Pura Vida!

Happy New Year! Emerson said, Be silly. Be honest. Be kind. With a renewed sense of bettering ourselves to more peacefully live together, I'd say he about had to right. But I don't want to get ahead of myself .... first .....

Mom, Dad, and I ended 2011 in the World's Happiest Country :) Costa Rica's motto is 'Pura Vida' which means 'Living the Pure Life' (loosely) and nearly everyone (aside from a cabbie or two!) adopted the motto wholeheartedly to ensure our trip's smoothness and enjoyability. Overall, it was AWESOME.

We embraced much of what the country offers from traditional food to animal watching to wave frolicking to zip-lining and much, much more. I've included the link to a *very* parred down photo album (if you have a few hours, I can show you the un-edited version) and created a Letterman-like Top Ten list to briefly share our travels with you. Here are the photos :  https://plus.google.com/photos/108293021437519304084/albums/5699092658201928385?authkey=CLqK-eC10OHT2AE

Coffee plant & plantain tree

Snack - Two foods tied on this one .. some of you might be very surprised to learn I LOVE plantains (despite my utter aversion for bananas) especially when they are in chip form and flavored with salt & lemon. Plantains are a very typical 'Tico' (Costa Rican) side dish and while I appreciate local flavors, I ate multiple bags of these crunchy treats. However, my love for chocolate and coffee merged in the form of tri-chocolate-covered expresso beans, which we purchased from a local coffee plantation. We met the owner on the bus to Arenal and we stopped in his store in La Fortuna. We snacked on them through the country and their quick sugar / caffeine rush picked us up on more than one occasion.

Our rainforest bungalow's patio

Hotel - Can I tell you that I'm only on #2 on my own list and already struggling to come up with only one answer to each question? I'm trying to keep this brief .. I really loved the unique hotel at which we stayed in the rainforest. 1001 Places to See Before You Die named The Chachagua Rainforest Hotel a must due to its "simple but spacious bungalows" and "potential for bird and wildlife viewing." The trek up the side of the mountain added to the adventure of it all! Here we took a walk through the rainforest and marveled at the wonders of the leaf cutter ants as well as took in the beauty of a surprise waterfall. Our front porch served its function well with a hammock for napping, small table for dice throwing, and broad, open area for yoga! On the last morning, I jumped into the shower only to yell-whisper for my parents to check out the pair of toucans peering back at us! Great bird-watching indeed. Sleeping in the middle of the rainforest is as magical (and noisy!) as it sounds.

Rainforest shower! (Literally)

View of this attractive pair from the shower

Guide - Keilor, our guide through Doka Coffee Plantation, Poas Volcano, and La Paz waterfall,has perfected his 'spiel' to include the perfect amount of infomation and quiet time to observe our surroundings (other guides, most notably Chatty Cathy on the way to Arenal could learn a thing or two). He truly reveled in exploring his country with tourists, always willing to answer questions or trade witty comments. Keilor's positive attitude and patience is one to be admired -- especially because as you know I love to take pictures and nearly always fall behind. He goodnaturedly doubled back to find me on more than one occasion. The sights themselves created a perfect first day in Costa Rica. We learned a good bit about the economy (ask Dad the top five money-makers) as well as saw wildlife up close and observed the power of a whole lot of tourists as our chants managed to convince Siva the mythical vulture to move the clouds so we could see Poas Volcano. Given the cloud cover when we arrived, I'd call this glimpse a real miracle.

The view when we arrived

After Siva got involved ..

Keilor explaining coffee roasting

Magia Blanca Waterfall

Monteverde region arco iris

Moment - As we were leaving Santa Elena and headed towards Manuel Antonio, we came around a bend and beheld an arco iris (rainbow!). Absolutely beautiful and the irony of leaving our hotel, Arco Iris Lodge (sadly, I must admit) only to encounter an actual one moments later struck us powerfully. The blend of sun & rain in Costa Rica reminds me of how Noah and his family must've felt .. a good reminder of our faith!
This, along with our Eden-like experience at the hot springs, really captured for me God's love for us :)

Tabacon Hot Springs .. AKA Eden

Restaurant - I'm a fan of guidebooks and really depend on their information to lead me in the direction of good food. Lonely Planet did not steer us wrong when it suggested 'Sabor Espanol' just outside of Santa Elena in the Monteverde region. Run by a Spanish couple, its unique food and cozy atmosphere treated us to a delightful meal. One of the owners served us our meal and enjoyed refilling our glasses of sangria with the same exuberance her husband used when creating our delicious food - tuna stuffed avocados with homemade chips and pork and chicken served with a variety of sauces. On a rainy evening, it felt good to settle into the homey atmosphere for food beyond rice and beans (which I love).

