Happy Easter everyone!
Wayhey! It’s the long weekend that we’ve all been waiting for! Easter, four beautiful days off, four days that you can spend with your friends and family, eating chocolate, chilling out or utilizing the days and travelling. It’s the perfect excuse to get away somewhere wonderful and enjoy the holiday in another country, so where is there to go over Easter? Well here are my top five places around the world to spend your Easter weekend: Continue reading
Below you will find my breakdown regarding my recent trip to Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, this includes approximate prices, favourite moments and a general once over of everything about the amazing time I’ve spent there.
Our Journey
Flights: £450 return from London Heathrow – New York – Miami – Nicaragua
then
Panama City – Miami – New York – London Heathrow
Hostels and Hotels: Approx £250 (not including the Trump, which Lauren paid for, thank you SO much for that.)
Food: Some as cheap as you like it for only a few dollars, some, ridiculously expensive. I’m looking at you, Costa Rica.
Drink: Same, as cheap as you like it (beer and rum) otherwise it got expensive for cocktails and wine
Activities and tours: £150 approx
Transportation: $150 approx
NYC
A night in New York:
Taxi (to and from the airport) : $60 (My Taxi Driver was awesome, he showed me around Brooklyn and the Bronx before driving me into Manhattan and showing me the sights before coming back for me to make sure I got back to the airport okay at 1am)
Cheesecake: $12
Coffee: $4
Shameless selfies of myself: Priceless
Selfie
Highlights: Climbing that Volcano for 9 hours, despite my fear of climbing and having asthma attack half way up stuck in the middle of the jungle, I done it, I was so proud of us (I still am). But being surrounded by the thick jungle, monkeys above us, vines hanging all around us, clambering up rocks, traversing landslides, all in the name of fun – it was awesome (now I know I survived).
Top of the Volcano
Visiting the Tropical Islands that surround the main islands of Bocas Del Toro – Tropical paradise
Paradise
Staying at Casa De Olas, that place still has my heart; Sunday Funday was absolutely brilliant especially spending it in the company of legends.
Eli’s 30th birthday out and about in San Juan Del Sur, Salsa dancing, twerk circles and more rum than you can imagine possibly drinking.
Eli’s 30th
Seeing the biggest moon I have ever seen rising from behind the volcanoes on the mysterious and beautiful Island of Ometepe.
Heading to Ometepe
Fails: Having my card blocked from my bank four times whilst away, Natwest, you are horrendous.
Not getting to surf
Getting duped by taxi drivers in San Jose, actually, everything about San Jose.
Not spending enough time in Costa Rica, due to Nicaragua being awesome.
Favourite Country: I honestly can’t choose I loved something about all of the countries:
Nicaragua – How friendly everyone was there, the Volcanoes, the jungle, the wild ocean and untouched landscapes
Colours of Nicaragua
Costa Rica – I’ve never been to a place that felt so much like an ecological haven, everything (outside San Jose) smelt fresh and thriving with life.
Arriving in Costa Rica with Lauren and Marjan
Panama – The tropical islands, the good vibes and Panama City which was simply stunning.
Favourite Eats: Between Ceviche and Lobster
Favourite Drink: Flor de Cana rum in Nicaragua and the coffee all over
Funniest Story: The one with Buzz (the monkey) breaking into the rooms of the Hostel and having the time of her life. That one isn’t for repeat on this blog.
Worst Moment: Being taken for a ride in San Jose from one of the worst taxi drivers I have ever dealt with.
End Note:
A massive note to the most amazing people I met whilst in Central America, but, especially the Casa Crew: Marjan, Patrick, Eli, Ewout, A.J, Charlie, Kasper, Hanna, Mike, Edward, Richard; you guys f**king rock. Not forgetting, Lauren, my travel buddy, for over 2000km, three countries in three weeks, together we climbed one volcano, learnt how to speak to Howler Monkeys, avoided spiders and snakes, kayaked round Ometepe, drank a lot of rum, salsa’d the night away, shared a night bus from hell, played on an actual remote tropical island, we laughed, stressed, laughed some more and made a ton of shared memories. I love you, lady. You’re the yin to my yang; I’m looking forward to our next adventure together.
