Pura Vida & Monkeys. Yup, that pretty much sums up our trip! Pura Vida, literally translated as "Pure Life", is everywhere in Costa Rica. It's used as a salutation (probably even more common than hello or goodbye), it's plastered all over t-shirts & hats in the souvenir shops, and most importantly it's the way of life for the people living in Costa Rica. By far, Costa Rica is more advanced than the U.S. when it comes to being green. Besides the fact that everyone (everyone!) recycles, the food we ate was grown or caught locally. The fresh fruit, the fish, the drinking water. The drinking water...was...amazing! I know it's sounds silly, but Costa Rica has the best drinking water in the world! So clean, so pure, so soft... Figi Water lookout! Everything we consumed was f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s. The only complaint about the "green-ness" was from my husband who didn't recognize the chicken wings he ordered when the server brought them out. Yes, the wings were scrawny, but I told him they probably came from a nearby farm where the chickens had a good life running around freely pecking at their brothers and sisters versus the steroid pumped chickens--too fat to stand--that we are used to here in "super size it" USA. Even the air felt pure, it was humid but in a good way. Coming from New England during the winter, everything that was chapped & dry was instantly cured. By the end of the trip my skin & hair was so soft (no moisturizer required) from the muggy rain forest air. It's probably why the Costa Rican's (a.k.a as Tico's) age so well and typically live longer than Americans. Tico's live a Pura Vida year round.
We stayed in a boutique hotel in Manuel Antiono, about a 3 hour drive (very scenic) from the San Jose airport. It was dark already when we arrived at the hotel, but as soon as we arrived I quickly scanned the grounds to see if I could spot a monkey. Everyone that I had spoken to that had been to Costa Rica before told me the monkeys were everywhere! I ran into a hotel staff member and asked him where the monkeys were..."do they not come out at night?" I asked. He laughed at my question. He told me the monkeys come out during the day and not to worry since I will most likely see one before the week was through. Day 1 no monkeys. Day 2 no monkeys. Day 3 no monkeys. Day 4 not one single freaking monkey! The hotel staff got to know me as the girl who wants to see a monkey and everyday when we returned to the hotel after our daily excursions, the staff members would say "you just missed the monkeys!" or "the monkeys had day off today". Ha ha I would say in response to the Tico's jokes. Finally on day 5...MONKEYS GALORE! Monkeys at the beach, monkeys at the hotel, baby monkeys, humping monkeys, grumpy monkeys, lazy monkeys...I was in monkey heaven.
In addition to the monkey hunt, we did all of the other touristy stuff, saw gators at the famous Alligator Bridge, spent a lot of time at the beach, and took a tour through the forest where we saw more alligators, turtles, and lizards. Relaxed a lot, shopped, read a lot, and ate a lot. We spent a couple of afternoons at the hotel's infinity pool that overlooked the jungle drinking passion fruit smoothies (my new favorite fruit). We even took salsa dancing lessons at the hotel. One of my favorite purchases was when I found a bathing suit shop that custom makes suits to fit your body perfectly. I was able to pick out the design, pick out the fabric, and after measuring me, my suits were completed the next day! The suits had such great quality and only cost $70 each! Unheard of in New England. Unfortunately, I did not discover the shop until the day before we were scheduled to leave, and since then I have convinced my husband that we need to book our next tropical getaway soon (which we did this evening ;-) so I can wear them!
The most memorable excursion was when we took a catamaran cruise around the shores of Manuel Antiono National Park. The boat anchored near an isolated reef where I had the most amazing snorkeling experience! We saw all sorts of vibrantly colored fish in the warm water. After snorkeling the captain fed us a lunch of fresh fish and rice and beans. The best description of cruising around the beautiful rocky shores with a full belly is "Pura Vida".
"Pura Vida" and Monkey's. Yup, that pretty much sums up our trip. I can't wait to go back and explore another part of Costa Rica's beautiful country!
