[Above: A Drive Around the World Land Rover camped out for the night at Playa Nosara, Costa Rica.]

Journal by Justin Mounts

Hello everyone,

Today, we are at Playa Nosara. It is a beach on nestled against the Pacific Ocean in Costa Rica. Today represents a homecoming of sorts. Today, we will be driving to Manuel Antonio. Manuel Antonio is a town that has experienced a great increase in popularity over the past few years. It has the unique distinction of being right on the edge of a rain forest, but also on the edge of the ocean. It is a very interesting climate combination that results in the balmy weather associated with a beach, but also the extreme humidity that you find in a rain forest. It is also a town where Neil lived for over 3 years.

This morning, I climbed out of the tent at 5 am so I could watch the sun come up and it's morning rays electrify the waves about 30 meters from our cars. It was such a beautiful morning, although it has been warmer than I care for. The heat and humidity continue to increase the further south we go, and right now we're about 8 degrees north of the equator. To put that into perspective, San Francisco is located at about 37 degrees. In order to take full advantage of this morning, I set up my video camera to record the sun rising and headed out to the beach to take some photos and collect some shells. After meandering for a good hour, I went for a morning wakeup swim in the ocean and bodysurfed for a little bit. Feeling refreshed, I returned to the beach and practiced my yoga. It was very peaceful to be the only person awake on the beach and have the ocean, the tropical forest, and the sunrise all to yourself. I have found that the constant state of flux and adjustment to living out of a Land Rover in new surroundings all the time can be quite draining. The team never really has a chance to adjust before we move on (we've been in 5 countries in the last week). As a result, I found myself reminiscent of the people I left behind. An adventure like this is an incredible experience, but most people don't realize that when you're this far from home, part of you tries to stay connected to home, even though you are trying to fully experience every country. On an expedition, you constantly have to adjust to news and events from home, though you’re not there to participate. For me, this morning reminds me of a Costa Rican phrase, "pura vida". It's a greeting used by Ticos (native Costa Ricans) daily, but it's meaning is much deeper. It symbolizes "pure life", and it's something to strive for every day. In our own way on this expedition, we are all searching for our pura vida, and we anxiously await the next experience so we can share it with those of you who follow from home.

So to all of you, “pura vida”.

Justin
justin@drivearoundtheworld.com

Logbook for December 5th
Start: Playa Nosara, Costa Rica
Finish: Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
N: 9* 27.059'
W: 84* 08.987
Mileage: 89
Notes: The team split up today. One did river crossings, the other went ahead to set up camp in Manuel Antonio.

Help support our cause: Drive Around the World aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by taking four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-mile via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. Everyone making a pledge of $10 or more to raise money for the Parkinson’s Institute will be put in a raffle to win an expedition-style Land Rover.