Costa Rica means "Rich Coast"

On our trip to the Rainforest Tram we saw some of the most beautiful scenery. It was a two-hour drive through the mountains, to the coast. Costa Rica is rich with fruits, vegetables, trees, and flowers. This photo shows a mountain-side covered with coffee plants. How do they harvest these beans? One at a time, by hand, with huge baskets on their shoulders, on the side of a mountain. Coffee is a huge industry here in Costa Rica. It is very bold and delicious, if you like coffee!

Costa Ricans are hard-working people and very friendly to Americans. They appreciate the fact that we are huge supporters of their economy and they provide excellent service. Another notable thing is that people here are not over-weight. Their diets consist of a dish called El Cosado which literally translated means "marriage." It consists of rice, beans, salad, quartered tomatoes, and a meat or carne. The idea behind Cosada relates to the fact that once you are married, your wife makes a complete meal for you, as opposed to the simple one-dish menu one has while a bachelor. (Please don't tell Steve I am supposed to be cooking all this stuff !)

Attached are some photos of the rainforest, which was spectacular. We saw iguanas, snakes, frogs, macaws, and plenty of interesting plants and trees. There are other interesting and educational things to visit here, such as volcanoes, coffee factories, sea turtle hatchlings, monkeys, and more. Unfortunately, we just don't have time, since weekends are the only days off from the stem cell treatments. We need to come back on vacation and bring the family!

This frog was in a serpetarium at the rainforest park and Ithought he was made of ceramic,until I saw him breathing. Those are iguanas in the tree , in the photo on the left (below).