Pura Vida en Costa Rica - Part 1/3

Pura Vida en Costa Rica

Part 1 [From San Jose to San Jose to San Jose, Bridge at Rio Tárcoles, Macaws at Jaco, Manuel Antonio - Views from Costa Verde Hotel, Playa Espadilla Sur @ Manuel Antonio]

Part 2 [ Ziplining at Quespos - a Canopy Adventure. Damas Estuary Boat Tour. Manuel Antonio National Park. Monte Verde - Dirt Roads and Windy Slopes. Cloud Forest. Hummingbirds in Hand, And a Sky Tram, Volcán Arenal ]

Part 3 [ Canyoning. La Fortuna Waterfalls. Geothermal Hot Springs. Ticos, Ticas, Pineapple Plantations and More.]

Part 1

Costa Ricans are fond of the expression, "Pura Vida." Its presence is ubiquitous in Costa Rica. But what exactly is "Pura Vida?" A literal translation from Spanish is, "Pure Life," but for Costa Ricans, it is an all encompassing term of love, hope and eternal optimism. Carpe Diem, live life, tomorrow will be better. To quote bob Marley, "Every little thing is gonna be alright." So Pura Vida is a greeting, response and regard; it is both  present and the future. What a lovely concept!

I visited Costa Rica in Dec 2014. Possibly the most satisfying vacation I've had. Just PURA VIDA!

1. From San Jose to San Jose to San Jose

The capital city of Costa Rica is well, San Jose! The humor is not lost on a person from the SF Bay Area. I live right next to the city of San Jose, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. So it was a traverse from San Jose to San Jose and back to San Jose, so to speak! There was a little detour in Panama on the way, formerly viewed as the site of the disputed Panama Canal in my history books and of course the purchase of the much famed Panama Hat.

The first thing that strikes the eye at San Jose airport in Costa Rica are all the colorful oxcarts or carretas. The oxcarts with their spoke-less wheels were used to transport coffee beans to the Pacific coast back in the old days. Colorfully decorated, they are a pleasant sight for the eyes while waiting at baggage claim.

Costa Rica is in Central America and flanked by Panama in the south and  Nicaragua in the north. Located near the equator, Costa Rica does not have seasons as such - there is just the rainy season in between which ended sometime in November, so we were there during the dry season. But the varying landscape and terrain means differing climate across the country. We went to three areas spanning the Pacific Coast - Manuel Antonio, Monteverde and Arenal. The Manuel Antonio area on the Central Pacific Coast is hot and humid. It rained somewhat during the 2nd night we were in Manuel Antonio, which meant the following day was intensely muggy and sweaty. The Monteverde region on the other hand is at a higher altitude and thus windy, misty and cold. Arenal, with its volcano and lake had the feel of Seattle, a lot of rain, freshness in the air and green growth all around, the net effect being a cool warmth.  

2: Bridge at Rio Tárcoles

The route from San Jose to our next stop Manuel Antonio passed through Rio Tárcoles.  And what's under the bridge at Rio Tárcoles - Crocs!  The Tárcoles River runs through the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica and holds one of the highest populations of crocs in the world - some 25 crocs per sq. km. Indeed there were plenty of crocs of varying sizes to be seen sunbathing along the riverbanks or disguised as logs in the muddy water. There was even a baby croc crawling up the shore deftly camouflaged as it was the same color as the muddy bank. This species of croc, the American Crocodile can grow up to 13 ft. in length and up to 400 lbs.  The main distinction between the American croc and American alligator is that the alligators can handle colder waters while crocs need warmer waters. Crocs also have longer and narrower snouts and their bottom teeth are visible when their mouths are shut.

Being a popular tourist stop, the bridge sported a few souvenir shops as well as a fruit juice shop. There I had the first of my absolutely tasty freshly squeezed tropical fruit juice.  It was a mix of mango, piña (pineapple), papaya and passion fruit. OMG! Just too yummy!

3: Macaws at Jaco

On the way from San Jose to Manuel Antonio we passed the the town of Jaco. Jaco is a popular Beach City on the way and known for its white sands and surfing. But more than the beach what was outstanding was the view of the curve of the beach from a vista point as you drove away from the beach. The bonus was the dozen or so brilliantly colored Scarlet Macaws roosting high on a few evergreen trees by the coast.  This parrot species has a long tail but short wings. Bright red feathers cover its back, head and lower tail, while its wings and lower back are blue with yellow stripes above. A delicious amount of time was spent in watching them take wing and noisily fly off, grazing the tree canopies, sometimes in groups as though in play.

4: Manuel Antonio - View from Costa Verde Hotel

Vibrant emerald of the rainforest to the left and shimmering sapphire of the ocean to the right! That was the view from our room at Hotel Costa Verde in Manuel Antonio. The green of the lush evergreen just outside our room was home to a few monkeys and possibly other fauna as well. I'm pretty sure I saw Squirrel monkeys and Capuchin monkey. On the other side lay a view of the tranquil ocean with its delicate blue. Could have camped out in the balcony forever it seemed. 

5. Playa Espadilla Sur @ Manuel Antonio

That afternoon we went down to the Espadilla Sur beach. The white sands of the beach were flanked by drooping mangrove trees with their extensive root systems. The seawater was neither hot nor cold - just perfect for a leisurely dip.

The oceanside town of Manuel Antonio seems to be filled with hotels and resorts as it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Costa Rica. Luckily there are no huge highrises such as those that flank pretty much all the beaches of West Maui, Hawaii. Instead most hotels are designed to be just one or 2 stories high and thus are well hidden by the foliage. So one does not get the feeling of being in a commercialized place which walking on the beach. And there is still enough of the rainforest all around the hotels, complete with monkeys, to give the natural feel. But its a lovely little town with lots of eating places.

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NEXT Part 2 [ Ziplining at Quespos - a Canopy Adventure. Damas Estuary Boat Tour. Manuel Antonio National Park. Monte Verde - Dirt Roads and Windy Slopes. Cloud Forest. Hummingbirds in Hand, And a Sky Tram, Volcán Arenal ]