Living in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, has been a really great experience for me. I have been down here for around 7 months, and I have done so many things. I never thought I would have so many adventures in my life. I even had a friend come down to visit me this week and we are going to Nicaragua in a couple of days. So far my favorite thing about this place is how laid back everyone is and how the vibe here is completely different than in the United States. The people, the environment, and especially the beaches really make me feel at home.
Here in Guanacaste, there are a lot places to see. The highlights for me have been Santa Rosa National Park and Samara Beach.
Santa Rosa is a national park that has historical significance for the province because it is where a battle took place in 1856. The “Casona” is one of the only remaining buildings of the park, and it is now a museum with artifacts from the battle. The park has a beautiful dry forest with trails that lead to the exquisite beach, Playa Naranjo with the famous Witch’s Rock.
The first beach I ever visited here in Costa Rica was Playa Samara, and one of the best times of my life was moving there and staying for awhile. It is a beautiful beach that wraps around like a giant U. I immediately enjoyed a variety of beach activities, like playing volleyball and soccer, horse-back riding, and making bonfires in the evenings. My favorite thing to do was wake up early and go running on the beach while listening to music. I would do this every morning, then go drink fresh coconut water. Costa Rica truly offers what it says it does: the good life – Pura Vida!
This blog was contributed by Spencer from Texas, who is an English teacher at Instituto Estelar Bilingüe in Liberia, Costa Rica.