To the Caribbean and another world

It took about 15 minutes to get a taxi on the deserted streets (we have the first one to 2 old ladies), and headed to Tranquilo backpackers. Luckily some drunk guy was wandering around inside, looking for beer apparently, so he was able to let us in. We put some bean bags together on the floor of the lounge area and went to bed. We woke up around 6:30, surprisingly refreshed despite the lack of sleep. We paid US$12 to the hostel for the use of their floor for a few hours, too much in my opinion, but took advantage of their free internet, pancake breakfast and hot showers. We then walked to one of San Jose's many bus stations and got a ride to Puerto Limón on the east coast. We walked a few blocks to the town's other bus station to get a ride south to Cahuita. On this short walk, we passed an optomotrist, so within 20 minutes I had ordered myself a new pair of glasses, which will be ready in a week. I guess there are some advantages to being in Little America.

It didn't take too long to reach Cahuita, a tiny town on the Caribbean Sea. We got ourselves a really nice cabina with our own hot water bathroom at Cabinas Smith. The Caribbean side of Costa Rica is incredibly different than the Pacific side. Most people are of Afro-Caribbean heritage, noticable immediately by their rich, black skin, 'Jamaican' accents, and reggae/calypso music being played at every shop and restaurant. It's a much more casual environment than other places in Costa Rica, and the people are much friendlier than on the Pacific side. We headed went to Playa Negra, the town's black sand beach, for a swim, but the tide was up and there was no beach. So we found ourselves at the entrance to the Parque Nacional Cahuita, a gorgeous national park nearly in town. There is a donation payment required to enter, but since it was after 4:00, the guys let us swim at the beach just inside the entrance without paying. The water was clear, warm and beautiful, and we swam and body surfed until it was almost too dark to see. We did some laundry in our immaculate shower, had some beer and played some cards (Nigel had bought a new deck) and then shared some rice and beans for dinner. As we left, the owner gave us some cookies which he assured us we would 'really enjoy, mon.'