Perhaps one of my favorite moments of living in P.V. actually happened when I arrived. I took a “tour” from Bocas del Toro, Panama to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica for about $25, which covered all costs of transportation to get there except the $1 needed at the Panama border for the exit visa stamp. Again, I was asked by the driver on the Costa Rica side “where in P.V. do you want to be dropped off?” and my reply again was “I don’t know, somewhere in town will do! So he dropped me off near the soccer field in town, just a block or two inland from the main road that runs through P.V.
Now, I mentioned earlier that I happened to arrive on a Holiday weekend… What this meant was that all the locals from inland of Costa Rica had an extended weekend and were on the coast themselves… which meant that all the accommodations had been taken! yes…
In any event, I was making my way along the soccer field when suddenly an old rasta man came riding up on his bike behind me. And what follows was our conversation:
Rasta man: Hey Baby, how you doing today?
Me: Great, how are you?
Rasta man: Good baby, good! You just arrive baby?
Me: Yup. Every place seems to be full. Do you know anywhere that may have a place to stay for the night?
Rasta man: Yea baby, there’s that Rockin’ J’s baby.
Me: Oh ok, where do I go for that place?
Rasta man: Just down that street baby, like 10 minutes baby
Me: Great, thanks for the info!
Rasta man: No problem baby, can I get you anything? Meth, smoke, coke, weed…
(and the list literally continued for several seconds with him naming every known drug on the planet in both formal and street name version…)
Me with a slightly shocked face: No… Nope, thanks I’m good!
Rasta man: Ok baby, you have a great day now!
And away he rode… Definitely made me chuckle!! Now I should also mention that I had heard of Rocking J’s from a fellow traveler in Bocas del Toro, so when the Rasta man mentioned it, I knew he wasn’t giving me misinformation. So I wandered down the road until I came across Rocking J’s and rented THE LAST HAMMOCK for the night… Joy! Normally this wouldn’t be such a big deal, however Rocking J’s sports over 350 hammocks!!!! As well as dorms with beds and even private rooms with private beds! Yes, the place is enormous and right on the water. Rocking J himself is quite the character! He’s working on building an arc and selling spaces on it for himself and whoever else wants for the coming storm…
Ramblintraveler 