Posts Tagged With: Central America

Flying roaches, black sand beaches, and SLOTHS all in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Posted on June 27, 2014 by valarieivester

As we leave Bocas behind us we made our way to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. With its lush rainforest and vast variety of animals running about we were ready for a bit of a change in our journey….but first, The Border Crossing.

The border crossing from Panama to Costa Rica was one of the more interesting crossings so far. First….I was seated next to THE WORST COUPLE EVER!! I mean it! I sneaked video footage of this ridiculous couple but I won’t subject you to their trashy, drunk, profane filled antics but know that in a shuttle bus of 8 people. ..all 6 of them felt sorry for me having to be seated next to them while Jorgie giggled behind me at my SUPERHERO like restraint from going off on them both. It took all I had not to go all HALF MEXICAN/HALF KOREAN on em! “JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL! ” Now, imagine that, then when you feel like the bus stops to deliver your brief moment of freedom from these crazies to cross the border, you see it….THE DEATH BRIDGE BORDER CROSSING. This had to be the shakiest, gap filled bridge ever! The busdriver said he would meet us at the other end of the bridge (in Costa Rica), he had all our bags, sometimes I guess you just have to move on faith. “Please busdriver, don’t make me judi chop you for stealing my things.” Turns out…no judi chops were needed….#THANKUJESUS

We arrived out our hostel room to find it upgraded to the main room with a beautiful patio! WINNING!

So here’s the thing…
Costa Rica has these gigantic flying cockroaches. Here’s our meeting one and our plot to kill him. Sorry bug….we can’t share a room. We obviously aren’t trained bug killers;)

The black sand beaches create a coastline like we haven’t seen yet!

If you travel further down the beaches no longer have the black sand but still provide a serene atmosphere.

WE ARE MOBILE!
We decided to rent some bikes and ride up the coast to take in more of what Costa Rica had to offer on our way to visit the Jaguar Rescue Sanctuary
Note: No jaguars @ The Jaguar Sanctuary but dont miss this opportunity to play with howler monkeys and sloths!!

After being a walking backpacker this long, having a bike felt a little like owning a car for the 1st time!;) FREEEEEEDOOOOOM! (In my best Braveheart voice) 😉

The coastal ride provides plenty of stops at different beaches and surfers are always present and ready to hit the next big wave.
Do yourself a favor…GET A BIKE AND TAKE THIS RIDE;)

The Jaguar Rescue Sanctuary awaits us….

This little guy just walked right up to Jorgie for some lovin!;)

TUCAN SAM

THE HIGHLIGHT OF THIS PLACE! Cameras weren’t allowed in but we got to go inside and play with the monkeys!! I was a little nervous but the baby monkeys just swing and hang from you and everything! So worth it!!

And now ladies and gentlemen….it’s the Slowest Animal On Earth….
The Sloooooooooth;)
This little guy just PASSED OUT as soon as he climbed down the tree! What a lazy butt!! Lol

And this one just stayed hanging asleep! Ha!

Now that we are returning to town, a drink at our favorite spot, MADRE TIERRA was a perfect way to watch the sun set on the beach. Their drinks are strong and their bartender is the coolest!

Sit upstairs on the balcony. …It’s great!

Lazy days in Puerto Viejo……where everything is PURA VIDA😉
Until next time Costa Rica……

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: backpacker, backpacking, beach, beaches, bikes, black sand beach, border crossing, budget travel, bugs, Central America, Costa Rica, deet, freakout, jaguar sanctuary, Puerto Viejo, pura vida, roach, see the world, sloths, tucans | 5 Comments

So… it finally happened… Bed. Bugs. (*Blank stare) Meltdown Numero Dos!

Posted on June 15, 2014 by valarieivester

We made it to Panama!!! (As I jump from the sailboat to the ground kissing it..oh wait…it still feels like I’m swaying. ..ugh)
Now that we have completed our tour of South America we were excited to start Central America off in Panama City, Panama!

We decided to stay in the Casco Viejo part of Panama. The history and architecture was beautiful! Colorful buildings, colonial style Presidential Palaces, and GORGEOUS views of downtown Panama City….what more can anyone ask for?

Our view of downtown Panama City from outside the front door of our hostel!

If you find yourself in Panama City do not miss The Armador Causeway. It is a stretch of land (sorta like a boardwalk) that is about 6-7 miles both ways surrounded by water and here you will find locals running, walking, and riding all sorts of bikes. On one side you will have the most stunning view of downtown Panama City and on the other is the south entrance to the Panama Canal!

If you get a chance….rent one of these…they are AWESOME; )

If you don’t know, Jorgie’s emblem for his travels and his website (www.jrifter.com Check his site out if you haven’t! ) is the jrifter on the yellow crossing sign. Panama City has so many funny jrifters….this one here: BIG BOOTY JRIFTER; )

I WORK OUT JRIFTER 😉

THE “DO YOU EVEN LIFT?” JRIFTER ! LOL

Panama City was good to us but now we are heading north to BOCAS DEL TORO!!!!

