When trying to convince the kids that our magical floating home could transport them to a tropical paradise, we noticed that we were going to have to show them that such a place actually exist beyond books, TV and the internet.  To touch a real palm tree and run into a body of water of water that won’t induce hypothermia within a few minutes was going to be essential for motivating the crew of thinking beyond the Pacific Northwest.  While holed up in a winter farmhouse on Lopez we were feeling like Costa Rica was looking like the easiest and cheapest getaway.

Costa Rica uses the US dollar, speaks the English language, has more flora and fauna biodiversity than anywhere else in this hemisphere, and you can drink the water!  Sold! We prebooked four different stays through Airbnb before we left. Each was in a completely different area so we rented a tiny car to get around.  Laura is from Boston so I left the driving up to her, while I tried my best to stay focused on reading the maps.

In the end, we found the people friendly, the plants and animals amazing, and drank in a healthy dose of tropical warmth and carefree living to motivate the crew to do some long range sailboat cruising.  With a departure for Mexico 6 months out, we came home charged to streamline our possessions and prep Tuwamish for a huge adventure.

Enjoy the pics.