One thing we first noticed was how warm the Costa Rican people are, and
how they basically...leave you alone. They are a country of peaceful yet
colourful people. I have even heard some refer to Costa Rica as the Switzerland of Central America.
We quite like eating at traditional restaurants, frequented by locals. For breakfast you would have a dish of rice and beans mixed together with onions and bell
peppers. This is often considered the Costa Rican national dish and for lunch a casado. It again consists of rice and beans served side by side instead of mixed, with some sort of meat and a salad to round out the dish. Sometimes there are extras like fried plantain, a slice of white cheese, and/or corn tortillas. Salsa Lizano is on and in everything!
Here we are tasting very fresh fish at
Papagayo Seafood restaurant.
Our kids are not fans of fish, even lovely fresh fish smoothered in yummy sauces. So, they had home made chicken nuggets, which were very delish!
This restaurant in Playa del Coco, over looks the main street. So there is lots to see while you enjoy a great meal. You can sit
upstairs and get a great view of the whole street, down to the ocean.
We also really liked the pizza at Coconuts. The pizzas were just one size - HUGE!
We did buy groceries in Liberia at
Jumbo, and the Auto Maercado in Playa del Cocoa. The Tico Bakery (blue/green building) on the right hand side of the
street, as you leave Playa del Cocoa, is also full of yummy pastries and breads. Our
Spanish is not great but we managed to always pick some delicious
breads. I would recommend the cinnamon bread which is braided in to a
loaf. :)
Here we are dining in Liberia, right off the main square at El Zaguan restaurant. We had come in to Liberia for a festival. Besides bull fighting!, which we did not see due to having young children, there was a fun carnival. The kids loved the rides and fit right in with all the Costa Rican children, having a blast! We had a slow start to the rides, as I once again stumbled along in Spanish, trying to figure out the ticket system. :)
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| Kim playing the Marimba with new friends. |
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| Dancing and singing in the town's central square as part of the festival. |
If you are making the trek down to Arenal Volcano from Liberia, here is a
great place for traditional and very delicious food. It is located in the
town of Tilaran, en route to the volcano. It had a lovely veranda
with a view plus great smoothies! As usual, in many places, the portions were generous. The kids were also interested in the marimba in this
restaurant as well. Do you see a reoccurring theme in musical
instruments? :)
Another treat in Costa Rica are the smoothies! And, the ice tea, which looks like a beer, is the best I have ever had - so refreshing.
And, don't get me started about the road conditions! WOW! However, it only adds to the adventure. Here is a photo of the MAJOR road, the Pan American (linking the Americas), and what it looks like in Costa Rica. Some roads are on a map but when you get there it just ends in a creek
bed. One guy told us that was the way, down the creek bed and then make a
turn at the next time we saw another road!! We turned around as we were
not up for that much of an adventure that day. :)
Here are the roads we travelled to a hacienda, and a beach. Thank goodness the tires held up!
And, this little cutie was in a restaurant, prowling around. Ahhhh :)
