Ciao, Costa Rica

We spent 4 months traveling from the Southern US Border to Costa Rica. In 4 months, we adapted to our new normal. To buying purified water for our fresh gallon tank. To sanitizing our produce after each grocery run. To cold showers. To long sweaty days. To power outages in small towns after gusts of wind. To roads riddled with potholes and topes. To rationing our propane canisters because they were impossible to find south of Mexico. And then we arrived in Costa Rica.

In our 5th month since leaving the states it almost felt like we weren't in Central America at all anymore. Power lines that weren't tangled bird's nests/fire hazards lined the streets. There was not only a public trash service, but a recycling program! Which felt really great to be able to actually dispose of our plastic, glass, and paper products without this cloud of guilt following us as we sheepishly walked away. In case you are wondering, from Guatemala to Nicaragua it was common practice to burn trash- so leaving plastics behind felt even worse for what it was going to do to the environment once it went up in flame. We were able to find a bigger variety of produce that we were craving. The tap water was drinkable, which meant we no longer had to go seeking agua purificada stations and could use just about any spigot across the country. We FINALLY found propane canisters and stocked up as if the world was ending. And best of all, public spaces were deeply cared for, well maintained, and FREE.

Costa Rica rightfully prides itself on its diverse and beautiful landscapes. Over the last 25 years, the country has invested heavily in its land and has centered an entire industry in tourism around it, which has made it the destination it is today. Just about everybody I know, even those that may not travel abroad very often, have gone to Costa Rica or it’s on their bucket list to visit one day.  It's done wonders for their economy, but we also saw some negative aspects for their residents as well. The cost of living has gone up as more and more ex-pats move to Costa Rica. While residents who work in tourism typically also earn a higher wage, some residents who have professions outside of the industry don't always see the same increases in pay. An American doesn't blink when given their dinner bill of $40 for 2 people, but for a Tico (a national) it's unsustainable. It's a common thread we've witnessed throughout our travels. From Fiji to Thailand the same usually rings true. Growing pains of a developing nation, but a booming economy is undoubtedly better than the alternative.

OK enough of my rambling... what did we do?! EVERYTHING! We LOVED our time in Costa Rica. We travelled here for only a week back in 2016- we rented a car and stayed at hostels and Airbnbs. We were itching to go back to one of our favorite places, explore new places, and spend time with locals and in a whole new season this time. We went in November on our previous trip- the tail end of rainy season. It was beautiful and mystic and wet and buggy. But in February it is dry, dry, dry! Which meant NO BUGS. Well, mostly... we'll get to that later. And it also meant we could take Fran on some sketchier roads which lead us to some of the most beautiful places, since they weren't wet and muddy. You see, Costa Rica's paved roads are in top notch condition. Better even than in a lot of the states. But when they aren't paved, they can be rough and go on for miles. Dirt/rocky roads, washboards, large potholes, etc. Oh and not to mention how steep they are! We could be going about our bumpy drive, feeling like our whole house is in a never ending earth quake, down a windy dirt road, turn a corner and be going straight up. Steeper than some of the streets in San Francisco, and can last for what feels like forever as I'm having visions of our tires slipping as we plummet backwards down the hill. Luckily that never happened. Well our tires slipped, but we didn't go backwards. Fran is a beast and without our all-terrain tires, we would be absolutely screwed. The best part about traveling through Costa Rica this time around is that we had our little home on wheels with us. We could go places that no Airbnb or hostel existed. Because in Costa Rica public land is public. You can park overnight just about anywhere and it was such a nice change of pace being able to choose exactly where we could go instead of being limited to places hostels or campgrounds existed. And there usually was a public toilet nearby :)

We crossed the border from Nicaragua and of course encountered such a hassle bringing Miles across- so it goes with every border crossing. But once we got across we had our first free camp at a public picnic area on the beach. The bay was calm, good for swimming, and had bioluminescence in the water! It was a quick pitstop for us because we were eager to get to the mountains.

