Thoughts on Costa Rica

Pura Vida - the pure life - a common phrase heard from the mouths of Ticos (costa ricans) who really know how to enjoy life. My ten day trip to Costa Rica was eye-opening. We traveled to the Nicoya peninsula - one of the few places that hasn't been overrun by tourists and overdeveloped. The area can only be reached by prop plane, lacks stable electricity, and the roads are paved nightly using molasses.

It was exactly what I hoped for - a trip that took me outside the usual comforts of travel.

a point & shoot photo essay: Nicoya Peninsula

All of these photos were taken using Kodak disposable cameras. It was a fun exercise.


A man and his horse stand outside a small shop in central Nicoya.
Surfing at Dusk on Playa Santa Teresa.

The Interior of Playa Los Artistas - an incredible mediterranean inspired fish restaurant in Montezuma.
Relax: Las Cascadas outside of Montezuma.



7 am: We took ATVs as far as we could up the beach to Playa Manzanillo and Playa Hermosa. We were able to cover tons of ground throughout the day and explore Costa Rica. The drawback: unpaved roadways are dusty and dangerous. I flipped my ATV!

The sunset on Playa Santa Teresa.

20th Birthday in Costa Rica

Sunday March 4, 2007: My 20th Birthday.

The sun rose about 5:45 am and I briefly woke up to catch a glimpse. Montezuma faces southeast and the sun lights up the waterfront and entire town – creating spectacular views and ultimately making the morning time best.After falling back asleep for about an hour, Jonas and I woke up around 7:00 am and headed into town to sample a few bakeries and breakfasts – particularly excited to head to Café Organico. We slowly made our way into town – stopping to take in views of waves crashing on the rocky shore. Once in town, we found out Organico was closed until 8:00 am so we started at the Bakery Café. Sadly, we found out it is no longer a bakery – everything is brought in from offsite. The selection of breads was a day old – disappointed Jonas and I still felt compelled to order something so we had coffee, bread and jam while sitting on the porch. The bakery café has a wonderful setting, set at the end of town en route to the Ylang Ylang beach resort across the street is the library, school of Montezuma and the Luz de Mono lodge. The Bakery Café itself has a lush, green garden where diners frequently catch a glimpse of monkeys swinging through the trees. The toast at the Bakery café actually wasn’t half bad and the breakfast options are typical and look fine. The coolest part about this place is actually the artisans gallery which is attached to the restaurant on the opposite end. Here they feature artwork, crafts and jewelry but local artists – a nice reprieve from the “touristy” items offered elsewhere in town.

After spending a few minutes at the Bakery Café, Jonas and I walked past the Luz de Mono to check out the church in Montezuma while waiting for the highly anticipated opening of the Organico Café. Despite it being a Sunday morning, there are no services – rather fitting considering the lifestyle of those in Montezuma so a local told us. The church appears to be brand new – it sits on beautiful grounds and is made of very nice wood with bright blue accents. The open air church has a very simple yet powerful structure – and is definitely in line with Montezuma style. I have a few pictures attached.Around 8:00 am we made it back to Organico where a nice Swedish girl Linda was working. Jonas immediately identified with her – I swear he has a very strong built in Swedar (Swedish – Radar) that allows him to detect Swedes from up to 200 meters away. Linda is in Montezuma for just two weeks and picked up a quick job at the shop. She is only 17 years old and already traveling the world – I’m very jealous of her early start.

Organico is a alternative, part vegan café that serves all organic food including homemade ice creams, baked goods, cakes and a selection of healthy and different breakfast and lunch items. They also make great coffees and fruit shakes. The café and bakery has an awesome vibe – the best part being the outdoor patio and attention to detail. The patio is accented with a pink trim and you can really tell they took the time to do it right. It’s a very enjoyable place to sit for breakfast as there is good people watching and atmosphere. They even pick fresh pink flowers every morning to match. Jonas and I started with the homemade granola with yogurt and fruit as well as a side of Almond Milk. The granola is excellent! I also had an ice Chai drink which was a bit too sweet for my tastes – it would kill a diabetic. We also split the veggie omelet which had a beautiful presentation and was covered with avocado – it came with a side of gallo pinto. The eggs could have used a bit more flavor – I prefer the greasy spoon eggs at a soda personally.

