Blog – Life in Pavones

Tubing in Pavones – Pavones, Costa Rica

Tubing in Pavones – Pavones, Costa Rica

October 13th, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

Pavones – No surf…no problem!  There are many activities and things to do in Pavones besides surfing such as tubing in Pavones.  This is a fun experience if you have to try if conditions are right.  The hike is about two hours to get to the river (Rio Claro) and the actual time in the river is about three hours.  The hike up to the river is a great way to see some amazing views of the jungle, ocean and wildlife.  On this trip we were able to spot lots of birds, howler monkeys and squirrel monkeys.  

The actual tubing part is really fun making you feel like a little kid at a water park as you can’t wipe the smile off of your face.  We timed everything perfect because the river wasn’t too shallow or too fast, one thing you just have to make check to ensure a fun but safe trip.  The three hour experience is so surreal being in the middle of the jungle cruising down the Rio Claro as you observe all the sites and sounds of being in an amazing setting.  There are some parts where you have to get up and walk in or around the river to avoid a few fallen trees or shallow parts.  But overall this is an amazing fun experience that you will never forget.  The best part is that the river will spit you out right at the surf break of Pavones!  Make sure you allow yourself a good 5-6 hours for this trip.  Ask locals if they think the river’s flow is not to slow or fast to ensure safety.  If you are looking for things to do in Pavones and want some fun adventure, tubing in Pavones is an amazing experience you won’t forget!

PavonesCR.com - Tubing in Pavones

PavonesCR.com - Tubing in Pavones

PavonesCR.com - Tubing in Pavones

PavonesCR.com - Tubing in Pavones

PavonesCR.com - Tubing in Pavones

PavonesCR.com - Tubing in Pavones

PavonesCR.com - Tubing in Pavones

PavonesCR.com - Tubing in Pavones

PavonesCR.com - Tubing in Pavones

Pavones, Costa Rica – September 30th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – September 30th, 2012

September 30th, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

Pavones – We had a great turn out yesterday for the first World Surf Pavones contest.  A lot of people from the community came out to join the competition and support the event throughout the entire day. There were about 18 participants in the surf competition and they all did a great job.  Surf conditions were fair as it was knee to chest high surf.  It might have been a little tough on the participants due to the inconsistency of the sets but conditions got a little better as the day went on. The weather was great earlier with partly cloudy skies but eventually we got some rain towards the quarter and semi finals of the competition.  

Congratulations to JeanCarlos Mendoza Vargas for winning the overall event.  The top four finalists received gifts for their efforts.  Below are the top four competitors of the event.

  1. JeanCarlos Mendoza Vargas
  2. Henry Martinez
  3. Jimmy Jimenz
  4. Leilani McGonagle

Congratulations to Leilani McGonagle for winning the woman’s competition.  Below are the top four competitors for the event.

  1. Leilani McGonagle
  2. Amy Khoo
  3. Lu Guglielmone
  4. Teresa Medina Conception

Most importantly thanks to all the surfers who participated the competition.  It was a fun and friendly event.

In additional thanks to all the sponsors and people who helped put this event together.  Special thanks to: El Terruno de Ronital, Bar La Plaza, Cafe de la Suerte, La Manta, Sea Kings Surf Shop, Latin Attitude, Ebenezer, Golfo Dulce, Willy Willy’s, Clear River Water Sports and PavonesCR.

I would like to challenge all of us to make this a bigger event next year.  It was great to see the community support such a great event.  I would like to encourage all the local businesses and community to sponser a local kid to enter the competition so they can look forward to having a shot at becoming next champion of the World Surf Pavones competition.  Let’s step it up next year and make this a great annual event for the town of Pavones!

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

The boys made sure they grabbed the best seats in the house before the event took place.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Every Saturday, Sassy is here selling her delicious baked goods and homemade food.  Jammin was selling some tasty fruit and pipas (coconut water). You need to check them out next time you’re in town.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Surf check before the competition.  The event was delayed a few hours in order for the tide to come in and surf to get better.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Marlon getting ready for his first heat.  Looks like he’s getting some good encouragement from his buddies.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Not only did Jean Carlos participant in the event he also did a really good job getting the event put together.  Here he is announcing the heats at the dj booth. 

