Costa Rica – BIG tiny World Travel

Costa Rica: The Story of Rico

Posted on August 24, 2017May 13, 2018 by Brianna Shade in Costa Rica, North America, Stories

Now, this is just a fun little story from Costa Rica I wanted to share with you.

The Resort

Our resort in Puntarenas featured nightly shows. Between spectacular dance numbers, a small comedy troupe entertained the audience with humorous sketches and bits.

We met who we’d later come to call Rico on our first night, when he mimed a complex drum solo, complete with slapstick shenanigans. This was one of the few acts I could fully enjoy because it had zero dialog.

We soon discovered he frequently had the word, “Rico” written in sharpie across his belly. We were never quite sure why, though it did earn him our nickname. He also wasn’t the only one; one of his stage partners often sported a shirt featuring the word “Tamarico.”

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Jungle Canopy Tours in Costa Rica – Helpful tips

Posted on August 17, 2017December 23, 2017 by Aaron Shade in Costa Rica, North America

Whenever you imagine Costa Rica, you automatically think about waterfalls, exotic birds, sloths, crocodiles, snakes, and those cute (but deadly) frogs. You may wonder where the best place and time is to go see these things. While we were in Costa Rica, we went on two canopy tours and there were so many others we did not have a chance to see. Here are some helpful tips based on our time there.
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Costa Rican Food

Posted on August 10, 2017December 23, 2017 by Brianna Shade in Costa Rica, North America

We often say we merely travel for the food. When scoping out a new place to visit, one of the first things we look for is good food.

Tokyo was like that; we just wanted to eat everything we saw in anime. Seriously, I went to Japan with a food bucket list. We deliberately sought out taiyaki and ramen, and we really did just go to Osaka for the food (okonomiyaki followed immediately by takoyaki). We looked forward to the amazing breakfasts served at our ryokan, and we couldn’t get enough of all the little street vendors.

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Driving in Costa Rica – What you should know

Posted on August 3, 2017December 23, 2017 by Aaron Shade in Costa Rica, North America

Driving in Costa Rica is definitely different than driving in the U.S. Do not go there expecting expansive freeways going in every direction. Picture more back country roads going over mountains with no room to pass. Expect every trip to take about twice as long as it would in the U.S. Big trucks have trouble making it over the mountains so you take turns passing them. I remember seeing lines of 6 cars at a time passing a truck and getting over at the last minute before oncoming traffic appears. Use good judgement when passing other vehicles, be predictable, keep a little distance in front of you in case something happens you have time to react. Doing these things will help keep you safe. Have I mentioned there are very few guard rails?

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6 Drinks You Should Try in Costa Rica

Posted on July 27, 2017December 23, 2017 by Brianna Shade in Costa Rica, North America

Who doesn’t like a good drink?

Whenever we travel, we like to have a regional specialty.. in fact, we want to try as many local drinks as possible! We knew Costa Rica would have plenty of tropical beverages to slake our thirst. If you’d rather not try to figure out how to ask, “what do you recommend?” in Spanish, try these. Or if you can’t make it down to Costa Rica, try making them at home! Continue reading “6 Drinks You Should Try in Costa Rica” →

Isla Tortuga Banana Boats and Snorkeling – Costa Rica

Posted on July 20, 2017May 13, 2018 by Aaron Shade in Costa Rica, North America, Stories

For my 40th birthday, I wanted to do something pretty awesome. I always enjoy doing some kind of boat ride whenever I travel. So we took this cruise from Puntarenas to Isla Tortuga. What a beautiful trip! The boat ride was nice with a loaded bar, a couple of mini pools to stay cool, and awesome views. It couldn’t get much better…… Continue reading “Isla Tortuga Banana Boats and Snorkeling – Costa Rica” →

Trouble in Paradise

Posted on July 13, 2017December 23, 2017 by Brianna Shade in Costa Rica, North America

I just got back from an amazing backpacking trip in Alaska, so I haven’t had much time to prepare a post this week. Apologies for the short one.

When you’re left with only a few hours at the resort, what do you do to pass the time? Stuff yourself with more rice and beans? Order another fruity, morning cocktail? Seek out the beach cat?

We decided to have a little impromptu photo shoot. Continue reading “Trouble in Paradise” →

Have you ever zip-lined before? Not like this! – Costa Rica

Posted on July 6, 2017May 13, 2018 by Aaron Shade in Costa Rica, North America, Stories

For my 40th birthday, I knew I wanted to do something epic. I wanted something that would challenge my fears and push the limits of my comfort zone. While I have been zip-lining before, it was kind of like a ski run down the kids training slopes compared to this. My first impression was WOW! The views were incredible. It was beyond words that could adequately describe it. I was speeding over the jungle canopy 500+ feet below and could hardly breathe at times because of the wind combined with my speed. Brianna thought that her helmet would fall off, but the helmet wasn’t going anywhere. Continue reading “Have you ever zip-lined before? Not like this! – Costa Rica” →

Is an All-Inclusive Resort Worth It?

Posted on June 29, 2017December 23, 2017 by Brianna Shade in Costa Rica

With ordinary, long-term travel, you aren’t likely to stay at anything that could remotely be dubbed a “resort.” Every dollar spent is another closer to needing to fly back home, so you aim to make it stretch as far as possible.

But our trip to Costa Rica was to celebrate a big milestone, so it warranted a little splurge. Furthermore, we’ve always wanted to experience the all-inclusive live – at least once – so we thought, why not? Continue reading “Is an All-Inclusive Resort Worth It?” →

Have You Ever Kissed a Crocodile? – Costa Rica

Posted on June 22, 2017May 13, 2018 by Aaron Shade in Costa Rica, North America, Stories

No, we never kissed a crocodile and don’t ever plan to. We did get the chance to pet one when we went on a crocodile tour down the Tarcoles river in Costa Rica. The tour was an unexpected part of our trip, but those usually are the best kind of adventures. We stopped to go look at the crocodiles from the highway bridge, but as soon as we parked, we were instantly approached by people offering a boat tour down the river. The decision to go wasn’t difficult and it became one of the highlights of our trip. We would highly recommend it if you happen to get down there. It was epic! Continue reading “Have You Ever Kissed a Crocodile? – Costa Rica” →