I’m quite sure that the Oso Peninsula on the Pacific side of Costa Rica ticks all the boxes to qualify for the being called the Garden of Eden. If this isn’t it, I cannot possibly imagine what place on Earth wins that high honor. The Southern Pacific region of Costa Rica has also been called a “real life Jurassic Park.” It is tempting to WOW you with the long list of superlatives that have been penned about this incredible place, but I am going to resist. Instead, I am going to show you as best I can through some photographs. I will only share one quote about this area and it is from National Geographic. The folks there describe the Osa Peninsula as “one of the most diverse and wild places on the planet” and says that it is the “most biologically intense place on Earth in terms of biodiversity.” If you love nature, this is eye candy for you.

I conducted a brief exit interview with the family to find out what experience from the week in Costa Rica was most memorable to each person, not giving anyone long to ponder the issue. These are the spontaneous answers I received:

Rick: Sitting on the deck early in the morning and watching/listening to the jungle wake up

Ruth Anne: Watching Haley, Michael, and Harvey learn to surf

Meredith: Monkeys

Haley: Whales

Michael: Waterfall hike, jungle scenery

Harvey (7): The waterfall and the surfing lessons

Winston (4): Boogie boarding

Sullivan (4): Cows on the road (when we traveled to the little airport in Sierpe to fly to San Jose)