Sun, surf, and sand (and a sunburn)

I´ve already learnt one new thing about myself on this trip: I like to hang around for too long in one place. It´s my 4th day in Puerto Viejo, and I definitely wasn´t planning on staying this long. But I´m lazy and it´s the Caribbean, so why not! I´ve already managed to get confused with the days, all day yesterday I thought it was Monday. I suppose it´s a good sign...

On Sunday night I went to bed early as I was still feeling unwell after the bus journey, and feeling a bit down anyway. I was in a place that was full of tanned, happy, young people yet I felt lonely and couldn´t bring myself to talk to anyone. I didn´t feel I belonged at all, everyone around me looked like they were pretending to be in The Beach and they just really annoyed me in my not so great state. I just lied in a hammock and read my book until I was tired enough to go to bed.

I woke up at six in the morning and walked to the beach. Not many people were up, so I had the beach pretty much to myself.

I walked to town, had some breakfast in a cafe on the beach, and life seemed much better already.

I was really looking forward to going surfing, and my date with the instructor was at ten. At eleven we finally set off... they have Caribbean time here. He was a sweet little local guy with dreadlocks, can´t have been much older than 18. We rode in the open trunk of a van to the surfing beach through beautiful scenery. The waves were big and powerful. I was unfit and lacking in experience. Paddling out was so hard that once there I had no energy left to catch a wave. My instructor was very patient and helped me a lot, but I was thrown around a fair bit by the waves. Actually, it was more than was fair. In the two hours I was there I cought four waves, but they were probably the four longest rides of my life. It was fantastic, the water was so warm and I don´t know if I can ever again face going surfing in the cold water... So much better without the wetsuit!

I returned to the camp (i.e. hostel) in the afternoon very exhausted, with a bleeding knee, some impressive bruises, and my face felt a bit raw. Over the course of the evening, I developed a nice pink colour on my face and my lower arms. Obviously factor 40 extra water resistant sun lotion didn´t do the trick.

Met my new roommate Dale, an Irish guy well into his weed. He kept raving about this best ever stuff he´d managed to get hold of, and made me smell and feel it. It smelled and felt like, erm, weed.

I had dinner in the hostel restaurant and got chatting to an Aussie guy Blake. He was travelling with his newly wed wife Kate and the wife´s sister Sarah. It was their honeymoon. Interesting arrangements, but hey not my business. We started knocking back beers and cocktails and soon Kate and Sarah joined us. By nine a clock my bed started calling me, and I retired to my cabin, hang the mosquito net up, and passed out.

The three Aussies had invited me to join them on a bike trip to Manzanillo on the following day. It´s a tiny little town about 13 K south of Puerto Viejo right next to the Panaman border. I´d been told that the ride would be very scenic and worth the effort, and Manzanillo itself was well worth seeing.

We set off at about nine in the morning, after we´d hired bikes that had frankly seen better days. They also had no gears, and the road was mostly a very bumpy ´dirt road´. Everyone who went past us would wave and shout "Hola"!

We passed some amazing beaches on the way, stopped at one for a swim, stopped for a drink, got to Manzanillo at lunchtime. Had the most amazing lunch.

Got lost trying to find the National park entrance, so we did an extra 5k or so, which wasn´t really needed. Found the national park, walked in for about 100m where we stopped at a little secluded beach and went for another swim. It was definitely a postcard Caribbean. Amazing.

The ride back was not fun. We were very tired, the road was so dusty and by the time we got back I smelled very bad. I don´t think I´ve ever smelled worse in my life. I was bitten by mosquitos, sunburnt and aching. And my tooth had been given me a lot of grief all day.

The evening was spent licking my wounds, enquiring about a dentist in town and a few beers at the hostel bar, followed by a hammock for about an hour before hitting the pillow.

Two good days. I´m starting to get the hang of it, I think.
Lots of love. xxx