What I said about being ready to leave... I take it back... 😢😭 You'll be in my heart ❤️ #laureninpuravida #hastaluego (at Juan Santamaría International Airport)
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What I said about being ready to leave... I take it back... 😢😭 You'll be in my heart ❤️ #laureninpuravida #hastaluego (at Juan Santamaría International Airport)
Tired or Ready for More?
When I first booked my trip I felt 2 and a half weeks was not going to be enough. However, now I’m glad I did not plan to stay longer (or less). I have become quite exhausted. Between the the language barrier (practicing my Spanish more or less depending on the people I am around), discovering what it’s like traveling alone, being in a developing country, and traveling internationally for the first time... It’s understandable why I’m pooped. There have been many first’s and culture shock’s.
Just yesterday I took a 3-hour nap (mostly due to feeling a sickness coming on) and was awaken by the mother of my host. She only speaks Spanish, and quite rapidly might I add... She started talking to me and my brain was wiped of all Spanish recollection. I couldn’t speak in Spanish and I couldn’t understand her Spanish. It all sounded like rubbish. Finally I was able to utter, “Perdón estaba durmiendo y cuando despierto mi español es muy mal.” “I’m sorry, I was sleeping and when I wake my Spanish is very bad.” *That also goes for when I’ve had alcohol* It took a few minutes, but I finally understood what she was telling me, and was able to respond. Talk about brain-overload.
Although I am exhausted and have been needing mid-day naps here and there and quiet “self” time (normal for me though...) I am already thinking about my next trip. I have been for at least the past week. I’ve come to the conclusion (not really a conclusion, but rather 2 options): my next travel destination will either be in a Spanish speaking country in Latin America or South America (preferably more affordable than Costa Rica--which means not Brazil), OR Asia.
Specifically I’ll be looking into Columbia, Nicaragua, Chile, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. If you have any suggestions or information you’d like to share, please send me a message or email me at [email protected]
This has been an adventure I will carry with me forever. I’m so grateful for the people I’ve met (many of whom have helped me navigate/travel Costa Rica and helped me practice my Spanish) and the amazing experiences I’ve had. Thank you to all who have made this journey unforgettable. A few names to mention:
Malo y Tias. Rodland. Johnathon y Desiré. Daniel. Cindy y Speranza. Santiago. Carlos. Juan. Marrvin. Estella. Dean. Marie y Randy. Miguel. Rosie y Neilly. Rob. Eric. Jen y Ron. Sarah y Sebastian. Marissa y Bethany. Jess.
Also a big shoutout to AirBnB. I did all of my stay booking through AirBnB and cannot say enough good things. Flexible. Accurate. Safe. Cultural. Cheap. Clean. I felt as if I lived like a local for most of my trip.
Headed to the airport in a few hours.
PURA VIDA
Beyond stoked. My Costa Rican @crossfit fam @crossfitalajuela 🏋🏽 #laureninpuravida (at CrossFit Alajuela)
More of the Río Claro trail!!
Trail to Río Claro
Lessons of Happiness & the Río Claro Trail
Two days ago I hiked the trail to Río Claro from Agujitas, Bahía Drake. Every website I read and every person I talked to, raved about the destinations (Río Claro and San Josecito), not the trail itself. That is probably why it came as a surprise to me how magnificent the trail was.
This trip is said to take around 2 hours there, and 2 hours return. I spent a total of 9 hours on trail. Zero of those hours were spent at San Josecito or Río Claro. The trail follows the coastline entirely, yet is submerged in the rainforest. It would be difficult to get lost, as you simply follow along the coast--perfect rainforest adventure for a solo traveler!!
