I travelled a bit further, so far this year I have been to two new countries within Europe, but I needed some surf. I wouldn’t say there was much deep thinking behind it, I searched a bit and came across Santa Teresa, a funky surf town in Costa Rica and decided that I needed to go.
A grand decision it was, Costa Rica really is magic. Its jungle, sea, wildlife, a sense of calm all encapsulated into one miraculous place. Of course, I ate well, very well, there was lots of tropical fruit, an abundance of sea food and everything was wildly fresh. And no, its not cheap but very, very much worth every colónes spend.
- jungle & sea-
Breakfast
Sometimes this was pre surf and sometimes post. The hostel that I stayed at provided breakfast everyday which consisted of some very fresh fruit and granola. I am not a sweet breakfast person but in the hot and humid weather fresh, cold fruit was good.
One of the days I had breakfast at a place called ‘The Bakery’ which was a bit fancier but did large portions of very good food. Not Costa Rican but more café esque, but not London portions. Actually I confess, I went back to this place a few times and one of those was to be fancy and paint my nails because really I looked like a female version of Mowgli most days, and no complaints at that.
some very large fish tacos at the bakery.
And religiously post surf everyday I had fresh coconut water and the truck I bought it from also did fresh ceviche which was tangy and sour, and all the flavours I adore.
(magic)
Costa Rican food
I ate at several ‘Sodas’, these are local Costa Rican cafes akin to a Dhaba in Pakistani/Indian culture. They serve Costa Rican food in very large portions. 'Casados' are the main dishes. Honestly these were perfect as it’s a balanced plate of protein, vegetables, rice, beans, and a spicy sauce. Oh and the local chilli sauce is amazing, I did bring a bottle back to London. Casados win.
I had several variations during my time there. And maybe my favourite was the one with Tuna. Of course, it was fresh.
There is also a dish of rice and whatever protein you like with it, which I had one of the days with shrimp, also delicious.
Plantain isn’t something I have eaten a lot of because I thought it would always be too sweet for my palate, but I adored it when eaten along side everything else in a Casado. I was also introduced to Patacones which are twice fried plantains and these are great with fresh ceviche!
I did have one fancy meal at El Corazon on my last evening, it was all vegan in a beautiful outdoor setting.
Tropical Fruit
Okay so the fruit and vegetables are insane. Avocados are the size of papayas; the limes are bright orange, and the streets are littered with fallen mangoes from trees.
below is the calm after a fiery afternoon of monsoon rain.
I had some great guavas and my favourite combination of sour mango with the magic powder that is Tajin (to think of the Tajin I will consume the day I travel to Mexico).
Miscellaneous
There is a plethora of other cuisines available too, some great tacos, pasta, noodles and good brunches. But really if you’re in country which already has such incredible food, its worth not spending too much on them. On the contrary, I spent my last day in Costa Rica in San Jose, the capital city and really wanted noodles. So found what seemed like a large family run Chinese restaurant and yes, did have a very big portion of noodles.
Some great drinks and fried rice with shrimp, also delicious.
Pura Vida ?!
I met some special people during my time there, from every corner of the world. Spend mornings surfing, days exploring waterfalls, driving ATV’s, snorkelling with puffer fish, taking boat rides to islands in torrential rain; evenings watching mesmerising sunsets, witnessing the wonder of bioluminescence glowing in the dark, and spending time getting to know some wondrous people. And there were iguanas, monkeys, and hummingbirds amongst others always around to accompany it all. Costa Rica, you have inhabited a large corner in my heart.
(bioluminescence - a type of seaweed that glows when touched, so that bright blue is people swimming)
a vibrant, calm wonderland.