According to the literature, Costa Rica has two seasons, a dry season, and a rainy season. But once you get there, you quickly learn that there are two seasons, indeed — a rainy season, and a very rainy season.

My wife, Adele, and I visited Costa Rica in late January 2024 on a Road Scholar trip, and had a wonderful experience, even though we were dodging raindrops several times a day.

We learned all about the exotic fruits that we buy in our local markets but never see growing locally: pineapples, sour sop, sugarcane, coffee and cocoa amongst others.

So, here's an abbreviated tour of our tour.

1. The plane trip routed us on a red-eye from Sacramento through Miami. About six hours on the first leg, a three hour layover, and a four hour hop to Costa Rica. I was tired for the next three days.
2. I'll stop here — an itinerary doesn't make for an interesting story. So, here's some highlights.

Costa Rica doesn't have an army.

Costa Rica had an environmental collapse and turned it around and now has regrown much of its rain forest and has a strong tourist economy.

We get most of our pineapples from Costa Rica. Land values in Hawaii have priced them out of the market.

Pineapples are ready to eat from the moment they are picked. No need to pull leaves, smell or squeeze to check doneness.

There are loads of birds in Costa Rica. So many, I can't count that high.

They have no alligators but they do have crocodiles.

Road Scholar runs a fine trip. The trip I chose was rated the most easy because I was struggling with a hernia and could hardly walk. I held up the group a bit but everyone was wonderful. And I got wheelchair service at the airports.

My favorite excursion was an outrigger canoe boating along the Pacific shore. We took out at a secluded beach, played in the mild surf, and were treated to freshly carved pineapple in the water.

Another thing I liked was to see a guanabana tree and get fresh guanabana at a cooking lecture. Guanabana, also known as sour sop was introduced to Adele and me during our belated honeymoon to St. Lucia something like 55 years ago.

We were on a beach and some boys were selling the fruit for a quarter — I'm sure times have changed. It is typically a green colored fruit the size of a small football with scaly skin like a pineapple. The inside is white with segments like a grapefruit and it tastes like fruit punch. It took me many years until I figured out what it was.

~ Al Zagofsky