Costa Rica or Cost a Rica still the Pura Vida

The border crossing from Nicaragua to Costa Rica was fairly easy with the exception of getting to the border right behind 2 buses entering Nicaragua and then getting to the Costa Rica side right after 2 buses entering there!  So 3 hours later we were happily on our way.

I understand why people love and rave about Costa Rica, it is green and it is lush, it is beautiful and exotic and yet very familiar (with all of the same stores or at least recognizable imitations on every corner).  Crossing the border the air changed, it was wetter and smelled greener.  Our first stop in the country was the Nicoya Peninsula to a little beach called Garza, the road for the most part was great until we got to the last 20K. 

The Nicoya Peninsula is the “rough part” of the country, here it is “less developed” than other places, but at the same time it is quainter, more country. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way to our hotel we got a chance to meet some of the locals and Fritz got a chance to use one of his toys that we have been carrying from LA… it helped them out and we learned how to use it, then it started to pour!

After driving up and down the same stretch of road 3 times (stopping 2 times to ask for directions in 40 feet because of the rain), we finally found our hotel/hostal (Hotel Playa Garza) with rooms from $45 a night (which in Costa Rica is a deal), a pool (which I have wanted since we left El Salvador) and right across the street from the beach, oh and they take doggies!  After our road and less than comfortable accommodations in Nicaragua I had booked 4 nights sight unseen and we were very happy about it! Not only was the room great but Juri the owner is from Italy and cooks awesome pizzas and pastas, a feast every night!  This was such a welcome treat because the 7 Kilometers of road between us and the next town was more than we could handle after dark!

Besides being beautiful and green in Costa Rica it is also very rainy in the summer months, it has rained every day from between 30 minutes to 2 hours (we hear it will get worse in June and July) and it is full of Ex-Pats.  Much like Bucerias and Lake Chapala in Mexico and San Pedro in Guatemala we are more likely to be speaking Spanish to someone who a) doesn’t speak Spanish or b) speaks Spanish as a second language (and English better than Spanish) then to someone who is from here.  It is also similar in that the signs are in both English and Spanish (or just English) and there are more Coldwell Banker and Century 21 signs than any other signs on the street.  In case you are interested a 1 bed condo here goes for between $120K and $250K US and a house… well that is in the ½ a million range!