Monkeys and Pirates – The Caribbean

Another weekend has come and gone in Costa Rica! Time flies so fast when you’re having fun!

This weekend I went to a province in Costa Rica called Limon. Here we stayed in Puerto Viejo, on the Caribbean side of the country. It was my first time on this side, thus far we have been traveling to the Pacific beaches. We stayed at a hostel that was located on a beach called Playa Negra, where the sand was literally black!

This part of the country was a completely new experience. We woke up early, rented some bikes and found our way to the the Jaguar Wildlife Refuge. This was the closest I have ever gotten to a sloth! On top of that, I got to hold and play with a baby monkey! This was the MOST AMAZING experience in the world!

The motto of Costa Rica is PURA VIDA. This is used as a greeting, a farewell, it means ok, and so much more. The phrase means much more than it’s literal translation of pure life. By saying Pura Vida, people really mean, relax, take it easy, everything will be alright. This is definitely something I feel every time I visit a beach. The beach areas are full of tourists, but there are always those little beaches that are full of locals, and to my experience, these are the BEST beaches. This is where you really feel Costa Rica.

I only have another 4 weekends left in this amazing country. It is so sad to think that I will be leaving behind a country I have fallen in love with.

Pura Vida!