Costa Rica, "Never Smile to a Capuchin Monkey", 2013

What makes Costa Rica an attractive place for us is its easy access, and the rich wildlife.

Many years ago we traveled in Costa Rica starting from San Jose to Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverdeto where we celebrated a New Year. Then through the dusty roads of 

the Guanacaste region and scenes resembling to a cowboy movie, we drove to Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal. At the southern end of the country in Costa Rica’s sprawling Corcovado National Park there is a Sirena Ranger Station where one can take showers with rain, devour the same rice and beans every day and enjoy the far sounds of the howler monkeys while sitting on the wide front porch. One way to get there is a 20 km trail with curled-up snakes, sun-dazzled beaches and rivers with sharks and jesus lizards that one has to swim.

This time in 2013, we took it easy with our 8 year old daughter not that she couldn’t have handled all this. We revisited Monteverde and saw our second quetzal! Then we went to the Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, where my husband was almost slapped when he was smiling to a capuchin monkey with full teeth.