My Jaco Review - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #2

As you know,  a couple of weeks ago we went to Jaco for a few days. Although we had driven through (or near Jaco) on several occasions, we had never spent any time there.

This time we took our newbie friends (they arrived in Grecia on 8/9 with their 2 young children) and headed to Jaco for a 3 day visit. We hired a driver with an SUV to take us (the cost was $125 for all 6 of us). Pick up time was 7:30am. We hired the driver mostly because we didn't want the hassle of all of us getting our local bus to the bus station in Grecia and then riding to San Jose and transferring in San Jose to the Jaco bus, so early in the morning. We took a scenic route and stopped in Tarcoles at the crocodile bridge so that they could see the crocs and we could take a little stretch. We arrived in Jaco around 10:00am. Jaco is located on the Pacific Coast about 1 1/2 hrs from San Jose  -- and we are about 1hr and 15 mins from San Jose. It is the closest beach to us. We took the bus back (cost just under $5 each and takes about 2 hrs). The bus ride was pleasant and on time - I would have no complaints taking the bus again.

Lavanson's brother is now back from the US and living in Jaco so we were able to see his new apartment (very nice!). He has 2 bedrooms and has offered for us to stay with him on subsequent visits - which we will take him up on! He was also our guide during our stay.

We met some new friends too, David Paskowitz and his wife. They are from Oakland and have been living in Jaco for about 15 yrs. He is a musician and runs a surf school.  We have a mutual friend in the Bay Area who got us together. We were also fortunate that David's group, HotWax Alien Approved, was playing locally in town and we got a chance to see the show.

us with David and his wife, Nancy

I was not too sure about Jaco before we went, but all in all, I really liked it. I did not witness any of the crime or prostitution - which is what a lot of people think of when you mention Jaco. I am sure it is there, but just like anywhere else you go, you take precaution and stay aware of your surroundings. I found Jaco to be a very pleasant place. The food was good, people were friendly, the hotel was very nice and affordable ($120/night breakfast included - I will post the hotel video separately for those interested) oh and the shopping was plentiful (all signs that make a good place to me!) It was also easier to get US brand food in the grocery stores and also in the restaurants (which was nice for a change for us).

I give Jaco an A and would definitely go back again.

You can check out more of Jaco and my review below.

 

Jaco, Costa Rica Review from Devon on Vimeo.

Jaco, Costa Rica - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #2

We're back from 3 fun filled days in Jaco!!

Posting some pics here for our non Facebook followers. I will post more later. I have some video from the hotel, the meeting of our "cosmic connection" and sights around town and I will definitely share my impressions of Jaco.

We met up with Lavanson's brother Charles, who is now back in Jaco.  He showed us around town. 

Playa Jaco

Our hotel, which I have featured on my blog sidebar for several years now. We finally got a chance to stay there.  More on the hotel later.

And....Of course there was shopping!!!

Panama Jammin 2 - Manuel Antonio

Panama Jammin Continued - Day #1

We last left you in the early afternoon of day 1. We were waiting along the roadside for a taxi to transport us to our hotel.

Within 15 minutes a red taxi van arrived, we loaded everything inside and headed up the narrow hillside to the Hotel California, Manuel Antonio. If you come to Costa Rica you will not want to miss seeing Manuel Antonio with it's national park, wildlife, beautiful beaches, outdoor activities, restaurants and fabulous hotels!

Pink Champagne on Ice!

It was just about check in time when we arrived and we were all very happy that our rooms were ready for us. The hotel was very nice, perched on the beautiful jungle hillside with a super spectacular ocean view!! 

We had just enough time to drop off our luggage and rest a few minutes before we headed off again to meet our friend Vernita for a sunset dinner at Barba Rojas. The restaurant is the best around for sunsets, offers a 2 for 1 hamburger special for expats (in by 6pm) and has LIVE music! 

We made it just in time for happy hour! The food was good and we enjoyed meeting Vernita (who came over earlier to lend-a-hand as we were waiting on the side of the road for our taxi and who also suggested the restaurant). The music was rockin and also the highlight of our day!! (the band was composed of several US expats). 

What an enjoyable evening!

Thank you Vernita!! BTW if you have not yet seen the story of her journey to Costa Rica - click the link - it is well worth watching!).

Tired from many hours on the road, we spent a peaceful night at the hotel, hopped up early the next morning for food (breakfast was included) and headed for the border - but not before a quick stop at the beach!

Check out our day in the video below and come back for our next stop  --  

Boquete Panama!!

Panama Jammin - Manuel Antonio from Devon on Vimeo.

In the land of the Boruca - Our Life in Costa Rica

Costa Rica hosted their 6th Annual Blues Festival on Feb 18 in Playa Potrero, Guanacaste Costa Rica.

There was a group of 13 of us from our little town of Grecia that made the 4 1/2 hour trek to the event.
Larry & Deborah (our good friends from the adjacent ridge) drove Lavanson & me up to Guanacaste. It was our first time going. We had heard a lot about the area, and it was originally on our short list of "possible locations". (Guanacaste, is a province in northwestern Costa Rica bordering the Pacific, it is known for its beaches and biodiverse parkland) We ruled it out due to the very HOT weather. The area also has the least amount of rain in the country. 

Our 1st stop was to Villas Sol in Playa Hermosa (we LOVE this place so will report more later) for a couple of days to hang out with some folks who were visiting from the states and then we would journey onward to Playa Potrero to meet up with the rest of the group from Grecia for the Blues Festival.

