2012

A handful of weeks ago I mentioned my family trip to Costa Rica where I enjoyed what can only be called a ‘spiritual experience’.  If you need a dose of life affirmation in your life, a little yes-you should-be-on-the-planet-and-the-world-is-good, Costa Rica is your girl.

I think of countries as genders, don’t you?  Germany is totally a dude.

Right after we showed up in San Jose (the nation’s capital) we were escorted by minibus to a tour of a coffee plantation in the rainforest.

I need a minute to process that statement.

A coffee plantation in the middle of the rainforest you guys.  That business doesn’t happen to me every day.  Or any day, actually.  I live in Utah, one of the most arid states in the U.S. – it took some time for my little family to absorb all the green.  The greeeeeeeen!  And the humid (oh so humid) air in Costa Rica is like chewing gum, so thick you can roll it around on your tongue for awhile before you continue swimming.  By the time we happened upon this little waterfall off the side of the road we were all pretty *moist*, which is the polite society way of saying soaking wet without the actual dripping of moisture.

In other words, don’t wear cotton in Costa Rica unless you really like wearing *moist* clothing.  And rashes from moist clothing.  And the smell of that moist-cotton-jungle-clothing banned to the garage 4 weeks after you get home.

But you’d better take a camera because there’s something gorgeous every time you blink.

• Did you know coffee beans are red when they’re picked ripe?  I didn’t.
• Coffee beans turn brown after they have time to dry out a little.  (a lot)  These babies haven’t been roasted yet; they’re still a light brown when they’re bagged and sent to other countries (primarily the U.S. and Europe). It helps them last longer.  Once the actual roasting of coffee beans happens it’s a race to the finish line before they expire.
• When you buy Fair Trade coffee it helps sustain small community run coffee plantations.  Entire villages all over the world (but especially in Costa Rica) depend on the income made from fairly priced coffee beans sold to other countries.

Oh Costa Rica, you’re my best girl.

– Costa Rica I love you Forever part I is the first part in a series of posts about my travel to Costa Rica, a trip I experienced thanks to the Costa Rica board of tourism. –

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