I'm writing this blog to keep track of this trip for myself and also to share with others who have expressed interest in traveling to Costa Rica in the future. I have made dozens of posts on Instagram, many of which have multiple photos and/or videos, so be sure to take a look at "cspsail" in IG if you can. In Blogger I can't seem to post videos, so IG is preferable because of the numerous videos of stuff like hummingbirds, butterflies, monkeys, horses on the beaches, etc. Jim has also made a few IG posts as “jbsail”. 

This is a totally remarkable country - it's only the size of West Virginia, but with about a dozen very different microclimates. We wanted to get to know it a little in person because of its well-known focus on care for the environment and addressing climate change. It's 99% energy self-sufficient with wind and water, has plentiful fresh drinking water you can use straight from the tap anywhere, has about a 98% literacy rate, the military was abolished over 70 years ago, there is good health care, abundant affordable fruit, vegetables, seafood, etc, an astounding variety of mammals, insects, reptiles, birds and sea life, air temperatures that range from 70-85 degrees F year round, WARM ocean water, and most important a population that clearly loves and is proud of its country and actively lives the motto “pura vida” (life is good). That is the phrase used everywhere all day to say hello, thanks, take care, whatever. Everyone seems polite, kind, happy. Amazing!!

So - We began the 5-week trip in January 2022. I arranged accommodation in advance in several Airbnbs in various parts of the country. Although public transportation is good here, we rented a 4x4 to have flexibility to get around on the often treacherous roads, especially in places off the beaten path, and to be able to avoid too much close contact with others in a confined space given covid-19 risks. 

We got off to an inauspicious start (as seems to usually be the case with us) with flight changes, having to renegotiate the car rental once we'd arrived, and a resulting 2-hour+ drive on notoriously bad roads to our first destination, Santa Elena in Monteverde, the last hour and a half of which was driven AFTER SUNSET.  Because the narrow roads have no lighting, many huge potholes, sometimes pedestrians walking on the roadside, other itchy-to-pass local traffic behind you on two-lane hairpin turn roads with no way to pass, and oncoming traffic (especially trucks and buses) that sometimes has to navigate the many tight turns partially on your side of the road, it’s highly recommended to NOT drive at night.  So if you plan to rent a car, try to stay at a hotel the first night near the airport so that you can set out in the morning with good light after a sound night's sleep! 

The roads take longer to navigate than it appears on a map, because of the things I just mentioned, even in daylight. Also, you need GPS, so get a SIM card for your phone at the airport to be able to navigate. There are few to no road signs. Use WAZE rather than Google, which doesn't give good directions much of the time.  You tend to lose wifi in many of the more rural areas, so you need a route planned before the wifi disappears.  We have also experienced very unnerving conditions on all roads. No warning in advance of a lane that only exits, no advance warning of cones squeezing all traffic to a single lane, or of motorcycles passing on both sides of you at once, etc, etc. Despite the focus on climate change, many vehicles are old and tailpipe exhaust can be unavoidable and nauseating if you get stuck behind a slow vehicle.

An alternative to driving would be to arrange private shuttle or public bus transportation, but in addition to wanting to reduce covid risk when sharing a vehicle with others, our Airbnb stays are usually for 1+ weeks at a time in private homes in remote or difficult to reach locations that often require a 4x4 vehicle. I prefer renting an entire home with a kitchen with a stove, oven and refrigerator so that I can cook at home as much as possible, also to avoid restaurants due to covid.  That means carrying basic food staples from one place to another - too much to lug around in anything but a rental car. And the variations in climate from cold, windy nights at high altitude to hot sunny beaches on the coast require carrying a wide range of clothing plus hiking boots, sneakers and sandals - better in a car than a bus!

Ok, now that all that information is out of the way, on to the fun part!

Our first Airbnb in Santa Elena in Monteverde was a gem. I would highly recommend it to anyone. Our place was simple, lovely and quiet, although we were right in the middle of town and could walk to many attractions in or near Santa Elena, leaving the car in our off-street, safe parking space. Here are some photos of Sylvio's "Opa's Place", which had beautiful wooden floors and ceilings, heavy wooden doors, a huge bathroom, big refrigerator, comfy bed, pool in the backyard, tire swings, and a terrace with a flower trellis and a resident cat (O'Malley") and dog (Donken). I wish I could add a video but that doesn't seem to work for me in Blogger. Again, I'd highly recommend that you check out the Instagram postings for Costa Rica at “cspsail” where you will find videos of panoramic views, butterflies, hummingbirds, monkeys, and lots of stuff that just needs motion to capture it better.

