Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

“You never blogged about your recent trip to Costa Rica,” Earl noted, as we munched on baked potato fries.  My mouth was full, so I simply nodded.

He’s right. I usually blog whenever we’re on vacation, but for some reason I went completely off the grid in Costa Rica.  Maybe it was the sudden change in temperature. It was a bone-chilling seventeen degrees when we boarded the plane in New York City and a scorching ninety-nine degrees when we arrived in Quepos, CR, several hours later. Or maybe it was because we were so busy during the day that we collapsed at night when I might normally stay up and write.  Or maybe it was because I just didn’t feel like it.

I’ve been home about ten days now and have moved on to anticipating my next adventure. Still, Earl’s comment made me pause.

What do I want to remember about this recent trip to a wonderful country? For starters, being with family is always great.  And returning to a resort that holds fond memories of previous trips is special too. But most of all, I’m thrilled that Costa Rica hasn’t changed all that much in the ten years since my last visit.

The tropical vegetation thrives; the flora and fauna are beautiful and plentiful.  After all, where else in the world is hunting banned like it is in Costa Rica? And the people are genuinely gracious from the taxi driver to the bartender to the woman who rents chairs on the beach.

Of course there is construction and better roads and a new marina that will probably signal serious growth for Quepos in the near future. But there is no McDonald’s, no Starbuck’s, and no Wal-Marts.  Instead a new supermarket near our resort blended with surrounding buildings.  And the owner of Si Como No! (translates as So, Why Not?) , where we stayed, shared that the new government is interested in planned growth that doesn’t tax the infrastructure of the country or change its ecology.

I’m sure there are financial considerations to all this too, but I’m thrilled to defy Thomas Wolfe’s sentiment that “You can’t go home again.”  If it’s Costa Rica, you still can.