Costa Rica. The rich coast.
Y’all! I would pack up and move there in the blink of an eye!
But probably not during rainy season. And most likely only at a certain altitude. In the mountains, the temperature is delightful, the sun and sky and breeze create an environment in which I’d never want to leave.
However, at sea level it’s damn steamy. So what’s the rainy season like in the mountains?
I was most eager to go to Colombia on this trip, but Costa Rica was my favorite stop.
This botanical garden specializes in orchids.
It was steamy here, but stupid gorgeous!
I shot so many different types of orchids, I lost count.
We left the gardens for the coffee plantations in the mountains.
This is Doka Estate coffee plantation.
I’m not much of a coffee drinker, I mean I like it, but mostly with dessert after dinner. If I’m drinking it in the morning, it’s hot and black and I’m either hungover, eating donuts, or straight desperate for caffeine.
However, I’m an avid (container) plant grower, and I was excited to learn how coffee beans grow, are tended, and harvested. How they’re dried and roasted for human consumption.
The beans are picked several times throughout the season. The red ones are ripe, the green ones stay on the plant and wait their turn. Apparently you can eat the red beans right from the plant and they’re a little sweet tasting. I didn’t, so I cannot verify.
There is a saying in Costa Rica, ‘pura vida’. It means pure life, and to be perfectly honest, it’s so much more than just a slogan, it is truly a way of living.
The flora is gorgeous.
The coffee is on point.
The food is delicious.
The living is pure.
I’m already planning a return.
therobynbirdsnest 
“Pura vida”, sounds like a good motto for living. The botanical garden would be lovely to look around. So it’s true about the coffee being delicious then – different roasts are pretty popular in the UK, too. It’s great you can actually get a tour of the planation to learn more about the process. You’ve got some great photos, and I can see why you wouldn’t hesitate to live there (apart from when it’s raining 😉).
Caz xx
I’m actively figuring how I already incorporate pura vida in my life, and how to further capitalize on it!
It’s so cold and windy here today, I’m headed home to make a cup of steaming-hot Costa Rican coffee! 😘
I loved the feeling of a rainforest and the humidity and I also have visited a coffee plantation. Both are good memories.
I like the Pura Vida living slogan. How do Costa Ricans live that shows that goal? What part would you copy in your more complicated or busy life?
From what I experienced, Costa Ricans simply accept that life is a gift and embrace the daylights out of it.
I’m considering how I already incorporate pura vida into my life, and how to embrace it fully. I think it starts with loads of gratitude and will grow from there as I work to accept what’s in front of me, and foster, well, more, I think!
Love!
😘