Packing for Paradise

Costa Rica has 300,000 species of insects. Hey, I know how to plan a vacation. WRITTEN & ILLUSTRATED by PETER MOORE

Apr 19, 2025

I’M A BIG ONE FOR VACATION READING.

When I travelled in cattle-drive country with my family, I relished every page of Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove. During repeated winter getaways to Florida, I laughed my way through Carl Hiaassen’s wacky Floridian murder mysteries.

So when planning a trip to Costa Rica, I searched for the perfect book of Tico-tainment. The winner: Michael Chrichton’s Jurassic Park, where dinos chew the Costa Rican scenery! And a few of its residents—also known as ticos/ticas.

How dangerous could a T-Rex be, with those scrabbly little arms and that ponderous tail? I’m sure I could outrun one. But if they hunt in packs, I’d have less chance than the Hamburglar at FBI headquarters.

Bloodthirsty megafauna aside, I’m looking forward to the radiant flora, fauna, and landscape, plus the legendarily nice locals who will show it all to me.

It’s all caught up in the country’s slogan: “Pura Vida,” or “pure life.”

Of course, not all popular destinations are created equal.

Dinosaurs are not the only alarming beasts associated with Costa Rica. For instance, it boasts 300,000 species of insects, including this one:

Meanwhile, the mosquito population of Costa Rica is physically small, but they number in the billions of billions—just like Elon Musk’s campaign slush-fund. So I’m bringing along DEET wipes, and I’ve sprayed all of my clothes with permethrin.

It won’t do any good.

To immerse myself in foreign lands and meet their people, I try to learn their native tongue. On a recent trip to Italy, for instance, I acquired enough Italian to launch conversations. But not quite enough to follow along when the native speaker responded.

To sidestep that problem in Costa Rica, I’m saying ¡hola! to the country’s rich dictionary of idiomatic expressions.

We’ll be visiting a coffee plantation down there. For me, that’s like a devout Catholic visiting the Vatican. But I prefer my spirituality to be mixed with caffeine, and anointed with half and half. I lift the mug to my lips like a golden communion chalice.