Costa Rica

Who has been to Costa Rica? The Kardashians, The Real Housewives of Orange County, The Amazing Race, Househunters International, and even the Simpsons (all on Hulu). So has Nancy Drew (check your local library). But my goal is to find something more tailored to me and my family while we travel to Costa Rica while staying at home.

For my father and me – health and history:

People commonly live more than one hundred years in only a few places in the world. I live in one of them. Costa Rica has another one. The book The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest by Dan Buettner explains some of the factors that contribute to this long and healthy life. Similarities between the people of Loma Linda, California and those of the Nicoya peninsula in the northwestern corner of Costa Rica are a diet rich with legumes, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits; a sense of purpose; and a focus on relationships. If you are interested in learning more about living longer, the book is available in all the usual formats through your favorite bookstore. I borrowed it from the Loma Linda branch of the San Bernardino County Library.

Another similarity between Costa Rica and the community in which I grew up is the focus on healthcare and education. I think the story of how Costa Rica developed that focus is fascinating. It is outlined in A Bold Peace, a 2017 documentary free on Amazon Prime (or $3.99 on Amazon) about how Costa Rica eliminated a standing army in 1948 and has been spending the money on healthcare and education instead.

For another perspective on this story, First Lady of the Revolution: A Southern Belle's Journey through Love, Exile and Revolution in Costa Rica from Collective Eye Films tells the story of the United States citizen Henrietta Boggs who married José Figueres Ferrer, the initiator of these changes in Costa Rica. This documentary can be found on Kanopy, free using your library card. Henrietta Boggs also wrote an autobiography Married to a Legend, Don Pepe. This can be found through your favorite bookstore.

For my mother – caring for children and the beauty of nature:

The movie The Blue Butterfly is based on a true story of a boy with brain cancer who convinces a scientist to take him to Costa Rica to hunt a rare butterfly. It’s found free here: https://tubitv.com/movies/458235/the_blue_butterfly_edited

Almendro: Tree of Life shows the birds, mammals, reptiles & amphibians which all make their home in, on, and around the giant Almendro tree. Even fish eat the fruit that falls into water below the tree, making this tree a source of life for many. The video can be found on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv8OtKa8dUw

For my husband and older sister – fun diving adventures:

Two videos about Cocos Island and the waters surrounding it may seem redundant to those who don’t dive but my husband watched both intently with me, as he always does when marine life is involved. My older sister is also an avid diver and would be right there for these dives.

· Great Blue Wild is free on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Great-Blue-Wild-Cocos-Island/dp/B01E7O8LKK/

· Cocos Island - The Mysterious Island in the Pacific is free on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmtH3nIlELc

By the way, Robert Lewis Stevenson reportedly based his book Treasure Island on Cocos Island. You can find it free on Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/120

For my younger sister – birds, books, and coffee:

There are more species of birds in tiny Costa Rica than the United States and Canada combined. Not all the birds in Parrot Confidential are from Costa Rica, but some are. It can be found at: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6rjckz

If you sign in using your local library card, Hoopla has many travel guides and plenty of music from Costa Rica. https://www.hoopladigital.com/. Two items on Hoopla particularly caught my attention as likely to appeal to my younger sister. Costa Rica: A Traveler’s Literary Companion edited by Barbara Ras has short stories, some short enough to be more like character sketches, by well-known Costa Rican authors. These short pieces are sorted by the part of the country that the narrative describes, allowing the reader to see the costumbrismo or local color.

Coffee, from Seed to Cup is a documentary on the growing and processing of coffee in Costa Rica. If we were there, we would clearly take the tour that this Hoopla video provides. We would also drink the coffee. It’s pretty easy to order Costa Rican coffee online if you want a taste.

For my brother – the tranquil beach:

If my brother is going to Costa Rica, he’s going to be on the beach with his wife and children. Until we all can get there together, the closest thing I can find is a webcam: https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/costa-rica/puntarenas/puntarenas/costa-rica-puntarenas.html

For me – films original to the country:

If I weren’t traveling with my family on this trip, I would stop and watch one or two of the 91 movies that show up on a Costa Rica search on Digitalia. Click on any of them to get a synopsis of the film, any awards won, and whether it has English subtitles. We’ll be checking in with Digitalia again when we arrive at another Spanish speaking country and next time I’ll come up with some recommendations. If you find a favorite, let me know. https://www.digitaliafilmlibrary.com/

From my daughter Kristen for all of us:

When she was nineteen years old, Kristen called to tell me she would spend the first part of Christmas break in Costa Rica to learn about sustainability with the GREEN Program. I hadn’t yet thought about my children traveling internationally without me and I knew nothing about Costa Rica. Now that I know more about Costa Rica, I agree with Kristen that this was a good choice for her first solo international trip.

A thoughtful abuela in Costa Rica taught her to make these coconut balls and she made them for Christmas dinner. They take a lot of time and are delicious!

Cajetas de coco

2 coconuts (this will make about 5 cups of chopped up coconut)

4 cups of milk

2 cups of brown sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Cut up the coconut in a blender or food processor. The finer the chop of the coconut, the better. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Cook in pan on low heat until dry. It takes 4-6 hours cooking time for the milk to evaporate and the sugar to caramelize. Roll into balls. They are extra special with chocolate drizzled on top.

Here are some additional Costa Rican recipes if you want to make a whole meal: https://www.puravidamoms.com/costa-rican-recipes/

More beauty from Costa Rica and options for a great trip can be seen at https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-costa-rica/

There is certainly something for everyone in the family in Costa Rica! When this pandemic is over, you might want to plan travel here using your local travel advisor. Shout out to my favorite travel advisor, Kaitlin Darnell at Laura's Travel in Redlands. May the travel industry survive and thrive - may we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace and health to flourish in Costa Rica and throughout the world.

Photo Credit: Zdeněk Macháček https://unsplash.com/photos/XUFMiGkv-60

(There are more amazing bird pictures from the same photographer on Unsplash that are well worth viewing also.)