Along the entire trail are small and secluded beaches with not a soul in sight (except for maybe some trail construction workers, or local people traveling to town for work or school). The black and rugged lava, lush rainforest, and turquoise waters made for a picturesque day. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves :) Although I didn’t get pictures of the animals. I saw white-face capuchin monkeys (again), spider monkeys (for the first time!), a coati (very close!), some exotic birds, AND (most exciting of all) a snake at least 6ft long less than 2 meters from me! Upon returning to my hostel I described the snake to my host and he said the snake was most likely a Bushmaster Viper (the largest and most dangerous viper in the world!!!). However, I’m debating if it was a Bushmaster or an Eyelash Viper...
About an hour into the hike it started to pour (yes, it’s winter in Costa Rica now). I bumped into a local guy about my age collecting coconuts in his yard. I sat under a covering in his yard to hide from the rain since I didn’t bring my backpack cover or rain jacket (Costa Rica 101). We chatted and he offered me some coconut water straight from the coco. He told me that he makes coconut oil, told me about the process and how it is a strenuous job. But man was that the best coconut water I’ve ever had. Thank you Miguel.
Not a hundred meters down the path a man sitting at a kitchen asked me where I was from as I walked by. When I told him he seemed so amazed. He invited me in for coffee. He’s in his mid-30s, from Holland, his girlfriend is from Costa Rica and he’s moved here without plans to leave. He just got hired as the manager of the place we were sitting in: Corcovado Jungle Tents (an all-inclusive camp, offering food, large tents, and tours), and is opening a hostel on-site soon. We talked for at least an hour, mostly about travel, but also about happiness. I told him my interest in stress-management, and he shared with me his perspective. He believes happiness comes from your thoughts and perspective. He explained, “If you think about love, you will be love; if you think about hate, you will be hate.”
Marie, my host in Dominical, expressed a similar perspective. She believes no matter what the situation, a person can choose to be happy. She explained that we should be happy even in our struggles; as those experiences help us grow as individuals and are temporary.
I have similar views on happiness. I believe most situations are manipulable by the person experiencing it. If a person does not like his or hers situation, s/he should change it. Although there are exceptions when persons cannot change their situations; therefore, they should change their thoughts. If everything is taken from a person, the one thing they are left to control is their thoughts. If a person focuses on the negative aspects of their situation they will be unhappy. But s/he can gain a different perspective, search for and focus on optimistic aspects of the situation, or find humor. There is always positivity to be found. If you do not believe this, read autobiographies of persons who have struggled unimaginable devastations. Sometimes an image of a loved one, a sense of humor, or the taste of a favorite dish can inspire people to endure, persevere, and survive--possibly even with a smile on.
I’m also a strong believer in being #gracedbygrit or self-improved by enduring hardships. Not all are automatically self-improved by their struggles, though. One must maintain a positive mindset and search out how they may grow and mature from their pain. This will not only contribute to their happiness, but will open up opportunities to pass on their comfort/sympathy and wisdom to others in similar situations.
I’ve loved hearing people’s opinions on happiness while traveling... it’s inspired me to do some more research... Expect an online survey soon.
Decided to treat myself to a flight back to Alajuela 🛩 and baby it was worth it 😍 (at Bahía Drake, Costa Rica)
Buen Provecho 🐟 Ceviche de Peru (at Canoas De Alajuela)
Lorena
When I arrived to Costa Rica two weeks ago, my cab driver from the airport to my homestay shared with me an important piece of information: "En Costa Rica el nombre 'Lauren' se decimos 'Lorena.'" I love the way the name rolls off the tongue, and I've used it often here.
Mi Novio y Mis Piernas
You read that correctly: Mis piernas. My legs. Apparently the Ticos like big legs, because every Tico who's come onto me or complimented me has mentioned my legs! "Tus piernas son muy fuertes" (Your legs are very strong). My legs have gotten me a few things on this trip... Rides, friendships, and the tag along. Today I hiked to a secluded beach to get some peace and relaxation. On my hike I passed a 19 year old boy working in his yard. I said, "Buenas días." A few minutes later he was behind me and invited himself on my venture! At first I didn't mind, but 15 minutes into our time together I realized he wasn't going to stop talking, and I had actually come to read and be alone. It didn't stop when we got to the beach. He pestered me about how to say suave things in English (while I was trying to read), asked if I had a boyfriend (I of course made one up lol) AND asked why I didn't want another boyfriend in Costa Rica. I went on about how much I love my (fake) boyfriend in San Diego. That's not the first time this has happened here. I'm starting to get a pretty good picture of who my fake boyfriend is. Ha!!
