Hey Everyone!!
So last night our whole group returned from our weekend trip to Cahuita. It was absolutely AMAZING. On Friday we left bright and early at 7:30 am from the ACM building. We stopped in the city of Limon for lunch so that we could walk around and see the famous Port of Limon, which is key to Costa Rica's economy since it is the main port in which every thing comes in and out of. After lunch, we made our way south along the Caribbean to the beautiful Cahuita.
When we arrived, we went to our hotel called La Diosa which is located on Playa Negra. This hotel is a very nice resort tucked away in the foliage that lines the beach. We had free time so some of us walked all the way to the downtown which is about an hour walk. But it was wonderful since you just follow the beach. I ran into MANY of my friends that I had made on my rural stay while we were downtown so we were able to hitch a ride back to the hotel.
That night we had a community leader, AKA my host mom Laura Wilson, come and speak to us all about the history and culture of Cahuita. Afterwards, we had a typical Caribbean dinner and then we all went out to downtown Cahuita to go dancing. It was priceless pulling up in our big "gringo bus" and all 17 of us pouring out! It was quite entertaining. After we got back we all met up in me and Molly's room and sang songs that our Professor, Manuel, played on his guitar. He's an amazing musician and it was so much fun.
On Saturday we learned how to make "pati" which is a a Caribbean food similar to an empanada. The difference is A LOT of pepper, chile picante, and curry. yummmm. Then we had another typical Afro-Costa Rican lunch. In the afternoon we all just hung out at the beach in the National Park and some of us hiked. It was fun seeing my fellow workers at the National Park and chatting with them. After that we went back to our hotel and listened to a Calypso concert. Calypso is a type of music very special to Cahuita and the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Reason being, Calypso music is something that is composed and produced by people from this area.Whereas, Reggae music which is also very popular, is just consumed. So we listened and danced and our professor played a few songs with the band as well.
That night after the concert we ate dinner and then prepared to go have a bonfire on the beach. This was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had. It was almost a full moon, there were NO clouds, there were stars everywhere, and the moon was insanely bright. We literally walked a moonlit path to the beach and then two of the girls made the fire. We made smores and laid around the fire talking and listening to the sounds of the waves while watching the moon and an occasional shooting star. It was truly a magical night, no body wanted it to end.
The next morning was a beautiful, sunny day so we all spent the morning at the beach. The waves were calm, and the water warm. We all swam and floated lazily in the water talking and commenting about how we couldn't believe that we were still in Costa Rica. Cahuita truly feels like a different country and with the rain and thunderstorms every day in San Jose it adds to the contrast. It was a miracle that our professors were able to get us out of the ocean and back on the bus to San Jose. I think all of us agreed that this was a truly special and unforgettable weekend.
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