour but with a beach day in the middle. The price for their tours depends on how many people are on the tour but for the three day option it ranges from $190pp for six people to $665pp for one person. I had two others on my tour so it ended up being somewhere in the middle at $275 or £215. It was a bit of a splurge but I don’t regret it. The tour was amazing and I wouldn’t have been able to experience that region by myself in the same way. The price includes all your food, accommodation, transport and a driver/guide (English or Spanish speaking). I took some snacks with me and didn’t even touch them so you’re well looked after.

I started my tour in Riohacha, although there was the option to get picked up from Santa Marta and dropped there afterwards. I opted to just get the four hour public bus from Santa Marta which I’m pleased about because I made a friend, Jing from Germany, who was also headed to Riohacha and hoping to get on a tour up to Punta Gallinas. She only had one day so she didn’t end up coming on my tour but I did see her again (stay tuned). I left my big backpack in our hostel, Masaya Santa Marta, where I would meet up with Hannah after our respective trips. I would recommend doing this because space can be a little tight in the car. If it’s not available at your hostel, you can leave your bag in the Expotur office either in Santa Marta or Riohacha. I also really recommend the Masaya hostel in Santa Marta. It’s a small chain across Colombia and I can personally recommend the one in Medellín and based on these good experiences, I imagine the rest are also great!

Once I arrived in Riohacha, Jing and I shared a taxi to our nearby hostels. I stayed in Hostel Riohacha 1545 which was absolutely fine for one night. I didn’t do much while I was here other than checking in at the tour office before departure the next morning and going out for dinner. My Lonely Planet guide book didn’t have much to say about Riohacha but it did suggest Casa de los Mariscos which was just around the corner from my hostel so that’s where I went. I wanted something with octopus and asked the waitress what she would recommend. I ended up with pulpo gratinado which was very tender octopus in a cheese sauce and topped with more cheese. As much as I love cheese, I was sceptical and I wasn’t expecting this to be as good a combo as it was!

Tours to Punta Gallinas are weather dependent and mine was touch and go for a while because there had been heavy rain in the past few days. I saw why that would have been an issue once I saw the roads (or lack of!). Thankfully, when I turned up at the office on the morning of the tour, we got the go ahead. There were two others on my tour, a pair of Italian friends called Matteo and Federico, and we had a local driver called Wilder who was the tour guide as well. It seemed like a good group to have for the next few days together. I got given the front seat so the guys could spread out in the back seat and I wasn’t complaining!

We drove for about an hour and a half to our first stop, the Manaure salt flats. The salt flats were interesting but it was a very quick look around with a couple of other tour groups, ironically more Italians who had their own guide translating. We actually ended up seeing them and a few other groups at most of the stops that day and some the next day too. The best part was getting to do a passion fruit salt hand scrub at the end! From Manaure we kept driving towards Uribia, at this point still along proper roads, until the path was blocked by lots of trucks. I’m not quite sure what was going on, it might have been some kind of strike, but it was the first test for the 4×4 we were in. Beyond Uribia, you almost exclusively see 4x4s, motorbikes and horses anyway.

As we were driving down the more unofficial route, we came across the first instance of the road being blocked in some way, in this case by some rope but at other times by a strip of cloth or even a bike chain. This happened when we were driving through land belonging to the Wayuu people (the local indigenous group). We saw it a lot more on the second day as our surroundings got more rural. To pass through, it’s polite to offer something as a sort of tax, it could be a couple of hundred pesos but we had various things to give them like bags of water, guava sweets, crisps or dehydrated cane sugar. Sometimes it was frustrating when there were ten right after each other but in general I understand why they do it.

We actually arrived in Cabo de la Vela, where we would be staying the first night, around 1pm and in time for lunch. Cabo de la Vela isn’t big, just one road along the coast, and isn’t big on tourism but what tourism it does have is built around kitesurfing. For lunch I had opted for a Colombian classic, chivo, which is goat! It wasn’t terrible but not my favourite either.

The rest of the day was spent visiting some nearby attractions. The first stop was Playa Arcoiris (Rainbow Beach) which is more of a viewpoint than a beach, called that because of the way the water catches the light when it splashes up. Just around the corner is the Pilón de Azúcar (the sugar pile, so called because when the sun hits it, it appears white from afar). It’s a sacred site to the Wayuu people. It was a short but steep scramble up to the top but worth it for the views! And guess who I saw at the top? The girl I met on the bus, Jing! It turns out that we were also going to the same, very exciting hostel together a few days later and then also on the same flight to Medellin! After descending the pilón very carefully, we had a bit of time to relax at Playa Dorada (Golden Beach) at the bottom before moving on to the next spot.