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Every now and then a nice wave would roll in.  Unfortunately this one was prior to the competition.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Jimmy Jimenez getting ready for the first heat of the day.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

William getting a really nice clean wave in the first heat of the day.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Dennis with a good looking floater to finish his wave.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

The local boys checking out the competition and some getting ready to enter in. 

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Leilani making it look easy.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Harley had a nice hit on the lip, nice rip!

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Henry always surfing with some power.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Macho always showing some skill with his effortless maneuvers. 

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Dario finding the lip on this one.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Thanks to great help (left to right) from Suzanne and the three judges of the competition: Jaime, Brent and Alex.  Good job guys and thanks for everything!

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Leilani hitting the lip to finish her ride.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Marlon with a nice floater.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Alberto cruising down a nice clean wave.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Nice power hack by Harley.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Looks like that ankle is doing better Pirullo!

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Kenny found himself with a fun little wave to ride.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Evelyn and Marylou were serving up some awesome food as always!  Yum!

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Marlon with a nice bottom turn.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Today we had some super fast waves here is Dario racing down the line on one of the best waves of the day.  

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

JeanCarlos, nice spray!

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Lu catching a nice wave during her heat in the woman’s competition.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Gisselle about to cutback on this wave.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Taking flight.  Hey Pirullo, the air show is after the competition!  

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Teresa caught this nice looking wave in the woman’s competition.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Henry drawing some nice lines.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Another nice wave caught by Alberto.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Tasia heading out to the lineup.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Henry displayed some great surfing today.  

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Tasia with a floater.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

William with an epic layback, he actually pulled off the move!

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Teresa picking off an inside wave.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Everyone having fun today!!!

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Pirullo with a nice move on a great wave.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Jimmy with a nice cut back.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Dario with a nice floater to finish this wave.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Gisselle racing down the line on this fast little wave.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Harley looking down the line to figure out his next move.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Lu and Amy walking out for their heat.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Fito having fun.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Amy catching up to this fast wave.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

It took a while to get a vollyball game going but the locals were having fun once they started playing.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

Jimmy turning into this one.

PavonesCR.com - World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones, Costa Rica

JeanCarlos Medoza Vargas showing how he took first place with great surfing throughout the day.  Congrats dude!

 

Pavones, Costa Rica – September 22nd, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – September 22nd, 2012

September 22nd, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

Pavones – We are excited to announce that there is going to be a little surf competition on Saturday, September 29th, 2012.  Below are details….

Pavones home school invites you to the World Surf Pavones 2012 surfing competition Saturday September 29th – Starts at 8:00am. 

To participate, enter / Register at Cafe de la Suerte. The cost to enter is 3,000 Colones. Prizes go to the top four performances of the event. There will be fun festivities around the soccer field: Volleyball, Music, food and more! area. Profits benefit the Home School Pavones organization.

PavonesCR will be helping out with this event as well as taking some photos of the day. Stay tuned!

If you would like to participate in helping to sponsor or setting up this event please contact us!

PavonesCR.com - WSP World Surf Pavones 2012 - Pavones Surf Competition

Pavones, Costa Rica – September 4th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – September 4th, 2012

September 4th, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

Pavones – We’ve had some really great surf the past few days.  The swell is starting to back off but we still a good forecast of shoulder high waves this week.  Hopefully we’ll see another swell heading our way in about a week.  We’ve had a mixture of weather this past week as expected this time of the year in Pavones for rainy season.  Luckily we have had some nice sunny days in the morning and early afternoon with rain hitting hard in the late afternoon and evening.  Can’t complain with the overall weather though!  Below are some pics of whats been going on the past couple of days.

PavonesCR.com - Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in Pavones

Thanks to these guys we have fresh fruit and vegetables to eat!  They come every Monday and Friday from 7:00 am-1:00 pm.  They have about everything you want for your fruit and veggie fix, so make sure you hit them up when you are in town  They are located in the town center next to the soccer field!

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

This view never gets old!

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

Tommy setting up…

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

…for this little nugget.