Flying home
If you liked this post then feel free to comment, you don’t need a wordpress account to spread the love, people. I’m also on Twitter and Instagram if you’d care to join in the fun. Thanks for reading my adventures through Central America, it was an absolute blast; coming up next… The lost weekend in Amsterdam.
Imagine a country with tropical islands nestled off of its coast; surrounded by crystal clear turquoise water, colonial towns and cities living side-by-side with thriving metropolises on the mainland; from the tropical Caribbean coast to the wild pacific coast, cloud forests dominating the centre of the country; Panama is a geological lover’s dream, jungle, mountains and the tropical islands, it is part of Central America’s perfect Eden, the crowning top to South America.
Panama is still relatively untouched; its tourism trade however is starting to rise rapidly, and why not? The country is absolutely stunning; when planning our Central American adventure, I was most excited about visiting Panama, this would be the last country we visited before returning home to the UK, and it was going to be an absolute corker.
Lauren and I packed up to leave Costa Rica for the beautiful Panama, the journey was surprisingly easy from Puerto Viejo; a mini bus picked ourselves and a selection of other people from around the town to take us to the border crossing between Costa Rica and Panama. On the hour drive down south we drifted past banana plantations; stretching out as far as the eye can see, the land once mountainous up north was flat further down South, still the lush green I had grown to love in Costa Rica surrounded us either side of the road.
When we reached the border between Panama and Costa Rica, we got dropped off at the edge of a metal and wooden decommissioned railway bridge and told that to cross the border we had to cross the bridge, which ran high over the Sixaola River. The bridge from afar appeared to be perfectly stable it seemed like it would be a lovely stroll into Panama, however, the closer we got we noticed that the wooden panels of the bridge were rotting, in some cases the slabs were loose and often they were missing all together, so you could see the chocolate coloured river floating 50ft under us as we balanced with our backpacks across from Costa Rica. It wasn’t a long walk over the bridge but it was enjoyable; it felt like a ‘rite of passage’ into Panama, behind us our ‘hostel home’ in Nicaragua, the hippy commune in Puerto Viejo; ahead of us, island life and a beautiful city.
Where the jungle meets the sea
Through the jungle you’ll find a hidden gem a perfect beach, nestled away from the world; glistening sand, turquoise water, palm trees leaning lazily towards the ocean; waves lapping at rugged rocks, mostly deserted, it’s a place of dreams.
Lauren
You can get to this amazing beach by riding your bike (the chosen form of transportation in Puerto Viejo) away from Puerto Viejo’s main town for an hour, the ride is absolutely gorgeous, jungle the left of you, ocean to the right. As you glide up and down hills you can hear the sounds of the jungles surrounding you, you pass the Jaguar Sanctuary (which doesn’t have any Jaguars at the moment, but does have a lot of sloths), the Coco Plantation and a couple of nice restaurants (one vegetarian place, score!)
My heart belongs to the ocean
Once you veer off the road, down a dusty unmade path, you stumble upon this stunning beach, you can park your bikes upon the sand, under the shade of a palm tree as you take in the surroundings; this place is utterly gorgeous. As far as Caribbean beaches go, you will not be disappointed.
A light breeze rolled in from the ocean, rustling the palm branches above your head; sounds of the jungle echoing in the distance and the waves crashing upon the sand; it is absolutely gorgeous; it is here that Lauren and I spent the morning, laughing, lazing and exploring this beautiful coastline.
Perfection
As beaches go, Puerto Viejo has it covered; right at the back of our hostel we had a stretch of coastline, it wasn’t as perfect as the hidden beach we found, but it was wild, waves crashed upon jagged rocks, the trees grew until they reached the ocean and disappeared into the waves. It’s amazing how these beaches differ from each other, when they’re just a few miles apart, but that’s part of Puerto Viejo’s charms; it has every kind of beach for any kind of person; wild and raw for those interested in the geological coast, and the pristine Caribbean beaches for those sun and sand lovers.
