Hey everyone, I am in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica at the moment. Sorry I have not updated recently, but I have been infected with the unbelievably slow pace of life here. This is a tiny little town on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, and is full of the most laid back people I have ever met in my life. Its very Rasta, with lots of dreadlocks, people saying hey mon, and lots of people smoking marijuana everywhere, totally in the open too.

Its is also still Latin though, with plenty of Ticos to spice up the mix as well as a large population of Bri Bri, who are an indigenous group that lives in the jungle here.

Getting here turned out to be quite an adventure. I took a night bus from Panama City and rode it 10 hours to the border. While on the bus though, I had a fairly strange encounter.

The bus is very dark as it is an overnighter and people sleep on it (not me though, sleeping in moving vehicles is impossible for me). So, as I was trying in vain to get some rest on the bouncing bus in the very back seat, a Panamanian guy comes and sits next to me. We start making small talk and he seems like a nice guy. He asks me if I am married or if I have a girl friend and I say no. We shoot the bull some more and then he tells me that I am a very handsome man. Now my Spanish is decent by now, but I thought I miss heard him so I gave him that what did you just say look, and then he leans in and says that he likes me. I just stared at him in disbelief. Then, he leans in way too close and says he loves me! I just looked at him and said I liked girls and leaned about as far away as I could! He was cool about it though and took the rejection well. He shook my hand, said it was nice to meet me and if I changed my mind he would be up a few seats. Ha! I told him not to hold his breath! I was pretty damn uncomfortable but hey, he did see if I had a girlfriend first and he did not try to touch me or anything. I just took it as a very awkward compliment and moved on. But I did learn one thing, if any strange guys ask me if I have a girlfriend from now on, the answer will be yes!

Puerto Viejo itself is stunningly beautiful. The beaches are sandy and range in color from white to jet black, there are palm trees everywhere laden with coconuts that are great for drinking. People sit and chat with one another as they make bead necklaces and bracelets to sell, or pedal about town on their beach cruisers going about their daily business. Its the kind of place where no one has a watch and most people have to ask what day it is. I have never been somewhere so relaxed in all my life.

I have been so relaxed that I have not even taken a single picture since I have been here! Sorry about that, I am going to make it my mission to get some good pictures of the amazing scenery here uploaded in my next post as I know that is what everyone loves the most.

I have been exercising every day too, which makes me feel so much better. Myself and two Canadian guys, Andrew and Mark who are awesome people, have been working out a lot. These guys are real back woods Cannucks, lumberjacking, working on oil derricks, hunters, etc. and in good shape, so it has been good fun exercising with them. There is a small island off of the beach that we have been swimming around every morning. It is a nice long swim and really gets the blood going. I have also been running on the beach and doing some sit ups, push ups and pull ups. The only set back I had was when I was running along the water and I stepped on a Sea Urchin. Let me tell you, that does not feel very good. I got about 8 spikes in my foot and managed to get most of them out, but it stung like the dickens.

It feels so good to be able to exercise again, and to eat healthy food. I have been getting tons of veggies and fruit and taking time to cook nice meals during the day. When I am not working out or eating, I have been swinging in a hammock and reading or getting some sun on the beach. Life here is just so nice.

My plans keep slip sliding around. I am thinking that at this point, I am going to stay here for a month or so and either get a job to make a few bucks working at a bar or restaurant, or volunteering at a local community center that helps out with the local Bri Bri children. I am leaning towards volunteering as that is something I was planning on doing on this trip anyway. Its something I have always shied away from but I think it would be really good for me to do, just to give of myself expecting nothing there of. Plus, I love kids, so I think it would be pretty fun. To top it off, Tamarah, one of the great Canadians I have been hanging out with, volunteers there also and so I would have a friend to hang out with while I worked.

I have a friend who just moved to Peru too, and wants me to come down for Halloween, which sounds great, but I also have some friends coming to Central America soon who I want to see also. Plus, I still have a ton of things I want to do in South America, so there is a lot on my plate right now, but in all honesty, its choosing between nothing but fun things to do so I really should not complain!

So, I promise, pictures next time and they will be nice ones too. I bet some of my friends will think about moving here as you can get a beach front apartment for $250 bucks a month! Until next time, all my love.