We squeezed in a quick stop at the Ojo de Agua, a beach with a small freshwater pool where there is also a hill known as a La Tortuga because it looks like a turtle! Personally I thought the view from the ‘turtle shell’ back to shore actually looked more like a turtle but to each their own. Our final stop was at the lighthouse for sunset which was incredible. After the sunset, it got dark very quickly so we just headed back to the hotel. Our accommodation for the night was in chinchorros , traditional hammocks that are a bit bigger than the standard with decorative edges, with the beach just steps away. It wasn’t the best night’s sleep but I was tired enough from the busy day that I fell asleep at 9pm.

On day two, the journey towards Punta Gallinas, the most northern point in South America, continued. I woke up with the sun and to the sound of the waves which was pretty cool. Our first stop was Bahia Hondita, about three hours’ drive from Cabo de la Vela. On the way there, there were lots of stops for the unofficial taxes that we’d encountered the day before. We had a couple of hours at Bahia Hondita to swim and read and that’s where we had lunch as well. It was one of the most beautiful spots of the whole tour but the pictures I have just don’t do it justice.

The next and maybe most anticipated stop was the dunes of Taroa where you can sand board. This went… about as well as I expected! I knew there was no chance I could do it standing up like some other people were. I sat myself down and tried to go slowly so I could enjoy it (a lesson I learnt from volcano boarding in Nicaragua years ago). Just before the beach there was a pretty steep drop that I tried to slow down for which caused me to tumble off anyway though! I wasn’t hurt, just covered in sand, and I actually think it made it more fun! I just immediately got in the water to wash everything off. The last stretch of driving for the day brought me two of my highlights. We had a very quick, unofficial stop at Mirador de Casares which was my favourite view of the tour. I also didn’t have belting out Flower of Scotland with two Italians on my Punta Gallinas bingo card but I loved it! It was even one of the Italians that had it downloaded on his phone, not me!

And then we made it to Punta Gallinas itself! We were just in time for sunset which was so beautiful, thankfully because the most northern point of South America was actually a bit disappointing, just another weird, spindly lighthouse with a beach. We had some time there so I walked along the beach a bit. Our accommodation was just along the coast a little where we got shown to our chinchorros and had time for a shower before dinner. While the previous day there had only been bucket showers, here there was an actual shower but the water pressure had me longing for the buckets! Once it was dark, there wasn’t much to do other than take our time chatting over lobster rice for dinner.

Day three of the tour is just about making your way back down to Riohacha. From Punta Gallinas to Uribia, where we stopped for lunch, it was about four and a half hours. It was another hour and a half to Riohacha and from there I had organised a transfer to Santa Marta through Expotur for an additional fee. I feel like it was a good choice because I only got there at 8pm and it would have taken even longer on the public bus. 13 hours on the road was already long enough for me! I was reunited in Santa Marta with Hannah who had just finished the four day trek to Ciudad Perdida, having left the day I went to Riohacha. What made Hannah such a good travel companion (one of many reasons) was that we were happy spending so much time together but were also really good at letting each other have our own time and space. Sometimes that meant one of us chilling in our room and one in the common area of the hostel, it could be Hannah going for a hike while I read my book in a coffee shop or me saying I don’t want to hike for four days but I love that for you, go ahead!

This tour was a little more of a splurge than I would usually go for while travelling but I do think it was worth it. I spent £215 on a three day tour but I didn’t have to spend any extra money within that time. There really is no other way to visit Punta Gallinas and everything on the way, unless you want to hitchhike the whole way (…through a desert…). The Guajira region was so different to anywhere else I saw in Colombia that I feel like it highlighted to me the diversity that exists in the country. Going from the lush Tayrona National Park to the desert in Guajira to sparkling Caribbean water to big cities like Medellín and Bogotá, Colombia really has it all!

Just a nice collection of *chinchorros*…

A Tale of Two Beach Trips

29th May 202429th May 2024 sarakmorrisonLeave a comment

Before the blog posts move from Panama on to Colombia, I’m going to take another short break to write about a few different things. First up, I am almost nine months into living in Costa Rica (and there might be something coming soon to celebrate that!) which I can barely believe. Obviously one of the things I love about living abroad is the opportunity to get to know new places and make the most of where I am by travelling around. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, it hasn’t been as easy to travel while I’ve been here, although I have managed to fit in a few weekends away and also been able to travel with work a little bit. Today, I’m telling you a tale of two beach trips, one to Dominical on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and one to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast.

