When we wrote our first blog after two months in Costa Rica, everything still felt new.

We were waking up to sounds we couldn’t quite place. Birds, insects, something moving in the trees. Sitting with our morning coffee a little longer than usual, watching macaws fly overhead as if that was just part of a normal day.

And in a way, we thought we had already figured it out. Costa Rica felt exactly like we had imagined. Wild, beautiful, slower. A place where days blended together in the best possible way.

And honestly – that feeling hasn’t disappeared. But something has shifted. Not in a dramatic way. Nothing went wrong. There wasn’t a moment where everything suddenly changed.

It just… settled.

And that’s when you start understanding a place like this differently.

A Different Kind of Understanding

After two months, everything still felt like something you had to take in, capture, react to.

Now, after 3.5 months, it feels more like something you live in.

We don’t reach for the camera as often anymore. Not because it’s less beautiful, but because it has become part of our everyday life. The sounds, the heat, the small details. They’re no longer interruptions to the day – they are the day.

We still stop when monkeys move through the trees. We still notice the colourful birds we still don’t know the name of, the unpredictability of nature here and everything else. 

But it’s quieter now. Less overwhelming. More familiar. And that familiarity changed the experience more than we expected.

The Places We’ve Seen (And Haven’t)

It’s also worth saying that our experience of Costa Rica is still limited in many ways.

We’ve spent most of our time around Cocles and the Puerto Viejo de Talamanca area on the Caribbean side. We’ve also been to Puerto Jiménez and Drake Bay on the Osa Peninsula. And those places felt very different.

Puerto Jiménez, in many ways, felt more like what we had imagined. Quiet, less developed, more local. A place where you feel a bit more removed from everything else.

Drake Bay was almost the opposite for us. Beautiful and lots of activities (you can pay for), no doubt – but also more touristy than we expected, and not really a place we felt connected to at all.

And then there’s Cocles.

A bit of everything. Not too quiet, not too busy. A mix of locals, expats, and travelers passing through. It’s easy to settle here but maybe also easy to stay in a bit of a bubble.

The Spanish We Thought We’d Speak

Before coming here, we imagined ourselves speaking a lot more Spanish and actually learning the language a little more, after all we were going to be here for 3,5 months. Having more local interactions. Being pushed into situations where we had to learn and use the language every day.

But on the Caribbean side, where we have spent the majority of the time, especially in and around Cocles, that hasn’t really been the case.

English is everywhere. Conversations happen easily without needing Spanish. And without realizing it, it becomes easy to stay in that comfort zone. Unfortunately.

It’s not necessarily only a bad thing. But it wasn’t quite what we had imagined.  And it probably shaped our experience more than we expected, as we had hoped for a more local vibe and feeling, than what we feel we have actually gotten. 

Slowing Down—For Real

“Pura Vida” is something you hear constantly here.

And in the beginning, it feels exactly like you think it will. Relaxed. Simple. A reminder to slow down and enjoy where you are. And we did. Days stretched out. Time felt less structured. There was no urgency, no pressure to move faster than necessary.

But after a while, you start to notice the other side of that pace. Things take longer. Plans are more fluid. Structure fades a bit. And while that’s part of the charm, it also makes you reflect on what you personally need.

For us, it turned out to be a balance.

We love slowing down. But we also need movement. Progress. A sense that something is unfolding. And that’s probably the biggest difference between how we felt after two months… and how we feel now.

Back then, slowing down felt like the goal. Now, it feels like one part of something bigger. We dig the slowing down, but not too much and not constantly.

WorkAway—What It Gave Us (And What It Didn’t)

WorkAway was a big part of why we came here. We imagined something very dynamic. Cultural exchange, new conversations, a deeper connection to local life. And while there were a few moments like that, the reality was a bit different.

More routine than expected. More structure in some ways, less in others. And rarely the level of cultural immersion we had pictured.

But it gave us something else. A base. Stability. Time. Time to slow down enough to actually reflect on where we are and how we’re living. And in that sense, it was very valuable – just not in the way we had initially imagined.

If we were to do it again, we would approach it more intentionally. Be clearer about what we’re looking for, and ask more questions before committing.

Not to control the experience—but to shape it a bit more, so we get the most out of our time. Whether that’s the Pura Vida lifestyle or more activity.

So Why Has Our Perspective Changed?

Not because Costa Rica changed. But because we did.

After two months, everything still felt like an experience. Now, it feels like life.

And when something becomes life, you start noticing different things. Not just what’s around you – but what’s missing. What you need. What you’re drawn toward next.

We’ve realized that while we truly enjoy this slower way of living…

We don’t want it to be the only thing.

Why We’re Ready to Move On

Nothing is pushing us away from Costa Rica. We’ve genuinely enjoyed our time here. It’s easy to understand why people come here and decide to stay – especially later in life. There’s a calmness here that makes sense when you’re looking to slow things down.

But for us, right now, that’s not quite what we’re looking for.

Not yet.

We’re still in a phase where we want movement. Variety. New environments. New impressions. Adventure. And at some point, staying, even in a place you like, starts to feel like standing still. So even though Costa Rica has been everything we hoped for…

We know it’s time for the next chapter. And what a chapter it will be!

Final Thoughts

Costa Rica gave us some of what we expected but more importantly for us, it gave us something we didn’t expect. Clarity.

Not just about this place – but about ourselves. About how we want to travel, live, and experience the world. And we believe that sometimes, that’s the real value of staying somewhere long enough. Not what you see. But what you come to understand – quietly, over time.

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Hi there! We are Ditte & Benjamin, a couple going for our dream. We have said goodbye to our known life in Denmark, and hello to an unknown life abroad.

Tag along on our adventure as we explore the wide world, tell stories, embrace the journey and create a life where every horizon is just the beginning. Sharing raw, authentic, and breathtaking moments from a life without limits.