Well now that summer is over, I suppose I can write about my best summer experience of 2009. I had an amazing opportunity to take a two-week backpacking trip to Costa Rica, accompanied by Yuriy and his brother Paul. If you’ve ever dreamt of a stress free life on the beach, daily surfing, friendly people, and beautiful scenary, Costa Rica is the place to run to.
We flew into San Jose, the capital, and left to our first destination, Jaco, as soon as possible. Jaco is a beach town overrun with partying young Americans, small nightclubs, and locals riding bicycles up and down the streets at night, offering “the best weed and coke”. Jaco was lined with surf shops and I bargained for a sweet deal of a surf lesson from Chapu, an instuctor who grew up in the town and has been surfing since age 12. The lesson paid off—I was able to stand up on my first try with him. I never expected surfing to be so tiring! One hour in the water wears your body out completely. Battling the waves, the salt water, and the sun isn’t easy. I ended the day with bruises covering my body and a mean sun burn on my face.
[My favorite meals were usually breakfasts. Getting up early with no agenda for the day is a great feeling. The weather was perfect, not too hot, and this country is known for its delicious coffee.]
[Our dough-- collones. And our first hostel--the cheapest way to travel. Take note!]
Our next stop was La Fortuna, but to get there, we had to take a bus back to San Jose and stay a night there in a dumpy hostel. We weren’t traveling in any kind of luxury. San Jose itself is dirty, poor, and nothing worth seeing compared to the small beach towns we visited. One downside of Costa Rica is the transportation system—the buses between towns don’t travel too often, sometimes leaving only once in the early morning, although they are very cheap. There are places that buses don’t travel to, and the hilly, muddy roads are only accessible with 4x4s. Taxis are typically used by tourists only, and therefore aren’t too cheap.
La Fortuna was our first venture away from the beaches, and deeper into the rain forest of Costa Rica. It’s a town situated at the base of the Arenal Volcano, an active volcano that erupts daily. Unfortunately, the volcano was masked in clouds during our stay and we didn’t get to see the lava flow. We checked out some hot springs that are naturally heated by the volcano. One was a natural hot river, surrounded by greenery, and the best part—free. The other one was called Baldi Hot Springs and was more of a water park, with about 25 pools at different temperatures, swim-up bars, and crazy waterslides you’d never see in America [its easy to hit yourself in the slide on a turn, and people come flying out at the end in weird positions at an insane speed].
While in La Fortuna, we also enjoyed some zip lining through the rain forest, horse back riding to a Maleku village [the natives of the area], and got to see some poison dart-frogs, snakes, and a toucan. I was hoping to see some monkeys, but it was not my lucky day.
[Enjoying a down pour upon arrival.]
[Every porch is equipped with two chairs for the rainy afternoons.]
[Even in the poorest of nations, the school children wear nice and neat uniforms. Our kids run around looking like bums.]
[Ever seen a fruit so groovy in America? This, ladies and gentlemen, is the rambutan.]
We took a long bus ride, ferry ride, taxi ride, and overnighted in a tiny town called Paquera on our way to our next destination—Montezuma. Montezuma was unbelievable—the town was right on the beach and the rain forest was right behind us. We slept in a place right by the water and had a view of the ocean from the bedroom window. The town is known for its local artists and is essentially a hippie town. A lot of locals had dreadlocks, sold art on the beach… in the streets, we heard reggae music everywhere we went, yoga clubs were abundant, and the small town even had organic restaurants. It’s not just an American fad, after all!
The gem of the town was the Montezuma Waterfall. We had to cross a river on stepping-stone rocks and hike a very steep mountain side to get to the top waterfall [there were 3 total]. The waterfall has a natural pool that is deep enough for diving and we jumped off rocks and from a rope swing into the water. Its hidden away in the rain forest and looked like something straight out of a movie. On our way back, we saw a giant iguana, about 2 feet long, cross our trail… it’s impossible to visit Costa Rica without seeing wildlife.
[Isn't this the greatest craft display stand? Who needs a store with shelves and racks when you can just park your ride on the beach and pop the trunk?]
[Spying on the techniques of the locals...]
[Not only is the waterfall pool deep enough for diving, but there happens to be a conveniently located rope swing.]
The last small town we stayed at was not far away and still had a pretty strong hippie vibe. Playa del Carmen is located on the south tip of the peninsula. This tiny town is part of the line-up of gorgeous beaches starting with Mal Pais, known to be a good place to spot celebs—Gwyneth Paltrow, Mel Gibson, Matthew McConaughey, the Olsen twins, and Gisele Bündchen own properties here. This area was only accessible by boat and horse just twenty years ago, and was known by surf buffs only, as it has some great waves and miles of nearly empty beaches. We rented surf boards here for just $6 a day from The Shit Hole [what a name!]. Other than surfing, we spent time walking around with our cameras, reading and writing on the beach, drinking cold coffees at a delicious café and looking at surfing magazines [we got drinks at this cafe right by our place 3 times in 2 days]. Our last night in Costa Rica, we got fresh pina coladas and walked to the empty beach to enjoy them. We were blessed with a full moon, as if the night wasn’t perfect enough already.
The next morning we had to travel back to San Jose to catch a flight, and we woke up 15 minutes before the bus was supposed to arrive… the bus leaves the small town ONCE a day. And we were planning on being at the bus station 15 min early! Plus, we hadn’t packed up our bags yet. Much to our relief, the stop was close by, the bus was late, and I brushed my teeth at the bus station while waiting with a water bottle.
[A few shots of the capital city, San Jose...]
[Ever wonder how a city in the midst of a rainforest manages so much water on their streets? ...Me neither! They construct the tallest sidewalks and the deepest gutters I've ever seen.]
It was an incredible trip and it was nice to experience backpacking for the first time. I’ve been laughed at many a time for bringing my blowdrier and straightener and carrying them on my back for 2 weeks. I used them to style my hair once on Day 1, and learned my lesson when I stepped outside and my hair was drenched a minute after I spent all this time working on it. I buried my hair tools at the bottom of my backpack and never used them again. I even stopped wearing makeup.. so liberating! It sounds scary when that’s the daily routine for ladies here, but you’d never notice that someone’s hair wasn’t styled or they weren’t wearing makeup once you’re in the country.
It was wet season in Costa Rica when we went, which means daily rain, even though the days were still hot and sunny. This isn’t just any kind of rain. Seattle is known for rain, and it doesn’t compare in the least. Its like standing under a super power jet shower head, and the rain comes instantly. The thunder was louder than I’ve ever heard in my life, sometimes waking me at night [and I am an incredibly sound sleeper] and the lightning was amazing to watch. Every house has a couple of chairs on their porch and every restaurant has covered outdoor seating… when it rains, people just sit outside, enjoy it, and wait it out before walking out. One of my favorite memories was going swimming in the ocean during a downpour. It was dark grey all around and looked like we were in the middle of a dark storm, but we were in swimsuits and surprisingly warm. A story isn’t sufficient to describe this experience. I wish I could have somehow captured it on camera.
The environment and attitude of Costa Rica was awesome. The phrase “pura vida”, which literally translates to “pure life” and essentially means “it’s a good life”, is seen and heard everywhere. You can say it as a hello, good-bye, to express satisfaction, or with any expression whatsoever. It resembles a country and lifestyle of leisurely living. That’s Costa Rica.
by Julia
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