Costa Rica > We are still not complete...

By quarter past six, I’m wide awake. I’m still not used to the new rhythm—or maybe I am. Life in Costa Rica starts early and ends early in the evening. The entire daily schedule seems shifted by about two hours, without any adjustment for daylight saving time. We have breakfast with a view over San José. The sun is shining brightly, and the sky is clear blue. At exactly nine o’clock, all the luggage is loaded, and we head by bus toward the village of Cahuita on the Caribbean coast. Just as we leave the city, Willem gets a phone call. Startled, he looks around at the bus. It turns out we forgot two fellow travelers—they are still at the hotel. The bus quickly turns around. Willem mentions that this has never happened to him before. No one had noticed, although we realize they had planned to withdraw some money.

Costa Rica - The banana plantation

About half an hour later, fully complete, we leave the city again. On the way to the coast, after about two hours of driving, we make a coffee stop at a local café. Under the thatched roof, palm nuts are roasted over a wood fire in the back, and various snacks are prepared over a wood fire in the front. We mostly stick to coffee or soft drinks. As we continue toward the port city of Puerto Limón, we drive past banana plantations. For kilometers, plantations line the road. At the Dole banana processing plant, we stop to observe the process. Unfortunately, there is no production today. So we stop a bit further along the road at a banana plantation. Here, the banana bunches hang from the plants, each wrapped in a blue plastic bag to help them grow better and protect them from insects. For photos, this is less appealing, but after some searching, we find a bunch without the wrapping. The region around Puerto Limón thrives mainly on banana exports. Along the road, there are large container handling companies, and impressive trucks drive back and forth. The road between San José and Puerto Limón is therefore one of the busier roads. Of course, today there has been a major accident, and traffic is completely at a standstill. Strangely, people continue to overtake in the traffic jam. Vehicles drive over to the other lane to rejoin further ahead or even swerve slightly into the left shoulder. Not only cars, but large trucks do this as well. Our bus driver chooses the same tactic. That this sometimes results in vehicles facing each other nose to nose, completely blocking the road, doesn’t seem to bother anyone. Even for the ambulance, there is hardly any space. The ambulance drives more on the grass than on the road to get forward. Once we finally get past the accident with some delay, traffic begins to move again. From Puerto Limón, it’s about thirty more kilometers to Cahuita along the coast.

Costa Rica - A Gaudy Leaf Frog near Cahuita

It has started raining. I’m getting used to it: sunny in the morning, cloudy with rain in the afternoon. Just before half past four, we arrive at our resort in Cahuita, located a little over a kilometer outside the village center on the black sand beach. The inhabitants of Cahuita have roots in Jamaica. Many workers were brought to Costa Rica in the 19th century to build the railway. The village still has a strong “Yeh man” vibe. Since we haven’t eaten yet, we quickly order something at the restaurant. Afterwards, we walk to the beach for a swim. The water is warm, and the surf is strong, creating a significant undertow. We were already warned not to go too far into the sea. Twilight begins, and small groups of pelicans skim low over the water—a beautiful sight from the water. When it gets too dark, we head back. Among the plants near the bar, the poison dart frogs have awakened. These bright green creatures with striking red markings are featured in every travel guide. You can’t photograph them with a flash because it can blind them. Working together, one person illuminates the frog with a flashlight while the other quickly takes a picture. It’s not easy to get a sharp photo in such low light. The frogs seem unconcerned. Once everyone has a series of photos, the travel group heads to a nearby restaurant for dinner. I don’t go along—I have an appointment with Cees. She happens to also be traveling through Costa Rica with Fox Tours and is in Cahuita today. I meet her at seven o’clock at the resort reception. It’s special to meet a familiar face so far from home. Tonight, I’ll have dinner with the Fox group. They have been traveling for two weeks, and their holiday is nearly over. It’s fun to hear all their stories about this beautiful country.