Pura Vida! Costa Rica: “No Artificial Ingredients”

Finally, this is my first account about traveling abroad.

My wife and I recently visited Costa Rica for the first time. Our dear friends, Fruzsina and Aaron, wanted to tie the knot in a setting by the beach and conceived the plan for this getaway.

We begin the trip on an AA flight from JFK Airport in New York departing at 5:30 a.m. and stopping for an hour at Miami, Florida then arriving at about 11:30 a.m. (+2H US/ET) at Aeropuerto Internacional Daniel Oduber Quiros (a.k.a., Liberia International Airport) in Guanacaste. The moment I paced out of the Costa Rican immigration, I looked for moneychanger since I wanted to know how much my one-dollar bill would amount to the country’s currency. After changing 20 US dollars, I became an instant “thousandnaire” (1 US dollar = 493 CR colones). Next mission: How much would a bottle of Coke cost in colones? This query has always been my own international standard for measuring the strength of the country’s currency. The whimsical undertaking had to linger since the hotel car service is already waiting at the airport entrance. By the way, I have to mention that a friend on same flight with us lost his luggage so I had to pass the time familiarizing with colones bills and coins as we all waited for the airline personnel to do the paperwork and launch a (routine) bureaucratic intercontinental luggage-hunting process.

After hitting the smooth then rough, rocky and hilly road for an hour and a half, we arrived at our final destination – the Hotel Sugar Beach. This Pacific shoreline is located in Playa Pan de Azucar in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica, also known as the Gold Coast. At the hotel information and check-in desk, I was very glad to find out that a bottle of Coke costs about 600 colones (at hotel/beach price I supposed but least I could put a mission to rest). As a warning, never say “soda” when buying soft drinks if you don’t want strange looks from the waiters, bartenders or storeowners. For the ticos y ticas (the term Costa Ricans call themselves), “soda” means small restaurant.

While waiting for our beachfront room to be ready for use and greeting our friends who came a day or two earlier before us, I had the first taste of the typical Costa Rican dishes in the open-air restaurant overlooking the view of the ocean from the table. The seafood rice and the mango shake was so good and such a perfect combo that it turned out to be my staple indulge for rest of my entire stay at Sugar Beach. In the same restaurant, we got to hangout with herons and iguanas that were trying to join us for a feast. It was fascinating that such wild animals are so comfortable being around hungry and drunk humans. This simply reflects the cordial interaction of the native folks with wildlife and nature.

After lots of sprays of Banana Boat SPF 50, hours of sun exposure, boogie boards and dozens of Imperial (la cervesa de Costa Rica) that were kind of predictable, I have to return to the main event – the wedding. Yes, the wedding was very well coordinated and synchronized in perfect timing with the sunset that the natural “backdrop” of the pacific horizon looked like choreographed. Just like the newlyweds, we were so overwhelmed by the moments… and every moment that followed… every sip of mango colada, vino blanca, mucho mucho cervesa and then the dinner party. It was never a doubt that the food would be delicious. Every single course was yummy. O hell yeah! I was reaching for every single plate that invited opportunity for a taste test. And then the rest of the marriage rituals followed. Wait. The fun continued to the neighboring beach where we went to hit the local hotel bar. To the indignity of myself and of the people who love(d) and raised me, I had my share of “the drunken moves” (I say, this was also very predictable! HA!) on the dance-floor and rest of the night is history.

I wish I could accurately chronicle every single minute of our short yet exhilarating Costa Rican escapade. There was the pre-wedding BBQ party where the scent of grilled tuna and vegetables never felt so jovial as the local (steel-drum?) percussionists serenaded the evening with Spanish melodies and reggae beats. There was also the sunset cruise at Flamingo Beach that included snorkeling and more drinking at the boat where bonding with nature overweighed motion sickness. The locals were generally pleasant especially at the hotels, the restaurants, the bars and the airport. I have to especially mention that cab drivers were so polite and honest, too. My wife and I enjoyed this trip so much and we felt very safe. On our departure from Hotel Sugar Beach, I can’t help but be thankful of this very memorable Central (Latin) American experience.

On a final note, the (lost) luggage was found and was delivered to the rightful owner just in time for the wedding. A happy ending for one and all, indeed.

Pura vida! (Pure life!) Costa Rica. Gracias!