Costa Rica

Animals of Costa Rica

| Flower Roberts

Seeing different animals in their natural habitat was the thrill of a lifetime for me.

Toucan

There were also domesticated dogs and cattle wandering through the streets. Driving was a bit like an obstacle course due to animals and motorcycles zipping between traffic.

Dogs were loose everywhere and would wander through restaurants without begging or bothering anyone. This pup came in while we were eating during a rain storm.  He politely curled up near our table and took a nap.

It was nothing special to the residents to have giant lizards and monkeys in the trees above.

Bees are tiny dots in the sky.

Our apartment had a collassal nest of millions of tiny bees that had been up there for years.

We enjoyed watching lizards climb up there to catch some snacks.

Butterflies fluttered through the skies between many flowering trees.

Ants marched along carrying flowers.

Ant in a flower parade by the pool.

I spent a lot of time with my eyes wide open in amazement at the many differences in the flora and fauna. It was like visiting another planet in some ways. 

We rented a lens for the trip so we could capture images from a greater distance. It was totally worth it but heavy to carry.

We passed the camera back and forth as we saw wildlife everywhere. I even spotted monkeys from our porch. I heard a crash in the trees and the compound’s dogs went crazy. One of the dogs looked just like one we had years ago.

Destiny reincarnated.
This squirrel and green lizard were in the tree above our table at an outdoor restaurant.

Things were different, but also the same. I LOVED the colorful chaos of Costa Rica.

FLORA

Plants of Costa Rica

| Flower Roberts

I held up the group over and over because of spotting a crazy plant.

Many that I saw were giant, wild versions of our houseplants.


Color was everywhere. I really need to spend more time there studying the wildlife.

The thrill of my life occurred when we toured a private rainforest with two biologists. Mr. Flower arranged this adventure on the third year anniversary of my daddy’s death.


During the tour I spied the famous blue morpho butterfly. It was bluebird blue. I felt like my daddy was sending me a sign. I had to stop and weep.

It was hard to choose what to look at. Everything was different and interesting.

We will return when we are able. In a craxy way, it felt like home.

FLORA

The Food in Costa Rica

| Flower Roberts

We were shameless in our photographing food at restaurants. Part of our motivation was remembering where we liked the food, so we could return there later. We methodically took photos of the restaurant front, the menus and our plates of food. Later we could show pictures of our favorites so our hosts could remind us of the names.

This was the trip of a lifetime for the four of us together. Our host family, the Lankas, guided us as to where was best to eat and tour. They hired our tour guide,  Andre, to drive our rental car for several adventures. I will share all that later.

Every meal was delicious but not inexpensive. It was worth eating well so none of us was ever sick. Everything was fresh. Enjoy the food! ( You may want to grab a snack first.)

We bought breakfast and snacks from the store or the fruit vendors across the street.

I got a kick out of the cut-your-own meat.
Spices
Our absolute favorite restaurant on the beach.
Favorite Lunch spot.
Best Italian
Great but DO NOT eat on the beach here. Street vendors bother you constantly.

Great food many televisions and loud. Eat on the porch.

Use app for money conversion. I will know more Spanish when I go back.

We plan to go back to the Lanktuary. It was perfect for us and we loved our host family.

FLORA