“You want pineapple!?” Before I can even answer he jerks the car off
the road into an earthy driveway and the beautiful scenery is now
blocked by a cloud of dust and dirt. Juan Carlos, my overly friendly
taxi-cab driver, slides open the door of the van, insisting (in a mix
of English and Spanish) that I get out and follow him. Mind you, it’s
my first day in this foreign country, somewhere between San Jose (the
capital) and the Caribbean coastline. I turn and look at my friend,
shrug my shoulders and say oh-so-encouragingly, “We‘re on vacation!
C’mon!” Having a native pick fresh wild pineapple and slice it open on
the side of the road was just the first taste of my tropical trek
through Costa Rica.

After about a 5-hour drive through the
heart of the country we arrived at our destination in Puerto Viejo.
“What do you mean the room doesn’t have AC?!” My friend continued to
ramble but his voice began to fade as the sound of crashing waves
filled my ears. Just in front of the hotel (La Perla Negra), I
carefully stepped through a dense barrier of trees, then over a ground
littered with flora, and suddenly found myself on the charcoal sands of
Puerto Viejo beach. My senses were overwhelmed as I took in a breath of
air composed of both the crisp mist of the rainforest and the salty
gusts from the Caribbean Sea. Such a beautiful sight too, and within
such close proximity of our hotel. Our “hotel” turned out to be more of
a cabin-style retreat with living amenities not so familiar to that of
the average American traveler. I’ll admit, the no air conditioning, and
no TV, was different from what I'm use to, but hey! We had running
water, screened windows, and a lock on the door. All was well.