Surfing, Yoga, Healing Retreats; The Afro Caribbean Vibe of Limon, Costa Rica

Picture for a minute, the tunes of roots reggae music playing as you walk  towards the beach. The smell of perfectly seasoned plantains, rice and beans lingering in the warm air from a local Soda (restaurant) as you glance across the road. Fuchsia, blue and green multi-colored Toucans and Parrots are singing while sitting on a tree. Sloths hanging on the leaves and Powder blue, fluorescent like butterflies fluttering by. Surrounded by the Jungle as the backdrop are banana, coconut, bread fruit, palms and all sorts of varieties of exotic plants as far as your eyes can see down the horizon.

Naturally tanned Tika's and Tiko's carrying their surfboards to the Ocean as the tide is coming in stirring up the energy of the waves. Passing shops designed with colors of red, yellow and green. A  Rasta Man smiles at you, then says" What-ta-guan?  You say hello, he responds "Jah Bless". Although this was the welcoming experience getting off the bus to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.

The ride there was quite intense because of how remote the location where the Jungle meets the Ocean. It seemed to have only one main bridge which was pretty small. Traffic was backed up for miles but once you arrive could feel the Afro Caribbean influence was the vibe. 

The History of Costa Rica's province they call Little Jamaica 

I didn't realize before I got there that it was home to a large population of West Indians. Known for it's Cacao beans that were prized by the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans  in ancient times as currency for thousands of years until the 1930's. The People are very diverse with a mix of Afro Costa Ricans, Bribris and Cabeceras Indigenous People who lived there in harmony trading with each other for many decades. 

Puerto Viejo aka "Little Jamaica" is a on the Miskito Caribbean Coast, Limon Province. In the 1800's Jamaicans went to Costa Rica to build the railways between Puerto Limon and the Highlands after the local Tiko's refused to work on it due to the conditions they would be exposed to.   

It was during the sugar depression in the Caribbean and they paid more than the Atlantic railways were paying. There were many stoppage's of the project along the way so to keep the workers there the government gave them land that they worked on. 

Marcus Garvey born in 1887 who was a prominent figure in Black History lived in Limon. A Jamaican Political Activist who founded the (UNIA)  Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League there and had a thriving entrepreneurial  business. 

His operations started at his Black Star Line building as apart of the Black Star Line Cruise Ship to take Black People back to Africa. It was the first Black owned shipping company in the US. Although only spending two years traveling from Costa Rica to Panama to British Honduras doing seasonal work to fund his first newspaper,  his presence had a lasting affect on the Pan African Movement where he created the Pan African Flag in 1920 as a response to a song that was racially derogatory. 

It represents Black Liberation in the US to symbolize the union of governance, Unity of the People and territory in the Diaspora. Marcus Garvey's two most famous quotes that we all know from a snippet from Bob Marley's song  "Liberate the minds of men and ultimately you will liberate the bodies of men"  We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, for though others may free the body, non but ourselves can free the mind. Mind is our only ruler; sovereign, "great principles, great ideas know no nationality".

The other quote; A People without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots. If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. Up, you mighty race, accomplish what you will. 

Puerto Viejo is the surf spot known for intense waves and mellow yoga retreats

What led me there was being hired to teach Surf Lessons for two weeks at a Women of Color Healing Retreat. I had already did a backpack surf trip on the Pacific side and at the time I was trying to make my way up there but got caught up with a perfect right surf break.   So I was excited to see the Caribbean side. 

When I got there, I felt right at home. The comfort level was very noticeable to me as a BIPOC Woman who's been traveling for 30 years. From the pictures on the walls of the restaurant's to the local culture and the tourist it attracted gave me a sense of security I hadn't really felt in the US. The weather was warm and humid but had more of a cool breeze passing through then on the other side of the Coast in Santa Teresa, I had visited the previous year. It was so hot there that no one really went to the beach in the day time but here it was tolerable.  Personally, I love heat and humidity. As long as there's a coast, I'm cool with it. 

Puerto Viejo is a very interesting beach town with lots of layers to peel back. You're going to do a lot of hiking, mountain climbing, walking, swimming, surfing and yoga. Utilizing the natural elements is the theme of Costa Rica. Flexibility is really going to count because of the mountainous interior.  I had to do a lot of stretching because I came with a torn meniscus but wasn't even trying to complain or think about it. If you're not into athletic activities or willing to push yourself to be, this is probably not the Country for you because even getting to the most beautiful waterfalls require some intensive hikes through the jungle.

Once you see how breathtakingly beautiful they are thou, it's well worth it. You can find indoor with half outdoor yoga studios as well as hostels for backpackers everywhere. This is the kind of place you go for a minimum of two weeks to really take in the full experience. Being at a healing retreat that served all vegan food gave me a mental and physical detox that was very transformative. There are some great ones to choose from. In fact, an artistically creative couple I knew from Los Angeles called Fountain of Roots who's also plant based and into community involvement opened there retreat up last year. 