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

Doh! Don’t be this guy in the line-up!  Show proper etiquette and make sure you know who’s coming down the line. 

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

Jean Carlos taking flight.

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Howler Monkey

You can always here an gorilla like sounds around sunrise and sunset.  Howler Monkeys are one of three types of monkeys that can be spotted here in Pavones.  This guy I spotted right off the beach frontage road.  For more information about Howler Monkeys check out this link.  

 

 

Pavones, Costa Rica – September 1st, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – September 1st, 2012

September 1st, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

Pavones – The swell arrived yesterday and should be peaking later this afternoon.  So far we have had good conditions with slight onshore winds kicking on mid-morning.  Waves are head high to head high plus three feet with bigger sets coming in every now and then.  Its been pretty crowded at both low tide and high tide but there have been plenty of waves to go around.  

If you are looking to travel to Pavones please contact us to help set up your trip from accommodations, car rentals, driving directions, things to do and more!  Hope to see you down here soon!

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

 

 

Pavones, Costa Rica – August 16th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – August 16th, 2012

August 16th, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

Pavones – Today we had another great day of surf.  Conditions were about the same as yesterday though not as consistent.  Waves didn’t start picking up until the incoming tide.  Wave heights were head high to overhead +3 feet.  Here’s some shots from today.  

If you are looking for a place to stay please contact us and we’ll find you the perfect place for your trip.

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

Pavones, Costa Rica – August 15th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – August 15th, 2012

August 15th, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

Pavones – Today we had great surfing conditions and were blessed with some awesome waves.  Wind was slightly offshore in the morning and light the majority of the day.  Wind turned onshore in the evening but waves were still surfable.  Wave heights ranged from head high to overhead +3 feet with occasional sets close to double over head.  Conditions were great at both low and high tide.  We had a crowd today as well as expected.  Enjoy some shots from today.

If you are looking for a place to stay please contact us and we’ll find you the perfect place for your trip.

PavonesCR.COM - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.COM - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.COM - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.COM - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.COM - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.COM - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.COM - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.COM - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.COM - Pavones Surf

 

PavonesCR.COM - Pavones Surf

 

Pavones, Costa Rica – August 9th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – August 9th, 2012

August 8th, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

Rambutan - Exotic Fruit in Pavones, Costa Rica

Pavones – Rambutan or more commonly called Mamon Chino here in Costa Rica is one of the coolest looking fruits around.  Harvested this time of year (just like the Mangosteen) you can see endless bags being sold by street vendors throughout the roads and towns of Costa Rica.  

The exterior shell of the Rambutan is a soft, rubber-like texture with stiff like bristles.  It’s oval shaped size ranges from 1-2 inches long.  In order to access the fruit inside simply twist the rind and there you will see a juicy white translucent grape-like fruit around an inner seed.  The taste is out of this world.  Some people describe the taste as sweet and slightly mild in flavor, similar to a lychee or longan.   It’s super juicy and addicting to eat!  


You can get a one pound bag for around $2 here.  

Rambutan - Exotic Fruit in Pavones, Costa Rica

Below are some health benefits of the Rambutan that we have taken from this website http://www.101healthyrecipes.com/health-benefits-of-fruit/rambutan-fruit-facts-health-benefits-101.php

