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Reflections of a Roving Doctor · Part One · Chapter I.VII
Costa Rica
Volcanoes, rainforests, white-water rivers and wildlife at every turn. Costa Rica is where the road slows down long enough for nature to become the main character.
Costa Rica · January - February 2023
Pura vida, in every possible sense.
The route enters from Nicaragua and moves through volcanic rainforest, river country and the urban centre of San José before continuing towards Panama.
After months of moving fast, Costa Rica becomes a lesson in paying attention. Waterfalls, hanging bridges, frogs, toucans and chance friendships turn each day into a biology lesson, while reunions and farewells keep the human story moving.
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Destinations discovered
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Journal entries
3
Week exploring
2
Ocean coasts
Before the diary
About Costa Rica.
Begin with the country itself - its land, people and past - before following the journal through one of Central America’s most biodiverse landscapes.
Country
The identity, political structure, national symbols and peaceful modern character of Costa Rica.
Read CountryLand
Volcanoes, cloud forests, tropical lowlands, rivers and two coastlines compressed into a small country.
Read LandPeople
Communities, languages, traditions and the everyday warmth captured by the phrase pura vida.
Read PeopleHistory
Indigenous roots, Spanish rule, independence and the path towards a nation without a standing army.
Read History
Read Chapter I.VII
Rainforest, rivers and the road south.
The destination cards and daily entries load directly from the Costa Rica category hierarchy, so the page always follows the original journal chronology.
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What Costa Rica becomes
A country that teaches you to notice.
The route is remembered less as a checklist of places and more as a succession of small encounters with nature, people and a slower way of moving.
Nature as teacher
Every trail becomes a lesson in ecology, geology and the strange, interconnected systems hidden beneath the canopy.
Pura vida
A greeting, a reassurance and a reminder that a good life can be built from gratitude, simplicity and presence.
Chance friendships
Guides, backpackers and familiar faces transform short encounters into stories that continue far beyond the country.
¡Vivan Siempre el Trabajo y La Paz!
Long live work and peace!
Costa Rican national motto
The complete gap-year journal
Costa Rica is one chapter of a much longer road.
Continue through Panama, South America, Antarctica and the long route back home in the complete Reflections of a Roving Doctor collection.
The last Central American border waits.
Costa Rica gives way to Panama, where cloud forests, Caribbean islands and the great canal carry Part One towards its final country.
Continue with Panama.These entries are personal reflections written at particular moments during the journey. Memories, opinions and practical details may have changed since publication.