Exploring a Slice of the World: Costa Rica Edition

Well, I am about to take you on a ride through Costa Rica. A ride filled with genuine kindness as we zig zag through the city of San Jose. Enjoy views of the beautiful La Fortuna waterfalls, a breeze from the Pacific Ocean, delicious ice cream, and a walk to the service station along a highway (you’ve got to hang on for this one).

On a warm summer evening, two longtime friends from opposite sides of the coast grabbed their hand luggage, hopped on airplanes, and found themselves experiencing the warm and wonderful people of Costa Rica.

On Day 1: Central Market or Central Market? 

A hearty breakfast and a short walk on the streets of San Jose is how the day started. 

At the Central market, we listened to a lot of Buen dia and calls from vendors to purchase goods as we meandered through market stalls. The market was filled with eager tourists, colorful items, and the aroma of cooked food.

After satisfying our curiosity, we continued on the bustling streets of San Jose, enjoying the amazing feeling of being in a new city as we made our way to the meeting point for our first walking tour of San Jose – a historical and cultural tour. 

Historical and Cultural Walking Tour of San Jose

Make sure you wear your most comfortable shoes and grab an umbrella. Our tour guide took us on an enlightening experience through Costa Rica from the past to the present. We discovered monuments and historic neighborhoods, and beautiful architecture. We learned about important events and culture of Costa Ricans; climbed through an old winery and stopped at beautiful parks. 

One of my favorite things on this tour – the juicy rambutan fruit. I just couldn’t stop eating these. Chill them in the fridge for a few hours and enjoy!

The historical and cultural tour was a fun way to explore the city of San Jose. 

Nightlife, Food & a Drink

It is always fun to experience nightlife in a new city. Throw on some fun clothes, hop into an uber or a taxi and head to Barrio Escalante. Barrio Escalante is a neighborhood in San Jose lined with restaurants, boutiques, bars, and night clubs, where you will experience San Jose’s nightlife and culture. 

Don’t miss out on this neighborhood for a fun night out. 

Day 2 All day adventure: Zip Lining, Waterfalls, Volcano & Hot Springs

This was an experience to remember. A wonderful tour group, a tour guide, and a coffee plantation is how our day started. We tasted variety of drinks and snacks at a fruit stand, zip lined our way through a rainforest (um, not me), climbed some rocks to watch a waterfall, relaxed in pools of hot spring, and all around made the best out of a long day which included a flat tire. 

Day 3: The Private Tour: We are Stuck in Beach Sand

Our tour guide from Day 2 was kind enough to offer us a private tour to Jaco and Manuel Antonio. On the cozy early morning day, the smell of amazing Costa Rican coffee by the roadside woke up my senses. 

We were lucky to have a gorgeous day filled with wildlife and cool breeze from the Pacific Ocean. 

There is so much to do at this beautiful beach – look up and you will find a sleeping iguana in the trees. Walk down the shore, and you will find fun people dancing to great music and surfing. Look up again, and you will find people parasailing. Everywhere you look on the beach, you will find something fun to do. You can also simply dip your feet in the water and enjoy the waves and breeze.

Don’t forget to grab coconut from a beach vendor.

The highlight of this tour – when our car got stuck in the beach sand the the beautiful people of Costa Rica helped us out.

Day 4: Our last day with the beautiful people of Costa Rica.

The Sights and Delights was a walking tour around San Jose learning about history and sampling some amazing dishes. We snacked on some yummy fruits at the market, ate tamal asado, drank delicious coffee and ate treats at La Casa Del Cacao.

It was a fun tour interacting with locals and learning about Costa Rican cultural heritage.

Costa Rica is filled with beautiful people, waterfalls, rainforest,  wildlife, beaches, and so much more. On this trip, we encountered a flat tire and had to walk to a service station. Our car got stuck on the beach, and had to be pulled out of the sand by a truck. Anytime you go on a trip, something unexpected happens. Make the best of each moment and enjoy!

I hope if you ever get the chance, you choose an open road to a new adventure. 

Pura Vida

~Elizaa