We shot through Costa Rica and a
surprisingly fast pace as we decided we couldn’t really afford to be there. So
we chose two main spots and after realizing we couldn’t afford to eat we may as well spend more
time in countries we could. We both don’t feel any regret in doing this and
loved the parts that we did see. If we had the time and the money, Costa Rica
is an amazing country where you could spend a lot of time. The rainforests are
mind blowingly amazing and we got to see some of the coolest animals around. 
As mentioned in the previous blog, it was
easy to get to Costa Rica from Bocos Del Toro. For $25 we got a boat, shuttle combo
that delivered us right to the door of our hostel in Puerto Veijo. It's an easy boarder crossing between the countries and quite a novelty crossing countries by walking over a rickety old bridge! We were not 100% sure how sturdy this bridge actually was and how an earth semi trailers get across!!
Puerto Viejo
is the largest tourist destination in Costa Rica's small Caribbean coast and
during the surf season, this cool laid back town is apparently pumping. We
arrived just at the start of the dead season and it certainly was quiet, not
that we were complaining. We were lucky enough to score a dorm room in the best
hostel we have been to. Pagalu and if you are in the area it is a must to stay.
The owners just thought of everything you need as a backpacker and the rooms
were beautiful too.
We found Puerto Veijo stunning! Lined with
coconut trees, crystal clear water, a rather rasta vibe, there was nothing
there for us not to like. One of the things we enjoyed the most, was hiring bikes
and exploring what this island had to offer. We also heard that the snorkeling
was superb. However, the highlight fir us this time was not lazing around the
beaches BUT fulfilling Juan’s life long goal of seeing sloths!! Ex pats of
Costa Rica are working hard to re-educate its people about animal and
rainforest preservation and the sloth sanctuary is doing exactly this. 
After a rather hassle free bus ride towards
Limon Dave and I jumped off in what looked like the middle of no where to find
this alleged sloth sanctuary that we had been told to visit by friends. Much to
my delight we got to spend 2.5 hours learning about and getting very close to
sloth’s. Dave and I also got to have an exclusive lunch with Buttercup the
sloth who decided to wake up and play around us as we chowed down on our
poverty pack lunch. It was such a wonderful experience that we decided to visit
the jaguar rescue centre the next day. The highlight of the well-informed tour
being the half hour we got to spend playing with monkeys. They found Dave's
hair rather tasty!!
Once deciding it was time to move on we
caught a 4 hour bus to San Jose the capital of Costa Rica. With no desire to
stay longer then a night we grabbed a hostel a few hours sleep and then headed
for the Manuel Antonio bus stop the next morning. After catching two taxis to
the correct bus stop (the bus stops had changed yet apparently this wasn't
important information to pass I to the general public) we made it with enough
time to explore the colorful fruit and vegetable markets. This felt like the
only cheap food option we came across during our stay in Costa Rica.
4 sweaty hours later we arrive at the small
town of Manuel Antonio which is boarded by lush tropical rainforest and
national park that we njoyed exploring.
After two days here we weighed up the pros
and cons of staying in a country we couldn't afford and decided to cut our
losses and catch the 4.30 am bus (which we made by the skin of our teeth) to
our next country Nicaragua.
Costa rica breakdown
Accommodation
Pagalu - Puerto Veijo $11 a night best
hostel yet!
Transport: hire bikes for the day in small
towns for $5
Bus rides between places ranged between $4-10
for 4hrs of travel very easy and safe.
Food: no food highlights except for amazing
fruit market in San Jose spent $ 3 and got easy $25 worth of fruit and vegies
Activity: sloth sanctuary $25 (includes
half hour boat tour) and jaguar sanctuary $14 and includes 2 hour tour. Both
these places rely on your money from the entry fee to ensure that they can
continue to run. There main aim is to ensure that all the animals can be sent
back the wild if they can. At the Jaguar Sanctuary each afternoon a majority of
the animals get taken back the wild with the workers and have the choice to
stay over night in their natural habitat.
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