These are more of my un-used pictures from my trip in Costa Rica. Mostly from around Manuel Antonio, Arenal, Monteverde and Corcovado National Park. With more than a quarter of the country's total land comprising of national parks, reserves and refuges, it is no wonder then that this country's greatest national treasure is it's plethora of natural diversity. I was really surprised by how much I loved it. Very secluded, many days we didn't see anyone except at the lovely hotel. Great service and we even had massages. Having been through this pandemic now, I think I could easily live there. It was not uncommon in the morning to have coati's, monkeys, or exotic birds on the deck, and the hotel is mostly all open air, with the ability to be closed up for bad storms. It too, was not uncommon, to see birds and small lizards breeze through. I shared many of those on my insta. Home to some of the most colorful and exotic flora and fauna on earth, and one of the most bio-diverse regions in the world, yet this tiny country is the habitat of some 10,000 species of plants and trees. It's lush and verdant, and steamy. A good place for the avid nature lover. The scenery can't be beat, and you'll see some of the most pristine and secluded jungles that play host to a varied cast of huge insects, mammals, retiles and birds. And Warbucks got a great picture of me from above at one of the many waterfalls, one of my favorite pictures to date. I miss this place. And we had an outdoor shower.
Arenal Volcano
The Ruins of Ujarras. Once considered of the oldest churches in the country. The ruins are a good relaxing point when hiking.
La Bruja waterfall
I've always been told Costa Rica is a great place to visit. Your photos prove it. I'd like to be out on that rope bridge with that porch and those drinks waiting on the other end.
ReplyDeleteYou boys would love it, but I shutter to even think of you hiking about hills, inclines and tree rooted paths with your track record, LMAO.
DeleteOMG
ReplyDeleteThis is paradise. Really. I have heard people rave about it for years and I can see why. So absolutely beautiful. As I told you, Bucket list. Right away.
XOXO
You should. It's so different than a city environ. And the creatures I saw were all so unique. Land and sea. And Witch's Rock was really cool to see.
DeleteGorg.
ReplyDeleteBefore the pandemic Youngest Son spent
ReplyDeletea long time working there. Loverly,
loverly pictures! xoxo :-)
Oh, I need his job I think!
DeleteBeautiful, Mads! I have friends who lived in Costa Rica for a few years. They loved it. Until I see a few pictures of spiders in the area, I won't even think about visiting :) I've seen Arachnophobia and this looks too similar to that!
ReplyDeleteWell Duchess, you may recall in my original post from the trip that HUGE bug on the screen of the pub we had drinks. It looked like from the movie Alien. Im sure we would have seen more, but I tried not to be that observant.
DeleteOh I remember that now! Just think of the size of the spider that would have to kill and eat that thing! I'll stay here and squash bathtub spiders.
DeleteGirl, had I seen a spider that big, my ass might have been on the plane back home!!!! Warbucks always says to me "Can you imagine what might have been walking in the room at night while we slept." I try not to think of that.
DeleteBeautiful!
ReplyDeleteJust had these lying around, huh, toots? They are stunning. You continue to amaze me. Such an eye. I adore those monkey things. LOL. Yeah, a biologist, I am not. I call Capybaras - chupacabras (it drives The Boyfriend mad). But back to your pics... Tina Turner's Paradise Is Here sprang into my head as I was looking at them. That's how powerful a photog you are, dear. Thank you for sharing these with those of us who are travel-challenged. Kizzes.
ReplyDeleteThank you Upton. You crack me up! The cell phone and my digital camera di most of the work! You wouldn't want to see all the pictures on my laptop. I cam back from Costa Rica with almost 400 pictures!!! And Im trying to limit myself from such craziness. Then some get edited. It's hard to take a bad picture there really.
DeleteYou had me at the first four pictures! Is that a volcano in the background??? These really show how dense it is. I wonder if the reptiles and insects would bother me, I'm not a fan of either.
ReplyDeleteStunning pictures, can't even imagine being there.
That is a volcano! Arenal.That was taken from our second hotel. Picture 1,3,4 and the wooden deck were all taken at the Rio Celeste Hideaway Hotel where we stayed most of the time. Very secluded. Way cool hotel. I loved that outdoor shower and open air bathroom.
DeleteThis would be the perfect vacation to start with coming out of the pandemic too. Not only very pretty , but you can sort of ease back into seeing people again, but not the crowds of a city.
ReplyDeleteI can see why that is your favorite picture Warbucks took. It's stunning! And who is Warbucks?
These literally took my breath away!!!!! And I am loving you in the hat hanging on your back! No shirt! I'd be afraid of bugs.
ReplyDeleteSimply magical.
ReplyDeleteAnd those cute animals are Coatis, surely? Jx
They are Coati! These were a bit more tame since they were on the grounds of the hotel. Most mornings you'd find one or a monkey, on the balcony deck. The monkeys made me more apprehensive. But the Coatis are so cute. I named ours Camille, as she visited us mornings.I tried to smuggle her home, till I got frisked at the airport....