We thought we’d run into them along this trip….we even prepared for them by buying a really expensive 100% silk bedliner cause we read they hate them…but to no avail….there you were. You NASTY LITTLE THINGS. BED BUGS. Now we noticed them as soon as the sun set, but after a very frenzied, tazmanian devil like gathering of our stuff, we were moved to another room where I TORE UP the room and bed looking for other little critters only to find this room crawling with geckos….BEFORE you let it slip from your mouth…I KNOOOOW “Geckos are our friends, they eat the bugs!” (in Jorgie’s annoying voice) 😉 I’m truly not that scared of them but I think after the bed bug incedent I wasn’t having these little geckos. Here’s the freakout…ENJOY:

Bocas del Toro is an archipelago ( group of islands ) so you have to take a small…I repeat…SMALL boat (THANK YOU JESUS!) to get there.

Bocas is known for it brightly decorated building afloat the island.

Keep your eyes open for hummingbirds! They are fast little things but they are EVERYWHERE here!

Hand shaven RASPA!?! I’M IN! Let me get my money out; )

Small bus ride can take you to another part of the island called Boca del Drago. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! The beaches here are gorgeous!

Looks fake right!?

Hop on a lancha for a 5 minute ride to STARFISH BEACH where there are no longer many starfish on the beach (if you swim just a little further out you will see them…but don’t pick them up out of the water because it kills them and they are trying to preserve them!) This place makes you feel isolated from the rest of the world….with Piña Coladas ofcourse! 😉

Local fisherman regularly pull their catches on shore to sale to the foodstands.

What in the world is the torquios one?!?

If you wanna little taste of “home” while on Bocas, visit TACO SURF! This restaurant/surf school is great! Their tacos were a welcome treat to these two TEXANS that were just about to throw the towel in on traveling if we couldn’t find a decent taco! 😉

The owner Justine and her husband run a cool place with a very chill vibe! For the budget traverler that’s wanting “not so budget tasting tacos” get your butt here! Thanks Justine….your place saved our trip!;)
Check them out on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/bocas.tacosurf

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Armador Causeway, backpacker, beach, bed bugs, Boca del Drago, Bocas del Toro, Casco Viejo, Central America, dream, geckos, ocean, Panama, Panama City, sand, starfish, Starfish Beach, taco surf, tacos, travel | 1 Comment

I may only see THE SAN BLAS ISLANDS once in my life, cause I CANNOT do this again!

Posted on June 8, 2014 by valarieivester

Okay….I SERIOUSLY, waited awhile to write about this cause I struggled with how I wanted to write it and whether or not I should.
SO HERE IT IS…MY WARNING:
I can’t help but tell you about MY experience doing something….it doesn’t in any way mean I hated this part or place or doesn’t even mean I wouldn’t recommend it. I will try and remain as fair as posible in my review of sailing the open sea to The San Blas Islands.

Now that that’s outta the way….OMGEEEEE…SAILING TO THE SAN BLAS ISLANDS WAS A 5 DAY NIGHTMARE THAT I COULDN’T FREE MYSELF FROM & THE ONLY CLEAR ESCAPE WAS TO FLING MY LIFELESS, SEA SICK BODY OVER THE EDGE, HOPING A DOLPHIN WOULD BEFRIEND & TAKE MERCY ON ME SWIMMING MY BODY TO SHORE!!! (*Panting…As I digress) No joke, I had to therapy talk myself from that ledge more times than you know.

I know I know…I have no real idea why I thought I was going to be able to handle a sailboat when a moving vehicle makes me nauseous other than I am a glutton for punishment and I think I’m Superwoman…turns out…this Superwoman’s kryptonite is sailboats.
Sailing just wasn’t for me…for US…for that matter! Jorgie didn’t care for it too much either.
Short version: We get on a sailboat named The Jaqueline….Day 1 of this 5 day sailing trip, we both are violently ill, AT THE SAME EXACT TIME, so there was no aiding the other one. We are stuck for the first 30+ hours, in a room thats made of all wood so not only are we feeling every movement we hear it as well. We rock so violently that the door slams open and closed (it has no lock). It also has no windows and ofcourse no A/C so its completely humid in there. The only consolidation is that our dungeon of a room is beside the only 2 bathrooms on board this boat for 17 people (wait…someone broke one of em night 1… GREAAAAAT we are down to 1 bathroom) which we frequently ran back and forth from. We didn’t know that we had boarded a boat that would serve us for the next 5 days a cuisine made up entirely of pork and onion combos (we dont eat either), so we pretty much survived on the most delicious mangos and piñas for 5 days. I’d never been so grateful and also begged for God’s mercy in one place!! I desperately hated our room but was completely grateful that I had a place that I could go and hide to. It was such a weird prisoner feeling….AH! THAT’S IT! It felt like the song Hotel California!!!! We were supposed to like everything about this then we had a quick realization…..We’re stuuuuuck! Enjoy the sea!?! I can’t enjoy the sea! I’m stuck in the bathroom sicker than I ever thought possible!
*All those parasites & brain eating amoebas that our moms feared we get sick with….Yeah..I was praying for an exchange for one of those.
HERE’S THE THING… once the boat stops, and you find a enough energy to muster your very sick, sweaty, sea salt covered body out of the room…..it’s like paradise! It doesn’t make any sense at all!
The travel & room= Hell
Outside (as long as the boat is anchored)= Pure Heaven
Crystal clear water, beautiful white sand, snorkeling that is amazing….so confused;) I’ll stop….here are the pictures and video of the worst I’ve ever felt or looked….Thanks Jorgie;)