All words by: Libby
All photos by: Libby and Carmi
With the holidays, stressful NYE parties and Gilbert Arenas on a rampage, I decided it was a good time to skip town for an extended vacation in the Switzerland of Central America, Costa Rica.
Listen to this song while reading
Here are some of the things I learned on the Isthmus:
The Nicaraguan border state of Guanacaste is noted for it's black volcanic beaches
It is also noted for its high concentration of Canadian White Trash- people who think it's totally fine to take flash photos AND TOUCH sea turtles who are laying their eggs on the beach, people who then verbally attack you when you point out that these are protected animals. People like this guy:
That's pretty much all I learned while I was in Guanacaste. From the North I moved down to Jaco, a sleepy town in Puntaarenas home to the world surfing championship. People in Jaco love weed and surfing.
I mean just look at these guys, they love roasting dragons.
Everyone is Jaco has really cool rides too. Some parts of the town are dominated by golf carts and boy oh boy do the old people bring it. Even look at the old lady Subway employee's ride.
Costa Ricans love riding motorcycles to the point that they train from childhood and also build straw effigies.
Jaco is a center for outstanding local artistic achievement, many of which I had planned to take home if it weren't for all the hammocks I had to schlep.
As you might have guessed, Jaco is really good for bonding. For German mothers and daughters sharing cornrows, bad tattoos and TCBY....
... and for old college friends sharing a zip line trip through the canopy and telling your mother really embarrassing stories about you at your best moments passed out in their dorm room closet wet and full of bruises.
Jaco is also friendly and welcoming for those with alternative lifestyles- including those who like to get peed on apparently. Beau will be attending the Mid-Atlantic Leather Conference next week! Keep your eyes open!
The shopping is amazing if you are of three types of people: stoner burn out surfer, Israeli hippie/grandmother, or Snookie from Jersey Shore.
Ticos (what Costa Ricans call themselves) living in Jaco care a lot about thee health of the young and the old. For the young, condoms in appealing packages with fun names are always just over the counter, while medical students take blood pressure of adults at the dinner table. No wonder that old woman in the awesome blue dress looks so happy and healthy!
Costa Rica is part of the "ring of fire" and because of all the earthquakes and volcanoes it's home to the youngest range of Mountains on the planet, an extension of the Andes-Sierra Madre. Atop these mountains you can see romantic sunsets like THIS:
South of Jaco is the protected national forest of Manuel Antonio. It's sick. The beach there is like a Little Tikes/Playmobil version of Rio.
Some parts of Manuel Antonio look like Isla Nubla (the fictional Island depicted in Jurassic Park). In fact, the movie was shot off the coast of Costa Rica.
Two things I learned about wildlife in the rain forest, 1) Monkeys hate ponies and are engaged in an ongoing battle like Sparta and Athens and 2) Crabs foam at the mouth when they get pissed
But the coolest thing by far about Costa Rica is that they have HAMMERHEAD SHARKS ON THE CURRENCY
All in all I'd definitely recommend leaving the United States for the holiday season, especially if you're Jewish and have social anxiety.
Previously in Misc/Awesome:
- 12/28: Terrible Boyfriend/ Girlfriend Generator.
- 12/1: The John Waters Advent Calendar-it starts today
- 11/28: It Chooses You: All I Want for Christmas is Everything from Miranda July's Pop-Up Shop
- 11/3: Things I'd Move to Minnesota For
- 9/6: PHOTOS: Maloof $$ Money Cup
- 9/2: PHOTOS: Chantilly Model Train Show
- 9/1: Libby's List: 5 Things I Want Right Now...
- 8/22: PHOTOS: Best Friends Day
- 8/10: PHOTOS: Lawn Mover Racing, Eastern Seaboard Regionals @ Bowles Farm
- 7/26: Special List: Things the BYGays Want Now That We Can Marry In DC (and NY!)
God loves a cheerful giver.
I'll fuckin' kill those monkeys.
Isla Nublar was fictional????
You've got to be f'ing kidding me.
that was great, lol! im actually headed there with my boyfriend on jan 23. ive been to jaco and love it there. also spent some time in the rainforest and near arenal volcano. we're headed to a small surfing town out on the peninsula on the west coast. have some hippie friends out there and we're staying in a guest house for $10 a nice. ha. can't wait!
We've taken to calling this post "Which one of Libby's friends do we want to hook up with?"
Great observations. You're dead on, Libby, I can't stand Canadians either!
you only went to jaco and manuel antonio? i hope you didnt go in the water there, its polluted from a nearby hotel letting all the sewage run into it. this is a horrible horrible guide. perhaps you should only share your vacation pics and thoughts with your friends, not turn it into some byt article.
I wanna push a tricked out golf cart and spend money with hammer head sharks printed on it. this place looks tight.
@ really? raw sewage dumped into the ocean? that would never happen in the good ole U.S. of A.......
jaco was a dump compared to the rest of costa rica. when i passed through traveling from arenal volcano (nw) down to peninsula de osa (se), jaco seemed like ocean city compared to the rest of beaches/pristine environment of the country.
Jeez Libby, you mean you didn't visit every single square inch of Costa Rica and only wrote about the places where you did go? Fuck girl, what's wrong with you?
Guanacaste was better than Jaco in terms of beaches. Jaco and tamarindo are totally ocean city! That's why they're so awesome.
Dude, you're crazy if you think Manuel Antonio is polluted. It's a protected National Park. Jaco is another story....but I strongly doubt the CR ministry of interior would allow a hotel to dump sewage on the beach.
I'd be railing on this orientalism if it weren't pretty much all about white people
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