First free camp in Costa Rica

National Parks in Costa Rica are expensive; usually between $10-$20 per person for a single day entrance. With over a dozen NP's and no annual pass similar to what they sell in the states or Canada, it was definitely not in our budget to explore them all. But there was one we knew was going to be worth the money and that was Volcán Tenorio National Park to see THE Río Celeste waterfall. It had been recommended to us by tourists and locals alike, so we wanted to see what it was all about. We parked in their parking lot the night before to get an early start the next day. We were only the 2nd or 3rd party to enter which allowed us to have the falls all to ourselves for a bit as well as a lot of the other sections of the park. The minerals in the river water give it a glacial blue look, and while it's a cold river it doesn't have glacial temperatures. The only downfall is that there is no swimming inside the National Park. So with Zach having this uncontrollable urge to seek out every swimming hole within a 100 mile radius, what did we do? We found ourselves a campsite to park for the night that also had swimming access to the same river, just outside of the National Park territory. At $20 for the night it was the most expensive campsite we've ever paid for, but given we were going to be exclusively free camping the rest of our time in the country, we splurged. And we had the swimming hole completely to ourselves. I couldn't help but state over and over "THIS IS SO F***ING COOL!" The bumpy road we took for 30km+ just the day before to get to the area was WELL worth it.

Río Celeste

Río Celeste

Río Celeste

Zach's "unposed-pose"

Waterfall selfie- can you tell how humid it is by how shiny we were?

One of many bridges through the park and the beautiful water underneath.

Blue pools everywhere

Only one person at a time allowed on the bridges.

Trying to capture all the beauty.

No swimming in the park :(

Lots of signs, I imagine many have tried :)

Trying to capture the cloud forest magic.

The picture I snapped.

Our very own swimming hole!

Zach's happy place.

Our favorite place from our 2016 Costa Rica trip was Laguna Arenal. The lake itself is beautiful with two volcanos towering at it's southern point. But the weather- that's what we came for this time around. It was a high 70's/low 80's during the day and a cool 60 at night. And DRY. Such a nice change of pace from the hot, sticky weather we'd been in on and off for a while. We parked at a public park on the top of a grassy hill and stayed for 5 nights. They were the best nights of sleep I'd had in quite a while. I don't know if the importance will really resonate when I say this, but I could actually sleep with a blanket for the first time in well over a month. I don't know if I've ever appreciated anything more than in the moments I curled up with the thick comforter wrapped around me and tucked in between my legs.... It was a short walk into town for groceries, coffee shops, etc. We swam. We did yoga. We read. We worked on videos. We cooked. We chatted with the locals who came every day to watch the sunset. Zach almost bought an old Land Cruiser off a Tico who restores old FJ-40s. There was a toilet just up the hill along with a power outlet we used to cook with. Did I mention it was FREE?

  

Our campsite on Laguna Arenal.

A few teen girls who came to watch the sunset.

A german bakery in the little town- delicious!

Zach's new breakfast special: yucca, zucchini, onion, garlic, with a few cracked eggs.

Throw back to our first time in the Arenal region- lake in the top of a volcano.

The hostel we stayed at, Essence Arenal- that was our tent and you can kind of see the lake through the trees.

2016 Costa Rica selfie. 

After several days of R&R we were ready to explore. So we found ourselves some free hot springs! Seriously... FREE. Well, we paid some guy 1200 Colones (~$2) to park, but other than that, free. We've found free hot springs before in the states and Canada, but the mind blowing thing about these were that just down the road were several luxury resorts with a $50 day passes to enter the exact same river we were able to enjoy for the parking fee of $2. Locals post up on this river all day bringing coolers, chairs, etc. They've even taken the time to build up little rock walls that create calm pools throughout the river. The temperature was perfect. The heat is due to the origin of the river as it comes from the active volcano and it was a pleasant surprise not to smell of sulfur as we left :)

Hot Springs in La Fortuna, Costa Rica.

