Costa Rica for Christmas

Instead of taking part in what is regularly the most hectic week of the year, the week before Christmas, a friend and I decided to avoid it all and take off on a vacation.  Looking for a mix of relaxation and some adventure we literally met at a coffee shop at the beginning of December with an atlas and a laptop.  We knew we wanted to go somewhere warm, but not an all-inclusive island getaway.  We wanted to go somewhere authentic where we could experience a new country and new culture.  But with only a week away it needed to be a relatively close flight.

 By the end of the afternoon, plane tickets to Costa Rica were booked.

Now what?  There is a lot to do and see in this country!  I've talked to at least a dozen people who have recently traveled to this Latin American country, none who have stayed in the same city.  The basics of which we came to learn is that instead of looking into the infinite number of cities we could visit, Costa Rica can be split into a few key sections, each geographic region being very different in what is has to offer to the traveler.  While many people visit the Northern Pacific Side we opted to visit the Southern part of the Caribbean Side.

Where most of the culture in Costa Rica has a Spanish influence, the unique part about the Southern Caribbean cities is the mix of cultures.  Along with the Spanish population there is also a large Jamaican population and a growing number of ex-pats from Western Europe.  This mix of cultures makes for delicious food, vibrant cities, and a truly harmonious atmosphere.  'One Love'.

The beauty of this country, you can be sitting on a beautiful beach with the rainforest right behind you. How many other places in the world can you experience both of these natural wonders at the same time? The shot to the right was taken after a morning hike through one of the many rainforests ending up with a swim at a beautiful, hidden waterfall.

I stayed in two different cities on this trip, I plan to make a post on each of them. The first, Cahuita, a small, quiet coastal town.  The second, Puerto Viejo, a larger, energetic, surf city.