Before Christmas, I didn’t really travel much because I was saving my pennies to be able to visit my sister in her new home in the British Virgin Islands. However, I knew that I wanted to go away for the weekend around my birthday as a treat to myself. Initially, the main requirement was just that it was by the beach because I needed some time by the ocean. I decided on Dominical, a tiny town on the Pacific coast, in between Manuel Antonio and Uvita. It is basically two roads, one down from the main highway that has all of the shops and restaurants on it and then another that runs along the beach. Dominical is a popular surfing spot so the town has some of that laid back, no shoes kind of energy to it. However, this area is home to a lot of Americans who have bought property so it has developed to accommodate that as well, with more upmarket options. I really liked Dominical, it was perfect for the weekend break I wanted but I will say that it is overwhelmingly filled with tourists, mostly Americans. It feels like that takes away some of the authenticity and maybe some of the charm of it. That’s not to say it’s not worth visiting! I just think it’s important to bear in mind.

The main reason I chose Dominical, other than wanting to be by the beach, was because it’s the best jumping off point for visiting the Nauyaca waterfall which had been recommended to me by a friend. From Dominical, I got the 6.20am bus towards San Isidro and asked the driver to let me know when we got to the waterfall. It was about 500 colones (70p) and only about 20 minutes. It sounds really early but it meant that I got there right when the ticket office opened at 7am and otherwise it can be tricky to get there and back by public transport. If you arrive by public transport, there is a bus back to Dominical that passes at 12,20, stopping at the bus stop just opposite the ticket office. It also meant that after I had hiked through, I was one of the first people there and by the time I was leaving it was only just starting to get busy. There are a few options when it comes to tickets. I went for the cheapest, $10 just for access which means hiking 5 km either way. You can also pay $32 to take a pick up truck both ways or pay an extra 6000 colones on top of the access fee to get the truck just on the way back. There are also horseback riding tours for $80-90.

The first stretch is 2 km of paved road down to the car park that is very steep! It took me twenty minutes going down but I reckon it would have been double that walking up. From there, the road is more of a track, clear enough but a bit bumpy and I imagine it would be muddy if it had rained a lot. Most of it was flat or with a slight incline with some steeper stretches for about 3.5 km. The second section took me an hour on the way there and only 35 minutes on the way back because it was mostly downhill. Only a couple of people passed me on foot and 300m from the end, the first pick-up truck that you can take went past and I got a big cheer from everyone on board which was lovely. Even though I started early, it was already very hot and humid! I recommend bringing lots of water, electrolytes and some snacks because there’s nothing after the ticket office, though there are taps with drinking water at the entrance to the falls themselves. It was pretty much my perfect hike, not too long, not too hard and beautiful. I really enjoyed the walk, it’s a lovely area with beautiful surroundings and has the best reward when you get to the end of it.

Nauyaca is technically made up of two falls, the upper and the lower ones. You can swim at both but I think it’s nicer in the lower falls. I went along to the upper falls first and they really are quite impressive. They have such height to them. I’ve seen a lot of waterfalls over the years, they’re a dime a dozen across Central America, and sometimes they can feel the same or a bit disappointing but I thought this one was really special. There was something about the way the sun, which hadn’t risen over the top of the falls yet, reflected off the water falling over the top that made it seem like a scene out of an anime film. I lounged around reading my book for a while, enjoying the peace before many other people arrived before going for a swim. A top tip for getting photos of yourself when you’re on your own: ask the group of Gen Z girls that have just been having a photoshoot!

I made sure to leave in plenty of time for the bus I wanted to get back down to Dominical. I passed a lot of people on my way out and there were already a lot more at the falls when I left so I think going early, particularly on a Saturday, was a smart thing to do. It only took me 40 minutes to walk back to the car park where I took a break. As I started walking back up to the road (which, as I had imagined, was much worse uphill), I managed to hitch a ride with a couple I had spoken to earlier. It was definitely a more bearable journey that way!

The bus back down to Dominical was supposed to pass by at 12.20 but it was a little late. Once I made it back to my hostel, I made some lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon reading my book in a hammock. That’s pretty much my happy place so I was very content. This feels like a good moment to give a massive recommendation to the hostel I stayed in, Cool Vibes. From what I can tell it’s one of only two hostels in Dominical. I loved it, everyone was really friendly, the staff were helpful, there’s a big kitchen, lots of chill common spaces and a small pool for relaxing. I was in a dorm with a mosquito net and a personal fan which was helpful for the heat. It’s actually right next door to the other hostel in town which I read some bad reviews about and looked a bit dingy, although it also looked like it was under renovation.

Cool Vibes is also less than 100m from the beach! Caribbean beaches in Costa Rica are generally deemed to be a bit nicer but the Pacific coast has one big advantage – the sunsets are beautiful! I took advantage of this and went down to the beach both evenings I was there (I arrived just after dark on my first night so missed the sunset). Then, after getting up at 5.30am, I was in need of an early night!

On my second full day, I wanted to walk to the neighbouring beach, Dominicalito. It’s supposed to be nicer than Playa Dominical with smaller waves better for beginner surfers (not that I was surfing) and for swimming. You can walk all the way along the main beach, cut up onto the road briefly and then back down onto Dominicalito. It was beautiful! It took just under an hour to walk there, I’m not quite sure exactly how long because I stopped a couple of times to talk to a friend or to read and enjoy the view. Once I had arrived on Domincalito and spent a bit of time there, I walked out of the main entrance to the beach and stopped for a smoothie at Kunjani Cafe, between the beach and my next destination. I had an orange and passion fruit smoothie while trying to finish my book which was my mission for the weekend. Along the road from Kunjani, across the river and up the hill a little there is a track off the road that leads to another waterfall! Very different from Nauyaca, Poza Azul is a lovely wee spot, entrance is free which is a bit of a rarity in Costa Rica and it’s usually pretty quiet. The water was quite low because it hasn’t been raining a lot but the pool is still quite deep at the centre. Deep enough anyway to use the rope swing at the edge of the pool but not enough to jump of the top off the falls, although apparently you can at times!

From here I headed home, spent more time in the hammock during the afternoon, finished my book and headed down to the beach for sunset. I had decided to take myself out for a nice dinner on my last night (otherwise I was making food in the hostel to save money) because this was, after all, my birthday trip! I went to a place called Phat Noodle where I had a delicious pad thai with pulled pork which was an unexpectedly good combination. The staff were also super friendly and very surprised when I actually spoke Spanish!

The next day I headed back to Cartago, down a different route than I had taken to arrive that basically went through two national parks, Tapanti and Los Quetzales. It reminded me a lot of driving through the mountains on the way to Candelaria in Honduras. This was my first weekend away to explore Costa Rica since I arrived in October and it reminded me how much I love to travel. Almost as soon as I got home, I booked another trip for not long after!

This second trip was also to the beach but on the opposite side of the country. Around Easter we had a few extra days off school and the volunteers were all planning on travelling that weekend as well. That gave me a long weekend to play with, making a trip to the Caribbean side a lot more worthwhile as it’s a little further than the Pacific. I ended up being in the area for the week prior, helping on a GVI school group programme (more on that soon) which worked out to give me an extra day so I was actually there for four full days. The main town that people visit on the Caribbean coast is Puerto Viejo, a very laid back place. It’s popular with surfers, hippies and Costa Ricans alike. The area is also known for having more of a mix of cultures, blending Costa Rican culture with afro-caribbean influences and aspects of the indigenous Bribri culture.

I actually opted to stay in Playa Cocles, 1.5 km down the road from the centre of Puerto Viejo. I was staying at the fabulous Playa 506 Beachfront Hostel and it really is right on the beach. I stayed in a 6 bed female dorm and paid a bit extra to have air con which I really appreciated. There’s a restaurant and bar on site but they’re quite expensive in my opinion. Saying that, I did treat myself to a cocktail the size of my head on the first night! There’s also a big kitchen where you can cook and a supermarket a five minute walk away. From the restaurant you can walk 20 metres to get onto the beach. It was the perfect place to relax and in the perfect location with the beach just out the back of the hostel. I think this beach is much nicer than any in town and the water is cleaner for swimming in as well. It’s also a good place to base yourself with Puerto Viejo and Cahuita on one side and Punta Uva and Manzanillo on the other.

