Costa Rica Adventure Trip

Our trip to Costa Rica was great as always. It has been two years since my last visit there. I usually spend most of the time in Nosara hanging out and surfing every day. This time Deb and I joined my brother CJ and Lisa on an eight day adventure organized by our cousin Andrew Taylor. I had two other relatives along, Aunts Shirley and Carol. Our first day in the country had us rafting the Pacuare River. It was a beautiful day and the rains stayed away until we were off the river. Great rapids and beautiful waterfalls. We then hiked and rode horses up the Upper Savegre River and stayed with the Lopez family. They live a simple life up in the mountain jungles of the interior of Costa Rica. We ate beans, rice and corn tortillas for almost every meal. The fruit and vegetables were fresh and every thing else was grown right there except for the rice. We had fun rappelling in waterfalls, climbing trees, exploring caves and swimming in rivers and riding zip lines in the thick rain forest. It rained a lot every day and nothing dried out. It was incredibly beautiful and we fell asleep to the roar of the river nearby each night. Our last day in the mountains we rafted the Savegre River almost down to the coast before pulling out. The last 3 days of our trip we spent at a beachfront hotel in Manuel Antonio on the Southern coast of the Pacific side of the country. The beach was beautiful and near a national park with lots of animals and pristine jungle. I attempted to surf each day but found the conditions very difficult and the waves unorganized and I was trounced often in the waves and never did get a good ride on a wave this trip. Maybe next time. The ocean was warm and we had a few days of sunshine with no rain. It is awesome to stroll along a tropical beach with the sun on your back and warm water lapping at your feet and monkeys playing in the trees in the jungle. The one thing missing for me though is a good rock face to climb. Then Costa Rica would be a complete paradise for me. It was fun to do this trip with CJ and Lisa. Hopefully we can get more of the Larsen clan to join us for future trips.