Private terrace

Big yard with a pool

Tire swings!

Ridiculously big bathroom

Big fridge (but a temperamental electric 2-burner stovetop)

While we were there we went to a coffee, chocolate and sugar cane plantation. Got to learn all the steps of production and taste the end products.  

Light, medium and dark roast coffee

Raw chocolate

Bananas on the plantation grounds

Coffee cherries ready for picking

Another day we hiked through the Selvatura Reserve and experienced 8 hanging bridges and the cloud forest at high altitude. I only took videos of the bridges so can't include them here :-(

One clear eventing we walked to Morphos Restaurant in Santa Elena, which has a spectacular west-facing deck from which many people admire the setting sun over the Pacific at happy hour. 

While in Santa Elena we went to The Frog Pond, the Monteverde Butterfly Garden, and an orchid garden in town. The many types of tiny frogs are amazing colors, but really need to be seen after dark, being nocturnal. I didn't get a lot of photos of identifiable frogs - twice when we tried to walk over to visit at night, it rained and unfortunately we didn't make it. I had lots of photos of butterflies but erased them after posting them on IG - need to get some back from Jim to add here! Same with the hummingbirds - since I didn't plan on making a blog I only took videos, which I can't include here.

Much of what we have seen in the more remote parts of the country is stunningly beautiful, but it's hard to get photos because you see these views while driving and there is nowhere to pull over or pull off the narrow 2-lane roads. Often the mountainous areas are impossibly green and without signs of human habitation. The little towns along the way are not particularly attractive - squat buildings in muted colors with no discernible "style" of architecture. Roadways lined with billboards for gas and laundry detergent and other products. Little bodegas. Run down hardware stores. Modest pharmacies. This is not the south of France! Can't have everything, right?

One of my favorite parts of this trip has been hiking to waterfalls, of which there are many. They are often well off the beaten path so to get to them you need a 4x4 and a spirit of adventure.  The hikes to and from the waterfalls are arduous!

Our second Airbnb was at the west end of Lake Arenal, northwest of Monteverde. This was a beautiful place high on a hill with a breathtaking view of Arenal Volcano at the opposite end of the lake. The first night there we watched a really magnificent moonrise over the lake and the volcano.  Although the place was very nice, there was little to do in that area, even by car. More than that, this is a region that gets constant Caribbean tradewinds of 30+ mph. It's famous for windsurfing and kiteboarding, but it's not such a good place to spend time if you're not into those two water sports.    

 

We amused ourselves by whipping up pineapple, mango and papaya concoctions (with alcohol in the evening, or with yogurt for breakfast) and taking little side trips to a local brewery and looking for marinas that don't exist. They should, but this is an artificial lake made as a reservoir for drinking water and as a huge source of hydroelectric power. There are strict rules about gas and diesel engines, so you don't see many boats. The other thing that is amazing here is a huge wind farm that harnesses power  - Costa Rica is way ahead of the curve in harnessing clean energy and is very close to 100% self-sufficient with renewable energy. 

  

This was a lovely infinity pool at the place we rented but it was far too chilly and windy to swim. 

A daytime view of Lake Arenal. 

At the local brewery (spring-fed water, the whole operation powered by methane gas from cow manure...) we met Gabriel. I was taking a photo of his awesome truck, which he had painstakingly refurbished with very shiny stainless steel. He's an interesting Costa Rican guy and we ended up chatting for a couple of hours over drinks and lunch about his efforts to learn sustainable farming techniques on his nearby farm, his friendships with expats, some of whom have moved to Costa Rica as survivalists, the meaning of life, how Jim and I kinda manage at this stage to live like nomads on land and water, etc, etc.   A very friendly English speaking Tico (Costa Rican) who answered a lot of our questions about what its like for some people to live here. 

HOWEVER. We got so weary and irritated by the sound of high wind 24/7 and the lack of things to see and do, we bailed on the Airbnb 4 days early(!!) and headed further east into the Central Highlands of Costa Rica to another Airbnb in Sarchi, just west of San Jose.  This is a small town known for the production of the famous Costa Rican painted oxcarts, which in the past were used to transport all types of agricultural produce.  

From Sarchi we did another hike down to a waterfall and river...

Another day we went to a wildlife refuge where injured mammals, reptiles and birds are rehabilitated before release back Into the wild, or continued life at the refuge if release is not advisable.  There were frogs in a lilly pond...

