La vida costarricense: Provincia de Limon

Our trip to Punta Uva was our very first to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica (so that is the sunrise above). The beaches there are widely reg

arded by most Costa Ricans to be the most beautiful in the country. After passing a couple of days in Punta Uva's white sand, calm surf, and perfectly clear water it is hard to disagree. Despite the renowned beauty, often the eastern province of Limon considers itself to be largely forgotten by the booming tourist industry which sends most of its business to the northwest in Guanacaste. Nevertheless, it is truly a blessing in disguise seeing as how the lack of steady tourism leaves the beaches clean and quiet and perfect for a day or two of relaxation. The shore is also packed full of wildlife, we spent time chasing

crabs, watching birds, and even came across a rare Hercules beatle. We also spent some time exploring small tide pools that acted like natural aquariums for the tiny fish starting their lives there. The other beaches around the cities farther north may not always be as clean as the southern most beaches but are still better than some on the Pacific coast.

We also had the opportunity to spend a short evening in Puerto Viejo where we were able to experience the heavy Rastafarian and Jamaican influence. Limon is as famous for its beaches as it is for is

Caribbean way of life. There you will find the population of Afro-Caribbean peoples who immigrated to Costa Rica to work on the construction of railroads during the 1870's and 1880's. Their Jamaican heritage is particularly present in the food, music, and abuse of marijuana that is prevalent in the urban areas. Nevertheless, while some drug problems exist, as tourists we had no issues and ultimately enjoyed our short stint in the town of Puerto Viejo where we enjoyed listening to some reggae while sipping on cervezas at the beach bar.

Our last day in Limon was spent at Cahuita National Park where we went snorkeling along some of the parks famous reefs. The coral reefs at Cahuita are the largest in the country and provide some of Costa Rica's best snorkeling. Sadly, a huge portion of the reefs have disappeared over the past 50 years mostly due to damage done by humans and agriculture but also by a 1991 earthquake that forced the sea floor upwards exposing large portions of the reef that eventually resulted in their death. What reefs remain support a great variety of sea creatures including many species of fish, sharks, and sting rays along with 27 species of coral. In our snorkeling adventure we were startled by a barracuda, two nurse sharks, and a handful of sting rays skating along the sandy ocean floor. A few species of sea turtles also make their home at Cahuita, however, we didn't stumble upon any during our time there. In a month or so they will begin laying their nests in the parks sand and we will regrettably be back home in Michigan. Either way, it leaves us something to return for and I know Limon will definitely be one of the places I will go back to during my next trip to Costa Rica.