My most prized possession from this trip... <3 <3 <3

We visited an art gallery in Playa del Coco run by a family of Borucan artists. I picked up an authentic Boruca mask (with certificate to prove it)

The Boruca (also known as the Brunca or the Brunka) are an indigenous people living in Costa Rica. The tribe has about 2,660 members, most of whom live on a reservation in the Puntarenas Province in southwestern Costa Rica, a few miles away from the Pan-American Highway where it follows the Rio Terraba. The ancestors of the modern Boruca made up a group of chiefdoms that ruled most of Costa Rica's Pacific coast, from Quepos to what is now the Panamanian border, including the Osa Peninsula. Boruca traditionally spoke the Boruca language, which is now nearly extinct.

This is Grace. She is married to one of the Boruca artists

The gallery shares space with a restaurant. 

We were in the gallery for a little over an hour. While we were there many people came in and bought artwork (I also bought a leather wrist band). We left to take a walk on the beach to get some ice cream but returned for lunch about an hour later.

The wall was almost empty and there was only 1 mask left!

We're all back! - Our Life in Costa Rica

Details to follow

On the road again - Our Life in Costa Rica

Update/Revision - Is there a cure for cancer growing in my backyard? - the healing plants of Costa Rica

***Update for email subscribers***

The link may have been left out for the video - Our 1st Guanabana

please find the video here.

Thank you

Day tripping to Manuel Antonio

The group took a day trip to Manuel Antonio stopping along the way in Jacó. Playa Jaco is the closest beach to San Jose, the Central Valley (about 2 hrs away) and is one of the most visited coastal destinations in Costa Rica.

Our friend and driver from our 2015 visit picked us in Grecia at 6:30am for the ride to Manuel Antonio. We planned to visit the National Park there. We hired a guide @ the park because I think it would be almost impossible to spot any animals without a guide. Even with a guide you will need to rely on his powerful telescope to see them. You can, however use your phone in connection with the telescope and get very beautiful clear photos. The guide is extra but I can't recall the price. It's probably around $32 for entry and a guide. Our guide was very good and showed us many local plants used for healing.

Trippin to Manuel Antonio from Devon on Vimeo.

link above for video

(please excuse typo for Manuel Antonio on the intro)

Exotic Fruits & Veggies for Life - Costa Rica

The foods of Costa Rica are intoxicating with the vast array of vibrant colors and textures. They are inexpensive to buy and good for your health. A certain gal pal has lost quite a bit of weight since arriving and I've heard the same from others who move to Costa Rica.

The interesting thing about shopping in Costa Rica is that to get the best food and for the best prices you probably need to shop at several different places i.e fruits/veggies/meat/seafood. Of course there are regular grocery stores where you can go and buy all your food -- one-stop  shopping -- but what is the fun in that?

Below are some of what they purchased this past weekend. Sorry I can't give you the names of everything but they look good!

a sweet potato in a different color - lightly sweet

cross between a squash and a potato?
These are called Pejibaye which are a palm tree fruit. While they are a fruit they taste more like a cross between a squash and a walnut. They are often sold already cooked and are excellent to peel and eat with mayonnaise -- the tico way... they just eat them plain.

mangosteen

dragon fruit (made into a smoothie)

All that fruit and veggies... Plus a huge thing of agua de pipa, fresh and fresh OJ... $8 worth of avocados (expensive due to a stoppage of imports)...$46

above a type of cilantro that only grows in Costa Rica

the strange looking green veggie (below) is called chayote and it is a member of the gourd/squash family. Chayote is very popular in Central America and is often lightly cooked or served raw with salads. While it does not have much flavor, it is a very good source of amino acids and vitamin C. 

followed by a trip to purchase seafood which they bought 2 lbs of Mahi Mahi cut into pieces for tacos, ceviche, etc. 2 lbs of Red Snapper fillets.... And 2 lbs of shrimp. $32

Shopping should be a lot of fun. Can't wait!!

Costa Rica (always) on my mind - Paradise found

Some of you may be wondering how my 2 Costa Rica gal pals are doing and what they've been up to since my last update back at the end of July. If you recall, we left them hot, sweaty, mosquito bitten and on their way to location #2 in Manual Antonio. Things began to look up for them in their 2nd month in Costa Rica but I don't think they had found that "perfect" spot yet.

They are now in their 3rd month (and 3rd location) and feeling more comfortable and enjoying themselves much more.  It is very typical for people who relocate to Costa Rica to move around from place to place quite frequently. There are many different climates and geographies in this tiny country and you never really know which suits you best, until you are there. This time they found a very nice house to rent in the beach town of Jaco. They sent me the pictures I'm sharing with you today and all I can say is "that's what I'm talking about!"

I think it's a good idea to slowly acclimate yourself to a new country such as Costa Rica (a move to Paris is whole different story -- if you get my drift). I say don't give up all the comforts of home and jump in with both feet right off the bat. Take it slow. Now of course this varies with each person and I am speaking for myself and those like me who are used to living in the city and enjoy having some comforts, such as air conditioning if it's 90 degrees outside with 90% humidity! Why suffer! As a matter of fact, I have already booked our first 10 days at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Escazu! (we will begin our relo in the Central Valley -- no beach -- but where the temps are generally in the mid 70's)

Enjoy the pics!!

Playa Jaco is the closest beach to San Jose, the Central Valley and is one of the most visited coastal destinations in Costa Rica. The beach is a 2.5 mile (4 km) strip which offers world renowned surfing and more. Much like Costa Rica's metropolitan areas, Jaco's offers most services, such as a post office, health center and branches of major banks. Furthermore, there are an abundance of surf shops, hotels and restaurants affordable for the budget travelers as well as those wishing to live a bit more luxuriously. Source

the new crib - house - pad (complete with private pool)