Lots of large iguanas - this one was about 5 feet long

Tropical birds of every sort 

Many colorful flowers and fruits

a Mottled Owl

Jim in the grips of a huge dinosaur

Strange looking tapirs

A pigeon that had been rescued from a life of smuggling drugs by air to prisoners in a local prison 

Can't remember what this was...

A whole roosting area for aging parrots and macaws

More unusual tree fruits and flowers... 

Cute but unsocial marmosets

Toucans, one with a prosthetic beak

And gorgeous stately, snooty peacocks, which I only got a video of from the front. Dang.

Yesterday we went with our Airbnb host, Patricia, to Zocero where the San Rafael church has an unusual topiary garden. There are a couple of photos of Patricia at the garden. 

The houses in this photo are typical of Cost Rican architecture

Here are some of the sculpted plantings, which smell wonderful as they are evergreens

Jim and Patricia

Jim and me in front of the sculpted oxcart with oxen

After Zocero we went together to a botanical garden near Sarchi

One evening we pooled our resources at home with Patricia and had salad and fish for dinner. Another day we took Patricia to lunch at a nearby restaurant and then she treated us to ice-cream and crepes on a walk into town in the evening. One day she made a wonderful Pastel de Pollo (chicken pot pie) for lunch.  We briught lots of food but she kept cooking and I loved hearing about these dishes and how to make them!

While at her house I did a load of laundry and for the first time in years hung fresh smelling laundry on a clothesline in a backyard. A simple pleasure.

We had chosen Sarchi as a place to stop because it's famous for the wooden painted oxcarts produced there. We visited the place they were made one day - it's existed for 98 years and much of the equipment there is as old as the place itself but still in good working order.

The carts are painted in a riot of colors and the assembly and painting of carts is very labor intensive. Carts are worth as much as $5,000 as a result. 

Tables are also made here and can include as many as 18 different types of wood, all assembled by hand and varnished to a high gloss. 

Cart wheels are made ov various types of wood - this is mahogany before being painted. 

Jim was fascinated by the lathes in the shop, and the many types of exotic wood which were pointed out to us by a fellow who very kindly took the time to show us all around.

The shop also has an extensive souvenir area and all types of painted things are offered there for sale.

Here is a finished cart - I can't imagine how many hours of work go into making these.

After Sarchi we drove to Cartago, which used to be the capitol of Costa Rica. Cartago is just east of the current capitol of San Jose. We stayed in a truly exceptional Airbnb high up on a hillside in farmland, overlooking the city. This place was a gem. It was bright, airy, very well appointed with items like candles, nice cookware and dinnerware, all types of glassware from wine to martini to cocktail glasses, a working fireplace, an outdoor fire pit, blackout shades, very nice furniture, etc.   

 

This was the view from our place of Cartago at night. 

One day we went into the city and visited the beautiful Basilica.

It's a place of striking contrasts - from this Basilica to shed-like houses with rusting corrugated roofs, from the largest Walmart I've ever seen to oxen being led along dirt roads in the extremely rural areas surrounding the city. 

Another view over the valley from the fire pit at the house as the sun sets.

The farm fields behind the house

Jim tending the outdoor fire

Cartago is pretty close to the beautiful Orosi Valley - an area we explored by car one day. This footbridge crossed the river that runs through the valley. 

A view of Orosi Valley from a very lovely park where we ate our picnic lunch and watched birds circling below us. 

One evening we lit a fire indoors. The houses in the Central Highlands generally have neither heat not air conditioning because the temperatures are fairly mild, although it gets chilly at night due to the altitude. 

One day we drove about an hour to see the Aruzu Volcano. The drive was gorgeous on a well-paved road - the best road we've seen anywhere in Costa Rica.  As we climbed higher and higher the architecture and the vegetation changed to something almost resembling the foothills of the Alps. 

The clouds were below us

Hillsides were steep and there were lots of grazing cattle 

Cattle and oxen were often right along the road and free to roam.

This sign is so common in Costa Rica that you could post it every single kilometer in many part of the country!

But all the way to the volcano the road was well marked with yellow center lines, white edge marking, no potholes and it seemed wider than usual. 

The Iruzu Volcano is no longer active and usually has water in the base that can be green, rust-colored, yellow, gray or azure depending on the type of minerals in the water. Right now is dry because of droughts. 

It was a bit chilly up there!

On our way back to the house we saw cattle, oxen and horses being led along the road, which makes for interesting driving. 

Jim catching up on sleep after negotiating the roads on the way down from the volcano.

