International
Costa Rica, Pura Vida!
5 days in Jacó
An adventure-packed discovery of “Pura Vida”
A five-day visit to “research” Costa Rica for a web design project, that turned into one of the most adventurous and memorable trips I’ve ever taken, hosted by VIP Concierge Jacó.
— February 2020 —
My Hosts
VIP Concierge Jacó
VIP Concierge Jacó is a tour and transportation company dedicated to giving you an unforgettable vacation in Costa Rica. If you are looking for a wild adventure with the highest service and great prices, VIP Concierge Jacó has you covered. Franklin and Naomi made it so easy to make the most of my time in the beautiful country of Costa Rica.
Highlights & Favorite Things
Seeing karaoke at Co’s on the drive from the airport
Playing soccer before zip lining, zip lining upside down through the jungle
Meeting the lady at Fruity Monkey Poop and trying their coffee
The boruca masks and tribal wood crafts made by the indiginous people
Naomi’s excitement when Kansas won the football game at a restaurant
Driving an ATV through fields of Costa Rican cows
Seeing the mamma sloth with her baby on the beach
The huge tree roots and swinging on vines
Biking under palm trees to Virgin Beach
Horseback riding to Miro mountain
Climbing waterfalls and holding a poison dart frog
Dancing and meeting Dave and David at Señor Harry’s
Stopping to watch the soccer match at night
Acroyoga on the beach while kayaking
Drinking water straight from a coconut
The murals of the Artify Jacó movement
The breakfast at Hotel Oceano, and fried plantains
The view from my balcony at Hotel Oceano
How people greet one another on the street with a friendly “Hola”
Biking on the crazy streets of Jacó
All the fruit, smoothies, and juices, especially tamarindo, guanabana, and cas
All the wildlife: blue morpho butterflies, white faced capuchins, scarlet macaws, poison dart frogs, and black iguanas
The many different kinds of plants
Tucker and the street dogs!
Did You Know?
Fun Facts Costa Rica
They don’t put toilet paper in the toilet, but in a trash bin on the side
The food is not spicy, which was unexpected
The country does not have a military, they are all peace and love there
They say “Ciao” for goodbye… fancy that!
Stayed at
Hotel Oceano
PRayed at
Local Catholic Church
Shopped at
Fruity Monkey Poop
Tikopod
Dolores Shop
Visited
Jaco Walk
Miro mountain
Virgin Beach
Garabito
Adventure Park
Blanco Beach
Green Room (art gallery)
Zukia (art gallery)
Playa Blanca
Ate at
Co’s Bar
Tacobar
Pachi’s Pan
Soda Garabito
Señor Harry’s
Jacó Rustico
Marea Alta Restaurante
Las Olas Bar
Bary Restaurante Isaga
Foods tried
Tamarindo, guanabana, cas, maracuya (passionfruit), star fruit
Fried plantains, rice and beans, various meats
Palm with shrimp and avocado (Isaga)
Calamar crispy, jerk chicken, and orange chicken tacos, maracuya y mango margarita (Tacobar)
Rollo de queso (Pachi’s Pan)
Patacone (Las Olas)
Guipipia - alcoholic frozen punch (Señor Harry)
Coconut water
Gallo salchichón, tamales (Marea Alta Restaurante)
Cas y guanabana ice cream
Wildlife Seen
Two-toed sloth
Blue morpho butterflies
White faced capuchins
Scarlet macaws
Poison dart frogs
Black iguanas
Toucan
A little crab
Lots of birds
Lots of butterflies
Day by Day Recap
Unfiltered journal entries
Day One
Highlights:
Waiting for my flight at Peet’s coffee shop in the Houston Airport
Musings in the Airport
I’m sitting in the coziest corner booth of Peet’s Coffee shop in the Houston airport for my layover from Austin. In just a few hours, I’ll be meeting up with my college friend Naomi Reeh in San Jose, Costa Rica! Funny enough, the last time I saw her, we were lost in an airport in Rome, both of us there for Benedictine’s study abroad program.
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Day Two
Highlights:
Waking up to exotic bird sounds and my stunning hotel view
Biking around Jacó and visiting Fruity Monkey Poop (gift shop)
Zip lining through Costa Rican jungles
Going to Mass and dinner with Naomi and Franklin
Biking Jacó & Zip Lining
As the sun peeked through my blinds in the early hours of the morning, I caught a glimpse of green peaks nestled between the frame of the hotel. The sound of strange birds I didn’t recognize echoed through the quiet. Or was it a sloth, calling for a mate? I squealed with delight, rolling over in my covers, trying desperately to convince myself to keep sleeping. I knew I would need more energy for today’s activities.
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Day Three
Highlights:
Visiting various local art galleries, such as the Green Room
Heartfelt conversations while walking on the beach, and swimming
Beach Walk & Jungle ATV Ride
La pura vida es la buena vida! Today I woke up very tired, but didn’t let that dampen my spirits! Naomi met me around 9:00 in the lobby, where I ate another delicious Costa Rican breakfast. From there, we walked the South side of Main Street, since yesterday we’d covered the North side. We stopped at another ATM to see if I could get Costa Rican cash, as we tried yesterday, but with no luck. Apparently I am cursed when it comes to ATMs, as this happened to me in Italy, too! But it was no trouble, since most people take cards here. We stopped briefly in a restaurant called the Green Room that had a lot of local art, as well as a really cool layout with hookah bar-like lounge areas. Like many of the storefronts, there were lots of tropical plants around, which I loved.
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Day Four
Highlights
Biking to and wandering around Virgin Beach by myself
Jungle Hike & Horseback Riding
Today, I woke up bright and early to meet Naomi and Franklin at 6am for a hike before they got to work. They drove me to Franklin’s apartment not too far from the hotel, where we were greeted by a myriad of street dogs! Naomi’s dog, Tucker, and their adopted street dogs, Pinto and Doggy, joined us on our walk.
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Day Five
Highlights
All the street dogs that came to greet us at our car
The most intense waterfall experience ever!
Spotting a black iguana at lunch
Making friends and salsa dancing at Señor Harry’s
Waterfall Exploration & Dancing
I cried this morning. I woke up feeling so tired, so sore, so sunburnt, and I’m pretty sure I was PMSing as well. I think I may have been a little butt-hurt that I couldn’t see the monkeys, too, since it was a minimum of four people for that tour. The plan for the day was the waterfall tour, which I thought would involve a lot of hiking and looking at waterfalls, maybe jumping in a few pools. My legs were shot and my ankle was killing me, and I just didn’t think I had it in me. So I wrote to Franklin and Naomi to ask if we could change out the event to something a little easier. Fortunately, they never saw the message in time. I went along and didn’t mention it, and boy am I glad for that.
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Day Six
Highlights
Sea kayaking
Acroyoga on Playa Blanca
Sea Kayaking
Our final activity of the trip was a sea kayaking tour, which is one that Franklin offers directly with VIP Concierge Jacó. We were led by a Rastafarian-looking man named Walter, who had leather skin, dreadlocks, and a tribal facial structure. They took us to a private beach where the water was crystal clear. We had only paddled a few yards when a school of fish leapt into the air in between Walter and my kayaks! It was a thrilling surprise!
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