A Central American photo essay: Costa Rica edition

See Part I: Panama here.

After leaving Panama, we spent most of our time in Costa Rica in a small, Caribbean coastal town called Puerto Viejo. This town is full of backpackers going to and from Bocas del Toro, Panama, and surfers attracted to the 8-foot waves and laid back atmosphere.

We had a drink at this bar one night. I say a drink because that one in front of me was the strongest cocktail I have ever had. It only took one of those bad boys for me to get drunk and start dancing on the bar.

We also met these three very cool travelers — Jeanie, Ben, and Josh — and hung out with them one night at another bar. We bonded over our travel stories and love of sports. We asked an old lady to take our photo. I’m not sure what she was aiming at.

Costa Rica is full of beautiful wildlife.

This was the best breakfast I had on the trip: fresh oatmeal, sweet fruit, and great coffee. It was at a joint called Bread and Chocolate, which, obviously, appealed to The Princess…

…as opposed to this monster yogurt/fruit concoction.

I was not feeling well here because I had the worst back sunburn (thanks to snorkeling) and I had to keep my shirt on. Woe’s me.

Puerto Viejo had several beaches along the coast but this one was my favorite from an aesthetic standpoint. Dubbed Playa Negra, the sand was completely black but soft and warm. It felt like we were sitting in a charcoal pit except not as gross.

We saw these chickens, hens, and roosters IN the tree. I’ve never seen a chicken fly let alone fly up and into a tree so I was pretty amazed. Also, I was thankful they didn’t crap on me while I was framing this shot.

We finally went ziplining (also called a canopy tour), which is always one of my favorite things to do in Costa Rica.

It took The Princess a couple of canopies to get the hang of it but by the end she was an old pro, doing flips and turns and spinning around upside down hundreds of feet above the rainforest.

Wait, no, that was me.

Looking down at the rainforest from the highest canopy on the tour. Our two guides were cool, telling us stories of previously brave tourists eager to zipline only to break down and cry once they realized how scary it could be.

After I left for home, The Princess continued her trip to this resort in Playa Tambor, a place I had visited with my dad and brother three years ago.

Though she encountered a crocodile, this squirrel was the bravest animal by far, actually climbing on her backpack, making itself at home, and asking her out for a drink.