| Costa Rica isn't known for its colossal size. The | | | | of European and American expats and visitors; |
| country would easily fit into the state of West | | | | everyone enjoying this relaxed, hybrid community |
| Virginia and most destinations are no more than | | | | that has evolved under the warm Costa Rican |
| half a day away by road. But it wasn't always like | | | | sun. |
| this. In fact, until little over twenty years ago, | | | | My first night in town and I sought out the locally |
| great stretches of the country were almost as | | | | renowned Miss Lidia's for a taste of the local |
| inaccessible by land as the deepest of South | | | | delicacy, the Costa Rican staple of rice and beans |
| American jungles. | | | | with a Caribbean twist: soaked in rich coconut |
| Costa Rica's southern Caribbean coast was one of | | | | sauce and packed with spice. Sated, I wandered |
| the last regions to become connected to the rest | | | | into the first bar I found and expecting a room full |
| of the country. It was only in 1987 that the first | | | | of reggae, I was gently surprised to find a four |
| paved road linked the regional capital of Limon to | | | | piece blues group playing to an enraptured crowd, |
| San Jose meaning that for most of the country's | | | | where one rum and coke quickly turned into |
| history, the Afro-Caribbean east coast | | | | another. |
| communities developed in almost complete | | | | Further down the coast, relaxed bars and |
| isolation from the rest of Hispanic Costa Rica. | | | | restaurants spilled out onto the sand itself, as the |
| Talking with Mrs. Rose, the elderly owner of a | | | | distinction between bar and beach became blurred |
| small guesthouse in the sleepy coastal town of | | | | by vacationers and locals mingling under by |
| Cahuita, the Costa Rica of her childhood sounded | | | | beachside bonfires under the night sky. |
| a universe apart from the country I was traveling | | | | But there's a lot more to Puerto Viejo than music, |
| through. | | | | partying and surfing. The next morning I decided |
| "Before they built that road it took us three days | | | | to work off my hangover and for a few dollars, |
| to get to San Jose. We took mule carts and went | | | | hired a pushbike and headed further south down |
| up the river by canoe. There were no tourists | | | | the freshly paved road towards the tiny |
| around here back then, it was all just fishing and | | | | settlement of Manzanillo, just a few kilometers |
| farming." | | | | from the Panama border. |
| This extended isolation has left an enduring legacy | | | | The route takes you past some of Puerto Viejo's |
| in Costa Rica's east coast communities where | | | | most luxurious lodges, most of which boast their |
| Afro Caribbean identities have remained vibrant | | | | own pools, private beachfronts and first-rate |
| and strong. Most residents are direct descendents | | | | fusion restaurants. I eventually left the town |
| from Jamaican slaves and immigrants; a patois | | | | behind me and continued down an increasingly |
| variation of English is still the local language; the | | | | quiet, densely forested road where the silence |
| scent of spicy Caribbean dishes and a constant | | | | was occasionally interrupted by the sound of |
| hum of reggae beats fill the air. | | | | roaring howler monkeys hidden within the trees. |
| Despite recent investments in roads and transport | | | | A slight detour to Punto Uva brought me out |
| services, Costa Rica's Caribbean coast still feels | | | | onto an almost deserted beach where white |
| separate and distant, almost like having two | | | | sands met turquoise blue water: a beach scene |
| countries rolled into one. And not just for the | | | | that was almost too cliched to believe. |
| passing visitor: Mrs. Rose constantly referred to | | | | Reaching Manzanillo you get a glimpse of what this |
| "the Spanish" as though they were people of a | | | | region might have looked like before the paved |
| different continent, not her fellow Costa Ricans. | | | | roads brought it into modernity. The village is little |
| Following the road south from Cahuita to the | | | | more than a few homes, a hotel and of course, |
| town of Puerto Viejo, the Caribbean vibe only | | | | the mandatory, reggae-filled bar, all clustered |
| grows stronger. | | | | around a small central square which doubles up as |
| Puerto Viejo is known for being Costa Rica's | | | | an undersized football pitch. |
| party town and stepping off the bus I was | | | | And curving around the settlement is an arc of |
| immediately confronted by the town's | | | | white sand gently leading down to the warm |
| well-established attitude: music is everywhere, | | | | waters of the Caribbean Sea, a perfect place to |
| literally flowing from the bars, guesthouses and | | | | stop and cool off following my long cycle ride. |
| passing cars. Surfers stroll, their boards underarm, | | | | Further south from this point there is nothing but |
| towards the reefs that produce Costa Rica's | | | | the thick forests of the Manzanillo Refuge, a few |
| most famous wave: the Salsa Brava. | | | | border settlements and then Panama and the |
| The town congregates itself along a few streets | | | | beginnings of Hispanic South America; the next |
| that run parallel to the coastline and are fringed | | | | stage of my journey. |
| with restaurants, hotels and beach-side bars. | | | | Before hopping back onto my bike and making |
| Meandering down the main road, every step gives | | | | the return journey to Puerto Viejo it seemed like |
| you a new insight into the unique cultural fusion | | | | an appropriate place to pause and say goodbye |
| that is taking place here: Afro-Caribbean meets | | | | to this quiet, tiny Afro-Caribbean corner on a vast |
| Hispanic, plus Chinese settlers and a healthy dose | | | | Latin continent. |