I’m not much of a luxury traveler – I like it rough. But a glimpse of La Mansion Inn in Costa Rica convinced me of the benefits of some occasional swankiness.
Costa Rica
Local Encounters – Putting Personality into Travel
I travel to see new places. I bring tons of batteries and memory for the camera.
But often, it’s the people I meet who steal the show: the Icelanders, kiwis, Aussies, ticos, etc.
If you have some decent people skills, the locals are the ones who will really make your trip better. They’ll clue you in to cool places, give you an insider perspective to their home and maybe help you out when your plans go awry. And not because it’s their job – just because they’re being nice.
Sometimes, you never even catch their name. It might be just a quick conversation, but it sticks in your mind and is part of your vacation’s story. I’m not really talking about tourist industry folks who are paid to be nice, but people who you just run into randomly.
So in honor of the locals, let me share a few memories about some I’ve encountered:
Iceland – Stjarnan FC Soccer Fans
During our first night in Reykjavik, my wife and I wandered past a stadium. We quickly struck up a conversation with a bearded, staff-wielding character with blue and white face paint. He clued us into what was about to take place: an epic Icelandic Premier League clash between league leaders Fram and his team, Stjarnan FC (just about a month before it became famous for its goal celebrations). Moments later, we were seated near Ragnar and his crew as they beat drums, sang songs and clapped incessantly. This was a perfect example of what happens when [...]
Creature Feature – Coatis in Costa Rica
If you like things furry and four-legged, there’s a good chance you’ll run into a coati during your visit to Costa Rica. I didn’t know this until I arrived in Monteverde, a laid-back town in the mountains north of San Jose.
We showed up in Monteverde after the bruising ride from La Fortuna – the boat portion of the trip across Lake Arenal was fun, but after that? Forget about it. An exercise in brutality, it was – but that’s for another post.
After stashing our bags at La Colina, I was eager to walk around and get my equilibrium back. I filled up some water bottles and we began meandering about. Off in the distance near a trailhead, I saw a bunch of small creatures with their tails proudly thrust into the air. We were far away, and I assumed this was just some massive collection of house cats.
Being the cat-friendly guy that I am, I wanted to pet them. So I made the universal “kittykittykitty” noise. And the group turned to face me as one.
These were no cats! They had longer snouts and huge claws. But they trotted gamely up to us – clearly, visitors had not been heeding the signs that we began reading: DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. They quickly surrounded us, hoping for food. When they realized we were going to obey the signs, they wandered off.
Interestingly enough, coatis live far north, all the way into Arizona. They’ve been known to hang out east of Phoenix. I [...]
Monkeys on the Prowl in Costa Rica
So picture sitting down to breakfast. You’re having a nice plate of eggs and some fresh fruit when a monkey comes bursting in through a window.
The sharp-eyed little guy, who might weigh about 10 pounds, surveys the situation. His finely tuned senses spot a bunch of bananas hanging from some sort of rack. Before you can even think to reach for your digital camera -and before anyone else can- he seizes a banana and slips back out the window.
Meanwhile, everyone else in the room, all 20 of you, abandons breakfast to see more of this brash little primate. He shimmies up a telephone pole, banana in hand, and crosses over the street via a telephone wire. There, he shares his banana bounty with the rest of his troupe while everyone snaps photos.
That’s Manuel San Antonio, Costa Rica, in a nutshell. Monkeys add even more flavor to a vacation than a bottle of Salsa Lizano.
Something Tasty I Found in Central America
Here in the states, I’ve become hooked on a mighty sauce. It’s available just about everywhere despite its Asian heritage. That would be Sriracha, AKA Rooster Sauce. It goes on everything short of ice cream and oatmeal, and I’ve even seen a yogurt shop offer it as a topping. Crazy, right?
But there’s one sauce I’ve encountered in my travels that needs to catch Americans’ tastebuds.
And that would Salsa Lizano, a Costa Rican staple. It’s an essential in gallo pinto, the national dish, and a splash or two improves just about everything else it touches.
This isn’t a spicy sauce, nor is it what Americans typically define as salsa (tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, etc.). This is more like a tangy Central American version of A-1 steak sauce, but way, way better.
Here in Arizona, I’ve only found one store that has it. That’s absolutely criminal. We must do better!
