Stories of Expats in Costa Rica – Chapter 1

Through guest contributions to our Stories of Expats in Costa Rica series, we bring to you diverse perspectives of living in Costa Rica. In Chapter 1 of this series, Rahul Wadhawan shares his story: “My Love, My Home – Costa Rica”. Rahul is an Indian expat who first arrived in Costa Rica in 2017 and now calls this country his home. He loves to travel and is a photographer by passion, capturing through his lens nature’s beauty and mesmerizing experiences. Rahul also does photoshoot assignments. You can check out his works of photography on his Instagram profile and his Facebook page.

“My Love, My Home – Costa Rica”: by Rahul Wadhawan

Costa Rica, my home now. Initially, this place was never on the cards to travel, but when I did, there was a different magic which pulled me towards it. I came here in 2017 for the first time and to my surprise fell in love with the place instantly. I returned to Costa Rica again after my 2 years of initial stay. My love for Costa Rica and my love being here got me back. So now I continue to capture the beauty the place holds and make memories of a lifetime. Let me take you through my journey and my experiences.

My Initial Journey

29^th December’2017, I had landed on the tropical paradise land of Costa Rica. At first excited but a bit nervous as well on how everything was going to be. It was night time, could not see much around, but the breeze told me that I had arrived in a paradise.

I saw the windmills on the hill top, I saw the clouds converging in each other. Honestly I only saw in movies what clouds near to earth mean, here I witnessed it all. My friends back in India were struck with amaze and said you surely are in heaven it seems. So did my parents.

Despite not being from Costa Rica and not speaking the local language (Spanish), the welcome was so warm from everyone here, it felt like Home. Friends became family like no other, irreplaceable and always available for help about anything at any time.

Traveling in Paradise

From visiting the first beach Hermosa to Tamarindo and then Limon, all just mesmerized me to the core. Different beaches with different types of sand, but the music of the waves was same. Sitting on the beach all night long, gazing at the star-studded sky, looking at the moon turn red, those were nights to remember.

Then came the volcanoes. Despite being dormant (only a few), the scenic beauty of the places is worth visiting and watching. I was lucky to get the picture of the crater of Volcan Irazu, the blue lagoon had indeed caught my camera’s eye. Being a photographer by passion, I see everything with the eye of my lens.

The moment I opened my eye and drew the curtains, Irazu Volcano smiled back from a distance with clouds converging, as if it were a painting. In the time of 2 years here, which whisked past like a blink of an eye, I experienced so much that the place felt magnetic.

Monteverde, a place I will never forget, the fondest memory was the zip-lining. Coming back from Central America’s best zip-lining experience, added with the Tarzan Swing, I had the feeling of “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” (a popular Bollywood movie). Everyone was quiet but our hearts captured memories for life. It was like an accomplishment of lifetime and will be embedded in heart for as long as I live.

The Tico Food Experience

I tasted various foods here, starting from Gallo Pinto, the most loved breakfast of Ticos. I was surprised when I tried it for the first time since I had never eaten dried beans with rice. Loved the variety of food this place has and so much fond of sweet everyone is.

The Indian Community in Costa Rica

This story cannot be complete without the mention of the Indian community in Costa Rica who never lets you feel away from home. But it is not just a community of Indian nationals, but one culturally diverse group where people from different countries come together to celebrate their fondness of Indian culture.

It was all the more heartwarming to see how Ticos enjoy the Indian events with full zeal and enthusiasm. Be it Holi, Diwali or even celebrating Gandhi Jayanti, the effort the Costa Rica India Association (CRIA) has put in to keep everyone together surely needs a standing ovation.

Now again post pandemic in 2022, the community is bringing everyone together as things have settled better. Certainly, everyone is excited. So am I to again wear our traditional outfits, go out and enjoy like we used to do before. It warms my heart to the core and how well the events get organized. Not just the happiness, but the aura and ambience of the entire place changes. It feels as if one big family has come together to celebrate.

I am back to where I belong

2022, I am back to the same paradise, witnessing rains, but the breeze is so fresh that it makes me smile even more. The magnetic pull of the place, my love being here got me back to where I actually belong. The moment I landed back, and that breath I took, all what was experienced before just flashed in front of my eyes, and here I was, standing on the same soil where I longed to be back after 2 years of being away.

Serenity and Solace

Amazed how the scenery changes with each passing time of the day, I wish I am never away from my camera lens. I am so glad that I stepped on this soil that gave me professional experience along with personal memories.

My journey in the land of paradise has been surrounded by Pura Vida and Mae and that is all the answer one needs for any question asked or even a greeting from any random person on the street. Paradise it is to wake up in serenity and as the sun sets down it changes the lights all around with colors never seen. Some days I wait until the sun sets, waiting to click the approaching night sleeping behind the clouds.

Never even in life a place had such a deep impact on me, where everyday I just want to wake up and breathe like Costa Rica is my home. Clouds hovering over the mountains, those drizzles of rain and the cool air bring me peace. This paradise gives me a hug of warmth and stirs happiness within me. I am in pure amor (love) with Costa Rica and forever will be.

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If you have lived or are living in Costa Rica, you can also share your story with the readers of Paradise Catchers. For instructions on how to proceed, please read this guideline in the section “Stories of Expats in Costa Rica”.

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