“Getting to know you” in Costa Rica. Half inch poison dart frogs.

“Oh my gosh!”

I could hear Tex’s excitement down the path and ran with my camera. Two bright red-bodied,  blue-legged poison dart frogs seemed to be chasing each other. No wait, trying to mate. No wait- succeeding! The two half-inch, lively creatures performed their rite of Spring with us  “paparazzi,”  as our guide Tex called us, hovering and clicking away.

We were in lush, green, second-growth forest between two hanging suspension bridges in Costa Rica. ALA (Austin Lehman Adventures) aims to include surprise “Wow” moments on all their trips, but they are usually more family-geared.  When we finally gave the coupling frogs more privacy, we walked across a bridge with howling monkeys in the distance. As we rounded a bend, there was another surprise, this one well-planned:

Andy Austin, photographer extraordinaire, surprises hikers with chocolates from Montana, another delicious ALA surprise

Andy Austin proffered special chocolates from Montana, and on the rocks nearby, wonderfully cut-up  pineapple and watermelon waited to refresh us.

I had enjoyed the “Wow” moments  of  a new ALA trip to Nicaragua before and written about it for Luxury Travel Mavens.  I heard that Costa Rica was one of the most popular destinations for ALA fans for a wide range of ages because of the beauty and variety, so I wanted to see what Nicaragua’s neighbor had to offer.

I am back home, and, well, – Wow!

Other WOWs on the trip included the natural, the culinary, and the cultural:

On our first road trip from the capital to our river rafting departure, we saw two things unusual for tourists to witness: a bold King Vulture atop a tree (a birder’s bonus) and special parades of decorated giant tractors and beautiful painted carts pulled by oxen. It was a Festival for agricultural workers!

Agricultural festival in Costa Rica, by Lisa TE Sonne

That same Sunday morning, we saw two typical Costa Rican passions: Soccer fans in colors waving flags before a big match, and Catholic churches full of families. Our guide, Tex, made the visit to the Cathedral of Los Angeles  a “wow” by taking us first to a little shop where you could buy “body part” charms to leave in the church for specific health blessings.

Outrigger canoe-ing and kayaking along the Pacific coast of Costa RIca.

*Our group climbed in kayaks and a large Outrigger Canoe and paddled hard through intermittent warm rain and over large Pacific swells to reach a white sandy beach. The snorkeling didn’t look promising,  but it delivered beautifully, including a bright yellow puffer fish — round and cute, looking like Nemo would like to find him.

*After getting through some invigorating class 3 and class 4 rapids of the Pacuare River, we were deliberately tipped out of our raft at a calm section with a brisk current. We all floated through a gorgeous narrow canyon savoring post adrenalin peace and nature highs.

*Before enjoying an all organic homemade soup at the family run Arenal Vida Campesino,  eight-year-old Zura Rangine danced into our hearts showing us the “Pura Vida” spirit of Costa Rica.

*I gently swung in a hammock on a warm evening, talking for the first time to someone else in the group as he swayed in his hammock. As we delved into mind-body connections, with him explaining the latest in neuroscience, I saw a little light flash, and then another. There are both fireflies and lightening bugs in Costa Rica.

Even a bathroom window at a hiking trailhead had a “Wow”– a four inch “Owl Moth”

Wow!

Lisa TE Sonne for Luxury Travel Mavens

Photos by (c) Lisa TE Sonne

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