I've never cried when a trip is over. I have, of course, cried when saying goodbye to loved ones at the airport, and have felt depressed when boarding that dreadful flight from Miami back to New York in early January (we've been having holiday family reunions in South Beach since 2007). But never a cry/borderline sob because I am just so... sad. Even Paris didn't do that to me. Paris was incredible, especially because it was our first trip to Europe together, but I was okay with heading home when it was time to go. Not Cost Rica though. Costa Rica is the closest experience I've had to paradise.
Waking up at six every morning slightly anxious thinking about the new adventure that awaited us, discussing the proper attire and how to pack our bags for that day. Should I wear my suit under my hiking clothes for when we swim the waterfalls? Is carrying a banana in my backpack a bad idea? Do you think we should pack towels for when we reach the lagoon in the crater of the volcano? Do you want surf lessons today or should we just rent boards? Should I take off my jewelry for the hot springs? Are my rain boots appropriate for zip lining? Do we want to go straight to the beach after we ride horses through the rainforest?
These questions alone are a gorgeous start to any day.
Then we would proceed to breakfast stopping for iguanas crossing the sidewalk and to watch the most vibrantly colored butterflies flutter past us. And there was that one morning we walked out our front door greeted by two white faced monkeys no more than eight feet in front of us. They were tugging aggressively at the rooftop, and stopped to make eye contact with us. Joshua screamed Ruuun! and we went down the back stairs. I didn't understand their intention messing with the roofing of our hotel (since they are smart animals after all), but Joshua explained to me that this is where the term "monkeying around" comes from; there is no reasoning, they are just causing trouble. Like teenage boys, he says.
One of our tour guides told us later that the locals refer to the white faced monkeys as "the mafia." Ha.
Galavanting through the rainforest and being dominated by mother nature's territory is living on a whole new level. I went to Costa Rica ready to fight off all the creepy crawlers, but after our first day I was oohing and aahing at how cute they are. Even the lizard we found slithering through my toiletries, and the baby one we found in our bed.. Pura Vida!*
The waterfalls and streams were fresh and just cool enough. The ocean had no frightening sea creatures, great waves, and felt like bath water. And whether on a hike, swimming, or walking home from dinner -- we were always happy when it rained.
Heaven.
And for my friends that plan a trip to Costa Rica and are curious what we did:
Arenal Volcano, La Fortuna
Spent three nights here, stayed at Tabacon Hot Springs Resort (highly recommend it)
Day 1
Boat ride down Rio Frio.
Day 2
Hike Cerro Chato, a neighboring volcano. Very challenging hike. I was sore the rest of the week :) Make sure you swim in the crater when you make it to the top. This was Joshua's favorite part of the entire trip.
Visit and swim the La Fortuna waterfall.
Day 3
Hike Arenal rainforest with hanging bridges.
Zip-line.
Day 4
Fly to Quepos.
Manuel Antonio
Spent four nights here, stayed at Parador Resort and Spa (highly recommend it)
Day 5
Walk through rainforest to get to hotel's private beach (got surrounded by white faced monkeys on our way down). Snorkeled here.
Surf lessons (for me) at Manuel Antonio beach.
Day 6
Rainforest hike in Manuel Antonio National Park.
Surf Manuel Antonio Beach.
Ronnie's to watch sunset (BEST grouper fish here).
Day 7
Horseback ride to the waterfalls.
Back to Manuel Antonio Beach.
Day 8
Back to San Jose for a night. Leave next morning for home.
Sincerely,
Sahra
*A motto used in the Costa Rican dialect. People use it as a greeting, and in many other contexts. The literal translation is "Pure Life," but the true meaning is much more profound. It is a way of life, a reminder to enjoy our short time here. That no matter what your current situation, there is someone else who is in a less fortunate one. The Ticos are among the kindest people I have ever met.
