Puerto Viejo, on the Caribbean side of Southern Costa Rica, is home to sloths, Rastamen and a peaceful gang of artists & philosophers known as Blue Youth. At the core, they are five or six, but having removed the front door to their jungle house and laid mattresses across the entire second floor, the group generally fluctuates between 7 and 11 hungry mouths.

There are no rules in the Blue Youth jungle house, only a shared enthusiasm toward finding purpose and fulfillment through the simplest of life's pleasures. Working as a team, those fortunate enough to have booked work wake up at daybreak and make coffee for everyone before they head to the beach for surf lessons, fishing tours or photography gigs. Since work in Puerto Viejo is sporadic and seasonal, some of the Blue Youth sleep later than others before enjoying mornings filled with lively conversation and fruit picked from the yard. From there, the day is theirs to take at a leisurely pace in order to savor every ounce of Caribbean flavor.

Nicky Salazar is an extremely talented chef, and on this particular day, he decided to make a huge batch of Caribbean style Rice & Beans with Pescado. I helped with emotional support and documentation before he launched an ad campaign to the entire pueblo of Puerto Viejo over Facebook, Instagram and mass text. The process itself was quite pleasant as we listened to reggae while preparing ingredients, and by 2pm our bellies were full and all plates had been sold.

I've never seen anyone eat a fish like such a pro as Joel did. In another life, he could have surely been a skilled surgeon, while in this one he's just taking it easy, one day at a time.

[Photos taken by me using a Canon 6D with 50mm lens. See more on Instagram: @Charizard22]