Pura Vida

Loc. adj. (slang) Pura Vida literally means "pure life", fine, cool, very well, or everything is ok.  It can be used as a greeting, farewell, to express satisfaction or wellness. ( Was your vacation ok? Si, pura vida!)

We loved Costa Rica!  As Eliza says, Best. Vacation. Ever.  This is my species list of the species we recognized that we saw (slightly expanded for explanation) and where we saw it.

Day 1: Driving from San Jose to Arenal
Pejivalle is palm fruit. We ate some at a roadside fruit stand.  It is salty and delicious.
Granadilla is a seeded sweet fruit.
Plantain trees
Sugar cane
Coffee plantations
Pavo-- wild chicken


Day 2: Zip lining down Arenal volcano through the canopy of the rain forest.

Three toed sloth in a tree by the side of the road
tree frog--poison dart frog

Coati: tame raccoon-like guys who live in groups of about 20 and all come up to you begging for food.

Leaf cutter ants working diligently to bring pieces of leaves home to be the substrate for their fungus farming.  They are the only animals besides humans that grow their own food.  If you look closely you can see their trail running up and down through the center of the picture.

Day 3: Hike through the understory of the rain forest over hanging bridges.
Parrots. Alan and I saw a noisy green pair on our morning walk.
Owl (buho or lechusa in Spanish)
Spider monkeys screaming and fighting.
Howler monkeys
Blood tree
Walking palm.  Roots that start above ground literally move the tree towards the light.
Giant Anole
Leaf lizard
Cecropia tree
Mahogany
Wood thrush
Wood creepers
Lolly tailed Trogon
Bird of paradise
Bromeliads
Orchids
Impatiens
Trees used for fences (indio desnudo o quinocuave)
Flor de itavo

Day 4: Drive from Arenal Volcano to Manuel Antonio National Park, swimming at the beach at sunset.
Cloud forest, Rain forest, Semi arid forest, all within a couple hours' drive
Pineapple fields
Crocodiles.  In Spanish, Cocodrilos en el Rio Tarcoles
Palm oil plantation
Hermit crabs all over the beach by our hotel.
Bats
Sloth
Hibiscus-growing wild like redbuds in the forests here
Banana tree
Papaya tree

Day 5: Tour through Manuel Antonio National Park, swimming at the beach, souvenirs.
White tail deer that acted like a pet.  (They actually do live there, but they are endangered.)
heliconia plant
Three toe sloth with its baby.
Two toed sloths
Blue morph butterfly
Coyol palm, the one with darts on the trunk
Termites (termitas)
Purple crowned fairy humming bird
Tropical land crab
Toucan fire billed aracari
Fruit bats
Spiral ginger

Capuchin monkey
Squirrel monkey (mono ardilla o titi)
Green iguana
Black iguana (chicken of the tree)
Vultures
Honey bee hive
Basilisk lizard (walks on water)
Cicada
Lesser night hawk
Manzanilla tree. Toxic tree on beaches.
Long nose bat
Machila is backpack
Bracera is bracelet
Geckos on the walls of Victorias restaurant.

Day 6: Swimming at the hotel and then a catamaran snorkeling and dolphin spotting tour.
Pantropical spotted dolphins
Brown Bowie (like a gull)
A zillion tropical fish

Day 7: Lap swimming then driving back to San Jose.
Social Flycatcher by the pool (yellow breast brown wings)
Butterflies--both monarch-like and yellow
Mangroves (manglares)
Loras parrots lapa -- a huge red pair flying across the road.
Teca is teak
Mango trees
Pipa is coconut

Day 8: Church in San Jose followed by an art fair in the park next to our hotel.
Green and brown trunked trees in the park.  I wish I knew what they were.
tomato plant growing from a crack in the sidewalk on El Paseo Colon

Day 9: Travel home.
Millions of homo sapiens in the Atlanta airport