Hot Springs selfie.

Zach was v zen.

Zach always makes fun of me for wearing my Tevas and then he complains that he has to walk barefoot in rivers like this :)

Don't remember the name of this, but basically a Costa Rican raccoon.

Zach's happy place :)

 

Some friends of ours that we met in Nicaragua found an epic campsite in the mountains surrounding Monteverde- they actually pioneered most of our campsites throughout Costa Rica as they were just slightly ahead of us on our journey. So we went to check it out and were in awe. It felt a little like our favorite campsite back home- up on a mountainous cliffside overlooking the Pacific and the weather was perfect. We used it as our jumping off point for a free cloud forest hike. Well, almost free- we bought coffee from the caretakers, so it cost us a whopping $2 :) It was a bit wet and foggy that day so we didn't get epic views, but we were legit climbing through the rainforest which was pretty special too. 

Monteverde free campsite.

Out in the distance we could see the Pacific Ocean and Nicoya Peninsula.

One of our favorite campsites ever.

Dishes with a view.

View from bed in the morning.

Cerro Amigos; cloud forest hike.

Zach wanted a photo shoot.

Candids.

There it is.

Miles in the wild.

It was WET.

It was now approaching the middle of February and we hadn't had our laundry done since middle of January..... everything was starting to SMELL. Like you'd walk into our van and you'd get this pungent, sour smell. Zach would say he couldn't smell anything, but a woman that moved from California to Nicaragua who stepped into our van for a tour commented how the smell of our van smelled like her friend. I'm not sure if that was good or bad, but the fact our van had a "smell" was saying something. Luckily, my parents were flying in for a visit and rented a BEAUTIFUL condo in Jaco, so we headed that way. Not only were we able to do 13 loads of laundry (literally), they brought us all kinds of goodies from the states. Some good quality bread, supplements for Miles, CHEEZ-ITS, trail mix, dried fruit, Reese's trees from Christmas, etc. And it was good to see them too :) We spent 5 days seeing various parts of Costa Rica and enjoying its diverse and beautiful landscapes. From the beaches, to a bioluminescence kayaking tour, to exploring the mangroves, to feeding monkeys, and even seeing a sloth! But our best times were the nights with countless pitchers of piña coladas, card games, and good quality time. We have the best support system in the world and are so grateful they made the trip, giving us a little break from the van and a taste of home <3 

Mom & Kev! Ferry to Paquera.

Family Style restaurant we ate at before kayaking.

Bioluminescence kayaking.

Paquera sunset.

Cards & Piña Colada kind of night.

Mangrove boat ride.

We saw monkeys!

Riding through the mangroves.

We fed monkeys!

Mom was overjoyed.

Kev was v calm.

Giddy 5 yr old. Always.

We saw a sloth!

Sunset on their last night.

Mom & me.

Cheers to Costa Rica!

We drove, they flew. Jaco, Costa Rica, Feb 2020.

Look closely- you can see the Arizona sun rays!

