Costa Rica ~ Pura Vida

I said it would be quiet on my blog this year, but here I am some six weeks later. We are back from our first stay in Costa Rica and I can't think of a better way to document our time there than with a blog post.  One week at a resort gave us a wee glimpse of the country...though it was mostly about relaxing in the sunshine and spending time with family.  We flew into Liberia and then took a 90 minute shuttle through the countryside to Joba Bay.

What's not to like? It was warm and sunny all week...with an ocean breeze. 

The beach was always quiet. 

Being on the Pacific coast, the water is cooler than on the Caribbean side...but quite refreshing.

The sunsets on the beech were quite lovely!

Our deck was 'garden view' with the ocean in the distance. 

It was also the 'monkey view'!

The monkeys hung out in the trees nearby...

and came to peek into our patio doors on occasion

hoping that we may have left them ajar!

Did I say that they 'hung out'? 

Literally!

The iguanas lazed nearby throughout the resort...

...and occasionally hopped onto the table!

We were in Costa Rica with my brother (Bill and Jeanne) from Iowa and my sister (Kathy and Jim) from Manitoba.  

We played in the waves, read books by the pool, played cards in a quiet corner somewhere and ate all our meals together at one table or another.

The food was great...

particularly a few of the specialty restaurants. 

We passed on the chance to have a sunset dinner on the beach...

...but thoroughly enjoyed the Japanese restaurant.

Not only was the food delicious...

but watching the chef was like being at a show. 

Our Mexican meal ended with a waterfall of flaming coffee.

Since we were so close, we decided to do a day trip to Nicaragua.  

It was a long and full day, but we are glad we did it! 

Getting through customs (coming and going) was a bit of a process!

We visited the Masaya Volcano National Park...

...a large park with two active volcanoes and five craters.

From the lookout we could see the surrounding valley...

and the signs of volcanic activity. 

The Bobadilla Cross was placed at the top of Santiago Crater in the 16th century...

by a monk who believed it was the gateway to hell and hoped to ward off the devil.

Bill & Jeanne, Kathy & Jim with us at Masaya Volcano Crater Lake.

We spent some time in Granada...a city that played an important role in Nicaragua's history.

It is one of the oldest Spanish settlements in the Americas.  

We had lunch in a courtyard restaurant and took a horse and buggy tour.

Granada has many cathedrals in and around the city square. 

The Cathedral of Granada was originally built in 1583.

Later in the afternoon we took a boat tour on Lake Nicaraugua...

a large lake with an archipelago of  some 300 islands. 

Set against the backdrop of a large volcano, there was much to see...

birds, fish, monkeys swinging from trees, and beautiful island estates.

By evening we were back at our resort in Costa Rica...

but thankful for our Nicaraguan adventure.

 

Our week in central America flew by and soon we were on our way home.! 

'Pura Vida' 

It’s the Costa Rican greeting meaning 'pure life'...

used to say hello or goodbye in a happy way.

We are thankful that we went...

and will treasure the memories!

And now...

we wait for the warm spring weather here at home.

Coming soon!