Costa Rica // Pura Vida

In 2015, I turned 30 years old! To celebrate three decades of life, I wanted to do something awesome! So I gathered up a small group of awesome ladies and headed to Costa Rica with them. What better way to celebrate life than in a place where the greeting is “pura vida” (pure life) instead of the usual “hello”?! And so begins our trip Costa Rica // Pura Vida… celebrating the Age of Pura Vida!

I took my Canon 5D MIII, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8, Sigma Art 50mm f/1.4, and a Joby GorillaPod. I purposely packed very little equipment as I had all this with me most of the time in a tote bag.

Below is a compilation of photos taken with my equipment and iPhones. While I shot most of the photography, I have to mention Ana, my talented sister and senior second shooter, took a lot of awesome photos as well. The iPhone pictures are from Crystal (the girl with the selfie stick!), Ana, Neisha (my other super awesome sister), and myself. A special thank you goes out to these ladies that helped me put all this together!

Hope you love these!

Rambutan (aka Mamon Chino or Hairy Lychees). These red little fruits quickly became my go-to snack during the trip!

For our first stay, we went to Jacó and stayed at Room2Board. I definitely recommend it!

Just the first of many sunset photos!

This night was all about music! A musician who was playing at the hostel gave us a ride to a bar with live music. We all had to squeeze in a vehicle already filled with a variety of instruments ;P But it was worth it!

When the music ended at the bar we heard drums being played just around the corner. It was a very large group of people dressed in yellow with large drums just set up on the sidewalk. We listened to these guys till the cops drove by and everyone quickly dispersed…

But we didn’t want the night to end. As we walked back to the hostel we found a very friendly and generous group of musicians waiting for a taxi cab that never came. We sat with them and listened to them play as more people walking by joined the group. Pura vida!

Santa Teresa was our next stop. The fastest way to get there from Jacó is by boat.

And so began our surfing lessons… and more beach time!

Every day you can find locals fishing by the shore or riding the waves.

Soda Tiquicia was recommended by a local for the best seafood in Santa Teresa. We loved it!

Another place I must recommend is La Esquinita del Taco. The service here is above and beyond and so are their tacos!

On our first night at Santa Teresa, we ate at La Esquinita del Taco and met Marcos. He works at Good Life Tattoo and is as relaxed and laid back as his dog Cookie.

Nijer and his dog Zeus. Zeus passed away a couple of months after taking these photos. He was very grateful to have them.

The Three Musketeers! Nijer, Vladimir, and Juan Karlos. The three brothers live very close to the same beach we visited. Every day they were there. Surfing or passing time. One of them mentioned to me how they love watching the sunset. He’s been watching the sunset at that same beach since he can remember and he can’t imagine a life without it. It never gets old and it’s always different.