After school finished on Friday, Nadwa and I headed to the bus station to catch the public bus to Puerto Viejo (direct translation as Old Port). The place was recommended by the school so we decided to visit. The public bus was not like the buses in South America. Very cramped, no air con or anything remotely luxurious but the £5 price and views of luscious rainforest from the window meant I couldn't really complain. During the journey we stopped off at a small restuarant for a loo break and food. Stupidly I put my second pair of sunglasses on the sink while I was putting my hair up then after been distracted I left them their for about two minuets before realising. Of course when I went back they were gone but I was warned about the severe stealing problem in Costa Rica so it was my mistake this time! Oh well 3 pairs of glasses down so far! Once we were back on the road it didn't take long before we arrived. Getting straight in a cab, couresty of the hostel we were staying in, we went straight to Rockin' J's. On arrival I could tell I would love the place, with bonfires, free iceblock shot pouring, music and a mass of (mostly american) travellers. Once we'd checked in I went to my hammock. I was so excited about sleeping in the hammock! I put all my things in my locker then we went to meet others from the school and had a few drinks, game of pool and met some other people at the hostel party. The hostel was so colourful, it was decorated with broken tile mosaics of paterns and phrases. It had a common area with more hammocks and a bbq alongside two different 'getting ready' stations. The bathrooms were more than basic with a singular cold tap as the shower but that was fine! The hammocks were in a large covered area with no walls, there was about 40 plus hammocks in the area so I knew it wasn't going to be the most peaceful sleep I'd ever had, but for £3.50 a night what could I expect! The place had a really cool vibe, a bit hippie/bohemian-esque, which rubbed off on all the people. Everyone was really friendly and nice!

The next day I woke up around 6:30am with the sunlight though my eyemask and with the other people starting to stir. After a few wake up calls in the night, one with a girl getting in my hammock thinking it was hers, the girl next to me moving alot in her sleep causing my hammock to bounce up and down, sway and also actually be nudged by her behind and finally been asked to go down to the beach to watch the sunrise. Although the latter would of been quite nice I didn't feel like getting up at 4am ish and declined! So due to my early morning I had sometime to spare before meeting the others so I went through the thin layer of trees to the small, secluded beach infront of the hostel. Here I wrote my journal after finding a nice place to sit. I only saw a few people from the hostel pass and it was a really nice way to start the weekend. While I was writing one of the guys from the hostel walked passed with the hostel dogs. He showed me a really cool seat at the top of a tree which grew out over the ocean, but after watching him get up there I decided that I would probably be able to get there but struggle alot to get down balancing on just the trunk! At 9ish I met with the others and we went into town for breakfast. Nadwa had seen somewhere which looked amazing in her guidebook so we went there. The guidebook didn't let us down. With amazing scrambled eggs and hashbrowns, fruit salad and yoghurt I was very happy. The place was called 'Bread and Chocolate' as it had homemade bread and chocolate from local produce. Due to this it would have been criminal for me not to try a chocolate so for desert I got the cholocate orange and ginger truffle, and oh my god it was the best chocolate I have ever had, ever!

After a leisurely breakfast we explored the town. Puerto Viejo is a really small place with a strong Carribbean vibe. The town was very colourful with lots of 'Rastas' walking around! We explored the local market, sampling the honey and more chocolate! There were also some crafts and used clothes stalls which had some really pretty things! But as a 'backpacker' I am not really in the market for anything which takes up space of has any mass! There was also a local guy singing and playing the drums with a Reggae style. We then headed to the bus stop where we were going to catch the bus to Manzanillo, a recommended beach just down the coast. Once we arrived we spent the day on the beach, had a little swim in the Carribbean Ocean and had a drink in the bar before heading back to the hostel.

After asking a few locals on the bus where to go for dinner we quickly got showered and changed and went for food. The food was amazing and two buskers came outside to play and sing for us. It was the same guy from the morning market and together they were really good! We then we headed to see a live band play (we met the guitarist on the bus) and then to Tex Mex, the main bar in the town. At Tex Mex there was also a band, Reggae obviously, which we all enjoyed! After we headed back to the hostel as we had to be out for our 6:20 am pick up for the WhiteWaterRafting day trip! Due to this I upgraded by 60p to my own tent for a better nights sleep!

Getting up was a little less leisurely than the day before but we all survived and were on our way to the River Pacuare where the rafting was going to take place. The guide on the bus was great at english and was a little joker so we all woke up and were excited to arrive! On the trip we had breakfast included so at around 8:30 we all enjoyed a breakfast buffet with scrambled eggs, sausages, toasts and jams, fruit, yoghurt and museli alongside the traditional costarican breakfast of rice and beans with a type of cream - gallo pinto. After a quick change we all headed to the river. On the bus we got our safety instructions and brief lesson in white water rafting. Although the lesson was from a lady from the national team I still felt rather nervous! The rafting was level 4 which probably doesn't mean much to you and didn't to me when I signed up but apparently it is quite difficult (normally due to the technical side of guiding the boat which we didn't have to worry about too much as long as we listened to our guide!). So without any messing around we got kitted out - lifevest, helmet and paddle - and headed to our boat with Stephen. After some instructions on foot position and syncronised rowing we headed off! After the first few rapids I relaxed into it and loved it! After each big drop or difficult rapid we all had to put our paddles together and say 'high five pura vida' as everything is pura vida in Costa Rica, meaning everything is good, life's good etc! It's a over used phrase here which is nice! The river itself was voted in the top five most scenic rivers by the National Geographic and it actually was the prettiest thing I have ever seen! The water was clear and warm, waterfalls every so often from each side, deap gauges and surrounded by the tropical rainforest with large trees and vines and all the animals that live there! We saw lots of the famous blue butterflies and different birds. We also saw some of the indigenous people by the river with the children playing on the shore. It was really interesting to get a glimpse at their lifestyle (houses etc) without imposing. Halfway through the day we stopped off at the side of the river for lunch. The guides from each boat all prepared us a burrito buffet which was gorgeous and then pineapple for desert! We then headed back to the rafts for the final part of the journey. Here we got more chances to swim in the river which was amazing! The water was so warm and refreshing from the intense sun. At the end of the day we were all sad it was over! We all got showered and bought the photos from the photographers (they are all in an album on here) before heading back to San Jose. Once home I went straight to bed, I was exhausted and couldn't stay awake! I absolutely loved white water rafting and had the best day! I would do it again if I ever got the chance! Pura Vida <3 x