Lisa and I had an awesome trip to Costa Rica!! I am so thankful I have such a dear friend that I know we will always be close and have these amazing memories together. And thank you Mr. Aguirre for sharing your timeshare- that is one great investment!
Day 1
Lisa and her family had a grueling week and I had just hoped for her to be able to get out town so that she could enjoy some travel time, but of course things aren’t ever that easy. She faced a few challenges from car problems to flight delays, but didn't let any of this bring her down. The plan for us to meet in Houston and catch a flight to San Joes, but her flight was delayed and she missed the connection. So I went on to San José to lessen the risk of losing luggage (a girl’s biggest fear) and await Lisa’s arrival in Costa Rica. Although it is awful to be in the dark airport basement, knowing a beautiful country lies up stairs, it was a edgy feeling of being in between countries-not in the US, but not through Costa Rican customs.
I have learned when it comes to travel to expect plans to change. I am a planner by nature and I love mapping out locations and researching deals, but I also can easily adapt when plans go astray. It is important to go with the flow or else you set yourself up for some uneasy emotions- now I just have to learn how to better apply this to my everyday life, right?
Once we cleared customs we figured out how to get to Jaco, about a two hour drive. May is the beginning of the Costa Rica’s “Green”, the term coined for “rainy” season. We experienced our first downpour on our journey to Jaco. The streets were full of rain and the drain ditches that run along the side of the road, appeared more like mini-creeks. The rain caused the air to be a bit chilly and made us question our packing skills: 4 swimming suits, 6 sundress, tanks, skirts, sandals…..not much for “chilly” weather. But as we’d find out later, this was the extent of the chill aside from the expected mountain air we’d experiance at the end of our trip.
Jaco, had mixed reviews. Some people said to avoid it because it was overly commercialized and dirty. Others said it was a must do while venturing out because it offers a surfer community vibe. We figured it would be a great base camp while checking out other areas of the country. Once we arrived at the hotel, we grabbed some food and caught some much needed zzzs.
Day 2
We awoke early desperately seeking coffee. Once refueled, we prepared for lovely excursion of horseback riding! After making our way down to the lobby, we met Luciano, who delivered our bummer news that there had been a little earthquake the day before (little did we know) and that the horse tour would have to be postponed. No worries, because Luciano became our number one friend and patiently went through tons of options with us to figure out what the next best fit would be…and the next thing I knew we were signed up for zip lining on the 13 lines of cables including the including the longest cable in the area of 2400 feet. Lisa is an adrenaline junkie and I am a little more of cautious adventurer- I love to try new things but I get a little anxious! Fortunately, there was a lady on the tour that was completely scared out of her mind- leaving me feeling quite gutsy. I had a nervousness just of the unknow, but she had a fear of heights and wanted to challenge herself to overcome it- pretty cool I think. She made it through about 4 lines then said DONE! After the 2nd line I had the hang of it and LOVED it. I would highly recommend everyone try it; adrenaline/anxiety/nerves whatever its called is well worth it and part of the experience- not to mention the little or no impact the tour has on the environment.
Here are some pics.
