Three Shades of Costa Rica
Imagine being stuck in a taxicab in downtown rush hour traffic...zip-lining over a river and through a lush tropical forest...then relaxing on a beach watching the sunset. These diverse experiences are just a sampling of what we encountered during our five days in Costa Rica. Best known for its motto, pura vida, Costa Rica offers a myriad of ways for one to experience life to its fullest.
We were looking forward to our visit to Costa Rica, and exploring what this fascinating land had to offer.We considered our trip a ‘Tale of Three Cities’, considering we trekked across three regions of the country, which we classified as The City (San Jose), The Volcano (La Fortuna), and The Beach (Tamarindo).
Our journey began in ‘The City’. San Jose is the epicenter of Costa Rican urban life and culture, filled with bustling central markets, shops, restaurants, nightlife, and TRAFFIC. If you are caught out and about in this city during rush hour expect gridlock! A taxi ride back to our hotel, which was less than a mile away, took almost an hour. We would have walked back, but we were traveling during Costa Rica’s green season, so the rain was torrential. But no worries, we strapped on our patience and just enjoyed the ride. We were on vacation, right?
We only spent a day in San Jose, but what we encountered in that short time wasn’t a touristy side of Costa Rica, but a glimpse of everyday Tico life in the city. Families shopping in the markets and along the avenidas of the central business district... Couples dining at local restaurants... and friends gathering for a night out on the town.
Many travel guidebooks paint San Jose as being an unsafe and dismal city. However, San Jose is a place where you just need to look a little more beyond the surface and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the positive qualities it possesses.A good thing about San Jose was that it was quite inexpensive in comparison to what we discovered about the rest of the country. Taxi rides ranged from $2 to $5; a typical lunch averaged about $8; and in hindsight, souvenir shopping was much more affordable in San Jose. After a day in San Jose, we were ready for our next destination – The Volcano!
The next morning, we hopped on our shuttle, and headed northwest for about 3 hours to Arenal Volcano. This majestic volcano, near the town of La Fortuna, is still active, and erupts everyday. That's right...it erupts everyday. However, there's no fear here. Life appears to go on without a thought of being so close to this massive...active...erupting volcano. So hey, we went with the flow too (no pun intended). The tropical forests and rolling hills in the Arenal area were a stark contrast to the concrete streets and tall buildings we left behind in San Jose.
There’s something about this place that makes you truly feel at peace, yet yearn for adventure at the same time.We were really looking forward to one aspect of our visit to Arenal ...our zip-line tour! The thrill and excitement of zipping through beautiful, lush Costa Rican jungles was an experience we knew that we had to take on. If we were looking for a thrill...we definitely got it. As we zipped through the forest on eleven different lines, we were in awe of the beautiful landscape that surrounded us.
After zip-lining, we were ready for some relaxation. There are a number of thermal hot springs throughout the Arenal area. However, we were lucky to have great springs located right on our hotel property. So, we soothed our aching muscles in the hot thermal springs and spent the rest of the evening lounging poolside and enjoying the atmosphere with perfect views of the volcano in the distance. What a lovely way to end our visit in Arenal.
We concluded our Tale of Three Cities at ‘The Beach’. Our shuttle ride from Arenal, which is located in central Costa Rica, to the Tamarindo, on the western coast, proved to be especially long. We reached our destination in approximately six hours.
Once known as being a 'sleepy surfer town', Tamarindo is definitely awake with tons of surfing activity now.The beach is a place where you can find beautiful sunsets and wave riding surfers galore. Due to the rain, much of our beach time was cut short. Therefore, we had to find other attractions to keep us busy. We remembered that you can always shop – rain or shine! To our surprise, there were some great little boutiques in Tamarindo. From jewelry and clothing to artwork and crafts, you can find some wonderful treasures here.
On our final full day in Costa Rica, and we were determined to make the most of it with....beach time! After breakfast, we headed straight for the beach. We had a wonderful and relaxing beach day. The weather was perfect with a perfect mix of sun, ocean breeze, and waves.
Visiting Costa Rica was truly a great experience. Friendly people, delicious food, and amazing natural beauty. Visiting three different regions gave us the opportunity to experience a variety of landscape and culture, and also participate in a wide range of activities. Central America has a unique flavor and a local warmness that make it a very endearing place. We'll never forget our adventures at The City, The Volcano, and The Beach...and hope to return to this wonderful country again. ■
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Chrishette Carter resides in Atlanta, and during the day works in the commercial real estate finance industry. Her first international trip was to Russia when she was 13 years old, and she's been eager to explore the world ever since.During her college study abroad program based in London, Chrishette had the opportunity to visit most of Western Europe, but now has South America, Africa, and Asia on her travel list.
Ebonee Shaw is an event planner and non-profit fundraiser from St. Louis, who has a passion for travel. She has conquered 48 of the 50 United States (much of that done on family vacation), Canada, Mexico, the Western Caribbean, Italy and Central America. It is her goal to see the world, before her son gets to the age where he wants to tag along...and she has to pay for it!
Ebonee Shaw & Chrishette Carter