DeleteWhat beautiful photos! Especially that first one -- so lush! so green! -- it takes my breath away!
ReplyDeleteMaddie: I have never injured myself when out hiking ... that I can remember. I DID once walk face first into a low-hanging tree branch, but it missed my eye and only needed two stitches below my eye brow. It was a freezing cold night in Boston and I was rushing home with my shoulders hunched, gloveless hands stuffed in my pockets, and my head down. I was with two friends who somehow missed the tree... but still. I was in a rain forest in Washington State and returned without incidence.
ReplyDeleteWell thats good news! Now just make sure to take extra health care out just to be safe, all the same.
DeleteHEAVENLY!!!!!! I can only imagine the sounds and smells of a thriving rainforest! Not to mention all of the flora and fauna to discover in Costa Rica’s vast rainforests – an experience to remember, for sure. Just looking at the pictures...so many shades of green. Thanks for sharing Mistress. I feel as though your providing me a vacation by just viewing the pictures.
ReplyDeleteI embiggened the pic of the guy at the waterfall cause I thought he might be naked....
ReplyDeleteWarbucks wanted me to be naked....but my luck would have been someone would have came along, like a tour group.
DeleteAs always your photos are so beautiful! Like someone else said, I've never seen so green different shades of green! That picture Warbucks captured is a good one.
ReplyDeleteI've read a lot about Cost Rica. They seem to do a lot right. No military, good medical and health benefits and have excellent environmental plans. The plan for the rainforest is very encouraging. CR is one of the places I want to visit after the pandemic.
ReplyDeleteCould there be a more perfect place to start?
DeleteStunning pictures! This make me travel sick to travel again. This trip would be worth the whole thing to just see a toucan!
ReplyDeleteThose were very cool too see. The only one I ever saw up to this time, was on my Fruit Loops box as a kid. You might be to young to remember those. Bitch.
DeleteExcellent! A world away. A nature lover's dream. I really like the picture of the sun coming through what was left of a window from the ruins. I too love the picture Warbucks got of you! So small in a huge forest.
ReplyDeleteHoney Buns, you are a brilliant photographer. I'm a wee bit jealous of your many talents.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Thank you Janie! To be fair, Warbucks took the one close up of the toucan, the one with me in it of course, and two others. But it was quite the place.
DeleteThanks for the reminder that if things don't go well here in the States we can always move there and retire.
ReplyDeleteI d split a beach cottage with ya!
DeleteLove the pics; when I was a kid my ambition was to own a slice of jungle - it looked to exotic and different from where I was. Your pictures prove my point.
ReplyDeleteHelen, I think that is precisely why I love Costa Rica so much. It was so different to other places I'd been previously. I think when I die, I'd like to just walk in the rainforest and go to sleep. Never heard from again. Let me return to the earth.
DeleteAdd to the list of places I need to visit.
ReplyDeleteI'm ready!
DeleteBeautiful. We had a friend who passed away about 10 years ago - who owned a coffee plantation there. We never got to go with him. We planned it, but too late.
ReplyDeleteOh what a shame Pat! You both would have loved it. Yes...the coffee. Some of the best tasting coffee I'd ever enjoyed. There were a few coffee plantations that offered tours and coffee tastings, but we never got around to doing that.
DeleteIt would be so fun to see the Monkeys and those Coatis! I remember you also saying how pristine the beaches were their...white sand was it? I too was SHOCKED you weren't nude in that picture Mistress! It a great picture, but nude would be far more exotic don't you think?
ReplyDeleteVery neat. Jerry has been there.
ReplyDeleteSuch an amazing place! Like other have said, it does indeed take your breath away. Can't imagine it in person.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely wonderful photos! I kept waiting for King Kong to come crashing through the tree canopy. I hear the bird watching is great there...and a hummingbird oasis.
ReplyDeleteWOW You got some excellent pictures! Brings back some good memories. Prepare to be mesmerized when one goes. We saw 55 species of birds on our trip. We did a guide tour with a guide one morning which was helpful to try to get an idea of the paths in the reserve because it is a large place. It's also great that many there are bilingual.
ReplyDeleteI agree! One almost needs a guide in those forests!
DeleteI loved that pose you were striking at the water fall.
ReplyDeleteI think I need a Costa Rician vacation!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful scenery, as long as I can still find my way back to civilization.
ReplyDeleteI could live there now, no hesitations.
Deleteyou love to travel, as I can see!
ReplyDeleteOh, this looks like heaven! I remember your original Costa Rica post and longing to go and be in the jungle (then, of course, reality kicks in and I start thinking about the heat and humidity, the biting insects, the tourists, the heat and humidity...).
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the 12th photo (the one with the waterfall) - why is there a creepy, open-mouthed face under the water (just above that horizontal leaf) in the lower right corner?
I have never noticed that before! It must be some sort of reflection from the sun light or something. It's rather eerie...... I sure hope it wasn't some evil water spirit
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