Outside the back of Rocking J’s
It’s absolutely beautiful there; I’d highly suggest renting a bicycle and getting out of the main town to find your own slice of Caribbean heaven. There’s no nicer way to explore a new town than to ride through it by bike, the wind in your hair, the earth at your wheels. We hired our bikes from Rocking J’s, the hostel we stayed at; but if your hotel/hostel doesn’t have bike hire then there are many other places in town that you can hire them from.
http://instagram.com/p/mBsmrNxpXN/
This town and Costa Rica’s beaches will capture your imagination and ignite your wanderlust; it’s really the loveliest of places. However, the next day we up and left, for a trip to perfect Panama.
“Hemmed in between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans near the narrowest point of the Central American isthmus, the tiny republic of Costa Rica is often pictured as an oasis of political stability in the midst of a turbulent region. This democratic and prosperous nation is also one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet, an ecological treasure-trove whose wide range of habitats – ranging from rainforests and beaches to volcanoes and mangrove swamps – support a fascinating variety of wildlife, much of it now protected by an enlightened national conservation system widely regarded as a model of its kind.”
Read more:
http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/central-america-and-the-caribbean/costa-rica/#ixzz33Zdi3Yax
Costa Rica is an assault on the senses; I really mean that in the most wonderful way. Never before have I seen such gorgeous sights, with its cascading jungles, roaring volcanoes, and glistening oceans; never have I heard such amazing sounds, from the Howler monkeys in the trees to the rustle in the jungle. It is in Costa Rica that I tasted the most amazing fish dinner in spicy Caribbean sauce; it is in Costa Rica that I felt the soft Caribbean sand for the first time. But, the thing that I remember the most clearly about Costa Rica, was the smell; when Lauren and I arrived at Puerto Viejo the air smelt so fresh and ridiculously clean.
Between Jungle and sea
When Lauren and I got off the bus at the coast after travelling from San Jose there had just been a light rain which had doused the warm jungle floor either side of the road. The scent was intoxicating, (okay this is going to sound ridiculously pretentious, but I’ve warned you about it and I’m aware of it so it doesn’t count, okay?!) But, when we got off the bus in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica smelt organic (*cringe* are you still there, phew, good, let’s move on and never mention it again), it was fricking delightful though, especially as the air was considerably cooler than that of it’s Nicaraguan neighbour; it’ll be once of those scents that’ll always take me back to that little beautiful hippy town on the Caribbean coast in Costa Rica. It seems that the whole country embraces its biodiversity, towns nestle into the jungle and upon the beaches, not seeming overpowering or commanding, but instead they appear to be built to survive and thrive in unison with nature.
Lauren exploring the town
Me exploring
Lauren and I took advantage of the beautiful Caribbean town which was nestled between jungle and ocean; we embraced the clean, cooler air and spent a vast majority of our time outside, exploring the town and the surrounding beaches (A blog post just on the beaches will be up later this week). We meandered through the town of Puerto Viejo, exploring its colourful shops and restaurants; it was simply beautiful, the town had nothing but good, laid back vibes to it. The road leading from Rocking J’s hostel where we were staying passed through the jungle on one side and the clear Caribbean ocean on the other; it was an absolute joy to explore.
Photo taken by Lauren
We were only in the town for a total of two days, but it was enough to make me fall in love with it, we hired bikes and spent much of one day riding north to explore hidden beaches; this was the best way to explore the area, because we got so swept up in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua, we had to fit as much as the Costa Rican experience into a very short amount of time. It’s such a shame that we didn’t get to explore the country further, but honestly, if there was a place in Costa Rica where we could spend our few days I wouldn’t have changed our destination.
Photo taken by Lauren
Costa Rica truly embraces the phrase Pura Vida; it’s easy to get swept up in the pure beautiful way of life that is lived in that gorgeous country. I cannot wait to get back there eventually and explore it deeper.
thefarawayfolk 