Costa Rican Rainforest

        Have you ever walked in a rainforest? Have you stayed in a treehouse with a bedroom and bath? I have done both in Costa Rica. It is a lush country filled with colorful flowers and green forests. It seems to rain whenever we are out and about. I am trying to find a pattern for the rainstorms. Today I carried my raincoat around for half a day in the sunshine. Then it poured as soon as we arrived at our B & B. I got soaked even though I had on my hooded raincoat. Ugh! 

You can never have too much water. People have died of thirst shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean. We had a five-course gourmet lunch overlooking the Botanical Gardens. Luckily, it had tiny gourmet portions. Afterward, we walked through the woods, gardens, and a greenhouse. Wild plants grow in the rainforest without too much effort. The gardeners do more cutting and pruning than watering the flowers.

This country is full of color from the fruit markets to the birds in the rainforest. We are staying at a treehouse in the clouds overlooking the village below on the edge of a volcano. Next door is a warehouse for river rafts, bikes, and kayaks. Tourists are slowly returning to this beautiful country now they have COVID vaccines overseas. Costa Rica has only offered vaccinations to citizens over age 70. There are still rules requiring masks in public and alternate driving days for cars. This cuts back on people in public by having car license plates ending in even numbers on one day and odd numbers on the next. However, it doesn’t seem to reduce the traffic. I wonder what it's like normally. 

There are some dangers in the rainforest with poisonous snakes, plants, spiders, and earthquakes. We went on an adventurous 4 wheel drive through the rainforest. We drove past the coffee plantation that Starbucks oversees. Housing and a school for the families that work on the plantation are provided. The workers come from Nicaragua. It puts Starbucks in a humanitarian role. We also visited a huge waterfall in the middle of nowhere with locals swimming and sitting on the rocks. Then we petted white horses and ate lunch at a historic farmhouse outside on the veranda overlooking the gardens. The colorful insects and birds surrounded the garden. 

Now we are staying on the Caribbean side of the country with beaches, music, tropical food, and sunshine. We are in a local home within walking distance of the ocean. The dirt roads are full of potholes filled with water from the daily rain. Tourists wear colorful beachwear and the locals wear earth-colored shorts and T-Shirts. It is very laid back and full of wildlife everywhere. We have seen brightly colored frogs, birds, and lizards. We are surrounded by coconut trees, blue sky, and neon flowers. Is this heaven on earth?

There have been a few inconveniences including a tractor plowing the field across the street. This may be the reason we have on-again, off-again water, no air conditioning, and not enough English language. I’m not complaining and realize nothing is perfect in this world, even in paradise. There are a few things to be careful of such as snake bites, slipping on wet rocks, and earthquakes. If you happen to win the Costa Rica Lottery, be prepared to exit the country immediately before thieves come after you. You could always hide out in one of the tiny homes that are popping up in the wilderness. Companies are building them from tin containers for river rafters to stay in overnight. All four sides open up so that they have a view of the tropical rainforest. There is also a water supply and an organic toilet. If you are into adventure, this is the place to visit. 

Del Monte takes care of its banana plantation workers here. We drove past their huge plantations surrounded by chain fences with housing, schools, stores, and medical services on the grounds. Employees get paid well too they say. Bananas are big business here. Organic bananas take a year to grow, while regular bananas can be picked after eight months which is longer than I expected. We saw inedible red bananas too in the photo above. Beware of snake bites in the banana groves. Also, workers have died when the banana groves flood during the torrential rains. Growing bananas is more complicated and dramatic than I ever knew. When I return home and eat my daily banana, I will appreciate the hardship that workers go through to grow and harvest them. Viva Costa Rica!