  • Rambutan fruit is rich in sugar, mostly fructose and sucrose, but less calories, only around 60 in a fruit. Rambutan fruit is abundant with vitamin C and has potassium, iron, beta carotene or vitamin A, and a little calcium, magnesium zinc, sodium, niacin, fiber and protein.
  • The fruit has been employed in traditional medicine in Malaysia and Indonesia for hundreds of years as a treatment for diabetes, hypertension and various ailments. Besides the antioxidants obtained in its beta carotene and vitamin C, research workers at the Chiang Mai University in Thailand found that the rambutan pulp, seeds and skin have strong, plant based, antioxidants calledflavonoids. Certain kinds of flavonoids are believed to reduce cholesterol and possess anti-cancerous, anti-inflammatory attributes.
  • One of many organic compounds contained in the skin is Gallic acid. This compound behaves like a free radical scavenger as it helps protect against oxidative damage in our body and is regarded as a strong aid in the battle against cancer. Due to its extensive antioxidant activity, compared to other exotic fruits like pomegranate, rambutan skin extract may be promoted as a drug or health supplement product.
  • The rambutan is abundant with vitamin C. 10-12 rambutans provide 75-90 mg ascorbic acid, more than double the amount recommended to take daily. An essential antioxidant, vitamin C prevents body cells from being damaged by free radicals and helps the absorption of iron.
  • The fruit also has small quantities of copper, necessary for the creation of white and red blood cells, and also manganese, which our body needs to produce and activate some enzymes.
  • A single serving of rambutan functions as an excellent iron source. The iron in what you eat promotes the correct amount of oxygen inside you, which help stop the dizziness and fatigue due to anemia, an illness caused by low iron.
  • Additionally, you will obtain 4.3% of the daily recommended intake ofphosphorus when you have a serving of rambutan. Phosphorus helps remove waste in your kidneys and is essential for the development, repair and maintenance of tissues and body cells. Rambutan also has a small amount ofcalcium; both phosphorus and calcium work together to fortify your teeth and bones.
Other Exotic Fruits in Pavones, Costa Rica
Water Apple
Biriba
Mangosteen
 

 

Pavones, Costa Rica – August 5th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – August 5th, 2012

August 5th, Pavones, Costa Rica

Pavones – Another great day for surf even with the swell backing off some.  Wave heights in the head high to overhead +2 feet.  We’ve also been enjoying some great weather during the day as well.  Here are some photos from today.  Enjoy!

If you are looking for a place to stay please contact us and we’ll find you the perfect place for your trip.

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

 

 

Pavones, Costa Rica – August 4th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – August 4th, 2012

August 4th, 2012

Pavones – The swell of the season showed up on Friday afternoon as sized picked up in a hurry. Today we had great conditions with waves well overhead with occasional sets double overhead. The waves were connecting from the point all they way through the inside bay.  We had a good size crowd today and the town was packed with tourists and Costa Rican locals who reside from all parts of the country.   Waves were pretty consistent all day with good size.  There were a lot of snapped boards, barrels, long rides.  Fun times.  Jolly Roger has a live band playing  xylophones tonight and La Manta has video from today’s action playing on the big screen.  They also have a live band playing tonight.  If you’re in town check them out!!  

Classic Pavones waves today!!

If you are looking for a place to stay please contact us and we’ll find you the perfect place for your trip.

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

Pavones, Costa Rica – August 2nd, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – August 2nd, 2012

August 2nd, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

Getting to Pavones
Photo of Cocal Bridge taken on July 26th, 2012

Pavones – For those of you who are planning on making a trip down to Pavones in the next month or two we want to give you a heads up regarding the Cocal bridge located 10 minutes before Pavones.  Back in August of 2011, the concrete bridge had cracked and was a main conversation here in the areas regarding on getting this fixed or replaced.  The bridge was cracked/broke for just under a year before the municipality of Golfito decided that it was time to fix it before it completely failed.  

Finally in June 2012, they tore the bridge down and erected a temporary bridge in the mean time.  Now not to get our hopes up, we all know that this could take some time before the new bridge is completed.   We are all taking bets here in town to see how long it will take before the new bridge is completed.  

The temporary bridge might pose an inconvenience to travelers or locals who are driving 4×4’s as there are height and width restrictions to drive accross the bridge.  This is due to the fact that this is a temporary bridge and they do not want bigger/heavier trucks to cross.  But they made the restrictions too little as the height clearance is only 7 feet 1 inch (See photos below) and width clearance of 9 feet 11 inches .  This poses a problem for those who travel with surfboards on top of the vehicle or those who have a taller vehicle.   So make sure you are ready to take down your boards or at least measure the height of your vehicle before you try to cross the bridge!!

The clearance not only effects tourists but it also effects the locals who live here.  Take for instance buses, trash trucks, and food vendors.  Buses have to let out the pedestrians one one side of the bridge walk across and get on another bus waiting on the other side.  The trash trucks who pick up trash here in Pavones every Monday morning (before 6:00 am ) can no longer make it into town so locals have to take their own trash from here to the bridge drop it off on the other side so the trash trucks can pick it up there.  Lastly most food vendors who supply the supermarkets and restaurants in town have to come up with alternative transportation methods (smaller vehicles) in order continue providing their supplies as necessary.