Back in Guatemala we met a family while we were staying at a guest house for Christmas. They are Costa Rican and were on holiday in Guatemala for Christmas as well. Since then, we've developed a bit of a relationship and Jerry, the oldest son in the family, invited us to visit him at his home when we came through Costa Rica. So, just like every invitation we've received on this trip, we took him up on his offer. He lives in Miraflores, which is located in the Heredia province, with his family. Jerry speaks perfect English- learned it from playing video games and watching American movies- while his family speaks very little to no English. Which means we had a solid few days of fully immersed Spanish practice, especially when Jerry went to work and his siblings took us out on the town to explore the cities of Heredia and San Jose. And it was great! Aside from the time when Jerry's sister, Jennifer, asked me what places we'd been to in Costa Rica and I replied with "no tiene hambre ahora." Which means "no, he/she isn't hungry right now". Epic fail that turned into a joke for the duration of our stay. But now I know that asking "what places have you known" is another way to ask "what places have you been." A fun Spanish lesson for me :) Jerry is a chef and works primarily at night, so his days are open and he took us to explore some pretty cool places. We went to Volcán Poás National Park to view this toxic crater lake on the top of an active volcano. We also learned that most National Parks have a different price for nationals than they do for foreigners which for us is such a relief from our own developed-nation guilt that has become so prevalent these last 5 months (I'm sure I'll touch on that at some point, but this post is extremely long so it'll have to wait :)). Nationals should be able to explore their land just as foreigners do without paying the price that foreigners, usually making a higher wage, are. Jerry took us on a walk around his neighborhood so Miles could stretch his legs as well as his "pup" Apollo. I say "pup" in parentheses because Apollo is huge! We tried some out-of-this-world chicharron in 3 different forms and picked up some caldosas. And he took us to his "secret spot"- a series of waterfalls and swimming pools that he likes to go to on his days off which was absolutely incredible. And, yes, Zach giggled like a 5 year old the whole time :) We also went to visit him at his work one night- a Thai Fusion restaurant in Costa Rica. It was GOOOOOOD! 

Apollo!

Comparison of Miles & Apollo. Miles could be his snack.

Night walk through San Jose.

Poás National Park

V dangerous.

Needed hard hats.

Zach and Jerry.

3 Amigos.

Lunch that Jerry greeted us with when we got in town. Lasagna, rice, beans, and a salad :)

Views on one of our drives.

Jerry's secret spot!

Jerry snapped this :)

Shanghai Street Noodles at Jerry's restaurant! Soberanos Brewers, Heredia. 

Noodle soup!

It's quite difficult to put into words just how impactful our time with Jerry's family was. Just as it is with any local family who takes us in. The overwhelming level of hospitality that his family showed us is something we could have never imagined. His mom was constantly cooking. Offering us coffee, some bread pudding she decided to whip up the day we got there, the best gallo pinto I've had on this trip, plantains unlike I'd ever had before- boiled with cinnamon and honey, etc. Showing so much patience with us as we practiced our Spanish, having basic conversations to get to know them during our time together. Giving us tours of their city and surrounding areas. Treating us like family and pleading with us not to leave, to stay longer. And sending us off with some gallo pinto and chorizo when we do eventually go. It's the generosity that leaves us with this knot in our throats. (Or at least me, since I seem to cry at everything these days.) It's the prideful glances from a mother to her son having lively conversations in a language she doesn't understand and cannot speak with his new American friends. And it's the attempts to convey just how grateful we are to know them in broken Spanish and warm hugs as we say ciao (Costa Rican slang for "see you later"). Did I squeeze Jerry's mom tight enough to convey just exactly how much I enjoyed my time with her? Probably not, but I hope so.

Breakfast that Jerry's Mom made us on our last day.

Part of the fam: Zach, Miles, me, Sonja (Jerry's mom), Jerry, & Jennifer (Jerry's sister). Just missing Christopher, Richard & Francisco! (Jerry's brothers & dad)

From our last day of R&R back at Laguna Arenal it had been about 10 days, and after those few days of speaking mostly Spanish, we were exhausted and our brains were fried. We decided to head back to the Pacific Coast to sync up with some friends and relax for the rest of our time in Costa Rica. These are the same friends who pioneered a lot of our free campsites across the country and they also happen to be shipping their van to Colombia at the same time as us. Like at the exact same time, and in the same container :) So the only thing that was on our agenda for the rest of our time in the country was to get that process sorted out and underway. But for now, I'll spare you the details and pick it back up in our last Central American country- Panama. Ciao! 

Camping with our buddies, Joel & Alicia. Their van is way cooler than ours- his name is Klaus.

Playa Dominical.

Remember when I said there were no bugs... they tricked me.

Our last night in Costa Rica. Camping with Joel & Alicia.

Alicia, Joel & Klaus

Playa Pavones

Final free camp in Costa Rica.