A-               Animals! Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet!
This is because of the fact that the strip of land on which it sits was one of the last areas to rise up out of the ocean- thus connecting the continents of North and South America, and creating an area that has many of the
animals (and insects and birds etc, etc) of both continents. How cool is that?? To learn more click this link..  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_of_Costa_Rica

B-               Beans! It is almost impossible to enter any restaurant anywhere in Costa Rica
without seeing beans on the menu. It, along with rice is a staple and is eaten at almost every meal. Follow this link for a black bean soup recipe so you can try it yourself... https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Costa-Rican-Black-Bean-Soup-_Sopa-Negra_-1989375

C-              Casado!  This is the name given to a basic restaurant meal that you will find
in every soda (the name given to a local restaurant). In general a casado has - you guessed it! Beans. It will also have rice, a salad or vegetables, plantains or yucca, and a selection of meat that can include fish, pork
or chicken. It’s basically the Costa Rican version of a mixed grill back home. Follow this link to Travel Excellence, a Costa Rican Tour Operator and their post about Casados... https://www.travelexcellence.com/costa-rica-travel-blog/casado-the-typical-costa-rican-dish

D-              Dolphins! Costa Rica is home to several types of Dolphin year round, although
during certain seasons they can be seen with more regularity. The best time to come and see dolphins is from December to April.

E-              Earthquakes! Yup, living in Costa Rica means that we get to avoid snow and ice,
and if you are on the Pacific Coast you can avoid most of the hurricanes that plague the Carribean...however... there are an average of 600+ earthquakes a year. Most of these will be felt as a mild vibration underfoot. the
biggest one that I have been through felt a bit like someone drove a rhino into the wall of my house. It was surprising but did no more damage than a few minor cracks in the plaster on the walls. In general most homes are built of cement with rebar reinforcement to handle even the worst earthquake. Follow this link to a site that lists recent earthquakes! https://earthquaketrack.com/r/coast-of-costa-rica/recent

F-              Flora! As with the animals (fauna), Costa Rica is home to an amazing variety of flora. I wouldn’t even hazard a guess as to how many types of plants there are. Given half a chance, the jungle would quickly and easily take over any open space here as evidenced by the many areas in which climbing vines can be seen growing up and over any abandoned structure. I personally love seeing flowers growing in such profusion.

For more information about the variety of plants that you can see here... follow this link https://www.costarica-unbound.com/flora-costa-rica

G-              Guava! The juice of this fruit has often been called ‘the nectar of the gods’. for more information about how to eat one of these babies...follow the link! https://www.wikihow.com/Eat-Guava

H-              Howler Monkey! These extremely vocal primates deserve a special mention simply
because if you hear one, you will never forget the experience! Follow the link to a video and see for yourself!

I don’t know about you, but I think that’s enough random info for today!

Come back next time for The ABC’s of Costa Rica, I-P!

Toodles for now and Pura Vida!