Costa Rica
Costa Rica – a land where jungle often meets ocean, trails frequently lead to breathtaking waterfalls, and vast volcanoes loom in the distance – this was the destination of our most recent adventure.
Avid travelers, Brian and I jetted off on a new venture in late March during my second trimester of pregnancy. Some call this a Babymoon, a trendy new word for a vacation before baby comes, but Brian doesn’t like to call it that. Babymoon or not, we both wanted to get away and spend some quality time together exploring a different part of the world before our little bundle of joy arrives in July. Not that we plan to slow down our future travel plans when little Indie arrives, but it was a good excuse to take a vacation in March.
Costa Rica seemed to be the perfect spot for the occasion. While this was Brian’s first time in Costa Rica, it was my second visit to the beautiful and laidback country. Upon arrival in San Jose, we rented a mini 4WD vehicle and headed west to Puntarenas where we caught a ferry to the Nicoya Peninsula. After a long and frustrating jaunt, we finally made it to the relaxing beach village of Montezuma. We spent several beautiful days exploring the beaches, hiking waterfall trails and swimming in tide pools. Days later, we took the gnarly, 4-wheel-drive-required back road to the popular surf town, Mal País. After several more days of surf, sand and beautiful sunrises and sunsets, we ventured on the 7-hour trek to La Fortuna. There we hiked around the surreal Volcano Arenal, drank coffee and enjoyed the lake views. All in all, we had an amazing adventure together. Even 6 months into our pregnancy, we could not sit still and “relax” for very long, so we were constantly exploring all that Costa Rica has to offer! Of course we took naps after sunrise photo sessions, had late breakfasts and hung out in hammocks – so maybe we did get a little R&R. We cannot wait to return one day and continue our exploration – maybe with Indie next time!
Here are some of the random highlights and observations from our trip:
Gallo Pinto – the most amazing typical Tico breakfast dish
Costa Rican coffee – this is where I fell in love with coffee 6 years ago – it tastes just as amazing today as it did then
Maps, Route Numbers, Street Names & Directions – they don’t exist in Costa Rica – locals use landmarks when giving directions and you will probably have to make a few U-turns along the way (we did)!
Fruit – Mangos, Watermelon, Pineapple, Melon – all in abundance and delicious
Dirt Roads – Super gnarly and definitely require 4WD
Hammocks – a relaxation must have!
Costa Rican Beaches – Incredibly beautiful and picturesque, not to mention wonderfully warm ocean water = makes us turn into fish!
Dogs & Cats – some roam, and some have collars – all are adorable and I wanted to take them with me
Playa de los Artistas, Montezuma – the most romantic and delectable dinner of our trip – we highly recommend this restaurant
The Bakery in Mal País – some of the best meals of our trip, including delicious fruit smoothies
The German Bakery – If you drive to Arenal, you will see 100 or more signs for this place and they will lure you in
San Jose – hate it!
Pura Vida – Pure Life!!
An adventure with the one you love – invaluable experience
Enjoy.
Montezuma
Mal Pais
Arenal/ La Fortuna
