Sunday and Monday revolved primarily around getting from Bocas back to San Jose but before describing those days in detail, I am compelled to detail one of the worst meals Alex and I have ever had. On Saturday evening, after a perfect day of sailing, we cleaned up and got ready to head out to dinner. It was so nice outside we figured we would just walk for a bit and find a cute spot for grabbing a bite, deciding for the first time to “live on the edge” and not consult Tripadvisor beforehand. All I can say is, what a mistake! (Link to my own Tripadvisor review). Each dish was a letdown – limp, tough ceviche that appeared to be from a can and fish that was described as salmon but certainly was not. I couldn’t bring myself to photograph this “meal” but If you find yourself in Bocas Del Toro, do NOT eat at El Limbo on the Sea. I am certain we won’t be checking reviews before every single meal but it’s going to be hard to do after this one.
Now that I have that out of my system…Sunday was a pretty gloomy day, almost like penance for the gorgeous weather we had on Saturday. Alex wasn’t feeling well (probably from our horrible meal the previous night) so we mostly spent the day reading and ran some errands before packing for the trip back to San Jose on Monday.
Scarred from our previous dinner, we went back to Fat Boy Treats for a reliably delicious meal of cheesesteaks.
Delicious cheesesteaks in Panama - one chicken, one steak.
Not pictured is the $0.75 cherry cupcake I scarfed down immediately afterward. So delicious I almost forgot about Saturday’s dinner. After a late lunch, we headed back to our hotel to relax and get organized. Later on, we decided to take a walk and grab a drink to watch the sunset. We perched at La Buga and had a really nice time enjoying the scenery.
Last sunset in Bocas.
Street view from La Buga.
Afterward, we finally checked out the falafel stand run by the Jewish Chabad next door, which was cheap, tasty and satisfying. We’ve been really impressed by the different types of cuisine we’ve found throughout Costa Rica and Panama so far.
We woke up on Monday at 6am to get ready for our 13 hour day of travel back to San Jose. Having already done the Panama / Costa Rica border crossing, we felt much more prepared for what was to come. Unfortunately, I felt pretty sick the entire day and my stomach was really tested when we drove past a putrid garbage dump covered with vultures and pouring onto the main road out of Almirante. Having powered through that odor, I was tested once again when we had to walk the last half mile to the border - a protest had shut down the road! Once we finally reached Puerto Viejo and had lunch (plain cheese quesadilla for me please), I started to feel better so the journey back was a lot more pleasant.
Tired and hungry we arrived in San Jose just as the sun was setting. We checked back into the Costa Rica Guesthouse and shared a burger at our dependable local spot, Craic (funny enough, we found this place randomly without Tripadvisor and it has become a staple while in San Jose!) Tomorrow is our last day in Costa Rica but we are excited to be heading to Colombia after that.