Things I learned to not ever do again in Costa Rica

 I learned to never swim directly under a waterfall  with your water camera trying to get some epic shots for YouTube (enter crying emoji here). The pressure of the falls will plummet you straight to the bottom which actually makes common sense but I wasn't thinking that far a head at the time..

 Luckily, I'm trained at holding my breath for an extended time but admittedly, it was scary for a couple of seconds when I couldn't any longer. I could hear two muffled ladies voices who attended the  Retreat I was giving surf lessons later to calling my name.  I had to play it off like I knew what I was doing as water was pouring out of my nose holding in my cough from swallowing a gallon of it. Afterwards, I still had fun. One thing about being a surfer is you're going to take some wipeouts that hold you under so I was accustomed to how that felt, I'm glad spat me back up though. 

The other thing I learned was to not wear any type of sweet smell. Now I haven't worn perfumes for over 20 years, I wear organic perfumed oils that (ok same thing but without the alcohol. Enter crying emoji here) which I assumed would be ok. I started with a tiny bit of vanilla and  then went on to lavender essential oils. Man! When I tell you them bugs ate me up! I ate garlic prior to coming, mixed my own organic mosquito repellent sprays but they came after me anyway. Once I got rid of the sweet smell, my repellents worked. Believe me, you don't want them Caribbean Mosquitos to come for you... You'll be walking around having itching attacks all of a sudden. Lookin' like you are on something. 

The town is very simplistically stunning in it's infrastructure. I think it's more focused on the natural beauty then on materialism which is why I believe it's appealing to for a healing environment and inclusive capitalism with how diverse the business and the way they welcome expats. For those of us who've suffered under systemic oppression, it's very refreshing.  In my opinion and observations.  

This pic below was taken inside of the Blessed House, a wonderfully landscaped property where the Retreat was held. It was owned by a Tika and her husband who was a Soccer Player. This is when I fell in love being there. Nature gives you so much energy.

Each morning we had yoga at an outside Dojo where we could see sloths hanging from the trees and a group of colorful butterflies flying by at the same time (8:30 am) each day. 

 Surf Session Lessons

The location I was doing the surf instructions was minutes from where we were staying. The entrance of the beach alone was nothing short of a magical looking paradise. The sand had this golden glitter like specs in it that was very soft as we practiced our pop ups before going out to the warm ocean. 

Known for the most powerful and big epic waves that hollow out in the CR is Salsa Brava, it's either flat or firing. Some of the Beaches we visited in the area were Playa Negra, Playa Chiquita and Punta Uva. We came during a time when it was smaller which was ideal to teach surf lessons. I'd seen a few pics of surfers riding hollow waves there too. Even though the water looked calm, I could definitely feel an undercurrent energy so when I swam, I was very cautious about going out too far. 

 

   

The Tiko who's an instructors name Misael (Surf the Jungle Surf School)  let us use his boards for the lessons and told me all about his the beach break there. It's always good to talk to the locals about the surf. He was really sweet and welcoming and let me tell you, PV got the finest Men I have ever seen of anywhere I've ever traveled thus far. But that's another story for another time. 

After the retreat I stayed for an extra week to see more of this Afro Caribbean town. Rode a bike with one of the women who was also an Instructor gave me a little tour of the place. The housing was nice and very reasonably priced. I could totally see myself living there. In fact, I think about the Pura Vida (pure life) of it all the time which is why I had to blog about it. 

In conclusion if you're planning to go visit Puerto Viejo there are some important things you should know about before you come...

1. Bring a raincoat because it will be pouring down like crazy one or two or three days that you're there then it'll disappear and be back to normal. Sunny and beautiful again.
2. Don't bring perfumes or scented sprays because the way you'll be attacked by the mosquitos ain't no joke. In fact during the earlier part of the century, PV was slow to develop because of the infestations they had
3. Pack light because you won't really want to be wearing a lot of fabric in all that humidity.
4. Bring eco-friendly products and sunscreen to preserve the environment. 
5. Make sure you're hydrated when you arrive and continue to make that your #1 priority.
6. Support local... Always supporting the local economy is a "Best Practice" wherever you go. It's sustainable to the economy and to the People who make the land a wonderful place. 
7. You'll definitely need Hiking Sandals or Shoes. The roads are rocky and with doing a lot of walking, it's good to have some footwear with traction and support. 
8. A good backpack preferably waterproof for your local journey's are a must. Personally, I would say a main one for all your things then a small one for your water, sunscreen., blanket, swimsuit, water shoes, etc.,) Don't bring a purse tryna be cute going on excursions. Where are you going to put it? and who's going to be watching it? Nobody, lol.

The most important thing you should do is to Act local Breath Deep and go to Happy Hour. Pura Vida!!! 

Have you sailed along the Sea of Cortes in Baja California? Here's a post you might enjoy reading to learn all about it. 

 https://www.creativelycultured.com/2023/02/baja-california-enchanted-journey.html