A Nice Slice Of The Country - Bahia Bellena

Just because you live in a small remote bay village that’s most easily accessed by boat doesn’t mean you don’t like to party. I noticed a cool open air bar built on a hillside on the other side of the bay from where I was staying. I walked the 20+ minutes to get there along the beach and climbed steep steps to a cold beer and grand view. While there, I noticed a stack of large speakers and amp.

Wednesday and Thursday nights were nice and serene. A gentle breeze blew through my screened walls and crashing waves below made for good sleeping. Friday was a different story. I noticed what sounded like a sound check in the afternoon. It was loud but not too loud. Around 8pm that all changed. The mellow daytime bar by day turned into a booming bass heavy night club at night. The bass roared across the bay with an unrelenting pound, pound, pound.

For one, I was wondering where the heck the customers were coming from. I entertained the thought of checking it out but gave up on that idea about as soon as it crossed my mind. I think the last thing any tourist going through the trouble to get to Bahia Drake would want is a Night Club but the place was obviously hopin for someone. Pound, Pound, Pound until 2:30 am.

I figured Saturday night would be worse so I decided to leave Drake Bay behind. It’s a wonderful little place but three nights was about perfect for me. There’s not too much to do there but go for walks and a swim unless you want to fork out a considerable amounts of money for tours and such.

I took a 7 am boat back to Sierpe with an Israeli couple and their 4 year old who had also stayed at the Mirador. They had a car and offered me a ride to Uvita. The town of Uvita is nothing special but I had been recommended a jungle lodge.

I started walking up a dirt road to the lodge and a Costa Rican couple picked me up and gave me a ride. The lodge was kind of cool and reminded me of something you would see in S.E. Asia. However, the interior is dark which was unappealing to me. The manager is from Spain and his thick Castilian accent was difficult to understand. There is an amazing deck with a splendid jungle view but I just wasn’t feeling it.

I walked back down from the lodge and started hoofing it along a dusty road. A friendly local stopped and offered me a ride. I told him I had visited the lodge. He kind of smiled, shook his head and laughed. I knew there was a nearby National Park on a beach so I told him I preferred a national park by the beach. He just happened to be headed to Parque Nacional Bahia Bellena and gave me a lift right to it.

The Lost Planet Guide didn’t mention any accommodations near the Park but there are several geared towards Costa Ricans. Not tourists. I checked into a funky, yet homey, hotel room complete with air conditioning, refrigerator, and bathroom for a price of $15. In Costa Rica there’s Gringo Price and there’s local price. Wherever there’s tourism expect a totally different price scale in comparison to the locations where there are no foreign tourists. Throw the guidebook away and go to places that cater to Costa Ricans and everything is cheaper. Some things are a lot less expensive. It only makes sense in a Country where $600 month is a good wage.

To enter Parque Nacional Bahia Bellena there’s a fee. Some locals pay nothing. Others pay around forty cents. Gringos like myself pay $6. The couple who gave me a ride to the Jungle lodge had told me of a strip of land with waves on both sides.
During High Tide you can’t see the Whales tail but it’s made by a spit of land that extends out into the ocean to a wide area of rocks and reef. During low tide the water parts on both sides of the spit. Imagine walking straight out into the ocean towards a rocky mass with waves to your left and right. It’s a really cool phenomenon and something I don’t think I’ve ever seen. At one stage, as the tide was retreating, waves would crash, jump over one another, and continue on.

It’s called the Whales tail because when the tide is down and everything is exposed the land mass looks kind of like a whales tail. Also, there are lots of whales and dolphins in the area. The adjoining beach with all of its palm trees and mountain backdrop is some of the best I’ve seen in Costa Rica. I saw a few Gringo day trippers out on their own but the crowd was mostly all local and Costa Rican. Also, swimming out off the Whales tail was some of the best I’ve experienced in the country. Clean cool water and no dangerous current. With no big resorts or developments it’s a nice slice of the county.

This only thing I regret while visiting Parque Nacional Bahia Bellina is that I took no photos. Own my own there were two choices. Take photos or swim. Leave a camera alone on a beach in Costa Rica and it will be stolen.