Traveling through Costa Rica

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

We are on a new adventure in Ometepe Island, Nicaragua which will involve numerous photos and blog posts because not only is this a very interesting new experience, itis a really beautiful area. We came here on the bus.

On our first day (Tuesday) we travelled to San Jose, Costa Rica. It rained most of the time and then got dark so we couldn’t see much on the ride up. We were only in San Jose for a night but loved what we saw in our limited time. Unfortunately I poked the wrong thing on my new camera and lost those photos, but hopefully we can spend more time there and get to know the city a bit better.

My first impressions of San Jose were of a more established city with older buildings and more history going back decades (unlike Panama who’s considerable growth has been quite recent). There were many people on foot in the street, a large variety of people of many colors and some with piercings, tattoos, interesting hair colors, and other modes of self expression not usually seen in Panama. There also seemed to be every sort of familiar fast food, more so than in Panama. It felt good there, relaxed, interesting, happy, and a place where I would like to spend more time.

Wednesday we got back n the bus and traveled to Liberia, Costa Rica. It was a beautiful sunny day and this time I did not lose the photos.

As we left the city, vendors were taking advantage of slow traffic areas. This one was spellings toys and balls
We passed the San Jose Airport (I believe this is the main airport judging by the number of full size planes there)
There was a lot of fruit for sale by the side of the road, especially these mammon chinos. This guy was selling them out of the back of the car.
Pollo al Carbon? This chicken was roasting over a charcoal fire, and it probably tasted great.
Hmmmm
We saw lots of beautiful scenery!
We also saw a lot of coffee!
Some higher areas were misty in the clouds
One of many fruit stands along the road

The bus stopped so we could have a break and a bit to eat. I was very impressed with the woodwork we saw there.

This rest stop had very interesting tables
I loved this woodwork
Another very interesting table
This horse looks mournful in the corner

After driving through mountains and stopping for a break, we started getting into more flat land that reminded me of our area in Panama.

This is starting to look like Panama, even including the living fences
One area had tons of pineapples
We also saw beautiful green fields of rice
They were working hard on some of the roads

We landed in Liberia, easily found the hotel recommended by our friends (Hotel  Bramadero) and the gal there sent us off for bus tickets for the next day. This took us to the Central Park and main part of town which I was happy to see.

The church on the town square in Liberia
The Central Park in Liberia
This tree had very interesting roots
I can’t remember if this is the judicial center or town hall.
Levant cola = raise your tail.
There was this huge rubber tree at the entrance to our hotel
Jocote fruit was being sold on the street. I don’t care for the starchy tasting green ones, but the riper red ones are sweet and flavorful. There is a large pit in the center though, so not a lot of fruit.
Our hotel was lovely
There was a guy out in traffic selling sunglasses
Waiting for the bus, looking down the street from our hotel
Burger King, Papa John, and a chicken restaurant across from the hotel
The hotel restaurant where we had a great dinner and breakfast. The bus stopped right in front too.

We spent the night in Libera, and the next day we crossed the border into Nicaragua. Of course there are more photos!

About Kris Cunningham

We live in David, Chiriqui Provence, Republic of Panama! This blog is about some of our experiences in our new country.
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19 Responses to Traveling through Costa Rica

  1. Sunni Morris says:
    September 6, 2014 at 5:26 pm

    The wood work is impressive. Did you end up getting rained on? The sky in some of those photos looks very dark. It does that a lot where I live too, but usually we only get a thunder and lightning show out of it. Too bad you lost the other pics.

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    • Kris Cunningham says:
      September 6, 2014 at 7:26 pm

      It was a downpour going into San Jose Tuesday, but we only got a few sprinkles on Wednesday in northern Costa Rica. Thankfully it was a new camera so there weren’t that many pics. I should have downloaded them that night like I usually do! I’m sure we will be back in San Jose so maybe I’ll get even better ones next time.

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  2. hollycarter184 says:
    September 6, 2014 at 6:02 pm

    Yippee! And the adventure begins!!!

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  3. John & Susan says:
    September 6, 2014 at 6:06 pm

    Great photos Kris. Enjoy Nicaragua! We really loved it. A close second to Panama if it were not for the infrastructure. (The capital Managua can be bypassed for sure.) The beaches are so unspoiled and undeveloped.
    A definite step back in time overall. This was all back in 2004. We look forward to revisiting when we are settled in Panama next year.
    Highlights for us were Granada, Masaya, Volcan Mombacho (our first zip line experience in the jungle). We have not been, but heard great things about San Juan Del Sur.
    Have a great time!
    Look forward to seeing your pictures!
    Cheers,
    John & Susan

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    • Kris Cunningham says:
      September 6, 2014 at 7:28 pm

      I know what you mean. It feels really good to us too. We don’t plan to leave Panama but I’m glad to know about other places and options.

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      • indacampo says:
        September 7, 2014 at 6:30 am

        I agree with John and Susan’s comment only we were there in 2011. In the seven years between our trip and theirs it doesn’t sound like much changed. We did go to San Juan del Sur for the day (an easy side trip from Rivas) and while we were there a cruise ship came in. It kind of ruined the experience for us because the town got crowded very quickly. I did enjoy the Black Cat cafe and book store. The town kind of reminded me of small town California, with a twist. If you get a chance go, you’ll find second hand English books if you’ve been missing them and the view from the hill is spectakoolar.

        Looking forward to seeing some more adventures amiga! 🙂

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  4. Rewired and Retired in Nicaragua says:
    September 6, 2014 at 6:20 pm

    As I am writing this comment, Kris is making us dinner..a yummy chicken dinner. Joel is trying to fix an old speaker of ours, and the sun is sitting over Lake Cocibolca. They are going to love it here. I am so glad they wanted to come to Ometepe Island. They are sure to have many more adventures in the time that we are gone. Already, Kris has arranged with our neighbor to teach her how to make gallo pinto. I am so glad they are here!

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  5. John & Susan says:
    September 6, 2014 at 8:25 pm

    Lucky.. friends are family!
    Enjoy.

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  7. Suzi says:
    September 7, 2014 at 11:55 am

    Great pictures Kris. I really enjoy your blog and look forward to Costa Rica and Nicaragua in our future travels. Keep the photos and good information coming.Thanks for sharing.
    Suzi

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  8. renuvacell review says:
    September 12, 2014 at 10:52 pm

    Sweet blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News.
    Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
    I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there!
    Thank you

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