As you can see, living in paradise does create certain challenges that most tourists and foreigners don’t think about.  We are constantly faced with different challenges and obstacles that we must adapt to in order to continue living in such an amazing and remote place in the world.  

We will be monitoring the bridge and giving you updates on the progress of the bridge.  We are hoping that it gets completed soon.  Stay tuned.

Getting to Pavones

Temporary Cocal Bridge – As you can see the height and width restrictions made by metal piping. Height restriction is 7 feet 1 inch and Width restriction is 9 feet 11 inches.
Pavones, Costa Rica – July 29th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – July 29th, 2012

July 29th, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

Pavones – The swell backed off a bit today unfortunately as we hoped that we would have another day of bigger surf.  This morning was clean but a little inconsistent.  Waves were in the waist to shoulder high range with a few head high sets rolling through.  It was still a fun day ans super clean this morning.

If you are looking for a place to stay please contact us and we’ll find you the perfect place for your trip.

PavonesCR - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR - Pavones Surf

 

Pavones, Costa Rica – July 28th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – July 28th, 2012

July 12, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

Pavones – Surf was fun today as we had good conditions most of the morning.  Wave heights  ranged from shoulder to overhead as the size picked up gradually throughout the day.  Here are some shots from today’s action.

If you are looking for a place to stay please contact us and we’ll find you the perfect place for your trip.

PavonesCR - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR - Pavones Surf

Pavones, Costa Rica – July 26th 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – July 26th 2012

July 26th, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

If you get to travel this way to Pavones this time of year you might be able to get your hands on a rare exotic fruit found here in Southern Costa Rica called Mangosteen (Scientific name is Garcina mangostana). Mangosteen has been regarded as one of the most delicious and best flavored fruits in the world.  This fruit is believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas (Indonesia).  Mangosteen has also been called “The Queen of Fruit” and the “food of the Gods” in some parts of the world.

Exotic Fruit in Costa Rica - Mangosteen

It takes approximately 7-10 years for the mangosteen to bear fruit.  Once the tree matures to its full growth (20 – 80 feet in height) it can yield on average up to 500 mangosteen fruits per harvest. The fruit itself has a purple rind with a juicy soft white flesh in 4-8 segments (edible part).  The fruit in its entirety ranges from 2 to 3 inches in diameter, about the size of a tangerine.  When the fruit is ripe, the rind becomes soft and can be opened  by twisting the rind with your hands.  Be careful because the rind can stain your hands purple.  

In addition to its rich taste, mangosteen is also regarded as a super fruit and has been uses as medicinal purposes for hundreds of years.  The fruit, fruit juice, rind, twig, and bark are used as medicine.  Mangosteen is used for anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidents, intestinal infections, urinary tract infections, diarrhea, cancer, osteoarthritis, menstual disorders and contains more than 40 xanthones.  Check out this page for more health benefits of mangosteen.

In 2007 the United States lifted the ban on mangosteen to allow imports of this tropical fruit.  But don’t be surprised to find this at just any grocery store and expect to pay up to $45/pound!  

You can find these fruits at the Costa Rican/Panamanian border at certain fruit stands.  If you’re lucky and meet the right people in town, they could get you some of this exotic fruit in Pavones.  If you have an opportunity to get your hands on mangosteen, you must do so!  It might be the best fruit you’ve ever tasted!

Tropical Fruits in Costa Rica

Pavones, Costa Rica – July 23rd, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – July 23rd, 2012

July 23rd, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

Pavones – We are finally getting some decent surf after a long period of not much surf. We should be getting some fun surf all week.  This morning was a little choppy but still fun surf.  Size was around chest to shoulder high.  Its been overcast and rainy the past few days but lets hope the weather favors off shore winds so we can surf all day!

If you are looking for a place to stay please contact us and we’ll find you the perfect place for your trip.

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf

PavonesCR.com - Pavones Surf