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| The only way into the National Park |
When feeling into where we'd the spend the majority of our short time in Costa Rica, (that is how I plan most traveling; I have a calling or pull to a place) and then researching those places, I discovered that just a few miles down from our villa in the jungle in Puerto Viejo the road ends. There you will come upon the small village of Manzanillo, a tiny place within the Gandoca-Manzanillo National Park, where the road the road goes no further. There sea and jungle meet with Panama lying somewhere beyond. I knew for sure that this one one place we'd have to check out.
One can spend hours hiking in the jungles of the National Park but since Don, Havana and I were both starting to feel under the weather (we initially thought a cold) we opted for a shorter hike, a quick dip in the sea and then had a Caribbean lunch that was both satisfying and relaxing. Things move slower outside the USA, which allows for patience building for us all!
It was not hard to miss the Jamaican influence in the village. On the restaurant was a mural including Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley, and Haile Selassie. Reggae music could be heard and the local people we encountered were of African descent. I don't think the smile was gone from my face other than when the kids did a bit of quarreling. As mentioned previously, the type of environment we encountered in this part of CR felt like home.
The local people we met were engaging and warm. The natural beauty of the river, sea and jungle were restorative to mind, body and soul. The only downside was that we were not up to our normal selves, so while we made the best of out our time there, I think if we'd been feeling better, we'd have taken in more of both the jungle and village. I guess that leaves a door open that we have to cross into again some day.
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| It was quite hot and humid inside the park. Coconuts provide all the nutrients to restore. They're also delicious. |
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| The Jamaican influence. |
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