The Clancys and the owners of Sabor Espanol

Selvatura Hanging Bridges, Monteverde

Me, coming in for the landing

Activity -I really loved the Monteverde region for a number of reasons but most people, including us, travel there for the experience of a cloudforest (shorter trees than a rainforest, essentially) as well as the renowned hanging bridges and ziplining experience. Ziplining was unlike anything I've ever done, and can I just tell you how proud I am of my 'afraid of heights' dad? He was awesome!! The longest zipline we did was approximately 700meters long and REALLY high up! Soaring through the air cabled is probably the closest I'll get to sky-diving and I'll die happy. :) I was cold, wet, and muddy (the mud is still a mystery, honestly) but man, did we have fun! Before we soared through the air, all three of us (Nance opted out of the ziplining because of her shoulder - sad face but the right choice, no doubt) wandered across a series of hanging bridges through the cloudforest. The sights were spectacular. We spotted a few types of monkeys as well as a number of birds including hummingbirds and to just look out over the trees at points was incredible.

That's Dad in the distance there .. he don't play when it comes to ziplines.

Cup of Coffee - After a full day of walking the hanging bridges and ziplining in the rain , we were cold and wet (as one should be in the rainforest, really). Before hot showers and tucking ourselves under cozy blankets for the remainder of the rainy afternoon, we found ourselves a small coffeebar. We treated ourselves to hot drinks which we slowly drank listening to the rain fall. Naps and book reading really make a quality vacation! We learned a lot about Costa Rican coffee from our planation tour and Mathias, our planation owner friend from the bus; I really love have come to love not only the taste and richness of this beverage but also the social ritual of drinking it with loved ones over good conversation. Thanks, Costa Rica, for keeping us energized, social, and in good company while grading the never ending stacks.

Perfect rainy afternoon!

Animal Sighting - We took an off-the-beaten-track detour to check out a final national park which features macaws, or 'lapas' sighting on a regular basis. Since I read The Great Kapok Tree in first grade, I find rainforests fascinating and I always thought I would own a tropical bird in adulthood. (I've since learned the clear error in thinking there but remained devoted to the beauty of these birds.) On our way out of the park, my dad spotted our third set of nesting macaws, which were in clear view of the path. I managed to get great photos but they were far enough away that we weren't disturbing them; they went out about their business while we looked on in awe.

Checking out their nest

Can't you just picture him saying, "Hello?"

And a sloth for good measure :)

"Clearly We're in a Developing Country" Moment - Nance arranged a taxi-boat-taxi ride to cut off hours of dangerous, mountain roads on our trip from Arenal to the Monteverde-area (brilliant!). The best-laid plans are actually best when they actually come to fruition and we were always grateful to see the driver when he arrived. This particular one was late due to a flat tire (he called the hotel to let us know) and we began to worry about missing our boat portion of the ride. However, as the ticos say, Pura vida! When the last of our belongings were loaded up, who should jump in to drive the sagging boat but our taxi driver! Obviously. The organization which goes into maintaining such an operation -- especially without any visible pen, paper, or computer is really astounding .. no one seems to get left behind and there are always exactly the right amount of seats. Amazing.

We're behind the bags .. Oh, and that red taxi? At thee bottom of the steep hill? It backed down. The only thing keeping it in place is that leeeeeetle, tiny boulder. Yep.

Drink - We like to think of Hotel Villa Lapas as our own private luxury resort (five rooms - we were one of two families there); we'll read about it on People.com in the next several years as the place so-and-so rented for their honeymoon. We'll be able to say, "Oh, we stayed there when it had only been open for six weeks!" (I probably slept in George's bed before he did but I digress.) Its elegant simplicity really allowed us to finish our vacation in the lap of luxury and Jorge the bartender (on his very first day of work) took good care of us on the drink front. I drank THE best margarita I've ever had (passion fruit) and Dad enjoyed a delicious housemade coconut concoction, made especially by his request. Mom sipped a delicious blackberry margarita; we all relished the relaxed atmosphere while peering over our infinity pool into the sunset. Sigh. As I look out on freshly fallen snow, I dream of transporting myself right back there.

Passion fruit margarita

Hotel Villa Lapas

Welcome drink made by Jorge

Sunset at Hotel Villa Lapas.

And there you have it .. if you're still reading, the last journal entry I wrote on 12/28 reads "Very.Long.Day" which about sums up a frustrating customs and airline experience in Newark but it was small details compared to the beautiful vacation we experienced. I'd highly encourage you to check out this country; I know I will again - and I hope for a longer period of time in the future. Hasta luego, Costa Rica!