A quick whiz through Costa Rica

Costa Rica which translates as 'Rich Coast' was named by Christopher Columbus in the early 1500's. This country is by far the most tourist ready in Central America and has been effectively publicised throughout the world as a tropical paradise. While we enjoyed our 5 days there, we spent far too much money, and felt like we did not see the 'real' Costa Rica as it has been completely over-run by tourists, expats and foreign-run businesses. If you want to have a true and authentic Latino experience, head to Nicaragua.......

We saw a total of 3 places in Costa Rica as we sped through the country. First up was Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean, it's only an hour from the border with Panama and has a cool Caribbean vibe. We hired cruiser bikes and spent a day beach hopping - definitely the transport mode of choice. The beaches were stunning along the coast, but are competely over-run with tourists.



Second up was a night stop in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica and then a few days in Monteverde in the mountains. In Monteverde we did a zip-line canopy through the jungle, we flew through 14 zip lines, some of which were 150ft above the ground, which was an amazing tarzan-like experience.






However, after being treated like a rich gringo,(but actually having very few dollars for all the expensive activities), we jumped on a bus and headed to cheap and authentic Nicaragua.