Costa Rica

Best of Costa Rica

October 5, 2016 /

We visited Costa Rica for a total of 20 days in 2016 in two separated periods, first from March 18th to the 31st and second from May 1st to 7th. The first time we entered the country was overland from Panama through the Paso Canoas border crossing without encountering any challenges beside the long immigration waiting lines in both countries. The second time, we flew back into San Jose from Havana, Cuba. Traveling a total of 24 hours by bus, we visited Puerto Jimenez, Quepos, San Jose, and Santa Elena.

Costa Rica is a green land of kind welcoming people. Despite how touristy the country is, locals have not lost their caring way of treating foreigners, which was something we really appreciated. Costa Rica is known as the “Switzerland of the Americas,” a wise nation without an army since December 1, 1948, when Jose Figueres enacted in the Bellavista Fortress the symbolic act that abolished it. In Costa Rica, tourism has developed with a conservation spirit and today it is their principal source of income. The country is also very expensive. We found food to be particularly pricey and wondered how locals could manage to live there. During our days in Costa Rica, we enjoyed visiting natural reserves, hiking, and watching wildlife. Costa Rica has 6% of the world’s biodiversity and this nation is Pura Vida (Pure Life)!

We left Costa Rica feeling grateful towards their people, who always treated us well, and shared with us all the beauty their nation had to offer. šŸ™‚

Below are other great things we enjoyed about Costa Rica:

Food and Drinks

  • Rose Apple

  • Imperial Beer

  • Pilsen Beer

  • Frozen Natural Fruit Juice

  • Rice with Shrimp

  • Tripe Soup

  • Beef Tongue in Tomato Sauce

  • Gallo Pinto: rice and beans mixed

  • Natilla: milk cream

  • Typical Breakfast: gallo pinto, eggs, plantains, and natilla

  • Mango Ceviche

  • Fish Ceviche

  • Chorriada: corn flour pancake

  • Pork Tamal

  • Horchata: rice and peanut drink

  • Bean dip

  • Pozol: corn soup

  • Ripened Plantains with Cheese

  • Churchill: blended ice, ice cream, and fruit

  • Plantain Ceviche

  • Shrimp Ceviche

  • Chifrijo: pork rinds, rice, beans, and chopped tomatoes

  • Caldoza: Dorito chips with ceviche

Favorite Sights and Activities

  • Feeling like Superman as we Zipped-Lined though the Forest in a Santa Elena Canopy Tour

  • Enjoying the Well-Preserved National Parks such as Manuel Antonio and Monteverde

  • Learning about the Countryā€™s Indigenous History in the Well-Organized Jade Museum

People

  • Maritza: from Costa Rica, a restaurant owner we got to talk to in Neily.

  • Cindy: from Guatemala/USA, a friend from LA we were able to meet up with in Matapalo, where she was working.

  • Jorge and Pamela: from Costa Rica, our CouchSurfing hosts in Quepos.

  • Yadira and Esteban: from Nicaragua and Costa Rica, Pamela’s friend we met in Quepos.

  • Kim: from Costa Rica, Pamela’s friend we met in Quepos.

  • Carlos, Angela, and family (Carlos Rodolfo and Cynthia; Bernardo and Carolina): from Costa Rica, family friends who hosted us and treated us like family near San Jose.

  • Ana Isabel and Ivan: from Costa Rica, Ana Isabel is Angelaā€™s sister that we were able to meet in San Jose.

  • Edmundo and his daughter, Melissa: from El Salvador/Costa Rica, family friends we were able to see in San Jose.

  • Oscar: from Costa Rica, a restaurant owner we got to talk to in Santa Elena.

Animals Viewed

  • Macaws

  • Toucan

  • Green Lizards

  • Frogs

  • Agouti

  • Capuchin Monkeys

  • Squirrel Monkeys

  • Sloths

  • Howler Monkeys

  • Raccoon

  • Iguanas

  • Quetzal

  • Various Other Birds

  • Coatis

  • Butterflies

Common Sayings

  • Refresco = Juice

  • Casado = Typical Meal

  • Gallo Pinto = Rice and Beans Mixed

  • Pura Vida = Pure Life (local greeting)

  • Mae = Friend

  • Pulperia = Small Convenience Store

  • Soda = Small Restaurant

  • Cabina = Small Hotel

  • Guilas = Kids

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