About me !

I believe that to be a Christian is to be "someone of courage and valor" someone who can truly believe they have been made a new creation in Jesus Christ, the past is gone there is nothing left. The moment we truly embrace the gosspel and commit to live it - we have been made brand new. There is hope in Jesus. I have lived it, I believe it, and that gift of hope is for all of us. I try to do my best to share this magnificent truth.

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This blog is about our trip to Costa Rica.  We lived there for 7 months and discovered many great places and secrets we would like to share with you!  Hope this blog is helpful.  Please keep in mind that it is a work in progress.

If you have any questions please feel free to email or contact me by leaving a comment

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Howling Monkeys make for a mysterious stay!

 If you want to fully experience the feeling of being in the jungle - even though technically you are not, then you need to experience the sound a howling monkey makes!  In Costa Rica there are plenty of chances to hear the loud howls and you do not have to go as far as Africa !

Howling monkeys sound early in the morning or at dusk.  And the sound is as if as if a lion was roaring right next to your house.  The first time I heard it I was scared, it was wild and intimidating.  But then you get to enjoy it and you feel like you are in wild country!

In Guanacaste, close to a beach called Ocotal, we had the pleasure of experiencing them up close and personal.  A group of howling monkeys came to spend a few days in a tree right next to our garden.  We were able to observe their behaviour and fell in love with them.  Apparently they love to eat flowers!

They allowed  us to come pretty close to the tree and we took some nice pictures.  But the chief had decided on a point that was the limit, and if we tried to come any closer he would howl as if to say: stop or else there will be consequences!

All in all the experiences we had on our trip to Costa Rica were priceless.  The flora and fauna are truly extraordinary!  The howling monkeys were a true spectacle of beauty and exuberance!  I feel blessed to have had the chance to visit this paradise called Costa Rica.

Iguanas anyone?

Have you ever seen an iguana up close and personal?  Well I tell you, go to Costa Rica and you will see all sizes and types, it is an iguana fest over there!  I specially recommend you to go to Carara National Park!  I will tell you a bit more in a future post, but for now enjoy these pictures!  If you borrow one please give credit to this blog!

Rainmaker Park Puntarenas

One of my best experiences in Costa Rica was going to Rainmaker Park!

This was a safe but wild environment were we got to hike, observe nature, swim in natural ponds and take showers under refreshing waterfalls.  You can chose to go with a guide or go by yourself.  We were two women and a seven year old girl, and we felt safe at all times.  It was an adventure to cross the hanging bridges and it was as good an experience as doing canopy zip lining.

The smells, sights and sounds of nature that you will experience will make your day at Rainmaker unforgettable!

Flamingo/ Potrero Area

We stayed close to Playa Potrero.  Our house was very nice, with a green garden and a great pool.  We had some great beaches around such as Playa Penca, Playa Danta and Playa Flamingo.  I mention these because these are the beaches that are truly worth going to.  Playa Brasilito, Conchal and Potreo in our opinion are not worth it.

In this post I will focus on Playa Flamingo.  And later on I will write about the other beaches I mentioned.  Flamingo is beautiful, but the waves can be rough.  When it is low tide it is very enjoyable to be at the beach.  At high tide the beach becomes very narrow and the waves hit at a weird angle which makes them rough.

There is not much going on in Flamingo or the surrounding areas, in our opinion it is quite dead.  But if you do  not mind that, and you are looking for a beautiful peaceful beach then this is the place for you.

There is a great hotel right across the street from the beach, We did not stay there but I would love to in the future.  The hotel has a great restaurant called Arenas, it's a bit pricey but worth it.  The food was delicious and the service great.

The ten reasons I would go to Costa Rica

1.  The people:

Our experience without exception has been that people are super nice.  Everybody is polite, and tries to be helpful.  Everybody we have encountered has time for us.  And nobody, no matter how poor  or how hard the job they are doing, no one seems bitter or angry.  It has been a pleasure to interact with Costa Ricans.  And not only ticos, but also the Nicaraguans that are here for many years now, I have found them to be truly charming people.

2.  The food:

Maybe because I happen to be Costa Rican - I don't know, but to me,  Costa Rican food is fantastic!  Start with Casado, a cheap but savory and complete dish that usually brings: rice beans, steak or 
fish or chicken, patacones and salad.  Continue with Ceviche, raw 
fish cooked in lemon served with minced onion and patacones!  

