Pura Vida

So let's see where we are... I have one week left of my self-proclaimed "life break". Yes, it's time to enter the "real" world and start my job in business consulting. I put "real" in quotes because I consider myself having been experiencing the real world all along, just not the corporate world I suppose. I'm not sure if I'm prepared for that beast, but the clock is, indeed, ticking.

So what did I decide to do? Jump on a trip to Costa Rica with three friends from Georgia Tech Swimming (Agatha, Travis, and Courtney) and one of Travis's friends from Ohio (Tiffani). We will be returning to the states on Sunday, August 7th, just in time for my start date on August 8th! Whoop! 

I was definitely looking forward to the trip (and hoping to do some serious zip lining through the rainforest canopies), but my feelings upon leaving Atlanta were a bit uneasy. I'm not sure what it was, but I think it was a combination of my lack of planning for this trip and my impending job. Let's just say that I was researching information about Costa Rica on the flight there.

So here's what I've got: the Republic of Costa Rica is located in the Central American isthmus. Costa Rica (meaning "Rich Coast") is bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Caribbean Sea to the east, boasting 800 miles of coastline. "Pura vida" is the local phrase, literally meaning "pure life" and referring to the relaxed mindset of vacationers and locals alike. Colones are the currency, Spanish is the official language (yay!), and it's currently the rainy season! Oh boy! Costa Rica is also known for its biodiversity, possessing the greatest density of species in the world!! Now that is just plain cool!

When flying into San Jose, the capital city, I definitely got the feeling that I was landing in a jungle. The landscape was beautiful! Rolling hills below and high mountains in the distance covered in dense, lush trees and deep green rainforest. Rust red roof tops dotted the landscape, and dirt roads weaved their ways through the hills.  

We were all arriving at the airport at different times. About 30 minutes after I arrived, I found Agatha in the bathroom! Her comment: " We know each other faaaaar to well!" Travis was the last one to arrive, coming from his study abroad in Peru, so he had quite the welcoming committee outside of customs! 

We took a shuttle over to the Thrifty to rent our car. It ended up being twice as expensive as we were quoted online, and we ended up paying more for full insurance coverage too (the roads are in awful condition in Costa Rica). We got a white Toyota Prado SUV that has seven seat belts, but it really only "comfortably" fits five people and their luggage. It takes diesel fuels, and it has 4 wheel drive too, so we were happy about that! 

We decided to drive out of San Jose today as we had heard there was not much to it. We drove south through Jaco, a popular beach and surf spot, and stayed the night in Quepos, a small town right outside of Manuel Antonio National Park. Driving in Costa Rica has been good so far. Prior to our trip, we had all heard and read that the roads in Costa Rica are awful- mostly unpaved and loaded with potholes. We haven't ventured into any of those yet, but we are planning on going to some remote areas, so we'll see. 

What I can say is that driving in Costa Rica has been fun so far! On our way out of San Jose, the sun was setting and the sky cloudy and rainy. On both sides of the road there were hills covered in deep green jungle! The vines, thick canopies, and big green leaves combined with the low, dark clouds and fog hanging in the trees made it feel like we were in Jurassic Park and that a velociraptor was going to jump out and eat us at any second! Fun fact: La Isla de Coco is off of the coast of Costa Rica and was the inspiration for Jurassic Park, so in a way, we ARE in Jurassic Park!

We arrived in Quepos late at night. We got a couple rooms at the Wide Mouth Frog Hostel and had some casado for dinner haha. Casado is a typical Costa Rican meal of rice, black beans, potatoes, salad, fried plantains, and a meat (fish, beef, or chicken). I laugh because in Spanish, "casado" means "married". Our plan was to go to the Manuel Antonio National Park tomorrow, but... surprise! It's closed on Mondays! So, we've got to wait a day, but we should be able to find some awesome things to do tomorrow regardless.