At 9:00 am, we were set to meet up with the rest of the guys outside Chico’s for a day of snorkeling, deep sea fishing, boating and a visit to Tortuga Island. Eduardo – the son of Chico, who owns Chico’s Bar, the central destination of downtown and nightlife in Montezuma, hooked us up with an incredible offer. For $400, the five of us were placed on a private boat to tour the area from 9 am to 6 pm (including snorkeling, fishing and a visit to Tortuga) – typically this costs the same amount just to go in a group but Eduardo gave us a great deal. We were given the freedom to structure the day however we liked and we had three guides – Alonzo being the leader of the pack. Alonzo was a young guy from the area who loved to surf but more importantly had a passion for motorcycles and tinkering with his. He was a lot of fun and cook an awesome lunch on the island. Carpenter caught a black tuna for us towards the beginning of our tour after which we headed to Tortuga island.

The boat ride around the area was beautiful. At Tortuga, we had an hour or so before lunch would be cooked so Jonas and I hiked around the area – reaching the highest point of Tortuga providing us with spectacular views. Despite having our bags held for ransom by a local who demanded payment for our hike (apparently we missed the memo that there was a 5$ charge to use the hiking trails – totally fair – our bad), it was well worth it. Upon our return to “camp,” Alonzo and a few other locals were cooking up an incredible meal. The black tuna was cooked with swordfish over an old rustic, charcoal and wood-fire grill. It was a great setting – a very no frills, open air brick grill. The fish was actually being stewed at a very high heat (causing the stew to bubble) in a big silvery tray with a red tomato sauce, onions, carrots and bell peppers. Alonzo also cooked sliced potatoes (wrapped in fool) and we were served fresh baked bread and freshly sliced fruit. This may have been the best meal of the entire trip. The whole environment and cooking style made it an overall wonderful experience.Being my birthday, the locals arranged for a woman in town to bake a cake. It was incredible. A basic, vanilla / yellow pound style cake with an incredible caramel frosting around the outside. The cake was so basic but just so good. I shared it with all the guides and other locals on the island as well as a group of people from Utrecht, Holland who ended up talking with us for a while and meeting up with us later that night. They were a couple traveling in Costa Rica for 23 days. It was there second visit to the area. They were extremely nice and a lot of fun. During this dinner is when I met Capitan Flash (the guide for the people from Holland). I shared a piece of cake with him – he was extremely appreciative and totally hilarious. One of the best parts about Chico’s tour is that their location on Tortuga island is away from the riff-raff of all the other tour operators – it is tucked into a corner and the whole experience is much less-touristy and feels a lot more authentic and rustic.That night we went to Moctezuma for dinner around 8:30. It is in the center of town with a prime location on the corner of the beach so it has tables on the beach and a two story open air bar and dining patio overlooking the central beach in Montezuma. It’s a really cool setting and fun place to hang out. Other than that, the food isn’t so great. I wouldn’t recommend it. At this dinner, we invited two Villanova girls that Jonas had met to join us and also ran into Linda from Organico as well as the people from Holland – who ended up joining up party for dinner and drinks. It made for a great birthday dinner despite the terrible food.

Las Cascadas in Montezuma, Costa Rica

Las Cascadas (The Waterfalls) is one of the most unique places I have ever visited. Tucked deep fairly deep within the forests of Costa Rica, these waterfalls require a fairly grueling (and somewhat dangerous) hike to reach. But its worth every bit of the effort. Upon arrival, you find likeminded locals and adventurers looking to soak up rays, relax in and around the waterfalls and generally effuse the "Pura Vida" lifestyle.

There are three sets of waterfalls that cascade downwards into this final waterfall on the left.. The highest of the three (and most difficult to reach) can be leapt from into a lower pool that sits right above the waterfall to the left. Its quite a jump and certainly not for anyone afraid of heights.

Montezuma was an amazing place - fairly untouched. I won't say anymore since I want to keep it that way. Any further research is on you!

This is a shot of Jonas jumping from halfway up the lower waterfall in Montezuma. The setting of the fall is beautiful and feels really beautiful and secluded. You have to hike about 30 minutes to get there and then to get to the next two higher waterfalls requires quite a bit more hiking and it isn't easy or safe.

Descending into Las Cascadas

This photo was taken on Monday, May 5th 2007. Jonas and I are making the final terrifying descent to the base of the waterfalls in Montezuma. "Las Cascadas," as they are known in Montezuma, was one one of the most beautiful sights of our entire trip. You can jump from the second waterfall - very big, scary drop and apparently people die every year but I still recommend it.

The Great Jump: Montezuma

After 30 minutes of deliberation, I finally made the 50 foot plunge into the pool below. My friends cheered me on as I grabbed my butt (not sure why?) and held on tight for the ride down. It was extremely exhilerating and I'm glad I did it. Apparently some people have died attempting this jump - I'm quite the daredevil, ha.