Pura Vida

The simple translation of "pura vida" is 'pure life'. However in Costa Rica it is a common phrase used by the locals to indicate 'life is good', a mantra we try and live by, and which the laid back life certainly is down here. Part of that has to do with the humid 30C heat which makes you slow down naturally when moving about. It is a horticulturist's dream to see how rapidly plants grow and flowers bloom. Any land that is not managed (cities and villages, or active farms) quickly turns into jungle which embraces the numerous wildlife populations.

We started our time in Costa Rica staying in the capital city of San Jose. San Jose is in the centre of the country at a higher elevation so the temperature was quite tolerable, in the 25-27C range with low 20's evenings. The downtown area had many pedestrian friendly streets allowing easy access to many of the interesting sights. Highlights for us included a tour of the National Theatre (opera house also used for special gov't events; where the floor of the theatre can be mechanically raised to be level with the stage) and the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum which provided a history of the country and many ancient artifacts. A stop into the Central Market was also a treat as it is in every city to watch the locals shop for food and to try some unusual snacks from the food stalls.

While we were in San Jose, Costa Rica's capital we decided to take a bus to the Irazu Volcano, the country's tallest volcano, and hike to the crater top, which is close to 11,000 feet above sea level. That sounds like an ambitious hike to most but we are veteran hikers, filled with wisdom from our previous experiences....the bus dropped us off in the parking lot with only a 500 metre walk (not hike) to the crater top. My stealth research had also suggested taking an extra layer along since it was cooler at the higher elevation. I took several thin layers and a small pair of gloves in preparation for the cold, but it turned out all I needed was a short sleeve shirt.....good thing I didn't have to carry the extra layers very far! The crater had a 1 km diameter with a small lake at the bottom with glacier-like colours. The views along the accessible side of the rim were lovely but it turned into a relatively short visit for a long bus ride.

From San Jose we took a bus to the Pacific coast and spent 4 days at a guest house with a fabulous deck view of the jungle below us and the ocean beyond that. Every time we sat on the deck we were entertained by the wildlife in front of us.......from agouti's (tropical rodent that looks like a rabbit – squirrel cross) down below our cabin to monkeys jumping from one tree to another in front of us. The highlight of our stay was the Manuel Antonio NP (wildlife trails and wide sandy beach). We also went to a fun Superbowl party at the crowded Jolly Roger pub (where the pub entertainment outshone the game highlights) and to a smaller secluded sandy beach that our hostess recommended.

We are now back in San Jose but only for the night. We head out early in the morning to catch our first of 2 buses, followed by a water taxi to reach Tortuguero National Park where we will hang out for a few days.

San Jose's Post Office building surrounded by newer, less impressive architecture. Everywhere we travel the national post office buildings demonstrate that they were the central source of information flow long before the internet and daily newspapers emerged.

There were many lovely public art pieces around the city, including tasteful graffiti and wall murals. This particular piece was located close to the Cathedral.

The reception area of the National Opera Theatre House. Interestingly, there was a side room where the gentlemen went to discuss politics which was deemed beyond the scope of their female partners.

A beautiful gold artifact displayed at the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum. There were many pieces like this in the museum which was owned and managed by the Central Bank of Costa Rica. There were seriously thick vault doors into the museum for good reason.

The Irazu Volcano main crater. The crater rim was just over 1 km in diameter to provide a bit more scope. It's last series of eruptions occurred in the first half of the 1960's, once on the same day that John F. Kennedy visited nearby San Jose.

Happy hour two for one drinks at the Mango Moon bar near our guest house where we watched a perfect Pacific sunset from our table.

The common deck in front of our room at the Teak House. We spent lots of time out there being constantly entertained by the monkeys leaping from one tree to another, especially the tiny, young ones testing their agility skills.

While in Manuel Antonio NP we spotted this white-faced capuchin monkey with her backpacking baby.

A lovely small cove beach down the road from our guest house. It was protected from the Pacific waves making it an ideal spot for young families......and seniors.

My perfectly seared, rare Ahi tuna dinner that felt like I was slicing through butter. Seafood is often our staple when we are anywhere close to the water.

Taken from my bus seat while crossing a river bridge close to the ocean. I noticed people on the bridge taking photos on the way to the Manuel Antonio NP area so I was well prepared for the return trip. There appear to be at least 12 crocodiles in this photo but perhaps you can spot more.