Exploring Costa Rica: Pura Vida! Part IV

Recap: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Day 2 in Costa Rica we woke up to a very rainy day. We began to believe that the stories about a volcano were mere rumors, made up by drunken tourists. The tree frogs we could believe, since we could hear them. But the volcano?

It must exist since it tweeted back at me when I posted this picture via Instagr.am. That's proof, people. And this picture? Clearly steam rising from the volcano, covering it in a spooky mist.

Breakfast was delightful. Eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, sausage, toast, more plantains. And gallo pinto! We hadn't seen it on the menu where we ate our first meat-heavy meal, and it wasn't on the restaurant menu the night before. I'd asked our bartender and he assured me it would be available at breakfast. Seems I didn't really do my research before going. Gallo pinto is morning dish.

Oh.

But then there it was, it all its painted glory, next to my fried egg. It tasted exactly like mine. Seems like I nailed it on my first try. Yay me.

And this is where we first had our taste of Salsa Lizano, which is the brown sauce above, on the egg. It's the Costa Rican equivalent of American ketchup, not in flavor but in ubiquity. This salsa is sweet (sugar is the second ingredient) and tangy, kind of similar to Worcestershire sauce. My father and I are currently trying to figure out the breakdown of spices. I'm convinced there's a good deal of cumin in it.

You can put this on anything, and are so encouraged. It was a tad too sweet for my egg, but I ended up putting it on just about everything else I ate the rest of the trip.

And bringing  home an unopened bottle of it too, of course. What's a vacation without souvenirs?

Exploring Costa Rica: Pura Vida! Part III

(Part 1 and Part 2, if you're playing catch up!)

Post-afternoon nap I woke up as we were entering the grounds of Lomas del Volcan, a very cute resort on the north side of the infamous volcano (and the location of this mural). Side note, if you find yourself traveling to Costa Rica, STAY HERE. It was $100 for a private bungalow and breakfast. The staff is remarkably sweet (as are all Costa Ricans) and the place is absolutely darling. There's also a volcano hiding behind it, for bonus points.

We unpacked and headed to the restaurant/bar. Because what else are you supposed to do when you import a bunch of duty-free American liquor in your luggage? American liquor just doesn't have the same appeal as a bar full of Costa Rican delights! Vacation philosophy.

Here is where we learned of a drink called guaro, commonly referred to by its brand name Cacique. It's made from sugar cane and is absolutely lethal. Served up like a double shot of tequila, replete with lime, it is not for the faint of heart or mere casual imbiber. Clear, smelling like it will kill you, it's reminiscent of grain alcohol. We decided not to indulge in guaro beyond the first sip, lest we burst into flames.

So we drank beer. And then I got sleepy again. My traveling companions were growing weary of my lethargy and insisted I wake up. So I switched to rum and coke, or as our bartender jokingly referred to it, a Costa Rica Libre. And wow, I suddenly had energy.

(For you Pepsi drinkers: I honestly cannot tell the difference, but you won't find Pepsi in Costa Rica. And it doesn't taste like Mexican Coke either, unfortunately. They import the same high fructose corn syrup variety Cokes that we get here.)

But wait, this is a food blog, yes? Dinner was a delicious ceviche with fried plantains:

And dessert was more plantains, but the sweet variety made from over-ripe fruit:

These were lightly charred but soft, unlike the ones served like chips for the ceviche. These were baked, which was something new for me (us Puerto Ricans like to fry them up good). And served with a strawberry sauce, a light cream, and butter. Quite the pretty presentation.

As an illustration of the graciousness of the Costa Rican people, our bartender and waitresses never once asked if we wanted to close out the tab, or made any mention of closing up. We were the only patrons in the bar till the wee hours (maybe? It's hard to remember between the time difference and all the Costa Rica Libres...) and yet they continued to indulge us until it we finally decided it was time to call it a night.

Somehow I woke up without a headache. Or a volcano...

Exploring Costa Rica: Pura Vida! Part II

The continuing saga of our trek through Costa Rica. If you want to catch up, part 1 is here.

Ah, Costa Rica. Sunday afternoon. Rainy, humid, hot, perfect.

We piled into a Toyota Fortuner (kind of like a 4Runner, but its Thai cousin) and headed up to the Arenal Volcano. We passed through little towns like this with a mini mart and a sleeping dog.

There are lots of Brahma cows across the countryside, which have large humps on their backs and also taste delicious. I know this because the first place we stopped to eat had much steak on its menu, so we ate much steak.

Lomo de res with fries (to appease the many American ex-pats?)

Lomo de res with potatoes and chips (typical food?)

And steamed veggies. My trainer would be so proud of me.

This is also where I was introduced to "la cerveza de Costa Rica" and what I would find myself drinking for the remainder of the trip:

That's a Pilsen in the background. My 3 traveling companions preferred it over the slightly more robust Imperial. I'm fine being the odd girl out. Imperial is delicious. (I learned later it's also referred to as águila because of the eagle on the label...kind of like Cazadores is referred to as "reindeer" in dive bars, because of said animal on its label. You learn something new every day.)

For more beer info, this gentleman from Texas gives a very thorough review of your Costa Rican options. Lest you be disappointed, of course we also drank bourbon. You can take the girl out of the country...

And then I fell asleep again and completely missed the ride through La Fortuna. Later on we finally discovered that Costa Rican beer makes me really, really sleepy. Who knew?

I can't tell you where we were when we had this meal, only that it was somewhere southeast of Arenal Volcano National Park. However, this sounds like a mighty good recipe for lomo de res (beef loin). It doesn't specify Brahma beef, but I would strongly recommend it (if you can find it).

Later on that day, we came upon a volcano! We think...

Exploring Costa Rica: Pura Vida! Part I

I love air travel. Yes, it's a huge pain having to go through security, and risking a TSA strip search, and not being able to open your duty-free alcohol right away. Oh, and the screaming babies! But I still love it. Planes fascinate me.

Day 1 of the trip to Costa Rica actually started in a fascinating metal bird, somewhere in the midnight airspace between Los Angeles and Miami. The trip from Miami to Costa Rica is only about 2 hours long, but the transcontinental flight between the left and right American coasts is best done on a red eye. It's so very long, and good for sleeping the night away.

This part of the trip is notable because it perfectly illustrated the philosophy that would define our entire time away: we were on vacation, enjoy it and drink up. The two men with us are huge bourbon fans, which meant we were instant friends. If you've been around the Girl + Fire playground for any length of time, you can educate a guess what whiskey + vacation means.

Waking up in Miami meant breakfast in Miami. And because of the holy vacation philosophy, what we were looking for at 6 am was not just any eatery, but one with a full bar. Miami International Airport knows how to deliver. At that time of the morning, the only restaurant/bar open was the one right next to our gate.

Airport breakfast:

This was brunch on a Sunday morning. Even though my body wanted to believe it was only 3 am, the sun was coming up quickly over the Atlantic. And, I was on vacation. The philosophy cannot be fought against.

There may have also been an egg croissant with bacon, then Cuban coffee to wash it all down with. But I don't remember, since I immediately fell asleep again after eating. And then I woke up in Costa Rica. That was a cool trick.

I love air travel.