Puerto Viejo – What’s Not To Love? You Decide.

Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica – what’s not to love? In previous posts we wooed you with our pictures of the white sandy beaches and warmed you with our story about the valiant efforts of the Jaguar Rescue Center. We showed you pictures of all of the amazing animals that we spotted and tempted you with stories of amazing food with a sea view. But would it surprise you if that wasn’t the whole story?

Puerto Viejo – A Closer Look Reveals Another Side

When we decided to travel to the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica we thought it would be the cleanest place we had ever visited. This partially based on the government’s hope to earn the title as the first Country to achieve carbon neutrality by 2021. And fantastic advertising by the tourist industry featuring an exhilarating eco-green-sustainable experience packed into every visit. So with all of this eco-friendliness imagine our surprise by all of the trash. There are community trash pick up spots throughout Puerto Viejo, but they leave a lot to be desired. We even heard that efforts by one neighborhood to add a secure trash bin at the end of the road was met by a match and a can of gasoline (“not in my neighborhood!”). We’re not new to the concept that government policy does not change the attitude or behavior of people on the street. So unless you staying in a resort that pays someone to comb and clean the beach, expect to see some refuse.

Trash Hoping To Be Collected

One of the things that has been wonderful about traveling through some destinations in South America is that your money goes a lot further. Not here, friend. The flurry of North Americans traveling here and moving in has jacked up the prices, for everyone. If you come here, expect good food that is perfectly safe to eat, but you’ll pay. And so do the locals — groceries at the supermarket obviously cost the same for everyone. And when the average Tico in Puerto Viejo is pulling down $2 per hour, expect a little bitterness.

Mix Your Happy Hour And That Chilled Out Vibe With A Grain Of Salt

Happy, well-off tourists rubbing shoulders with economically challenged locals, mixed with a side of elicit drugs, can sometimes lead to a ragged path. The hosts in the home where we stayed cautioned us to keep the house locked at all times, even if we were in the yard. And while they said that they had never been robbed themselves and we didn’t have any negative experiences while we were there, we did meet others who were not so lucky. We ran into a well traveled middle aged mother and her daughter who were on a rafting trip with us the previous day. They reported being robbed at knife point while walking along the beach at 6:30 at night. Apparently having a dense jungle for cover, a crashing surf to drown out the sound, and an isolated area known for tourists can add up to a bad experience. None of this made us decide to pack up and leave, but we certainly took a cab home at night and were a little more paranoid as we walked around than normal.

Travel Advisory Tacked To The Bathroom Wall In A Restaurant

Maybe Being On A Secluded Beach Where The Sea Meets The Sand Isn’t Always A Good Thing.

And while we’re dishing on things, why not pick on the sloth? We searched for these cute guys every time we left the house. We started calling them “tree turkeys” because you’d spot them by finding a ball of dark fur up in the tree. Just lying there. Being a sloth. But closer inspection of the sloth reveals a light green slime on their furry being – basically a moss they grow themselves to snack on since they tend to stay relatively immobile in the same mossy jungly environment for long periods of time. And in that green fur the gentle sloth is  host to all kinds of critters such as cockroaches. The smell, when you are close, is not good. So there you have it.

Distance Really Does Make The Heart Grow Fonder

Does any of this take away from our experience in Puerto Viejo? Well, of course it did. But all of the positives about the place are also true. It is beautiful. The sand and beaches that connect to a jungle full of monkeys and exotic plants are also part of the true story. And with all of that said, would we recommend a visit? Absolutely – we’ll see you there.

Easy To Forget Your Worries With This View

Related articles that can help plan or inspire your visit to Costa Rica:

Rainforest Tour Costa Rica

Jaguar Rescue Center Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Discovering Pura Vida in San Jose Costa Rica

La Fortuna Costa Rica Waterfall