Costa Rica: Day 7

Day 7 was a self-guided trip to Punta Uva on bicycles. The journey is roughly 1 hour over partially paved roads with some pretty massive potholes dotted along the way. Even though it was a bumpy ride it was a fun adventure.

After all, a man from New Jersey said to us the other day, “You don’t experience the true Costa Rica until you’ve used a bicycle”.

Polar Bear Swim 2010 / Punta Uva

Robyn and I (as well as our friend Jenny) partook in the annual Polar Bear Swim back in 2009. This time though, we still took part in the Polar Bear Swim for 2010 but it was in 25-28 degree Celsius water with a tropical rainforest bordering it.

All those people who went swimming in the frigid waters of English Bay in Vancouver, our thoughts were with you as we splashed around in the Caribbean waters.

After the trek on the road dodging cars, trucks, people and potholes, we eventually found the turn off for Punta Uva. The above photo is the first glimpse we got of this special swimming area while locking up our trusty bicycles. Why is it special? Well white sand beaches, crystal clear waters and not as rough seas. It’s the safest place to have a swim in the area.

The area itself is just paradise, though we opted to move a bit further north along the beach to where less people were stationed. We set our stuff down near a log and jumped into the water.

In the second photo, it looks like Ursula Andress (aka Honey Ryder – Bond Girl) is adjusting her bikini bottoms before heading back into the water. Note my excellent physique

After playing around in the water for a while we packed up our stuff and headed back to where we locked up our bikes. We walked up the access road and noticed the amount of cars parked there. It seems that some people would be stuck there all day as people parked their cars in front of other people’s cars. Good luck trying to get a spot to park if you’re arriving before noon on a day like today. I recommend bicycling to Punta Uva, or even catching the local Tika bus as it stops right outside one of the access roads to the beach.

Along the road back to Puerto Viejo there is a large long beach called Punta Chiquita (photos above). It reminds me of Tofino when it has large waves. Here surfers strut their skill in front of sunbathers.

We peddled on back to Puerto Viejo where we took a stroll among the vendors. When we got back to Banana Azul we went out for another swim at our section of Playa Negra. Yea, we pretty much spent most of the day in the water.

Photos Taken So Far: 684

Next To Come: Sea and River Kayak Adventure near Punta Uva