On January 5th, we arrived in the small city of Liberia, Costa Rica. After renting our car for the next month -- a red Nissan Kicks, named Ramoon, we stayed in a small hotel before we headed out the next day to explore this beautiful country.
The kids immediately noticed many subtle differences For one, the currency is different: it's called colones, and 600 colones are equal to 1 US dollar. For another, Spanish is the main language, and while Liz was the only one who could speak Spanish somewhat reliably, soon, we were all more adept.
Our next stop was Tamarindo, a lovely beachside town with dozens of beautiful white sand beaches. We spent a few days there, celebrating Margaret's 12th birthday and enjoying the incredible beach and waves.
After Tamarindo, we went on to Samara, where we would stay for 2 weeks. The day after we arrived, the kids began Intercultura, a Spanish school where people ranging from 8 to 80 years old were learning the language. Some had English as their first language, but many others were French and German and came from all over the world. The kids remained in school until we left Samara, and their Spanish improved greatly. Almost as much as one "near-fluent" dad.
For the first ten days, we stayed in a house called Casa Iguana. We could hear the Howler monkeys at night and could walk to the beach and the kid's school. It was small and sometimes cramped. However, the A/C worked, and the kiddos frequented the pool every day.
Next, we moved to a condo overlooking the beach. While it was definitely fancier, we had to drive to get to the beach. We used this as an excuse to explore the coast, finding some of the largest body surfing waves we had ever endured. Great rides. A few dumpers too.
In Samara, we swam every day, snorkeled, walked the beaches, took in some live music, and started to imagine what living on the Costa Rican coast would be like. Pura Vida is a phrase spoken in Costa Rica. It means pure life, for happiness, and toward balance. It is a thing.
Next, we braved the Costa Rican roads and headed to Monteverde. The drive up to the mountains was perhaps our least favorite 4 hours in Costa Rica. After enduring bumps, holes, narrow roads, and aggressive drivers, we were happy to relax in a beautiful rental with an incredible view.
Wandering around the city was interesting, and the coffee and chocolate tour was interesting and tasty. The night jungle tour was also pretty cool. Except when we met the tarantula. No, thank you, said dad.
Zip-lining through the cloud forest was absolutely incredible. Many places have zip-lining, but it pays to do your research. We loved this adventure park.
Next, we headed to Proyecto Asis to volunteer to care for animals who have formerly been pets or had been injured and needed rehabilitation. It was an incredible educational program. The kids decided to develop their home school projects inspired by Proyecto Asis's message: to respect animals and raise awareness of the unintended consequences of domesticating wild animals. Staying on-site and listening to the animals go to sleep and wake up was unforgettable.
Carlos was awesome.
One of the last things we did, was a homestay with a family that worked with Proyecto Asis. we were well-fed and had an interesting discussion about education, healthcare, politics, and even immigration. Staying in someone's home and getting a peek into their lives was a wonderful way to deepen our Costa Rican adventure.
We finished off with a few days soaking in the hot springs and hiking around Arenal volcano.
It was a beautiful month of mountains, beaches, and cities. Yes, we will be back. Yes, we started looking for property.
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