Tayrona

Trip Start Oct 11, 2006
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Trip End Apr 25, 2007


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Flag of Colombia  ,
Monday, January 29, 2007

     We made our way north along the Nicoya Peninsula from Montezuma to Santa Teresa, another Costa Rican beach town. Santa Teresa is situated along a 3km long beach with great waves, drawing a large surfer crowd. Every sunset the beach was loaded with some of the best surfers we have ever seen. We didnīt surf, instead tried more boogie boarding, but the waves prooved to be a little too big for that. The last night there we biked a short ways to Malpais, where there was a big party to celebrate the coming swells. The bar was pretty big, featuring a pool table, ping-pong table and a mechanical bull. After watching many people try their luck on the bull, Kyle decided to do it a little differently. He hopped on and rode it backwards, needless to say that fun was shortlived.
     The next morning, with little rest, we left the Pacific Ocean for the Carribean. We eventually arrived in Puerto Viejo after 13 hours of bus rides. Around a campfire that night we got to talking with yet another fellow Vancouverite (Itīs amazing how many we run into!). After talking to John for awhile, we found out that he also lived near The Drive last summer, the same area in which Kyle lived. Somehow the topic was probed deeper, and as it turns out, he lived on the corner of Victoria and 11th Ave, ON THE SAME BLOCK AS KYLE. So ya... now Kyle can say he met someone from accross the street while in Costa Rica! Our Hostel, Rockinī Jīs, was ornately covered with mosaics and paintings, all done by visiting travellers. It featured a Ļhammock hotelĻ with dozens of hammocks lined up side by side, unfortunately without bugnets. We spent two nights in a hammock before taking off to Panama in search of a better nights rest.
     After yet another problem-free border crossing, we took a short boat ride to Bocas del Toro, it sure was neato! The ride took us through a series of canals, originally dug by banana farmers. Along the way we passed the Chiquita Banana plantation, where we saw bundles of bananas moving along a coveyer to be bagged, and eventually loaded onto freighters and shipped for you all to eat back home. We kept our eyes peeled, but unfortunately didnīt see any girls with big bundles of fruit on their heads. Bocas del Toro is actually a string of islands, but we only went to the largest, Isla Colon. It was rainy for the duration of our stay, so lots of time was spent reading and drinking hot chocolate. We managed to escape the rain and get out on two dives, but didnīt see anything out of the ordinary. Bocas will be remembered for the lovely gourmet grocery that served delicious sandwiches made-to-order!
     We left the rain of the islands, and headed cross country to Boquete, a cold and windy mountain town. The Bocas-Boquete drive is one of the most scenic and memorable journeys yet. In Boquete we went for a horseback ride,
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