On my last day in Puerto Viejo I rented a bicycle and decided to ride to Manzanillo beach which Google told me was the most beautiful beach along the strip. There was one picture in particular on Google images that stuck with me. I want to find that.
A full day bike rental from Rocking J’s was $5, so off went not realizing I was signing up for a 24 kilometre round trip. At first it was the most enjoyable bike ride I’ve had while travelling. The bike was in great shape and had a comfortable seat, the roads were paved and smooth, and the views of beaches and large trees were all you needed.
Until I realized this beach was a lot further than I thought, the road had some of the most impressive pot holes I’ve ever seen, and there were some huge hills. This was especially interesting considering my bike had no gears or brakes!
One hill in particular was incredibly steep and at the bottom there was a thin bridge which could only accommodate the width of one car, and then immediately turned into another steep hill on the other side. A few other bikers who passed me went full speed down one hill, in hopes to use the momentum to get up the other side. I watched as a couple people successfully managed this feat and then it was my turn.
I started to roll thinking, “holy shit…holy shit…holyshitholyshitholyshit.” I picked up a lot of speed when I glanced up and saw a truck coming down the other hill toward the bridge. Oh my god. Thankfully I traded in my flip flops for my Birkenstocks, and slammed my foot as hard as I could against the ground to help me slow down, Fred Flintstone style. I could hear a local who was watching shouting out. Thankfully, I slowed enough that the truck passed me going the other way and I was able slip onto the bridge.
Unfortunately now one of my Birkenstocks is much more worn out than the other and I’m on a slight angle when I wear them.
After that I made it to Manzanillo and…it was average. It didn’t look like the picture I had seen, there was a specific little island off the coast and I was determined to find it but it wasn’t there. So I decided to cut my losses and after a quick juice box got back on my bike to tackle the 12km ride and multiple hills home. Once I was almost back at the hostel I passed a beach that looked amazing so I checked it out – and it was the one from the picture! It was literally 1 kilometre from my hostel but I had to bike 24 kilometres to finally see it!
Unfortunately by the time I got there I was losing the light and it was almost dark, but then a perfect picture lined up. A lady was effortlessly leaning against her bike watching the ocean and I quickly snapped the picture. It was such a perfect pose, I loved everything about it. I had biked for hours when the beach I wanted was right under my nose, but I got my one shot.
Worth it.
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