Bienvenidas a Costa Rica

This trip was a LONG time in coming, first planned for November 2020, and then COVID happened, and so I waited and waited until finally, I was on a plane to San Jose, Costa Rica. If you've stopped by here before, you know I'm partial to cooler weather places like Iceland in November, the UK in October or March, Cleveland in January, but it was all of the amazing things I heard about Costa Rica that convinced me to pursue it. Because I knew nothing about Costa Rica, I utilized the services of Costa Rica Expeditions and told them what I wanted and worked with a trip planner for all of the details. My only asks were to see as much of the country as possible in 8 days (yes, I know, silly) and the opportunity to see as much wildlife as possible. 

Had I known how straightforward it was to get to Costa Rica, I would have come down sooner. There is a daily flight on Delta from Atlanta to San Jose, and the flight was only about 3-4 hours, with a minimal time adjustment coming from the US Central time zone. I flew to San Jose, made my way through Immigration (just a note to travelers - I know we're all tired and ready to start our adventures, but you really need to learn patience; on this morning seven planes landed at the same time, so all of those people need to get to the same point you do. Don't try to jump the queue or get all pushy; you just look stupid and ignorant). 

Once I cleared Immigration and Customs, my guide was waiting for me and called the driver. Traffic was crazy, but we eventually made it to the Hotel Presidente where I was fortunate enough to get an upgrade to the 8th floor and a suite. There is a roof top restaurant with a selection of Costa Rican food and dishes that had a more European or American flavor. The staff was very friendly and helpful, and if I was staying in San Jose for a few days, I would definitely stay here again (I did stay here on my return to the US, but was not upgraded, sadly).

The next morning, I was picked up for the ride to domestic air terminal for the flight to Tortuguero on the Caribbean side of the country. These are very small planes, and they are very serious about the weight of the cargo, human and baggage. The weight impacts how much fuel is needed. The flight from San Jose to Tortuguero was about 30 minutes, and unfortunately, it was really bumpy due to the cloud cover. The clouds broke as we neared our destination.   

The airport, really an airstrip, at Tortuguero, is across the river from Tortuga Lodge & Gardens and, I was met by staff from the lodge and we made our way to the lodge by boat; there are no cars, so boat traffic is very common. After the 5 minute ride, I was greeted by another employee (I really apologize, I would like to be accurate with names because everyone was so nice and friendly, but sometimes I forgot or was just overwhelmed with the experience, I missed it, but where I remembered I will try to include) and presented with an honest to goodness coconut and a little treat. We reviewed what I was going to be doing the next few days, meals, etc. and then taken to my room. 

I could not get over the wildlife, the myriad of different birds and the iguanas (I think one of my favorites). Of course, the weather was a delight, especially after leaving Minneapolis with snow and rain and cold temperatures. I had some time to rest before going out on my afternoon excursion to a small cacao plantation in the national forest. Below is a cacao pod which contains the seeds that will become chocolate. 

Two of us took a boat over to Casa Crecropia for an introduction to cacao, the history of it and its importance to Aztec culture and its gradual acceptance into Western/European cultures (believe it or not, it was not as loved as it is today). We also got to grind up cacao beans into a paste and then turn it into a chocolate bar, adding spices and other flavors. It was a wonderful introduction to my new surroundings. 

I'm not sure if I'll break out future posts by topic or by day. That's the problem with doing this so long after the fact. Either way, I hope you enjoy the photos and the narrative as I discovered this beautiful country. !Mucho gusto!