Well, I still have a ways to go for being as happy as most Costa Ricans but I have to say, it is kind of contagious. I made a journey out to Malpais and Santa Theresa in the Nicoya Peninsula last week and it was beautiful and amazing, but definitely not Costa Rica, in the sense of the real Costa Rica filled with Costa Rican’s. It was a great beach town filled with cool expats, beautiful surfers and incredible nature and wildlife, but wait, I guess that is Costa Rica, too.
Well, my version of Costa Rica has been family. All family all the time. My new Costa Rican family, and wow are they incredible people. Maya is 9 months old now, and we have bought her a few things but we didn’t need to because every relative or cousin and all of the neighbors within ten blocks have bought her presents. My friend Janelle who is half-Brazillian and has a nine year old son I have known since he was two, told me, “The people in L.A. hate children, you go into a restaurant and they look at you weird for your child, etc… etc… In Brazil, however, and Latin America, children are rock-stars. Everyone loves them so much and gives them so much attention.” Well, she is right, it is amazing for me to witness it. This must one of the reasons it’s such a happy place.
Abolishing the Army wasn’t a bad idea either.
See Nicholas D. Krostoff’s article below.
Travis, Marcia & Maya in Cahuita National Park
One of the best things about living in Costa Rica is the wide variety of micro-climates which exist here. While I live technically in what is known as the Central Valley of Costa Rica, the reality is that Turrialba is just on the edge of the Atlantic Lowlands heading into Limon, Cahuita, Puerto Viejo on into Sixaola to continue to the frontier with Panama.
After three weeks in Europe with family, one amazing wedding in Sitio Mata, near Turrialba. I decided I needed to continue my openness to the world and needed to travel. So I set off with Marcia & Maya to the beach. We left pretty early and got there in about three hours stopping along the way. It was a rare nearly cloudless day and the Caribbean beach was an amazing site to see. Heading towards Guapiles on the “highway” from Turrialba the views of the Turrialba Volcano were astounding. I stopped along the way and found a lovely property for sale 45 acres for $180,000 with an incredible view of the volcano right on the main road and a small Caribbean wooden plantation home and 30 head of cattle. I spoke with the owner. I love the idea of it, but don’t have the income to support it now, would love to have someone I know buy it.
After traveling in Europe, we were much more relaxed with our seven month old on the road, she was such a trooper on the planes, not crying even once all 40 hours there and back, it was really quite astounding.
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