A Caribbean Cycle Ride in Costa Rica

We crossed the quiet border in the north of Panama and found ourselves in the small Caribbean town of Puerto Viejo.

On the second day there we hired a couple of basic bicycles. We got together our towels, swimming gear, sun lotion, water bottle and some snacks and off we went for a day out.

Heading out of town, we passed lots of bars and restaurants all blaring out reggae and Bob Marley. Not too much traffic and on a flat road so apart from the heat, an easy ride, perfect for admiring the large Blue Morph butterflies.

We made it to Punta Uva, about 10k, and to a beautiful beach where we fell into the sea!

A while later we carried on to the end of the road, another 8k, to Manzanillo where we had lunch in a "soda" which is a locals cafe.
We had a couple of "batidos naturales" - fresh fruit drinks - papaya for Phil and mango for Dee. Lunch was a Caribbean fish local fare: fish in a spicyish sauce with onion and red pepper, rice, kidney beans, fried plantain and salad. Lovely!

We returned to Punta Uva for the rest of the afternoon and then back to Puerto Viejo just before it got dark, about 6pm. The ride back was busy with locals on their bikes and also some interesting wildlife. After hearing the Howler Monkeys in the trees we spotted a troupe of them close by.

A short time after there was a raucous nearby and two Great Green Macaws landed on a tree. These are endangered, with only about 1000 left in the wild so we were lucky to see them! A stunning bird to see in it's natural environment.