Cahuita follows a familiar trait with places on the Caribbean side of Central America. The place is worn out and shabby but the vibe is a relaxed one. It has its fair share of dodgy characters loitering the way they do, but nothing too threatening. Most just seem a little messed up. And then of course, should any stranger strike up a conversation it’s more to ask if you want any drugs rather than a polite chat!
We settled in at a place called Jenny’s Cabinas, which is right by the sea and after dinner, joined the German girls we met on the bus for a few drinks at the only bar in town.
The next day we went to Cahuita National Park, which happens to be on the beach! And when you’re in need of a relaxing day, but still want to go see things, it is the perfect combination. The park itself starts just on the edge of town and there is a visitor centre and some rope across the beach to show where the park starts. You can walk many a kilometre, or you can find a nice spot and sit and watch the nature around you. We saw monkeys in the trees above us, more crabs than you could count and plenty of birds. Not bad when you’re just sitting on the sand!
Our second night in Cahuita was a little different. At two in the morning we awoke to the loudest and most frightening scream I think I’ve ever heard. The screaming lasted a good while and with the scrambling noise coming from outside, I knew it wasn’t just someone waking from a bad dream. The first floor rooms at Jenny’s each have a balcony and I went out onto ours to see what was going on. Eventually the two girls staying next door came out onto their balcony to say that someone had just tried to break into their room. By this time everyone in the place was outside wondering what had happened, but despite the supposed guard on patrol (he was probably asleep) and Jenny’s not so alert dogs, the intruder had escaped.
With the dodgy types hanging around Cahuita and the relatively flimsy locks, it was no surprise that the girls left the balcony light on and didn’t go to sleep again that night. It was only because one of them was already awake when the intruder appeared at the window the first time that she screamed the house down and scared him off. Good for her. It certainly worked!
I slept with one eye open the rest of the night. It seemed perfectly possible that another attempt would be made to break in that night. Who knows what is going through the mind of a desperate addict. And that’s who we were dealing with, I had made up my mind!
I spent the next couple of days being pretty paranoid and overly security conscious. It makes you realise how easily someone could break into some of the places you stay. But most towns haven’t had that air about them, or at least I haven’t noticed it before.
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