Pura Vida en Costa Rica: La Paz Waterfall

I am apologizing in advance for this blog entry because all of these pictures are out of chronological order! It may bother me more than anyone else reading this, but I'm still planning on hiding some stories within all of this!

At the beautiful Peace Lodge in Vara Blanca, Alajuela, Costa Rica, we drove there for the day to have a buffet lunch next to their semi-indoor waterfall, walk around the grounds to see the zoo, and took a hike to visit La Paz Waterfall. This has been one of my favorite destinations we have gone with our program both for the accommodations and aesthetics of the grounds of the resort, but also the natural untouched beauty of La Paz Waterfall. It was a shame we had only gone their for half the day.

In 2009, the small town of Vara Blanca had experienced a devastating earthquake that killed several people and misplaced many wild animals. One man from the town who had previously owned a hotel, had a plan. This man was extremely wealthy and with his money, collected all of the misplaced animals and built the zoo and reconstructed the entire peace lodge into what it is today. This place was breathtaking, and I would highly recommend it for anyone considering a trip to Costa Rica.

Website for the Peace Lodge

This is me in a traditional carreta about to get pulled for a ride!

The one on the left is named "Conejo"(rabbit) and the one on the right is named "Zanahoria" (carrot).

This is the lovely walkway we hiked through to get to the La Paz Waterfall...Absolutely stunning!

Here are pictures once we arrived to the waterfall. There was a bridge that crossed over the river and led to other pathways to get closer to this waterfall you see, or down the river and alongside another smaller waterfall, Magia Blanca.

I don't know why I loved La Paz so much, but I just felt, well, at peace. And I think the river reminded me of northern Minnesota, another place that brings peace to my soul.!!

Can you believe the colors of this flower?

Here is a view of the back of the Peace Lodge. Mom & Dad: Doesn't this remind you of Grand View Lodge in Brainerd?

Look at the size of these leaves!

Taisha (good friend, from New Jersey), me, Nicole (roomie, from California!)

These few pictures are from a place we went before La Paz waterfall. It is Volcán Poas. It was only a 15 minute hike, but unfortunately it was raining and when we got there, we only saw white.....

Here's what it's supposed to look like! ^

"WOOOOW!! What a view!!!" :)

A couple girls with their one poncho trying to avoid the wind and rain! (Notice the pure white in the background)

This is Taisha, Kiersten, and I creating a roof with umbrellas while we waited for some people to get back from their short hike. They attempted to see some part of the crater peaking out of the fogginess, but something tells me I don't think they were successful...

On our hike back, the fog began to clear....

Luckily we had nice weather for La Paz and the Peace Lodge....

Look...every detail of this resort, including all of the walkways just have the perfect touch. Every detail is beautiful and carefully thought through. It must have been designed by a woman.

Above and below are pictures of their dining area. This is where we had one of the best lunches-- a buffet with choices of typical Costa Rican food along with some classic pizza and french fries, salads, pasta, fresh fruit, arroz con leche for dessert, and a juice bar and soda bar. We were....SPOILED!

Below, is the semi-indoor waterfall we sat next to for our lunch. Someday, I would like this at my house haha. That'd be perfect, right outside my seating area, please and thank you!

Here is a view through the trees looking into the hummingbird garden. Do you see those circular areas? Those were benches. And as you sit there, hummingbird feeders are just a foot and a half away from where you are sitting, so you can have hummingbirds right in front of you stopping for a snack. Look ahead for some close-ups!