Then the fish which you can have any way you want, there is Mahi 
Mahi, Red Snapper, Tuna, and many more.  And then there are yummy appetizers like platanitos, patacones, gallitos (which are like tacos but simpler and to me yummier) etc.  You name it, the sky is the limit!  There are many choices when it comes to international cousine as well.  All in all we have eaten like kings and queens in this trip!

3.  National parks:  

This is what brings the most amount of tourists to thin country.  There are so many, I find it hard to believe one could ever finish them.  You can zip line, hike, or raft through them.  You can go alone or with expert guides.  You can go daytime or night.  You can chose inland or next to gorgeous beaches!  In summary the National parks are worth all the fame they have!

4.  Learn spanish:  

Spanish is helpful in many countries, and an asset to your resume.  What better way to learn than to immerse yourself in a fun and friendly culture like the Costa Rican culture!  Coming for a few months and learning spanish would be an investment in your future no matter how you see it. Only the memories will be enough to make you smile for life!



5.  Learn to surf:  

There is an abundance of choices when it comes to surfing lessons.  I myself would pick Tamarindo!  But learning to surf is easy and fun in the beaches in Costa Rica!  If you are less daring, try boogie boarding which is easier and equally fun.  It is also something you can do with the kids!

6.  Animal encounters:  

Yes no matter where you go you are bound to have at least one exciting animal encounter.  It may be monkeys, pizote, scarlet macaws, tucanos, bulls, sloths, alligators or any other great animal, but you most likely will enjoy one up close and personal!  Get ready,  open your eyes and have your cameras always handy because when you least expect you will be face to face with something wonderful!

7.  The beaches:  

Usually not crowded.  Unspoiled.  Shells galore.  Magical susses.  Yes the beaches will make you sigh in awe!  No words can possibly explain the beauty you will experience with Costa Rican beaches!

8.  The fruit:  Luscious, juicy, sweet and exotic...these are adjectives that come to mind when I think about the Costa Rican fruit choices!  Mango, Guanabana, Papaya, Pina, Bananos, Guayabas, Mamon Chino...the list goes on and on!  Every day make sure you try something new! You will never regret it!


9.  The sunsets:  

Specially if you go to Puntarenas, but can be enjoyed from other locations as well.  The sunsets are so stunningly beautiful, you can never get enough of them.  Make sure you take a beach chair, a good book and you plant yourself in a great spot, day after day, just at about 5:00 p.m.  to enjoy the sunsets!  It will be better than a therapy session with the best psychologist in the world! 




10.  The health care: 

 There is peace of mind in knowing that if something goes wrong with your health that you are in a country with great healthcare.  The system is great!  The doctors are great ! And you can find some really good hospitals.  For foreigners I would recommend CIMA.  There is one in the outskirts of San Jose and one in Guanacaste.

Tamarindo...ohhhh Tamarindo!

The best beach in Guanacaste we have been to is Tamarindo.  It is lively, clean and has fun waves.  It is beautiful and there are lots of things to do.  In addition there are fantastic restaurants where to eat and lovely places where to stay.  Nice shops and it is small enought hat you do not need a car.  Hands down I would advise anyone to go to Tamarindo beach and spend a great vacation there!

Supermarket advise

As I had mentioned before in one of my prior posts.  After much investigation we decided to only do our shopping in Automercado.  Funny enough this supermarket has an unfair reputation for being expensive.  But after carefully comparing prices with Walmart and others we realized that sometimes the difference in price is tiny, other times they are the same and often times Automercado is cheaper.  With the advantage that Automercado is clean, easy to navigate and has the best meats we have found.  The chicken, fish and meat is aways fresh and of high quality.  The consistency in quality Automercado delivers is unparalleled!  Here are some examples of prices.  You can also find Automercado in Herradura Beach,  Playas del Coco and Playa Tamarindo to name a few places other than San Jose.  And their return policy is good, they will mot refund you but they never argue and they give a store credit.

Remember it is the summer of 2013 so $1= Colones 530.

Banana Export Quality

Charmin Extra Stron Toilette Paper product of USA

Golden Pinapple

Butter - 6 sticks per box Dos Pinos

Large milk jug Dos Pinos

Orange Juice from USA

Large Liquid Tide laundry detergent

Grated mozzarella cheese Dos Pinos

Roasted chicken

Frosted Flakes medium box

Skim milk, long life Dos Pinos small box

Biscochos small bag

Nutella small container

Tulipan wheat bread large bag

Ketchup, small bag

Bag of rice

Hamburger meat

Ribeye steak

Chicken legs

Ice Cream sandwiches Pops

Eggs

French bread

Non alcoholic beer Kaiser