Pos: here
Loc: Puerto Viejo
Acc: tent
Dist: 51 km
Start: 5:15 End: 14:55

Tomorrow:
Estimated landing: Puerto Inca
Estimated starting time: Right after sunrise
Estimated landing time: Well before sunset

We got a good night’s sleep, despite the tent shaking in 15 knots wind on our exposed high concrete platform. But somehow had been so spoiled with calm weather, we didn’t really feel like getting out today! But we knew it was only because we were camped at the windy side, and first had to go around the long headland before getting into sheltered water.

We knew about two more landing options on the backside, surely this was the better, sheltered side. But our narrow landing beach was calm, despite it was a rubbish dump and stinky.

There was a beautiful remote sandy beach on the backside we were very sorry we didn’t take yesterday – but it was first too late to paddle around the headland, and we would have landed in last light, and second it was inside the nature reserve we didn’t really want to land in if we don’t have to. The other caleta on the backside was full with fishing boats, and the landing was probably quite in public.

It stayed almost all day quite windy, but still we took our jackets off for a few hours. Just that the choppy water was washed occasionally into our spray decks…

The headland into Puerto Viejo seemed to be endless, but eventually we could land in a very sheltered bay on a tiny sandy beach just in front of the small village. we seemed to be announced by some coast guard, as as soon as we were landing, a guy hung on the phone to ask about our plans for the next day. Ok – this is at least a more efficient method then to show up unnecessarily in person – usually *many* persons. And we have our peace.

The locals were greeting us friendly, curious and also with lots of admiration of our effort, and showed us a place to camp on a concrete area with multiple usage as sports field and carport. They even grabbed a broom to sweep one sheltered corner fre of trash! Very, very nice!
We were shopping for a few bottles of water in the tiny local cafe/ shop, and thought this was a nice friendly active working community with about 20 fishing boats outside. We will sleep well tonight!