Pura Vida Yada Yada

Our transfer from Monteverde towards the west coast began with a  “Costa Rican Massage.”  We had arranged a transfer to Liberia via a private car, who’s charming driver, Minor, was replete with lots of Costa Rican Folk wisdom.  The total distance was relatively short…about 150km.  But the first 50km involved descending from 5,000ft to virtually sea level on really challenging roads.  These were ostensibly gravel,  but mostly rocks, boulders and ruts.  Not to mention switchbacks and steep descents.   Lurching and bumping up and down and around == Costa Rican Massage! 

After those first km,  we merged onto Route 1 – the Pan American Highway that runs continuously from Alaska to Patagonia save a short section…the Darien Gap…in Panama.  The PAH varies greatly along its length, but the section we were on was 4-lane concrete…every bit as good as most of the Interstates in the US. 

Minor did manage a stop at a Soda with a magnificent overlook onto the plains along the west coast.  He claimed they served the best coffee in all of Costa Rica.   I have actually heard that sentiment expressed by each and every guide, at every stop along the way.  The bottom line is:  Costa Rican coffee is pretty good, almost everywhere! Its one of the major drivers of the Costa Rican economy,  though the Medical Device Industry is THE leading driver!  Who knew!

Along the way, the weather changed COMPLETELY.  As mentioned before, Costa Rica has a huge variety of biomes and microclimates, driven primarily by the mountain range down the middle.   You can clearly see the stark division between Caribbean and Pacific in this pic, taken from the west side of the mountains. 

Our ride out of the mountains ended in Liberia.  This is the city where the  “other” International Airport reachable from the United States is located…and where one might choose to fly if headed for the northwest coast. We decided to stop there to catch bus transport to the west coast town of Tamarindo. We booked an AirBNB very near the bus station for a couple of nites,  and used the time to explore the town. 

This AirBNB was the first where we booked a room only in our Host’s home (vs. an entire home/apartment).  There weren’t a lot of options in Liberia, but this worked for a couple nites.  Our host spoke absolutely zero English,  and we have already disclosed how inadequate our Spanish is,  but a combination of Google Translate and Multilingual Charades sufficed. 

At one point, Liz happened upon a situation that needed no translation:  Our Host was teetering high up on a ladder trying to change a light bulb near her vaulted ceiling.  In any language, this likely would end up in an ambulance ride.  Liz,  of course,  using a combination of charades and universal shouts and exclamations, offered my services!  I think she figured that our host was tiny,  and I am tall (and expendable?),  so for me the bulb was not a huge, dangerous reach.  Anyway, it worked out well for all!

We wandered around in Liberia…the Catholic Church was a lot nicer than the one in Limon…and completely open-air. 

One night in Liberia, we wanted to watch the Thunder.  We brought the streaming box we use to catch Chet in cities all across the US, being small and portable.  This has been working in Costa Rica quite well, however The Liberia AirBNB did not have a TV!  We found a Sports bar nearby that had NO PROBLEM letting us hook up our Box to their TV system…the one system that ran ALL their TVs. 

We worried a bit what would happen if the Futból wasn’t on  for the bar’s patrons.   But we decided to call this, “Pura Vida Baloncesto,” and shouldn’t have worried…just like in the US,  no one really pays any attention to the TVs in a Bar!    Our waitress was charming and minimally multilingual,  so we all had a gr8 time drinking Caipirinhas and Imperial Beer!

As for other CR experiences I can report on…we at one point got a little tired of eating CR standard food.  This is in general beans, rice, salad, some plantains and some sort of protein, served on a plate and usually called a “Casado.”  These are often quite delicious, and always made with plentiful fresh ingredients, but we craved “something else.”  In a few days hence, we will be enjoying west coast seafood,  but one night we found a woodfired pizza place that was quite delicious and welcoming.

We left Liberia, headed for Tamarindo by public bus.  This was a LOT more threadbare than the Bus from San José to Limón, but it was adequate and CHEAP.   The road between the two was not quite Route1 caliber, but paved well and flat. The drive was about 3 hours with a bunch of local stops along the way. 

