Adios Congo Bongo, Hola Suerre Caribe Hotel!

Trip Start Jun 14, 2009

Trip End Jul 05, 2009

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Where I stayed

Congo Bongo Manzanillo

(Manzanillo hotels)

Flag of Costa Rica Manzanillo, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Saturday, June 27, 2009

     Well, I survived the night! I barely moved all night because I was scared out of my wits! I am embarrassed to admit that Nicole and I were sooo tired from not getting much sleep the last two weeks, that we slept until 10:30 a.m. I have never slept that late before! That is insane!
     The morning started with a cold shower. The owner seemed to pride himself on the fact that his houses had hot showers but there must have been a trick to it (as there often is here in Costa Rica) as we had cold showers. The weather is so hot and humid, though, that it didn't feel so bad.
     After a brief discussion, Nicole and I quickly agreed that we are not nature people and decided to find a different hotel. Our friends were staying at Suerre Caribe Hotel, closer to Puerto Viejo. Our driver had told us it was about 5 minutes from us. We decided to walk there and see if they had any rooms available

Turtles

. After 45 minutes of walking in the hot, humid weather with nothing to drink, we arrived at Suerre Caribe. They had a room, we checked it out and immediately booked it. Suerre Caribe is the only hotel in the Puerto Viejo area that has air conditioning! Bonus!
    We took a taxi back to the Congo Bongo to get our belongings and then the taxi took us back to drop off our things at the Suerre Caribe. We then took the taxi into Puerto Viejo. It was 3 o'clock by the time we finally got to town. We did not have anything to eat until about 4:00! But, at least, we got more comfortable lodging.
     We ate outside at a restaurant/bar on the beach. They served tex-mex food and burgers. The burger was actually quite good (this from someone who is not a burger fan) and the french fries were homemade. Getting served in Costa Rica is a long process as the Ticos are in no hurry. It is even more laid back on the Caribbean coast! Lunch can be a 90 minute ordeal.
     After lunch, Nicole and I walked around Puerto Viejo and checked out the various shops. I bought a beautiful mask for my living room at home. It was made locally and the fine craftsmanship is evident. I know Jim is really going to like it.
     We went to a place called Bread and Chocolate for some dessert. They are well known for their fine chocolate desserts. Chocolate is made locally near Puerto Viejo and it is very good. I had a chocolate shake that had tiny bits of chocolate in it. It was fantastic. I also had a piece of chocolate cake that was very good. It was my first dessert since I have been in Costa Rica.
     We stayed in Puerto Viejo until it was dark. I did not feel that the town was unsafe at all. Since then, I have learned that there were 5 or 6 muggings there in the last 2 weeks and some locals told the teen group that they should not walk there in the dark but should take a taxi. We took a taxi back to our hotel as it was a long walk between town

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