text: Well this is my second time writing this. I had just finished a whole page that I was going to share, and I hit the submit button and for some reason it deleted EVERYTHING. Love it when that happens. Sooooo, I hope everyone had a great weekend! I took off friday afternoon after class with 7 other people and we hopped on a 5 hour bus ride to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica on the Caribbean side. The ride was not bad at all, especially because of the scenery we had the whole way there. We arrived in Puerto Viejo around 7 that night, and went straight to our hostel to check in. This was my first time staying at a hostel, so I was not sure what to expect. The name of the hostel was "Rockin' J's, and instead of sleeping in beds, everyone rents a hammock to sleep in. It ended up being one of the best experiences of my life. The hammocks were actually pretty comfortable, but I did end up getting attacked by mosquitos. Who knows what other kids of bugs were in my hammock, but I would really rather not know. We woke up early the next morning and headed to the farmers market, and then to breakfast. (Rice & beans, of course). Words can not describe how much I loved this area. Everyone is so laid back and friendly, and Bob Marley or some other type of reggae is playing at every other restaurant. It was almost like I was in Jamaica all over again, with the whole "rasta" feeling.
  After breakfast and relaxing for a while, we decided to rent some bikes from across the street and venture a ways to explore some other areas. We ended up biking for about 45 minutes and ended up at "Punta Uva". The water at the beach was amazingly clear, and the perfect temperature. I could have stayed there forever. We were there all day just hanging out and getting to know each other. We headed back to our hostel in Puerto Viejo to clean up and get ready for dinner. We all walked down the street to a fish restaurant that supposedly had the "best fish in the world" so we thought we would try it out. We split 3 different types of fish between the 5 of us, and I am not kidding when I say you get your money's worth here. The meal was a bit pricey, but definitely worth it for the amount they serve and the quality of the food.
  We caught the bus at 1 PM today to head back to San Jose, and arrived back at campus around 5:30. I had such an awesome time this weekend spending it in one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, with some of the greatest people I have ever met. I am happy to be back though, in a regular bed where I can get some quality sleep. It's been a couple nights since I have had that.