The local Costa Ricans, "ticos", use the expression "pura vida" and it means "pure life", "take it easy", "enjoy life", "all good", "purity in life", "hello", "goodbye", "this is life!"
Pura vida! Means that no matter what your current situation is, life for someone else can always be less fortunate than your own. So you need to consider that maybe...just maybe, your situation isn't all that bad and that no matter how little or how much you have in life, we are all here together and life is short...so start living it "pura vida style".
So that is a pretty good way of framing things as there has been an unnatural amount of rain during my time here. That said, it is certainly better than being in the cold and snow! What a beautiful, tropical country. We saw lots of great things.
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A traditional Costa Rican cart used to transport things such as coffee and sugarcane.
The fancier the decorations, the richer the farmer!!
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I booked my tour of Costa Rica through the organization "G Adventures" that specializes in ecotourism. My group contained 16 fellow travellers from all across Canada, Australia, Scotland, Belgium and Germany.
It was a great experience and a terrific way to see the country. All accomodations, transportation and some meals were included and there were always lots of options to take in each place we stopped. In 16 days, we travelled to 5 of the 7 provinces in the country, visited the cities and towns of San Jose, Puerto Viejo, Tortugero, Sarapiquil, La Fortuna, Monteverde and Quepos. We travelled between the Carribbean and Pacific sides of the country; from beach to rainforest to cloudforest and back to the beach again. Despite experiencing so much rain during the tour (12 of the 16 days), it was a great way to see a beautiful country.
Vegetation
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| pineapples |
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| banana plantation |
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| cocoa pods |
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| sugarcane |
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| coffee plant |
Animals
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| caiman |
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| a very blurry blue frog with black dots |
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| golden orb spider |
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| red tree frog |
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| canopy iguana |
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| HUGE grasshoppers |
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| tarantula |
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| snake |
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| scorpion |
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| iguanas |
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| parrot |
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Mothra!!!!!!!!!!!
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| crocodiles |
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| sloth |
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| raccoons |
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| monkeys!! |
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| iguanas |
Accomodations
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| My hut and the grounds in Puerto Viejo |
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| Magasasay Lodge in Sarapiqui Rainforest |
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| Cabanitas in La Fortuna |
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| Lovely poolside relaxation at Quepos |
Interesting Modes of Transportation
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| canal boats |
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| tractors (???!!) |
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| private van |
Unique Experiences
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| Hiking to waterfalls |
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| Enjoying the thermal hot springs
at La Fortuna |
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| Swimming under a waterfall
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| Strolling along the Carribbean coast |
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| Taking a boat ride on canals and seeing all kinds of incredible animals and plants |
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| Night hiking in the rainforest |
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| Making empanadas |
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| Walking along the black sand beaches of Tortuguero where the sea turtles nest |
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| Walking on suspension bridges in the canopy of the rainforest |
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| what a view |
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Zipling in Monteverde on the 1690 meter long line, the longest one in Central America,
second longest IN THE WORLD!!
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| walking amongst the monkeys!! |
So, all in all, despite the rain, Costa Rica was a great place to spend 16 days in February and March. Pura Vida is a great thing.....Pura Vida, indeed!
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Pura Vida:
a beautiful end to a great last day in Costa Rica
and yet another adventure!! |
