Costa Rica 3: Puerto Viejo | Amazing Exclusive Race

Early the next morning, the team received their next clue and departed the pit stop. With a pre-purchased bus ticket, the team was driven down the mountain to San José. Three hours later, the team arrived in capital of Costa Rica. There they walked to another bus station where they changed to the twelve noon bus to Puerto Viejo De Talamanca.

The journey to Puerto Viejo began badly for the Australian team. The team’s bus took one hour to leave San José due to excessive traffic. Eventually the bus made its way through the central highlands and on to the banana plantations around Puerto Límon. Being the banana growing capital of the world, home to brands such as Dole and Chiquita, there was excessive truck traffic that caused another major traffic jam. This further delayed Simon and Ang.


San José traffic jam	Armed San José carpark attendant


Sad Santa	The banana plantation traffic jam

The bus eventually wove its way through the trucks and containers and plantations and arrived at the Límon bus station in time to see the later 2.30pm bus pull into the adjacent parking spot. Team combined Belgium and New Zealand were on this bus. They told Team Australia that they had been told the major delay was caused by a landslide. Simon and Ang were not amused, and hoped that this disastrous day would not cause them to be eliminated when they finally got to the pit stop.

After the break at Límon, the bus continued the remaining 60km south to the small beach town of Puerto Viejo. Ignoring the Rocking J’s guy, Simon and Ang located quieter accommodation and met up with half of Team Belgium. That night they ate at Stashu’s fusion, a restaurant that was run by a friendly Guyanian called Stashu, where they had fantastic fare. This completed the first eating challenge of this leg of the race.

Good fusion

Receiving their next clue, Ang and Simon hired some bikes and then rode to the Manzanillo national park and Punta Uva to search for the elusive toucan. Despite having a fun day on the beach they had no luck seeing a toucan, but did see a troop of monkeys. On their return to Puerto Viejo, the team stopped off on the pretty ride back to drink some chocolate and then again to have fish tacos. After returning the hire bikes and receiving their next clue, the team headed out to dinner for some typical Costa Rican casado and whole red snapper fare.