I woke up this morning thinking about this blog post. I cannot believe we have been in Costa Rica for almost 3 months. Our time here is winding down and I think all of us are a bit on edge about having to go back home. I have noticed that my DH is spending more time on the computer reconnecting with the world, I am running out of books to read and my kids are starting to get the I don’t want to go back attitude. All in all it is always worth it and our family definitely benefits from the time we spend here.

My top 5 reasons I love bringing my children to Costa Rica:

• The Weather – We leave the damp, windy & cold mid-atlantic coast in mid January and literally have to change clothes when we arrive in San Jose. The constant bright sunshine and hot weather ( around 90 F everyday) is just perfect for telling the kids to “go outside & play”. We all sweat a lot and we all drink much more water everyday.
• The People – Costa Rica has really benefited a lot from the dollars they receive in tourism. The Ticos (Costa Rican Natives) for the most part have taken this growth in stride and they are truly happy that we are here and spending our money. My children have several local children that they play with and when they go into their homes they can see that it isn’t about all the stuff you have, you can have fun, make up games & just play. Without all of the latest toys.
• The Food – Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica is one of the “blue zone” countries as written about by Dan Buettner in his book about Living Longer. We try to stick to locally grown fruits & vegetables mostly. The local restaurants are wonderful and the local grocery stores have everything you need. It’s fairly inexpensive to eat typically but if you just have to have that large bag of Dorito’s, they have it but be prepared to pay extra.
• The Television – We have a SKY satellite connection that gives us mostly all the channels we need. I like that their menu is categorized and has a block of channels just for the children. I like that some of the channels show programs in english and some of them are in spanish. I love the fact that I rarely see a commercial! When there are commercials it is usually for another show or movie. I don’t think I have seen one “product or toy based commercial” at all. Most of all I like the fact that the television usually stays off.
• The Inconvenience – We are so far removed from any major city that any kind of family excursion takes planning. I like that the girls are getting to see that we can’t just run down to our local “Wal Mart” and get something when we need it. Sometimes we just have to make do with what we have or go without for a little while. I think that’s a healthy lesson for us all.

Most of all coming to Costa Rica reminds me of traveling to my Great Grandparents house in the rural area of west Tennessee when I was a child. The dusty dirt roads, the long walks with my cousins (going nowhere) & getting to spend lots of one on one time with my family.

At the very southern end of town in Mal Pais, Costa Rica sits a friendly fishing village that is home to many local panga boats.  I fish with these local panga fisherman frequently as they are very affordable (usually around $45 per hour) and very knowledgeable fishermen. Inshore trolling in the early morning can usually yield nice size cero mackerel, big eyed jacks, small roosterfish and small barracuda. This fishery has very low pressure from the local fishermen and you can almost be guaranteed to have a successful day.
The potential is there for using live bait around some of the exposed reefs. This live bait method can result in catching large roosterfish, snook, grouper, amberjack and dog toothed red snapper. Braided line in the 50 lb. to 80 lb. class is advised because of the razor sharp reef. You really never know what you will catch as a result of live bait fishing, which makes it a fun type of fishing.

photo credit: mschuelk

I surf mainly on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula which includes Mar Azul, Playa Carmen, Santa Teresa and Playa Hermosa. Playa Carmen, an area in Mal Pais, is a really great beach break with multiple peaks breaking both left and right. In regards to breaks, I feel like this is one of the best beaches because both north and south swells produce here. It also has several peaks which tend to spread the crowds making it a less congested break. My favorite peak in this zone is called “El Bar” (named so because of the nightclub bar directly in front of the break).  It has a sand bottom for forgiveness and a wedgey left and right peak that line up really well. This break as well as many other breaks in Mal Pais fires better at mid to incoming high tide. It can break well on small swells and also holds a bigger swell in the over head category. It is an easy break to access as it is located at the cross roads of Town in Mal Pais.

photo credit: keepitsurreal