Tag Archives: costa rica

Jul25

quietly floating through the cloud forest.

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crossing the continental divide

 into the pacific region

for a visit to canto del rio and a hike into the cloud forest

one of the most unique environments in the world

surviving on costa rica’s mountaintops

incredibly quiet and powerful

the cloud forests are formed by a combination of wind and geography.

—

“in the cloud forest the fog is taken into the plants, thus ever clearing the air and feeding the streams. these forests are sacred, for they both bring flowing water to the ecosystem and hold the earth in place during the rains.”

-angela abraham

Jul23

up in the canopy and so lucky.

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it was a very lucky day

to wake up and look out my window

to see the high clouds had cleared

revealing the top of the volcano at last

then a hike up and into the tree canopy of the arenal rainforest

 amidst many highly specialized flora and fauna that very rarely live in other places.

 it’s estimated that no less than 1/3 of all tropical species are found in a rainforest canopy.

it was such a lovely way to end the day

to see these skies when returning in the early evening

after a day spent up high in the canopy

a very lucky day indeed.

“the forest is for me a temple-

a cathedral of tree canopies and dancing light.”

-dr. jane goodall

Jul23

volcano and waterfalls.

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my new view at arenal volcano

fortuna de san carlos

hope to see the top tomorrow

discovering a waterfall while hiking around the volcano.

—

“zeal is a volcano, the peak of which the grass of indecisiveness does not grow.”

-khalil gibran

 

 

Jul22

like white water for chocolate.

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white water rafting on the sarapaqui river

sometimes a puma will check out the action on the river

local cacao farm (costa rica chocolate – sarapaqui)

to learn about the process

the history of the family’s story and growing cacao here

 so much amazing tasting

sometimes these little poison frogs will help the farm by eating the mosquitos.

“life is like the river, sometimes it sweeps you gently along and sometimes the rapids come out of nowhere.”   – —-emma smith

“when it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.”

-regina brett

Jul21

going through.

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a welcoming walk through the rainforest

in the sarapiqui region


beauty everywhere

bravery on the hanging bridge

over the roiling river

finding a lock of love

magnifico.

“the clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness.”

-john muir

Jul20

notice it.

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coconut treats and medicines

poison dart tree frogs

the caribbean

 giant green sea turtles

laying eggs in the sand

covering them up for safekeeping

under a dark and stormy sky

monkeys, iguanas, sloths and caimins

in their jungle home

“llfe is full of beauty. notice it.

notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. smell the rain, and feel the wind.

live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.”

-a. smith

Jul19

pura vida.

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my home away from home

in the rainforest on the caribbean side

water, more water, water from the sky

crocs, orchids, trees, coconuts, mangoes, sloths, monkeys, birds

rice, beans, fish, bananas, coffee, veggies, guava, papaya,

calm

pura vida

—

The term “Pura Vida” is an expression of happiness, optimism, and living life to the fullest.  It is impossible to visit Costa Rica without hearing this phrase continuously.

As a question, it is equivalent to “how are you?” As a response, it means “very well.”

Curiously, the person does not necessarily have to be very well — the greeting arises automatically because, deep down, its meaning is: “I’m glad to see you and that makes me happy”.

it is also used to say goodbye:

it is the equivalent to saying “yes” to any question and used to say “you’re welcome” or “it’s nothing”.

regardless of the context, Pura Vida is always expressed with enthusiasm, sympathy, gratitude and motivation, because it emerges from the soul.

Pura Vida is an expression so embedded in the culture of Costa Ricans that no one would suspect that it may have arisen from a 1956 Mexican movie with the same name.  The phrase is used by the protagonist throughout the film to refer to good people and beautiful things or situations.

Ticos (people native to Costa Rica) adopted the term, morphing it to a distinct meaning yet with varied manifestations. It is now so ingrained that it is used by different generations and is part of Costa Rican mainstream culture and identity. More than just a term, it’s a lifestyle.

Jul18

gold and coffee.

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indigenous gold figures at the museo del oro precolumbia

san jose

britt coffee farm in the afternoon rain

central valley

“trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground on which we stand.”

-henri j.m. nouwen

Jul17

azul.

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el azul me hace feliz

 

—

“blue makes me happy”

(on first day in costa rica)
Jul16

the last straw.

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after much trial and error

and lacking strong spatial skills

i shifted to a 3-d jigasw puzzle approach

and was finally able

to fit everything

for my two-week trip

to a country

with twelve micro-climates

into a carry-on bag

that met the weight and size limits

however

i was not able to fit one more thing

as this sad q-tip having to be left behind would illustrate.

—

“on a long journey even a straw weighs heavy. “

– spanish proverb

Costa Rica’s 12 micro climates vary from the exotic volcanoes to the cool cloud forests, from the dense jungle to the tropical dry forests and golden beaches to the secluded waterfalls and rivers.