Pura Vida!

I've just returned from the trip of a lifetime! Backpacking through Costa Rica was everything I thought it would be and more. Planning the itinerary and getting ready was an adventure in itself, but proved to be great experience. I now feel prepared to pack for anything! The itinerary was jam packed with traveling, adventure and sight-seeing, but ended up being phenomenal.

On Monday, we arrived in Liberia and got settled into our first hotel. There wasn't much to do there, so we just walked around for a bit and hung out. We met up with a fellow traveler who frantically informed us that he had just killed a scorpion IN HIS ROOM!! I felt my heart skip a few beats. The thought of scorpions lurking around every corner made my skin crawl. This was Panic Moment #1! From that moment on, we no longer put our shoes on the floor. We put them upside down and on a shelf every single time we took them off!

Tuesday morning we awoke to the lovely sound of... gunshots! Or so we thought. It can't be confirmed, especially since I've never heard actual gunshots before, but it sounded like it. It was RIGHT OUTSIDE of our hotel window, and accompanied by a brief flash each time a shot rang out. Needless to say, I was terrified! This was definitely Panic Moment #2! After we finally coaxed ourselves back to sleep, it was time to get up bright and early for our transportation into Monteverde, a gorgeous town in the mountains.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you should choose to take a bus into Monteverde, may I warn you to pack lots of Gravol, plastic bags (just in case...) and DON'T eat before you go! That was THE most insane ride of our lives. The roads were unpaved and winded dramatically through the mountain. Each time we turned a corner and the edge of the cliff dangled dangerously close to the tires of our van, I felt sure that we were going to plummet to our deaths. Shaken, nauseous and eager for steady ground, we arrived at Pension Santa Elena, a quaint backpacker's hostel in Monteverde. Upon first arrival, it looked small and grungy. Our opinion changed by the end of our stay, but more about that later. We were greeted with a big smile and lead to our private room with a private bathroom (which is apparently a rare commodity in the backpacking world). Our brightly coloured room, touted as "one of their best", was barely big enough to fit a bed. The bathroom was small, but clean. The room was so hot and humid, but we were just grateful to be off of the bus. We took a quick nap to resettle our stomachs and then set off in search of some comida tipica (typical food).

That night, we decided to embark on a night hike through the rainforest. As we were gathering our flashlights and entering the forest, our guide took this fine moment to inform us that there were mountain lions, jaguars and vipers, among other things, in this rainforest. Ummm... can I get a refund?! But no, we ventured on, us brave souls. At the beginning of the hike, we LOST our guide. Can I repeat that? WE LOST OUR GUIDE WHILE TREKKING THROUGH THE RAINFOREST AT NIGHT! We couldn't see their lights or hear their voices. Without a doubt, this was Panic Moment # 3! I felt like a gourmet burger to onlooking mountain lions. We finally found the rest of the group and despite my initial fears, had a wonderful time exploring the rainforest at night. We saw a sloth hanging in the trees (sloths are my new loves, btw), a scary preying mantis type thing (completely forgot the name... any ideas? Started with a "c"), a click beetle that lights up and is named for the clicking noise it makes when it is turned on it's back, and a gross, hairy, ugly tarantula (This would have been Panic Moment # 4, but the spider only came out of it's hole for a moment before scurrying back in... maybe it sensed my hatred). It was while walking through the rainforest at night with fireflies lighting our path that I realized how blessed we are to be able to experience world travel. It was certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

That night, we had dinner at a neat restaurant called the "Treehouse" which, (you guessed it!) was built in a tree. We had nachos and guaro, which is a local alcoholic drink made from sugar cane molasses. When we got back to the hostel, everyone was milling around the common area and sharing pictures from their adventures. It was this night that I realized I could actually come to love the hosteling life, and this hostel in particular. It was nothing to look at, but it was such a neat experience meeting people from all over the world that had so many interesting stories to tell. Everyone was friendly, helpful and excited. It felt like a mix between summer camp and university residence. The energy and the feeling of carefree youth was contagious and I found myself not wanting to leave.

Wednesday morning we were up bright and early for what ended up being a private tour through the coffee fields. The coffee yielded from these plantations are said to be superior due to the altitude that it is grown at. It was incredibly fascinating to learn how committed Costa Ricans (or Ticos/Ticas as they are called) are to the sustainability of their ecosystems. They plant other trees, such as banana trees, around their coffee plants to prevent them from depleting the soil of nutrients and rendering the land useless. The banana trees not only provide the soil with organic matter to keep it flourishing, but they also provide shade for the coffee trees. The coffee is all fair trade, and all purchases help to not only provide farmers with sufficient income for their output, but also to educate the community on sustainability and assist the farmers with educating their children. Overall, I just loved the morally and ecologically conscientious mentality of Costa Ricans. It just serves as a reminder that us Westerners do NOT have all of the answers. It would do us good to take a step down off of our pedestals and learn from other nations that may actually have a superior way of living. If we all learn from one another and operate in harmony, this world would be a much better place.

Anyway, much more to write, but I'll break our adventures down into several entries. Hope you enjoy reading about our adventures as much as we enjoyed experiencing them! Stay tuned for the next posting...