Costa Rica: Discovering la Pura Vida 🇨🇷
I caught a glimpse of paradise as my plane slipped between the clouds and revealed a lush landscape carefully nestled in between the Pacific and the Atlantic. Costa Rica was forged under the relentless barrage of volcanic activity. It is the only place in Latin America where it is safe to drink tap water. The water in Costa Rica is filtered through the volcanic rock underneath. Ticos, as Costa Ricans refer to themselves, are proud and eager to remind visitors of that every time.
As I stepped out of the plane and onto the tarmac, I was struck figuratively and literally by the heaviness of the air. For a moment I considered chewing my way through the oppressive humidity to get to the airport gate.
To fully appreciate the tiny size of Costa Rica it helps to know that it would take only a few hours to cross from the Pacific side over to the Atlantic, or just around a day to go from the northern border with Nicaragua down to the border with Panama. But don’t be fooled by its size. Packed within those 19,700 square miles are 14 volcanoes and 26 national parks, providing a sanctuary to 500,000 species, or about 4% of all species on the planet!
Costa Rica, like New Zealand, is best taken in by a car. It was a frightening thought given the state of roads and drivers in Mexico and Cuba. I examined the rental agreement, carefully outlining all my liabilities and potential problems I might encounter in Costa Rica. The agent reminded me it would be best to obey all the posted traffic laws even if locals do not because I may get pulled over by cops for driving while white. He was not joking. I was reminded of the privilege I take for granted in the US, one that my Latino friends do not share. I smiled back, thanked him for advice, and begrudgingly signed away my life on the dotted line.
Although public transportation exists in the capital, just as in San Francisco Uber is the best option for anyone with a couple dollars to spare. It’s safe, affordable and reliable, as it is in much of Latin America. But Uber will only be useful within San Jose. Once outside, the spotty internet and remote roads demand a personal vehicle and maps.
I got into my Ford Fiesta, booted up Waze, and prepared to merge onto the highway, with 911 on pre-dial for my expected kidnapping or collision, whichever came first. I was not ready for either.
A note on Google Maps and Waze. I use Google Maps for all my travels and bookmarks across the most remote parts of the planet. However, friends in Costa Rica recommended I try Waze (another Google product). Waze is a more popular app among locals, and this means it contains points of interests that Google Maps does not. Lodges, apartments, and destinations in Costa Rica don’t always have an address. However, typing in the name of an Airbnb, an ecolodge or even a waterfall, will nearly always show up in Waze precisely where it needs to be (because it was submitted by the owner of the property). This saved me frustration when I was trying to find my AirBnB in the middle of a jungle.
With only a week in Costa Rica, I’d advise anyone just to try to tackle one major attraction (a park or volcano). But being the free spirit that I am, I decided to take on two, and in opposite directions of one another: Arenal Volcano and Parque Manuel Antonio.
Arenal
Arenal Volcano lies about three hours west of the capital. Its fertile jungle slopes are dotted with villages and eco-lodges. It was my first time coming face to face with a volcano, and Arenal is quite spectacular.
Thermal springs abound around Arenal, and most hotels offer day passes to passing tourists for their hot springs. For the poorer, or perhaps better-informed, passers-by, there are ‘free’ versions of the springs surrounding the volcano. One such spring is found right off of Highway 142, under a bridge and next to Tabacon Thermal Spa. The stream is filled with locals and tourists alike.
At dusk it is also filled with animals, such as iguanas, that come by for evening feeding. I caught a glimpse of a few of them when I thought they came down to see me enjoying the water. Instead, I realized that they were drawn to me not because I am Bosnian or because I am handsome, but because I served as bait for mosquitos collecting around my head.
The following day I hiked the Arenal jungle from the Arenal Visitor Center. Naturally, I did not prepare in any way shape or form for this hike. Just me in a tank top and shoes. In one of my infamous lapses of judgment I somehow assumed it would not rain that much in a rainforest. How bad could it possibly be?
Not only did it pour as I had never experienced before, but I compounded my terrible choice in clothing with added bad decisions like wandering off the path into the forest to take photos ‘off the beaten path.’ I was alone on the trail for much of the walk, and I ran half of it because the rain was relentless. The fact that I was in an untamed jungle somehow escaped my mind, even though my senses were quite aware of it. I also missed the memo about Costa Rica housing six different wild cats including jaguars and pumas, all of which call this park their home. So I strolled and ran through the jungle in my blissful ignorance of the danger I put myself in and came out of it to write about it.
I did not do many touristy things at Arenal, but one thing I could not say no to was a night frog tour at the Arenal Oasis Eco Lodge. I love animals and frogs are among my favorites. The incredibly knowledgeable tour guide took a small group of three of us on a night tour of frogs.
I did not get a single mosquito bite on the whole tour. The guide said the frogs do an excellent job of keeping them at bay and that I should instead watch my step for snakes that are out hunting frogs, and the Jaguar and Puma which are likely sleeping in the area. This is the moment I learned about Costa Rican wild cats. I asked the guide if he was joking and he said not to worry because if we come across one, we won’t live to tell the tale.
As my luck would have it, we crossed paths with one of the cats on tour that night. Luckily, it had decided to leave moments before we arrived at the rest stop where it slept. We would not have known about it had I not asked about the awful smell at the rest stop we sat at. He relented and pointed to a soft indent in the dry dirt under the cover. He said there was a wildcat sleeping there moments ago but luckily had decided to move away when it heard us in the distance, but not before it marked its territory.
That was all the wild adventure I could handle. By the end of the third day, I headed down to Parque Manuel Antonio. It is a solid five-hour drive Southeast from Arenal, and probably six to seven once I consider all the bathroom and food stops. I took this drive as an opportunity to catch up on my audiobooks.
Manuel Antonio
I can’t quite do this park justice. I am certain poets have described its lush trails, gazing up into the trees and greeted by birds singing as I had never heard.
Manuel Antonio is one of the favorite parks I’ve visited in my life. Sloths abound seemingly from every tree, as do frogs, iguanas, snakes, birds, and forest crabs.
But monkeys are the most mesmerizing animals ever. I had never seen them outside of captivity. At Manuel Antonio they are free to roam around, this is their home, and we are their guests.
I came upon several monkeys on my walk out of the park. I was lucky enough to be the only one on the path when they were playing in the branches just two feet above my head. One of them hopped down to the railing and sat there. My heart skipped a beat. He posed for me while I took photos of him. It was a beautiful little moment.
That moment alone made the entire trip to Costa Rica worth it, and after that, I knew I had to call it quits because I could not imagine how things could get any better than a monkey coming down to sit two feet in front of me to pose for a photo. Unless he jumped on me to hug or bite me, I guess that would be the only way to top that.
Saying Goodbye
Costa Rica has been tossing and turning around my head ever since my visit there. Its natural wonders punctuate the landscape seemingly at every corner. I miss everything about it: the people, the views, the plants, and the animals. The food and eating, which is typically my top ‘activity’ abroad, leaves a lot to be desired. Even without the food though, Costa Rica comes in as my second favorite country in the world so far, edged out by Mexico due to its incredible archeology and broad culinary spectrum. If there is one country I’d go return to time and time again besides Mexico, it is without a doubt Costa Rica.
Pura Vida, mae!
