The Pura Vida Life

After two months living in the mountains of Cartago, Costa Rica, at an elevation of 1,200 meters (4,000 feet), we changed scenery for the hills west of San Jose with a magnificent view of two volcanos from our backyard. We chose the new rental house for its location offering us a relatively short drive into the city while being just over an hour away from the Pacific Ocean. Our new house in Atenas sits on a hilltop at an elevation of 600 meters (2,000 feet), and the weather difference from the previous house was dramatic. Our days were warmer, the breezes stronger, and we seldom needed to get bundled up at night.

Our rental house in Atenas
View from our house with Poás and Barva volcanos in the distance
A coati (known locally as pizote) we affectionately named “Mooch” frequently visited our backyard for bananas
A squirrel cuckoo is one of the many birds that would sing to us WAY too early every morning
We happily cohabitated with numerous spiders

There was also another major difference, the bugs. So many bugs — “bichos” in Costa Rica. Several species of ants created vast highways through the house, yard, and beyond. Their tenacious labor was mesmerizing. While we respected them for their industrious attempt to remove all dead insects, and every single morsel of food from our floor or counter, we had to strike a balance. After several attempts by Kimberly to rid us of ants inside the house, we reached an unspoken agreement with the tiny – and not so tiny – creatures. We left them alone in the backyard and patio, but the kitchen counters were off limits. The floor of the house remained a contested area. We would periodically observe a large, dead bug or stray chip slowly moving across the floor with a bevy of ants under it.

Our uninvited bedroom guest (Photo credit: Steve and Mary Johnson)

Then came the scorpions. I remember these intrusive, intimidating creatures from my childhood, but Kimberly had never seen one. Fortunately, we only encountered two during our stay. Unfortunately, one was under the pillow of one of our guest beds and our guests found it on their first night. Welcome to the tropics, sleep tight and don’t let the…never mind! The best advice was to shake out clothing, shoes, linens, and towels before using them. It’s all part of the adventure, right?

One of the two volcanos in our backyard view decided to give us a true Costa Rican welcome by having a minor eruption [click here for video]. For the remainder of our stay, on clear days, we could see small clouds of volcanic ash emanating from the crater at a distance. Volcanos are a defining characteristic of Costa Rica. Part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, Costa Rica has over 200 identifiable volcanic formations dating back over 65 million years. Today, however, only 100 or so show any signs of volcanic activity, while just five are classified as active volcanos. We felt privileged to be able to view two of these magnificent, fiery giants right from our house.

Turrialba volcano still scarred by lava flows from the last decade

Our new place offered us an ideal location for exploring the Pacific coast. We enjoyed visiting a variety of beaches; not just for their beauty, but also as a scouting mission for next year when we plan to cross the Panama Canal and return to Costa Rica by sea. As we sat relaxing under palm trees and relishing the ocean scent we so missed, we could picture ¡Pura Vida! anchored just off the beach. We discovered that Costa Rica is not a popular cruising destination and, with the exception of the sport fishing fleet, has a remarkably small yachting community. For us, this means we can look forward to having idyllic and isolated bays all to ourselves next year. The downside is that we will have to plan carefully our re-stocking and mooring locations.

Kimberly with our CR besties Arturo and Katia, and our visiting friends Ashley and Michelle in Tivives
Kimberly in Santa Theresa Beach. Thanks to Arturo and Katia we discovered all sorts of new activities and places.
The beach at Ballena National Park near Uvita
Volcanic thermal springs at Baldi Resort in the foothills of Arenal Volcano. They have 25 heated pools with different temperatures and several in-pool bars.

Whether with guests or local family, we were continually on the move during our final two months on land. We visited several waterfalls, animal sanctuaries, beaches, and volcanic thermal hot springs. We even drove all the way to the Nicaraguan border to renew our visitor visas. Costa Rica does not allow you to extend your ninety-day tourist visa, but you can leave the country and return immediately to get a fresh stamp in your passport. We therefore, broke our personal record for the shortest official stay in a country by being in Nicaragua for less than an hour.

