Puero Viejo - The Caribbean Coast, Costa Rica

Our trip started once we were dropped off at the Caribbean Bus terminal in San Jose by Lee... No more seat's, so standing it will be...5hrs to Puerto Viejo! Just as we pulled out of the station the rain started, just as Lee had predicted! Little did we know what was ahead. traffic started to pile up, and we almost came to a stand still, the traffic was built up ahead of us for as far as we could see, but our driver decided to drive on in the oncoming lane, we all were very surprised, the bus having to almost drive in the gutter to avoid hitting cars and motorbikes...He was taking us to the nearest road side restaurant. He has decided to take us here to wait, it was the very basic typical roadside, best way to descibe it would be a tin roof with a kitchen, some tables and chairs and a couch ....I doubt that they haveAn hour and a half went by, swirving down the mountains, amongst lush rainforest...and then ever had a bus load pull up there before....at least we had loo's and food to eat, couches to sit on, and for some a TV to watch... As it turned out there was a protest on the bridge ahead, they had stopped traffic. The poeple protesting were not happy because the goverment had given money to build a new bridge, but in typical cental american style the money had disappeard...So they stopped the road, and were letting 5 minuets of cars go by every hour. This is the only road from Peuto Limon(maybe the biggest port in Costa Rica on the Caribbean coast) to San Jose so you can imagine the traffic that it carries.....Niether of us had ever see a traffic jam like it. The traffic was banked up for many many kilometres. We waited for more than an hour...yet some traveleres were getting impacient. So we all hopped back on the bus, and put ourself in line...Moving a tiny bit for not even 5 min every hour. Another hour and a half must of gone by...and finally the bridge was opened and we were free to move...There was a great ambience in the bus, all chatting and laughing! We fianlly made it to Puerto Viejo, 8 hours later! Puerto Viejo, a quite town on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica...Maybe in the past it could of been a fishing village... There is a mixture of poeple, yet the Green Yellow and Red, Rasta Coulours prime. Reagge music in the air. A laid back feeling that has been taken over by tourism. We went to stay at "Rocking Jay's", a kind of comunity style living, mosaics and painting left right and center, created by passing traverlers. A big comunial kitchen with 10 gas burners, toilets and showers for all! Lockers to keep our belongings, and all together in a great big space...Camping, Hammock Hotel, Cabina's and even a Tree House for the Adventurous...That is no longer in a tree but on top of the roof...

We rented a tent, and settled for 4 days...I found my place on the beach while Stephen went surfing at Salsa Brava a couple of times. Our days went by smoothly, breakfast in the communal kitchen, a walk to have a look at the surf, into town to get our food for the day, lunch, and the afternoons swinging, lazing, napping in hammocks...Dinner, around the troop starting their night of parting...Cause Pueto Viejo is supposed to be Party Central... Then a storm hit us, boy there was no more room in the sky for any more rain...It was pouring...Good thing that the Tent hotel was under a roof, but a tin roof sure makes a lot of noise! The rain did not stop for the whole night...I could not belive the amount of water there was...And surprised to not see any water collection being done??? It is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, but here poeple call it winter, its the raining season, thus the coldest time of the year. And on the 5th day we took our bus out of town...Next stop Panama.

I am now 15 weeks pregnant, and showing a small belly...All is good!