LIVING LA PURA VIDA

Pura Vida is a popular Costa Rican tag line of which I am told has many different meanings, my favorite being 'the good life'. We were most certainly living the good life in Costa Rica. You know those holidays you have that are fun and great and wonderful, but when it's over you are ready to get back home? This was not one of those times. We all agreed that we could have stayed at least another week and none of us were craving a good night's sleep in our preferred thread count sheets in our own home. Hands down this was one vacay that could have lasted forever.

I can't say for sure if it was the unexpected combination of adventure tours sprinkled with lazy days by the pool/beach, ridiculously spectacular views, lively company, 180 degree shift in travel luck, tropical rainforests rampant with wildlife, is there a word to trump 'perfect' weather, or the splendidly comfortable and beautiful Villas where we rested our heads. Whatever the reason, everything fell into place for one fabulous vacation. Costa Rica is a destination I highly recommend and am anxiously awaiting to return.



Our journey began in San Jose where we shared some quality time with the Hub's dad, made a new friend, rested up from our travels, and soaked in an expansive view of the city from his window lined casa and airy porch. Rest and relaxation would not be complete without a quick shopping trip, although I did not purchase anything, there was much to my liking at ZARA. We found San Jose to be a thriving city offering everything you would need, from KFC to liposuction (hand in hand right, we did not partake of either). One delight in particular was the Costa Rican roll, think plantains, at a local Sushi place. After scooping Dave up from the airport we made the winding trek to Dominical.

Dominical is a low key destination maintaining more of a low key and less touristy vibe than more popular stops along the way. The hubs scouted out the most amazing Villas and as fabulous as the pics were online, they were even better in person. The icing on the cake was our private pool overlooking the Pacific. We made good use of the pool bar by waiting out the afternoon showers playing hearts.

After a long evening of card playing we headed out early the next morning on our ATV tour. Just a quick reminder, ATV=All Terain Vehicle, or as I have always referred to it, 4 wheeler. Now, when the four wheel drive goes kaput on an ATV, it's no longer compatible with ALL terains, such as steep, muddy, slippery side of a mountain. Brakes don't work so well in this situation either, so when one cannot keep climbing and one cannot stop this leads to mostly just rolling backwards. Guess who got that one? Fortunately, the guide and my boys took care of me and all was well for the remainder of our scenic trek. By far, the best part of the tour was the massive waterfall where we were able to cool off and for the hubs, rush his adrenaline. He was the only one of us brave enough to jump off the ledge and if that was not scary enough, he had to make the death defying climb back up to the baby pool. Then it was off to the Spa for some much needed restoration after a long morning in the jungle.

I am not too big on meds, even over the counter stuff. A few advils when absolutely necessary, but usually if I am feeling ill, I just dose up on vitamin C. Needless to say I was a little leary of the non-drowsy dramamine. Non-drowsy apparently means a splash of caffeine and a splash is no match for my Dr. Pepper addiction, so I'm sure you can imagine. Outer body drowsiness is certainly much better than sea sickness, but neither one are favorable. Made it through the best I could with only a few moments of cranky. If you have never been spit out of the mouth of a river into an ocean, you simply must try it. From crocs to dolphins in a matter of minutes it's definitely an adventure. Dramamine, drowsy or non, pretty much required.

The boys caught tuna like crazy and I even caught one myself with much help from the captian of course. We were able to grab a taste of the freshest yellow fin tuna sashimi possible, right on the boat. The following afternoon, the Hubs whipped up his famous seared tuna and it was delicious. Those boys must love their fishing I tell you. Although I could have done without the Deep Sea Fishing, having the opportunity to see two Humpback whales made it all worth it.

Okay, replace a jungle vine with a cable and a loin cloth with a harness and you too can swing through the jungle, Tarzanesque style. The zipline, canopy tour, death wish, whatever you wish to call it, there was no way I was going to miss out on it and I'm so glad we got to experience it. It was awesome and totally worth the early morning wake up call.


We didn't make time to venture to the Arenol Volcano and it is supposed to be phenomenal. Oops, I guess we will have to plan another Costa Rican vacay, how unfortunate.


Here are a few tips I picked up along our journey through the jungle.


DON'T: Rely on an outdated travel guide book, the info could be, well, outdated. Fortunately for us, our friend and travel buddy, Olger is a tico (local) so he kept our heads above water.
DO: Venture out and schedule adventure tours, even if it's not normally what you would find yourself enjoying, you may be surprised.

DON'T: Miss out on ceviche, if you like that type of thing, yum. Or Chinese Mamoon, no idea how to spell it, but they are super yummy.

DO: Freshen up on your pescatarian Spanish vocab just to be on the safe side. Langosta=Lobster, Atun=Tuna, Camarones=Shrimp, Pescado=Fish, Tico Style Fish=Whole Fried Fish, etc. A veggie wouldn't want to accidentally order a Bistek=Steak.

DON'T: Wear any clothing items you are attached to for your canopy tour. Dirt and grease from the cables are sure to ruin anything on your person.

DO: Enjoy wildlife in it's natural habitat.
DON'T: Be surprised if said wildlife ventures into your natural habitat. We did have a freak out moment when we happened upon a palm sized spider in our hallway. More accurately, I freaked out and spent more than a few moments perched on top of the kitchen counter. Obviously I am not a fan of eight legged gems.

DO: Shoot the moon!!!



Toodles from this Pura Vida Diva.