Recharging in Costa Rica

Last month in China we had an important decision to make.  The latest update of the trip itinerary had a three week gap between the end of Latin America and the beginning of Africa.  How would we spend early May? At that time we wanted a change of pace and did not know what to expect from Latin America, so we thought about flying from Argentina to “someplace new” in Europe for all three weeks, and then flying south to start Africa in Cape Town.  We had three ideas for what to do in Europe: Idea A:  Italy!  Rent an apartment in Tuscany for a few weeks – plenty to see and do especially art in Florence.  May would be a delightful time - warm but not yet overrun by crowds.  On the down side:  this is a destination where we had already toured a lot and would probably come back.  Save for later? Idea B:  Berlin, Prague, Croatia – a chance to enjoy some modern life, beautiful architecture, and expose the kids to Germany and Eastern Europe.  After hearing so many stories about Croatia from our friend Davor, this seemed like a good time to go.  A definite possibility. Idea C:  Russia – Sam had just finished a tour here and told stories of marvelous museums, academies, parks and city streets.  She had a guide in mind who could teach the kids about Communism and the Cold War as Russia experienced it. Sam started researching the options in more detail and we returned to touring. Those next few weeks were hectic.  We raced though five different locations trying to absorb the sharp contrast between ancient and modern China, then shrugged off major jet lag and high altitude across four different locations in Peru to drink in all the sights and information and architecture from the Incas, and then we flew to Quito.  From there we would jump into active daily hikes and snorkels to visit seven different Galapagos islands in seven days.  It all added up to one happy but totally exhausted family.  So when we sat down to finalize the plans, the actual answer was D:  None of the Above.  They were ALL too much.  We were just weeks away from the final leg of the trip:  African safari.  How could we appreciate the year's biggest crescendo if everyone were flat out exhausted before we even started?  Our bodies were tired and our brains were brimming full.  We had absorbed so much information, had seen so many things, had been running on schedule for many weeks, really since December 2010. The other realization was a positive one:  we really enjoyed our first exposure to Latin America.  Why jump back to Europe, when we were already on a continent that begged to be explored? So we tossed out Europe at the last moment and turned back to Latin America.  After further counsel with Sam, we decided to spend a solid ten days in Costa Rica, a land of beauty and calm, to rejuvenate.  From there the tour would resume, adding Santiago, Chile so we could see more of South America, then adding a few extra days in Buenos Aires to make it more leisurely than before.  We even added extra buffer days for the start of Africa to ensure an easy start.  We would then finish up as originally planned:  with a spectacular month in Africa concluding in the Seychelles, where we could reflect peacefully on the entire year.  And one more idea - since the flight home would come through Paris anyway, why not pause there and revisit Paris for a few last golden summer days, before the short hop back to Boston?  Perfect!  We had the new schedule. That is how we found ourselves on a plane flight to a place we had not planned to visit even two weeks earlier:  Costa Rica’s capital which is called… San Jose.    Meet San Jose.  Two million people live here and that is half the population of Costa Rica.  The people are warm and friendly, while the streets are gritty.  San Jose reminded us of the tough neighborhoods in American cities.  We had seen gritty in Quito, but here we drove through streets where all the houses are entirely barricaded behind iron bars and barbed wire.  Is this America’s future if we lose too many jobs?  We snapped a few photos as a reminder. Once out of San Jose city, we found what most people imagine when you say Costa Rica:  a beautiful raw green land of rainforests, volcanoes and plantations.  The primary industries here are the cash crops like banana, coffee, and pineapple; and tourism.  There are all kinds of wildlife – we loved the colorful hummingbirds – and lots of ecotouring activities with numerous walking tour and adventure travel options. 

We did none of that.  We spent the first five days in the mountains near the Arenal volcano and never left the hot springs resort.  We just turned the activity sheet face down.  We all sat on the balcony and enjoyed the fresh air and the scenic view for hours at a time.  By day five, we had caught up on our sleep.  All the blogs were written and posted, and the kids were concentrating and doing great on their Road School.     From here a tiny plane brought the family to a sandy beach in Manuel Antonio.  We rented a small villa on a hill just by the ocean where we could simply walk from beach to town, and we planted ourselves there for another five days. 

By day eight in Costa Rica, we had read multiple books, watched a backlog of movies, pored over the press, and thoroughly investigated the room service menu and the long list of slushy beach drinks.  We counted the ways to eat banana.  I backed up my hard drive.  By day ten, we were all officially bored.  The final night we returned to San Jose, lodging at a charming boutique hotel on a small coffee plantation.  It is a great place to stay before the early morning flight to Santiago Chile.  So are you ready for the final two months of this amazing journey?  Now, we are too.