Our last Airbnb stay is in Mauuel Antonio on the Pacific coast, near the small but very popular national park of the same name. Our place is on a hillside overlooking the ocean. The steep drop from the mountains to the beach is characteristic of this beautiful part of the country. 

The sunset from the Airbnb.

Tanangers outside the window sing in the morning as we drink our coffee and wait for the titi and capuchin monkeys to show up. 

There is a marina nearby, but as there is little wind in this part of the coast, the main activity is not sailing, but sport fishing for large fish like tuna and mahi mahi.

Also nearby is the small town of Quepos - a bit run down and mostly little shops and little homes with bars on the windows and grilles for doors. Theft is a problem here despite the generally favorable (relatively speaking) living conditions for many, if not most. 

Also seen everywhere are these signs. Volcano eruptions and earthquakes are quite common here - when you park in a lot, you are often asked to face your vehicle in the direction needed for quick evacuation. 

A little shop similar to the Dollar Store in the US.

Motorcycles, vespas and scooters are extremely popular here.

Back in neighboring and more upscale Mauuel Antonio, a restaurant on the walk down to the beach from our place.  

A big sculpture of a frog on another building along the way

It takes about 30 minutes to walk down this partly paved, partly dirt road to the beach. 

Gorgeous flowers along the way

This is the wide beach called Espadrilla Norte.

Lots of vendors walk the beach all day selling drinks, shirts, shaved ice, jewelry, parachute rides, horseback rides, everything. 

Inside the national park are several beautiful beaches that are pristine because they cannot be used by commercial vendors and because people entering the park are not allowed to bring food or drink (except water) to the beach. This restriction is to try to keep the many, many monkeys from begging for food or stealing food or whatever else they can grab from beachgoers. 

A capuchin monkey. Very cute, very clever!

The sand and water are really beautiful here.

Mango for breakfast or for making smoothies

One day we went white water rafting and along the way this teak plantation was pointed out to us - the light brown trees you see below. 

Our guides, Mario and Jeison, below at lunch with Jim, were excellent and super friendly. We stopped for a cooling dip and snacks at a waterfall. I don't have photos of the rafting because we didn't bring anything that would get soaked.  This was the best, most fun guided trip of several we've done to see and do all sorts of stuff - coastal hikes, butterfly and frog sanctuaries, national park wildlife tours, spice plantation, coffee/chocolate/sugar cane plantation, etc. These two guys win the prize for best day ever!   

On our way to visit another small beach near our place in Manuel Antonio, we stopped for lunch at the Shana Hotel - had an excellent lunch and the titi monkeys here only walked the perimeter of the dining terrace - not sure how the wait staff got them to stay away from food, but they did.

This was such a pretty live flower arrangement in the womens' restroom that I took a photo. 

Bird of Paradise on the walkway to the beach

Colorful plantings at the hotel

This beach is more tranquil and there were a lot of little kids playing in and near the water.

Dinner at a restaurant right near our Airbnb.  Great sunsets at all restaurants in Manuel Antonio!

Another day at the beach where you can rent chairs and an umbrella and even get drinks and lunch delivered to your spot.

Yesterday we went to Villa Vanilla, a small spice plantation. This is a chocolate tree.  

Joyce, our super knowledgeable guide gave us an almost 3-hour tour to show us all kinds of spices - vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, turmeric, and many more. 

At the end we rested at a cool, breezy lookout on the edge of the plantation where we were served samples of chai, curry cookies, ice-cream, chocolate chip cookies, "golden milk", "drink of the gods" (hot chocolate) and flourless chocolate cake. I got all the recipes :-) 😎

The overlook

Bananas at the plantation 

These photos were at dinner one night at Agua Azul - hands down the best restaurant in Manuel Antonio. We sat at the bar watching and chatting with the chefs - super fun.  We had excellent red snapper and seared tuna. Oh yeah, and coconut cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert.  

The sunset at Agua Azul

Our fish, with rice and vegetables like green papaya salad. 

South of us on the coast is a little town called Dominical - known as sort of a hangout for surfers and laid back types. The tide was out so no one was surfing, but there was lots of stuff being offered for sale along the beach - hammocks, jewelry, wooden carvings, and so on. 

We took a dirt road up the mountain near Uvita and Dominical just for fun and this was the view of the coast facing north. 

We have a couple of days left before returning home. I may add more and if I do I'll send out another email to let you know. If you haven't been here before, it's very definitely worth a visit.

PURA VIDA!!