The "Pura Vida" Trifecta. . A Beautiful Sunset, a Wonderful Day in Paradise Just Winding Down & a Few Sips of Wine. .

There are countless ways to spend your day here in Costa Rica. If you are fortunate enough to be living in this amazing country, or perhaps you're visiting for a week or two, you are familiar with the 'day trips' that we all take. Sometimes you have to pinch yourself to make certain that this isn't a dream. .

Look back for a moment as you're reading this little story. Remember some of your BEST TIMES in Costa Rica. Maybe you decided to take a coffee plantation tour. It was an interesting two hours spent! But the best part was, of course, enjoying that cup of coffee at the end of the tour, created with the beans picked from those coffee plants that you were watching grow just a few moments before! Was that the BEST cup of coffee you ever had? Of course it was!

Have you ever spent your morning on top of the Irazu volcano? It's a fun ride up from the center of Cartago. . just a few miles east of San Jose! You probably stopped at that little diner about 1/2 way up the mountain for a cup of coffee and/or a sandwich or a casado. They're friendly there. As you were sipping, you anticipated what it would be like to get up close and personal with a volcano. Remember this. . in the early 60's, Irazu showed its ugly face and erupted BIG TIME. It laid down some SERIOUS ASH in San Jose. . that fiasco lasted for almost two years. It was a very hard clean up. Many people lost their lives and it took years for the area to get back to normal. But for today, a stroll around the rim of a crater or two makes for a wonderful morning. I hope you had a chance to see both coasts at once. On a clear day, that is the icing on the cake!

Have you had a chance to take a hike in the jungle? So many options here in paradise with over 30 national parks and so many protected reserves. A question. . did you hire a guide to help spot the hard-to-find species of birds, sloths, perhaps a tapir or two. . did a big cat display its huge fangs to you? I hope not! Have you been to the cloud forests to see the resplendent quetzal? If not, that's a MUST DO-MUST SEE. . So many things to do here in one of the happiest countries on the planet!

Spending a day at the beach is hard to beat! I bought a hammock at the Mercado Central in downtown San Jose. . cost me under $50 and it gave me a thousand dollars worth of pleasure! That's a good return on my investment! We spent the entire day at one of the beaches around Manuel Antonio National Park. We watched the monkeys play on the beach, took a swim or two and soaked up some serious sun! It wears you out, but in a good way! With well over 800 miles of coastline, it's not very hard to find a beach with your name on it!

One of my favorite things to do during the day is to take a walk to downtown San Jose. People watching in another country really fills you up with delight and jubilation. As I sip my cup of coffee, sitting on a park bench, I notice the abuela, the mom and her children walking down the narrow streets, stopping at almost every store for maybe an ice cream cone or a freshly-squeezed orange juice from one of the street vendors makes me smile. To see all of the simple things in life bringing joy to all involved! It doesn't take much to be happy when you think about it. And it has nothing to do with buying and collecting all of the expensive toys that so many of us think will improve our lives. If all it takes is an ice cream cone and a cup of juice, then think of all the money you'll save. Life is good when one keeps it simple, don't you agree? And when you come across the street musicians and your toes start tapping, you will think you have died and went to heaven!

A WONDERFUL DAY IN PARADISE takes on many shapes and forms. There are endless ways to fill your day here in Costa Rica. And then when it's about over and the sun finds its way to where it sleeps. . and you're sipping on perhaps a vino tinto, you know, at that moment, that life is wonderful. You think to yourself that this has indeed been a day that you'll never forget. To top all of this off with a Costa Rican sunset. . can't get much better than this. . Pura Vida. .

You're invited to visit our websites at: www.costaricagoodnewsreport.com & www.costaricaimmigrationandmovingexperts.com

Also, please enjoy our over 1,770 episodes of our "Costa Rica Minute / Costa Rica Pura Vida Lifestyle Podcast Series". We are found on all major podcast venues, including iHeartRADIO,Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Radio FM, Anchor & many more. Here's our link: www.anchor.fm/costa-rica-pura-vida

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