Costa Rica Bound!! I actually managed to get a little sleep lastnight and found the bus journey quite comfortable. We arrived at the Bocas del Toro stoop at 6am and then continued on to my stop - Changuinola. From Changuinola I took a share taxi to Guabiti (the small Panama boarder town) but unfortunately we arrived very early and had to wait an hour until the bridge and immigration opened. We were charged a $3 exit stamp from Panama immigration and then allowed to cross the old riggity bridge. On the Costa Rican side we were ushered into an office and asked to present our passport and a flight ticket - luckily some quick thinking allowed me to explain that I had onward travel with the local bus company - Tica Bus. I made my way to the bus station and tried to take the bus to my first stop in Costa Rica but unfortunately they didn't have change for my $100 US bill and so directed me to a little Chinese place changing dollars. As I was trying to change my money the bus came and I had to run out and stop it; I was holding it up so I stupidly changed money without either checking rate or figuring conversion out meaning I got absolutely screwed on $26; they gave me the equivalent of $18. Slightly annoyed at myself for realizing what had just happened I boarded the bus headed towards my destination: Puerta Viejo. Barely able to keep my eyes open I sleapt pretty much the whole way and on arrival was met by a beautiful beach and a pleasant looking small town. I went straight to finding a hostel and whilst walking around met this lovely French girl: Sonia who took me to her hostel. Unfortunately the hostel was fully booked but I met another guy there from Denmark: Niels - who also had to find a hostel. Niels had been recommended a hostel around the corner by the name of Pagalu so we went and checked it out. First impression of hostel was great: clean, full of girls, free wifi, free coffee and a very nice vibe. The dorm room was $12 with towel so we decided to take it. After an hour waiting around we were let into our rooms which were really nice and spacious. We walked around town and got some food for lunch and then decided whilst the sun was out to head to the beach. The beach was full of locals as its Sunday and with Carribean music in the background it finally felt like I was in the Carribean. The water was warm and a little breeze meant it wasn't too hot, the sun however didn't last long so we went for a walk around the town. The town was much bigger then I first imagined with a bunch of supermarkets and little artesenal stores, resteraunts and an array of accommodations. I can already tell I will spend a few days here before setting off on my next adventure. In the afternoon we hung-out in the really cool communal area of the hostel and met other travellers: a guy from Portugal, a guy from Holland and 3 American girls. Everyone decided to head out at around 7pm but I had a heap of photos to upload and emails to send so I organized to meet up with everyone later. When I finally headed into the city it started to pour with rain and I had to hide under a hut to avoid the sudden downpour. I met the guys and the French girl Sonia along with her British friend at a club called Loco Mon. Loco Mon is a cool little bar with a nice outdoor area where tonight there was live music and an Open Mic night happening. Looking around there were loads of girls and only a handful of Rastafarian looking guys - the vibe is very Carribean but also feels quite fake. The music was great and the perfect music for summertime at the beach, I continued on until about midnight before heading back to the hostel.

OBSERVATIONS:
- Overnight bus to Costa Rica
- Arrive Puerto Viejo
- Meet Niels (Denmark) and Sonia (France)
- Awsome hostel - Pagalu
- Lazy Mon club - Open Mic Night