Friendships. Dave and I just returned from an amazing one week trip to Costa Rica (CR), only because our friends, Greg & Helen, who we met on our Great Loop adventure, invited us to join them at their Airbnb condo (they were staying in CR for 6 weeks). We felt comfortable leaving Murphy in Florida as Jon & DeeDee, who we also met on the loop, would take care of him. And, when there was a wrinkle in Jon & DeeDee’s plans for the end of the week, Frank, a cycling friend from St. Pete, jumped in to take care of Murphy for the remainder of the week. Friendships. Amazing. We are so blessed.
It is so hard to know where to begin sharing Dave and my experience. In one short week, we visited two Costa Rica National Parks, hiked up a mountain to hotel ruins, went ocean kayaking, visited several sodas (will explain later), had scrumptious pastries, visited local fruit stands and fish markets, sipped on local beer, went on a sunset crocodile/birding tour, went board/body surfing and Helen and I did yoga on the beach. If that was not enough, we enjoyed amazing sunsets each evening, usually with an adult beverage from a local beach tiki hut.
Upon arrival to San Jose, CR, Dave and I were met by Greg & Helen outside of the baggage claim area, holding a “Merchberger” sign. We climbed into their rental car to be handed a water bottle and a bowl of fresh fruit, including an unidentifiable fruit which Dave called “monkey brains.” The fruit was delicious! An internet search identified it as passion fruit, yet the fruit itself looked very different from passion fruit Greg had also purchased. So, monkey brains it was.
Greg & Helen’s condo was in Jaco, CR, a small coastal town about 90 minutes from the airport in San Jose. Due to road closures, Greg took the 2 hour mountain route to Jaco. Up and down over mountains we went, stopping at a fruit stand, a local fish market, ceviche stand and a grocery store before arriving at the condo. And, we also stopped by a Macaw nest on the way into town, but mama macaw must have been out collecting food for her chicks. We enjoyed the ceviche for an appetizer and Greg prepared the freshly caught sea bass for dinner. I cannot wait for tomorrow!
Our first full day was spent exploring Manuel Antonio National Park. Costa Rica is renowned for its National Parks and diverse nature beauty. The Ticos (native Coast Ricans) are very proud of their land and work hard in keeping its beauty. Greg scheduled a tour guide for us, Maurice. Although you can walk through the park without a guide, there would be so much you would miss. Maurice has been a local tour guide for over 25 years and he was nothing short of amazing with his ability to spot wildlife and share his local knowledge. Helen had a camera with a telephoto lens (which she called the sloth hunter), so many of the pictures you will see below are from Helen’s camera. One of the highlights of the day was spotting a mama sloth with a baby on her belly with another female sloth nearby even before we reached the park. We also stopped for three macaw’s Maurice spotted enjoying a fruit lunch in a tree. Once inside the park, Maurice first spotted a unique cat sleeping in the tree He called over fellow guides to ensure their clients saw it too. Throughout the day, we saw nine sloths and so many other unique rain forest inhabitants. And this is only Day one!
Since there is so much more to share, I will sign off here and start a new Costa Rica chapter to follow in a few days.
Pura Vida
Note: Pura Vida is the Ticos way of saying “simple life” or “pure life”. The Ticos also use the term to say hello, goodbye, everything’s great, etc. As a visitor, you definitely feel the “Pura VIda” vibes from all you encounter.
This sounds like an amazing adventure!
Sounds fabulous!!
Seems like an amazing fantasy trip. Beautiful pics, especially the sunsets.