Costa Rica!

When I graduated from my bachelor's degree, my incredibly generous Godmother took me on a wonderful vacation to the beautiful land of Costa Rica. We spent most of our time on a resort in the dry province of Guanacaste. Guided day trips were a good way of experiencing life outside of the resort. Renting a car and driving south to Manuel Antonio let us leisurely explore the coast without the schedules of the organized tours. Here are the highlights of our adventure.

The Animals

Costa Rica is FULL of all sorts of amazing wildlife. I didn't get pictures of all of the animals we saw, but here are a few decent shots:

Perhaps the most memorable animal was the white-headed capuchin monkey. Dozens of them visited our resort daily. When visitors gave them bananas, the monkeys would roll them on a branch before opening and eating them.

We also saw the capuchin's on our Palo Verde River Ride. They jumped onto the boat to beg for food while the concerned alpha male watched on. We saw an alligator (or crocodile.... I forget which), some bats, many varieties of water birds, and even a shrimp. An interesting fact about shrimp is that their bowels are very close to their brains. In the words of our guide, "Costa Rican women say that Costa Rican men are like shrimp, they've got sh*t in the brain!"

Other sightings include toucans, raccoons, lizards, sloths and howler monkeys. Also note-worthy, but in a disgusting way, were all of the giant insects in the town of Manuel Antonio. At night they come creeping out of the rainforest.... one landed on my hand while we were enjoying drinks on our balcony, which caused us to promptly move indoors.

Beauty and Relaxation

Although Costa Rica is a relatively small country, you don't have to travel far to find a difference in climate and flora. Our resort was in the dry region, but it was still lush and beautiful.  Every day, farmers set fire to their nearby sugarcane fields before they were harvested. This is done to kill deadly snakes so that the workers aren't killed by surprise attacks. The smoke leaves a bit of a haze in the area, which added to the atmosphere and spectacular sunsets, which are equally beautiful farther south in Manuel Antonio.

Travel inland or south and you'll find yourself in the rain forest, where the vegetation becomes even more lush and the climate is considerably wetter. Inland you find Monteverde, where you can explore the rain forest by walking on suspension bridges way up above the treetops. I recommend staying on trails and not touching the plants. Our tour guide informed us of some of the poisonous and otherwise dangerous plants that can give you a rash, or much worse.

We took a roadtrip down the west coast to Manuel Antonio National Park. The beaches were beautiful and hot. The water was much better suited for swimming than at the resort, other than potential rip-tides. The rain forest added a fantastic backdrop to the soft sand and rolling waves. There are relatively well maintained walking trails in the forest that lead to breathtaking views.

We didn't visit the east side of the country, but I have heard that it is worthy of a visit. 

Adventure
If you seek adventure, you can definitely find it in Costa Rica! We opted for a one-day organized adventure tour, but there is far more to do than what we were exposed to in a matter of hours.

Our tour began with a horseback ride. This took us on a trail through the trees. The path lead to hiking trail. We hopped from rock to rock to cross a river and arrived at our destination: a nice waterfall! For those not afraid of heights, it was time to JUMP!

The water was surprisingly cold, considering the hot weather. While it was a shock to my system, leaving me gasping for air, it was certainly exhilarating. I'd do it again in a heartbeat... actually, I jumped a few times. To warm up, our next stop was the mud bath. 

This was a different kind of adventure. We started with a sweat-inducing session in the sauna. The next step was to paint volcanic mud all over our bodies. I got to the mud station later than everyone else, so they gave me a helping hand. Once that dried, we showered off and sat in a hot tub for a while. Next stop: the zip-line.

After a short safety demo, we climbed to our first platform and began zooming through the tree-tops. Some of the lines were extremely high in the air, but provided some nice views of the forest and rivers below. We rappelled down to a platform above the water, then climbed back up the other side of the canyon wall. 

The adventure combo was definitely worth the money we paid. It was jam-packed with a variety of interesting activities. Going back to the resort for a delicious dinner and a drink by the water was a nice end to a perfect day.

Day Trip to Nicaragua
When you cross the northern border into Nicaragua, the differences with Costa Rica are easy to see. It is definitely a much poorer country, but it definitely has its charms. One piece of evidence showing the poverty of the nation is the frequency of seeing flee-bitten dogs. On the more charming side are the hand-made trinkets lining the streets of the first town we drove through, the wonderful scenery and our delicious lunch. Being there was a real eye-opener.

It was amazing to watch the talent of a boy making pottery with a foot-powered wheel. In a matter of minutes, he turned a lump of clay into a beautifully shaped piece of art. Now, I've tried pottery before, and I can say from first hand experience that there is a steep learning curve, and my wheel had a motor!

While I had seen the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica, it was from a distance. This is because the concentration of toxic gases becomes very dense and fatal as you ascend. In Nicaragua, we were able to not only ascend the volcano, but also to stand right up on the edge of the crater! Very Cool! The name of this volcano escapes me, unfortunately, as does the names of the towns we visited.

The marketplace was an experience like no other. Our tourist van pulled up, and was immediately surrounded by school-aged kids, all begging for food. Once we made it through to the market, we were greeted by the older boys, anxious to be our paid guides. Since we weren't planning on buying much, we declined their help. There were hand made goods, clothing, food, cigars, and much much more. 

Upon returning to the van, we pulled out some apples. Prior to our departure a lady at the resort informed us that they would be a hit with the begging children. Boy was she right. We tried to give the treats to the smallest kids, but it was hard when there were arms flooding through the doors. Once we gave out all of the apples, the guide shooed the kids away from the door. Knowing the source of the apples, one child came to the window beside me and made an eating motion towards his mouth with his empty hand. I realized the true poverty of this place.

On the way back across the border we stopped at the duty-free zone, where you could get all sorts of great stuff. All I bought was a few bottles of Flor de Caña slow-aged Nicaraguan rum. At $7 a bottle, you can't go wrong.




All in all, my Costa Rican vacation was fantastic. I had a chance to learn about new cultures, saw beautiful landscapes, experienced mind-blowing adventures, got a tonne of Vitamin D, and so much more. On our last night, we were treated by a rather rare experience: Howler monkeys at the resort. They stayed in the tree-tops, but called down to us. We called back to them. If ever there was a perfect ending to our time in the Costa Rican sun, that was it!