It’s not all surfing

When they think of Costa Rica, many people think of surfing. Naturally. With miles of coastline along the Pacific and Caribbean oceans, Costa Rica offers great opportunities to “hang ten.” But there are also miles and miles of pristine tropical beaches, rivers and creeks for non-surfers to enjoy. That would be me and Gordie. 

This year we brought a two-person inflatable kayak to Costa Rica with us and have begun to explore the various rivers and beaches in our area with it. Our most recent adventure brought us a short distance south of Puerto Viejo to the small village of Manzanillo. This is the end of the road in Costa Rica, literally. Our kayaking destination was Simeon Creek which separates Manzanillo from a five-kilometer coastal trail that leads to Punta Mona and the heart of the Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge. After that, Panama.



We drove to the end of the beach, parked the car and checked out the creek. Inflating the kayak took less than 10 minutes, added a few more minutes to enjoy a hot “paty,” or meat pie, we purchased from a lady on the beach, and off we went. It was everything you would expect a jungle river to be. Very dark, very quiet, tangles of low hanging vines and trees.  Just like a movie, but real. Luckily no crocodiles or snakes, that we could see at least. When we tired of the jungle we turned the kayak around and went out to try our hand at ocean kayaking.  A little later, kayak deflated, we made our way across Simeon Creek by foot and walked until we found a private, palm-lined beach for snorkeling. Enjoyed an adult beverage under the palms and began our trek back to civilization. Another day in paradise.

Punta Mona

A couple of weeks ago we had an opportunity to participate in an all-day Medicinal Plant Workshop at Punta Mona. In addition to the course material, the meager cost of $30 included a 30 minute boat ride there and back as well as lunch. I have always wanted to visit this 85 acre permaculture farm that’s about 5.5 km beyond the end of the road in Manzanillo. Normally it would require a hike through the jungle for a few hours to get there. So the boat ride sounded really good to me.

We were met at Punta Mona by our instructor, Sarah Wu. She and the founder, Steve, showed us around the farm before we began learning all about 35 different medicinal plants which are readily found in this area. Punta Mona is an “off the grid” sustainable community. They grow more than 100 tropical fruits, vegetables, herbs, and medicinal plants for their own consumption on the farm. Conservation of energy and reduction of waste are practiced daily complete with composting toilets. Solar panels provide electricity and rainwater is collected for drinking and washing. They even have solar internet! Lunch was delicious and included a salad made with numerous greens from the various plants and trees that grow there. The information was great and even greater were the cuttings of several different medicinal plants for our own gardens. I’m watching every day and hoping for lots of potent greens.