Livin’ the Dream — Puerto Viejo
With the weather taking a turn for the worst on the Pacific side of Costa Rica we decided to head towards the Caribbean coast to a place called Puerto Viejo, which is no easy journey. 2 buses via the capital, San Jose, totalled 10 hours of travel. The public bus was good enough and the stop off to tuck into some rice and beans half way was a very welcome addition.
The sound of Reggae in the distance and the not-so-subtle aroma of Marijuana spilling into the bus was a good indicator that we were reaching our destination. You could instantly see the African influence in this Caribbean town with its slow pace lifestyle and colourful street stalls selling freshly picked fruit lining the roads.
Hopping off the bus, a toothless old man helped us with directions to our accommodation, a wonderful reminder of the kind nature and helpfulness we have seen so far in Costa Rica. A short walk behind the main strip of the town we found our home for the next two nights nestled into the jungle backdrop, Coco Loco Lodge.
If we had been here in peak season no way would we have been able to afford these honeymoon-esque coconut tree dream huts, but as we are out of season it sat happily within our budget (even more so paying with cash gave us an additional 20% discount- winning!). After a few happy hour caipirinhas and getting my ass whopped at table tennis we headed to bed early to make the most of the next day.
Taking advantage of the hire bikes at our lodge we headed to the Jaguar rescue centre, 3km from town, which had been highly recommended by many people we have met along the way. A special thanks to Taylor, whose entertaining stories at dinner the night before gave us reason to make the long trip to the Caribbean coast, great recommendation.
The rescue centre specialises in taking in injured animals that are found and reported locally or elsewhere in Costa Rica. They run an incredible rehabilitation programme to return animals back into the wild (where possible) whilst others are used for educational purposes. They house snakes, alligators, tropical birds, monkeys, a stunning Margay cat (related to the jaguar, and of course, SLOTHS!!!
On arrival we noticed a young howler monkey swinging around the place, eating every banana in sight. We learnt that his mother had gone off with a dominant male howler and he had since been rejected from the pack. He therefore spends his days hiding at the shelter as he is too young to hunt and defend himself out in the wild without the help of his mother. He is unfortunately sometimes tracked down by the pack and had recently suffered a bite to his neck and arm so he was understandably shy towards us.
Moving on to a group of owls recovering from damaged wings we noticed an identical owl sat in a tree next to the cage watching over from above. Our guide explained how they work with the birds to gradually rebuild strength in their wings by inviting them out of the cage to retrieve food at various distances until they begin to make their own trips sitting in trees and exploring the surrounding jungle. Overtime they will fly away for hours and then days at a time until finally disappearing off into the jungle to carry on life as it was before. This can take some animals months or years, like with the Margay cat I mentioned earlier which has been there for two years already.
As we walked around the centre it became apparent how much the staff cared for the animals, this was not a zoo or any kind of spectator park it was a place of healing and education that we just happened to be lucky enough look inside. Costa Rica’s care for the environment and animals that inhabit it is outstanding and should be a lesson to the rest of the world. This focus has created a culture of people generous with their knowledge and eager to help in any situation. As we leave and cross over the border to Panama, the characteristic Costa Rican phrase “Pura Vida” literally translating into “Pure Life” echos and carries us along our way.