Once we arrived, we set about to find the AirBNB we had rented “Steps from the Beach.”  Turned out to be a quite a multitude of steps from the beach…about ½ mile on a partly gravel, rutted road.  But,  the unit is very comfy and well equipped,  and we don’t mind the walk.

That we are not in Kansas anymore is evident from the Roadkill we observed. Ctenosaurs, or “Black Iguana,” these are everywhere, including the backyard just behind the deck of our AirBNB.  They aren’t very curious or friendly,  but they are also not that shy…10ft seems to be about the comfortable distance for their sensibilities.    

Now that we are at the beach,  we have taken to drinking as early as 10AM.  Ok,  they are smoothies,  but it’s the thought that counts!   This is the Costa Rican “thing” we have come to enjoy most — “Batidos.” These are smoothies made with a wide variety of fruits, and sometimes with water, coconut water and even milk as a base. Some of the fruits are familiar (pineapple, orange and strawberry) and some are unusual or local, such as Soursop (Guayabana), papaya, mango, passion fruit and Guava.   They are cold and delicious…REALLY refreshing and probably actually good for you!!

We have walked the beach quite a bit in our first few days here,  and found quite a few beachside restaurants and bars. They are all quite lively…in one case with an excellent mariachi band playing “Hotele California.”

We even found a pretty excellent Sushi spot!

 We also took an Uber to the “maxPali” (nationwide chain of stores with groceries and homegoods) to buy a couple of $10 bag chairs.  This was instead of paying $30 each in a beachside surf store, or renting them for A LOT more.  We may or may not be able to hump them with us when we head onwards to our next destination…if not we will leave them for the next occupants of this AirBNB and repeat the purchase at the next beach.

Last nite, we  streamed the NBA All Star “Game.”  Chet was selected, and basked in the honor,  I think.  My Sister and her family were all there, cheering him on and participating in various events,  such as a taping of a Serena Williams and Michelle Obama podcast.  As for “The Game,”   The NBA  created a new and weird format, because I think they realized that there is nothing more boring than watching Allstars play collegially, but no defense and a final score of 160-158.    Instead,  there was some sort of Round-Robin tournament for 3 teams – two representing the USA and 1 the “World” players.  Winners take home something like $125k.  Even though that’s not a lot, per se,  for the All Stars playing,  it seems surprisingly motivating!!  And,  Chet’s team WON!!!  This pic was found online: Obamas in the background, and Pascal Siakam about to be.  Pretty special!!

The beach at Tamarindo is about a mile long, sandy and the ocean calm enough with surf enough.  Its not the beautiful white sand of travel dreams,  but pretty darn nice.  The water is a refreshing 80°F.  We are not “beach sitters” as a general rule,  but we’ve enjoyed a few hours here and there, parking our chairs and enjoying conversation with tourists and expats from all over.  We have booked a snorkeling trip to a nearby, but somewhat more remote beach, and in a few more days, we head onwards to….

Well,  the rest of our trip is just starting to congeal.  We don’t make plans very far in advance,  so we can talk to people and be flexible and allow for inspiration (if not lightning!) to strike!    This has resulted in what I think will be a really fun few weeks.

First, we are headed to Puntarenas, which is a couple bus rides away. It’s a combination of tourist and beach town and transport hub on a strand of land sticking out into the Gulf of Nicoya.   We’ll be there for a few days, then we catch a ferry to Paquera.  This is a pretty remote place, but I found a small, family compound/eco-motel with a room that at least has a private bath (tho no hot water).  Our hosts there will organize for us: a nighttime kayak adventure to a bioluminescence bay area,  and a daytime Snorkeling adventure to Isla Tortuga.  From there,  we ferry back to Puntarenas, then by bus are headed to the small town of Manuel Antonio, which is near a very slightly larger town called Quepos.  We’ll be there for several days, and We’ll use that as a base to tour the Manuel Antonio National Park,  which many claim to be one of Costa Rica’s gems. 

So,  now you are up to date…there may or may not be another post before we head back to the USA on 16 Mar.  We may be far too busy drinking Smoothies on the beach…