After what had been a busy week with work, I went to bed early and slept for 12 hours! The plan for the first day was that there was no plan. I spent a bit of time on the beach but there was a shaded hammock area between the hostel and the beach where I spent most of the weekend. I did rouse myself a little more the next day and headed into Puerto Viejo. I was meeting a friend who was passing through on her way to the GVI conservation base in nearby Kéköldi. We went for breakfast at a place called Bread and Chocolate which was great. There are a lot of good food choices in Puerto Viejo, nice coffee shops, brunch spots and bakeries. There are also lots of bars and a good nightlife but I was having a more chill time so didn’t experience these for myself. Another spot worth a visit is Gelateria Deelite where I had incredible pistachio and tiramisu ice cream.

Through the work I had been doing in the area I had met a local tour guide and took the chance to join him on a tour one day. I joined a tour with a British and a French woman to a cacao farm and medicinal plant garden in the indigenous town called Bribri. It was so interesting, there were so many plants growing around the place that I never would have noticed by myself. So many of them can and still are used to treat many different conditions and illnesses. There was also a frog nursery where we saw poison dart frogs. We got to take some cacao beans through the whole process of roasting, crushing, grinding and then making the paste into a drink. It’s very bitter, a bit too much for me, but I loved it when we put some of the chocolate paste into a roasted banana.

It was really interesting to learn more about the Bribri culture as well. The language of Bribri is still spoken but much less than it previously was. We learnt some phrases in Bribri during the tour like ‘miska‘ which means let’s go, ‘weske‘ means come in and ‘mia mia‘ means thank you. The language has been taught in schools since 1985 but by then, some of the damage was already done and the language was on the decline. Nowadays there is more of an effort being made, you can study Bribri at the University of Costa Rica, but in general there is a worry that outside influences and especially new technology and the digital space are threatening the preservation of the Bribri language and culture. The name Bribri comes from the word for ‘strong’ in their language and families are organised into matrilineal clans. This means that the lineage is passed down through the mother. Women also have very important roles within the society, they are the only people who can own land and the only ones allowed to prepare the cacao drink that is very important to many of their rituals. In the early 20th century, the Bribri faced some land struggles because of the presence of the United Fruit Company who forced the Bribri off their territory in order to plant bananas. After much opposition and issues with disease on the plantations, the United Fruit Company completely withdrew from the region of Talamanca, taking everything including the railways they had built. In 1977, the Costa Rican government created indigenous reserves including for the Bribri. This granted them control land ownership although some legal settlers from before 1977 have refused to leave, causing tensions.

The second part of the tour was a visit to the Bribri waterfall for a swim. The water was lovely and cold and you could swim all the way up to the waterfall. When we climbed back up from the waterfall, the guy who owns and charges for the parking (actual access to the waterfall is free) has coffee, pejibaye (a weird fruit that tastes a little like a sweet potato and is eaten with mayo, called a peach palm in English) and pineapple on offer for guests. You can also buy a cold coconut and pay a little more to make it a coco loco, a rum based cocktail. He is also a musician and if you’re lucky you might get a tune, not that he needs much persuading!

For my last full day I wanted to make the most of the many beautiful beaches up and down this part of the coast. I rented a bike from my hostel ($10 for 24 hours or $7 for a half day) and wanted to cycle to Punta Uva. I actually went to Playa Grande first, around the far side of Punta Uva. A lot of the beaches blend into one another so Playa Grande actually merges into the beach in the town of Manzanillo but it can be a bit busier at that end because there’s the entrance to the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge. Playa Grande was super quiet, just one small surf class happening and otherwise I had it to myself. Next I stopped at the actual Punta Uva beach which is supposed to be great for snorkelling but it was absolutely packed! Because I was there the weekend before Easter, there were a lot of Costa Rican holidaymakers and this beach is actually quite small so I didn’t stay. On the way back to the hostel, I stopped off at what I think is part of Playa Chiquita. It was quiet and there was a spot in the shade where I lay for a while to enjoy the peace and quiet.

Another early night and then a 5.30am bus took me back to Cartago and back to real life. There’s still much of Costa Rica that I want to explore, I haven’t been to the very popular La Fortuna with the Arenal volcano, I’m desperate to get to Tortuguero National Park, preferably during turtle season, and I also have Uvita during whale season on my list. I’ve also never been to the region of Guanacaste which is known for having gorgeous beaches! It gives me a few things to plan and look forward to over the next few months. Finding a balance between work and pleasure is something that I’m still trying to figure out as well as balancing the budget sheet but I hope there’s a happy medium to be found. Wherever I get to next, you’ll be sure to hear about it!