Visit Costa Rica's Exotic Southern Caribbean Coastline, Off the Beaten Path

[caption id="attachment_3780" align="alignleft" width="640" caption="Canals of Tortuguero, Costa Rica's Caribbean"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3781" align="alignleft" width="640" caption="Lush tropical plants, Costa Rica's Caribbean"][/caption]

Come and tour Costa Rica's Southern Caribbean Coastline,  off the beaten path but truly a  an exotic tropical paradise.   Most tourist travel to this region by car.  Or take one of the private bus services  such as Greyline or purchase a transfer through the hotel where they are staying.  It's  around four hours by car  from San Jose, just take the main highway to Limon and just before you get to Limon you will take a right turn which leads you along the southern Caribbean Coast.  The road system here leaves a lot to be desired, quite a few dirt and gravel areas.

Immediately you will sense that this is a much more laid back part of Costa Rica than you have previously experienced.  But  lush and tropical with a jungle feeling.   The beaches are lined with palm trees and the warm ocean breeze blows almost constantly.  Rains a lot here-all year round.  A large portion of the population are the people whose descendants from  the island of Jamaica.  You will see their very colorful cultural influence everywhere here, from the  coconut infused food flavors  to the reggae music to  the bright huesof blue and yellow of the houses.

Which area should I visit?  First there is the Sloth Rescue Center, very unique plqce  where you can see baby sloths being cared for to be released into the wild as well as Buttercup, an eight year old sloth how resides at the rescue center.  She was picked up from the side of the riad after being hit by a car and taken to the refuge where she is living  happily.  This tour takes about 2 hours.  Learn more at www.slothrescue.org

Life style and beaches are the draw here.  Weather is rainy all year so one has to love rain to stay here very long.  The life style is very laid back and easy going.  Never see anyone in a hurry. The beaches are beautiful but not many of them are swimmable.  You see many rocky areas along the beach where the water washes up.  Lots of wild life and gorgeous  tropical plants and flowers.

The road system is in poor repair, lots dirt gravel areas and potholes.

Most tourist come here to experience this easy life style, visit the beaches, listen to the reggae music at night in the clubs, and watch the monkeys, sloths, iguanas, green parrots, and yes snakes.

Many small hotels sprinkle the beaches (no big resorts here).  Lots of local small restaurants serving Caribbean cuisine such as rice with coconut water, pineapple shrimp, fried plantains, and of course black beans with white rice.

www.greencoast.com  is  a great web site to great excellent information on tourism on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica.

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee Costa Rica Grows Great Coffee

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Coffee prompts social activity,  stimulates friendships and conversation, and should never be enjoyed alone.  You should always share it with someone.

So if you are traveling to Costa Rica take every opportunity to have a great cup of Costa Rican coffee.

Coffee is the "gold" of Costa Rica.  It made many Costa Rican families wealthy and created an elite class whose children are educated in North America and in Europe.

If you visit the central valley around San Jose, Alajuela, Grecia, and the surroundings you will see the green coffee trees with their red berries of coffee which are picked by hand  from November through January.   The picking is done mostly by Nicaraguans who live on the plantations.

Learn more about interesting  coffee tours at www.coffeetour.com

Also at www.dokaestates.com

Did You Know Quespos has a Marina Now?

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Yes, Quepos, Costa Rica has a marina now.  Being one of the most popular  sport fishing destinations in Costa Rica, this is very good news!  The marina comprises  forty acres and 97 docking slips and is  located just north of the old United Fruit Company pier in downtown Quepos.  It is privately owned and built by Harold Lovelady who came to Quepos eleven years ago to retire after a career in telecommunications in Texas.   Boats from Russia, Brazil, USA,  South Africa, and other countries in Europe have have floated into Pez Vela, the name given to the dock.  They come to fill their tanks with fuel and also to spend a few days in the beautiful tropical paradise with is sandy white beaches and Pacific blue waters.  Lovelady states that some of the boats hold thousands of gallons of fuel.   For example a yacht could hold 10,000 to 50,000 gallons of diesel fuel.   Jobs have been created for the locals to work on the  docks as well as hope for increased tourism to Manuel Antonio National Park and the surrounding area.

Quepos is famous worldwide for it's great sport fishing.   Many different kinds of fish can be caught,  from  sailfish, which are catch and release, to  large tuna, ,marlin,  dorado, snapper, and snook.   And the fishing is good year round.