Kimberly’s sister, Gina and Gina’s husband, JB, frolicking in Las Minas waterfall
Riding the Las Minas waterfall
One of the five waterfalls at La Paz Gardens
Three-toed slothThree-toed sloth
CR - Animal Rescue (35)
She was bullied by other monkeys because of her blue eyesShe was bullied by other monkeys because of her blue eyes
CR - La Paz Gardens (277)
these cuddly kinkajou will rip your face off if you get closethese cuddly kinkajou will rip your face off if you get close
Mountain lionMountain lion
A VERY photogenic toucanA VERY photogenic toucan
The kinkajou saliva is toxicThe kinkajou saliva is toxic
Two-toed slothTwo-toed sloth
Some animals just demand your attention
Montezuma Beach, Nicoya Peninsula
A potential future anchorage: calm and protected Salinas Bay near the Nicaragua border
Ready for the Zipline with Michelle and AshleyReady for the Zipline with Michelle and Ashley
Ashley taking the plungeAshley taking the plunge
Tarzan swingTarzan swing
This never gets oldThis never gets old
Michelle ziplining like a proMichelle ziplining like a pro
Cooling off after an adrenaline-filled day with Amigos Del Rio adventure tours (amigosdelrio.net)Cooling off after an adrenaline-filled day with Amigos Del Rio adventure tours (amigosdelrio.net)

Crossing the wobbly hanging bridges

In addition to adventure and relaxing getaways, we discovered some educational activities. Our favorite of these tours were coffee and chocolate plantations. These small, organic farmers gave us a glimpse into the fascinating and complex world of coffee and chocolate production. Of course, the highlights of these tours were the tastings; not just of the finished products, but of many of the intermediate stages as well as historic concoctions. We learned so much on every tour about the history, economy, and evolution of two of the world’s most valuable crops. We enthusiastically recommend the Toledo Coffee Tour where Gabriel gives a humorous, passionate, and introspective look at his family’s relationship with coffee production and the land. We also loved the Choco Tour. Alex, the proprietor, will teach you more about history than you expect, all while making you laugh and making your taste buds dance.

Gabriel explains the coffee roasting process at Toledo Coffee

 

Kimberly's mom, Cindy, cracks open a cacao pod at Choco-TourKimberly's mom, Cindy, cracks open a cacao pod at Choco-Tour
20191023_150604_HDR
Kimberly making 70% chocolate from freshly-ground cacao
Delicious Xocolatl (or Chicolatl), a cacao and spice drink made the traditional Mesoamerican, pre-European way
Sarchi has the oldest wooden oxcart workshop in Costa Rica. All machines are powered by a water wheel.
Oxcart wheels are still made by hand at the Eloy Alfaro factory in Sarchi.
Artisan hand painting a decorative oxcart wheel, an iconic symbol of Costa Rica
Customizing a traditional serving tray with our boat name

Costa Rica was a land of “firsts” for us. We tried so many new things. It was our first extended stay on land since we sailed away from New Orleans four years ago. It was our first time living as locals in a another country. It was our first time truly connecting with our Costa Rican family for an extended period. It was transformative. We saw whales up close for the first time. We realize that we like living on land for short periods of time, but we also missed the sea terribly. We think our future travels will include brief periods of land life, maybe a month at a time, every few years. We also know we will definitely return to Costa Rica soon for some more fun and adventure with family and friends.

“Thar she blows!” Southern hemisphere humpbacks travel to CR to calve.

Our departure from what has become our second home was bittersweet. We said farewell to so many people we love. It was reminiscent of sailing away from a beloved anchorage knowing all your close friends are staying or headed in a different direction; slowly watching the shoreline vanish in the distance with every inch of forward motion we make. Departures are part of our nomadic life, and they are the gateway for new adventures, but leaving a much-loved place has not gotten easier over the years. Our solace is that we are returning to another favorite place, Panama, where old friends await us, with even more sailing friends on the way.

Los Angeles Waterfall, Atenas

11 comments:

  1. OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Epic adventures like no one else. Your photos, your story telling and your blog is perfection. Thank you so much for sharing this all with us. I really admire you both.
    Hayden

  2. Gratitude and love for making it possible to be with y’all and Gina & JB for awhile. I’ll never forget my 1st international adventure. I love Costa Rica! PURA VIDA says it all!
    ⛵❣

  3. Great traveling adventures!
    When are you planning to sail up the Pacific Coast of CR?
    Safe moorings are available in Playa Mantis by the way….
    Get in touch we would love to share a bit of our world.
    SteveO and Alexandra
    Punta Leona

    1. Thanks for reaching out. We plan to be on the CR Pacific coast from AUG-DEC 2020. I’ll reach out by email. Thanks you.

  4. Holy crap time is flying by! I’m sad that we haven’t been able to visit you guys in CR! Maybe we can do a quick trip next year when you’re on the Pacific coast. Poor Adam’s leave time is dwindling with all my travel plans…he needs to hurry and retire too!

  5. Funny that just yesterday I thought of you guys and wondered that I hadn’t heard news in a while. Good to hear from you. Costa Rica was one of our best family trips!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *