(Thanks to Joe Kjar for this guest post!)
Palm trees are beautiful. White sand is romantic. And yes, being an American in an inexpensive country is certainly rejuvenating. This is just the beginning of the magic of Costa Rica. Did you know that Costa Rica has no military? Its true, the country abolished its military in 1948 and now uses that money to improve the lives of its citizens. Interesting, eh? In fact, if you are worried about your safety visiting Latin America, the Global Peace Index just listed Costa Rica as the second most peaceful countries in Latin America (behind Uruguay).
I love whitewater rafting and snowboarding, so I can’t wait to visit Costa Rica myself, to test out their rafting, and to see how close snowboarding is to surfing in Costa Rica’s famed waves. If all of this isn’t enough to give me a kick, then standing in the presence of Arenal Volcano, one of the world’s top 10 most active volcanoes, must.
Writing this article I have fully convinced myself that I will be visiting Costa Rica sooner than later. I can only look at so many beautiful photos of monkey filled trees and baby blue water before my Utah desert home loses its exotic appeal. Finding a place to stay once I get to Costa Rica should not be too difficult. Just perusing the web throws a plethora of island retreats in front of my eyes. One that stands out above the rest is this one in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. Maybe I will try and convince my wife that Santa Teresa would make a fantastic second anniversary location.
I should visit here soon! I need a vacay!