This week, my family traveled to Costa Rica. Costa Rica is unique because there is such a diverse landscape in such a small area of land. There are beautiful beaches, cloud forests and volcanoes all within a few hours of each other. This allowed my family to see a little bit of everything, including the beaches and jungles of Manuel Antonio, the forests of Monteverde and the volcanoes of Arenal and Poas. Some of our rented houses were on a farm. One in particular, the Rancho el Rio in Monteverde, allowed my family to experience the real Costa Rican lifestyle. We spent three days on the farm, which boasted dozens of different animals and crops. I had the opportunity to help out on the farm, and it was interesting to see what the daily life of most locals is like. My family also went on multiple hikes in different places. In some places, such as Rainmaker Park, we had hiked in the middle of the jungle. In other places, such as Arenal, we hiked on old lava fields and around a volcano. All of these places were so close to each other, and yet so different that it was hard to believe we stayed in only one country.

My family had many adventures in Costa Rica. We went zip lining in Monteverde, which was a new experience for everyone; there was even one zip line that was a kilometer long (0.62 miles). We also went white water rafting in Class Three Rapids, which was terrifying but a fun experience nonetheless. We also spent some time hiking, swimming in hot springs and relaxing at various waterfalls and rivers.

Costa Rica was a tropical paradise. Even the locals know it- they have a saying, “pura vida”, which translates to pure life. It is easy to see why they would think that. Costa Rica is such a beautiful place, and the happiness shown from the locals is infectious. The first place we went after we landed in San Jose was to a local restaurant that was recommended to us in the airport. There was live music playing in a corner, and the locals all came and talked to us. We asked them many questions, from what we should order for lunch to what were the the best activities to do in Costa Rica. Everybody was included in the conversation and there was lots of laughter all around. It was an amazing welcome to Costa Rica, and it gave my family an idea of what our journey through Costa Rica would be like. “Pura vida” truly describes Costa Rica- everything from the nature to the people living there portrays a pure, happy life.