Blue Zones are regions of the world where people regularly live to a healthy old age. There are only five such zones on the planet, and they are believed to result from a combination of factors, including diet, lifestyle, and environment. Costa Rica is home to one of these exceptional regions, and a magazine commissioned me to explore why. So, Dre—my then-girlfriend—and I flew from California to Costa Rica to uncover the secrets of longevity.
We began our journey in the town of Puerto Viejo, located on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. From there, we took a dugout canoe up the Yorkin River, deep into the jungle bordering Panama. This is the homeland of Costa Rica’s indigenous Bribri people, whose remote location helped preserve their culture during the European colonization of Central America.
The jungle teems with life, and the Bribri have mastered using its bounty for everything from repelling mosquitoes with camphor sap to chewing a plant for toothache relief. At first glance, their gardens appeared indistinguishable from the surrounding jungle, with a rich diversity of plants and butterflies fluttering through the branches. However, the apparent chaos was deceptive.
“That’s because you’re used to seeing monoculture farms,” explained Albin, our local guide. “We don’t farm monocultures because the plants here evolved to work in harmony. The legumes put nitrogen in the soil, and banana trees provide potassium, so we don’t need artificial products or fertilizers.”
He continued, “Each plant attracts different birds, so we have hundreds of bird species here, whereas you might find only a dozen on a monoculture farm. Each species eats different insects, and we have coral snakes and boas that control the rodent population, so we don’t need pesticides or traps.”
Dre, ever curious, asked, “What about venomous snakes?”
“We do kill the fer-de-lance and bushmaster snakes,” Albin admitted. “Our gardens are right next to our villages, and those snakes can be really dangerous, especially to curious kids—or curious tourists.”
As our boat pulled into a small stone beach, we were greeted by the joyful screams of two young children—a brother and sister—playing in the river under the watchful eye of their father, who was fishing nearby. The air was filled with the earthy scent of river water and the sweet fragrance of flowers and grasses. As we made our way toward the village, Albin plucked fruits from the trees, many of which were unfamiliar to me.
“This is a water apple,” he said, handing me a small fruit. “And this is monkey fruit. That one over there is star fruit. They look different from what you’d find in a supermarket because they are less hybridized.”
He then led us to a tree about 20 feet tall, with fruits sprouting directly from the trunk and branches. The fruits were shaped like ribbed rugby balls, mostly yellow or green.
“This is the cacao tree,” Albin said, gently touching the trunk. “Our people believed it was the most beautiful tree in paradise, and its seeds were once used as currency.”
Albin picked a yellow fruit, speckled with orange, and knocked it against the trunk. It split in half to reveal white flesh and perfectly arranged seeds.
“The flesh is sweet,” he said, offering me a seed to taste. “But the seed is bitter before it’s processed.”
We eventually reached a clearing with thatched houses on stilts and a white wooden hut that resembled a large birdhouse. Inside, racks of cacao seeds were laid out to dry, now turned red and brown.
“The seeds are removed from the fruit and left to ferment for a week,” Albin explained. “That’s when the chocolate flavor develops, thanks to enzymes and microorganisms. Then we dry them in the sun for five days.”
Before we left, an elderly Bribri man named Pachito shared his wisdom with us. “During my life,” he said, “I was not a grand person—a person of significance—but I have always been a good friend. You have to love yourself and others. Because if you love a friend, you cannot wish anything bad on other people. That stops things from going bad for you from the inside.”
As we departed, he patted my hand and nodded towards Dre. “And it’s very important to love a good woman,” he added.
I took Pachito’s advice to heart. Dre and I are now married.
You Might Be Interested In:
