When we drove to Quepos from the airport we were too enamored with the new surroundings to pay attention to much else, but the five hour drive to Tamarindo definitely made us aware of some of the nuances and (let’s call it what it is) culture shock of Costa Rica.

First of all, the roads here are white knuckle scary.  Large interstates between towns are few and far between, and those that do exist are choking with traffic.  The winding two lane roads that weave together through the landscape here are the size of your typical American single lane road used for cars in both directions.  Add in no center paint divide, hairpin mountain curves, full size buses, “tico” trucks spewing smoke, wild dogs, chickens, and cows – and it makes for a real driving experience.  Oh and did we mention that passing a slow truck or bike is one big giant game of chicken in which locals score extra tico points for blind corner attempts, or passing multiple vehicles at once?

Surviving the drive however, makes our arrival in this “paradiso” worthy of the name – and considering the number of hand painted road signs advertising said “paradiso” the locals know it too.  With a lot of help from the offline Google Maps feature (hands down the best “item” we’ve packed) we found our oasis on a hill overlooking Tamarindo’s shoreline and settled in for another flawless Costa Rican sunset, promising ourselves that we’ll never get used to this. The next few days consisted of long hours posted up in a hammock at the end of a dirt road on a pristine stretch of beach bathed by what must be the only refreshingly cold water on the coast.  Lola the pig slugged around in the mud pit not 20 feet from where bartenders were mixing mojitos and frying fish.  Nights meant repeat visits to an on the sand restaurant for sunsets and live sax music.  They just don’t do it like this back home. 

Four days too fast we were back on the tangled roads headed for an eco lodge deep in the rain forrest at the base of the Arenal Volcano.  The noises the forrest makes makes at night are piped straight into the stereo speakers of any spa you may have ever been to.  It’s the real OG, complete with the out of tune 5:30AM croaking frog who also happens to be the vocalist for your iPhone alarm.  This part of paradise doesn’t come without it’s warning labels however; in this case it’s parking lot attendants and park rangers reminding us to always back into parking spaces lest we need to make a quick escape if the volcano erupts.  Paradise and peril share a page in the Costa Rican dictionary and are nature’s reminder that nothing is forever.   Party crashing the sunrise guru-sesh of the resident yoga retreat group, and an afternoon at the volcanic hot springs completed our first leg of this journey with a chance to clear the mind and cleanse the body.  Try it; it works 

A few parting thoughts on Costa Rica –

• Many blogs or travel articles will tout that Costa Rica is expensive but the reality is most people probably come to Costa Rica expecting it to be third world cheap.  Unless you’re buying a bottle of sunscreen, which will run you somewhere around $25; a night out will still cost half of what it would at home, granted you’re willing to get at least a block off the tourist thoroughfares. 
• Along the roads there must be a a “pipa fria” stand every quarter mile
• And in between every “pipa fria” stand is a Soda – which we quickly learned was a small family run local restaurant and the home of likely the best, and certainly most authentic eats, you can find.
• The Soda signs are NOT advertising a local love for coke, sprite, and Fanta.
• However they do advertise a great appreciation, albeit lack of mastery, for pizza at every turn (Did we mention the roads are very curvy and turns there are many?)
• The majority of the homes might be shed roofed shanties but every shed roof comes with a Direct TV satellite dish
• The water is ok.  You can drink it.  Don’t be a weirdo. 
• But if you must buy water; buy beer – it’s cheaper.
• If you ask for the check and nobody brings it to you; turn around and see where you’re supposed to be paying in front
• “Don’t do Drugs.  Eat Tacos.”