Journey To Bahía Drake!!
This has been one of the highlights of my trip so far! So simple, yet so refreshing and fun! The cool breeze in my hair, boating down the Sierpe River through mangroves, a wild ride in the ocean, and most importantly the amazing views of the shore. It's said that love is the universal language, but I think laughter is. Maybe there's love in laughter...
Hangry & Tired
Traveling is not always rainbows and unicorns. Period. No matter what issue you come across on your trip, you’re bound to experience some type of disappointment, discomfort, or unpleasantness.
Today, I woke up at 3am to catch a bus at 4:30. It really left at 4:50. That bus ride took me from Dominical to Palomar Norte. There, I waited an hour and a half for my bus to Sierpe. I arrived to Sierpe around 8:30. My boat to Bahía Drake is at 11:30. I dozed on all of my bus rides (unintentionally, I couldn’t keep my peepers open!) but still feel like I’m in another world.
Lauren needs her beauty sleep. Or should I say happy sleep. Because if I don’t get enough sleep I am cranky. I’m sorry for the nice French couple who I’ve been with for the past couple hours. Upon arriving to the boat dock –actually there’s no dock, just sand and a sign that says, “COCODILOS. NO NADAR. NO ALIMENTAR.” In English, “Crocodiles. Do not swim. Do not feed.”– I scarfed down some pinto gallo with toast, but I’m beginning to tire of the high carb diet here.
Did I mention my Spanish goes out the window when I’m tired? Where’s a nice place I could take a nap? I could fancy that table…
Compromises
(This can apply to all sexes, but especially applies to women, as hitch hiking is often seen as very risky for us)
If you haven’t noticed, I’m pro-solo travel. But that doesn’t mean I do not take precautions.
Every time I have hitch hiked I evaluate the situation, take advice from my hosts about where is ok to hitch hike, and judge the person offering the ride.
I do not believe hitch hiking in any situation with anyone is safe. You must be a good judge of character and situation, and still… shit happens.
In addition, safety precautions should be taken while adventuring alone. Be aware of the animals that live in the area (snakes, cougars etc.) and take something to fend off such animals if you find yourself in a predicament (I carry my sisters pocket knife that she doesn’t know I took–thanks Savannah 😉 and a walking stick if I’ll be in snake territory).
Also be aware of dangerous environments, know when to say “no,” and take advice from locals. This morning I planned to hike to a Nauyaca Waterfall (~6km) that I’ve been dying to go to. It poured 4 inches last night through this morning. That’s a lot. The trail is steep and would be slippery and extremely muddy. I was told a couple times by my hosts that it was not a good idea to hike alone in those conditions. Hiking that trail alone in those conditions was not safe. I had to make the hard decision to not go, but I had a great day anyways!
Solo travel is amazing. But to do it safely, one must be prepared to exercise a few traits. Be knowledgable. Be level minded. Be disciplined. Have good judgement. Don’t let your emotions overrule your logic.
Dominical. Staying with an older couple. Randy is from Canada, Marie is from Bulgaria. They've been here for 20 years. Look at those puppies! I'm tempted to take that little one home with me!!! Wouldn't that spot be perfect for a wedding ceremony? I'm so surprised Marie and Randy haven't turned it into a wedding operation... They're selling the land too! If I had the money I'd buy it and start a wedding venue and catering company 😍
Bugs
Have you been wondering if there are as many bugs as there is greenery in Costa Rica? Well there is. I can proudly say I handle the bugs much better than I did few years ago--mostly due to my last summer spent in the New Hampshire woods. Up until today the bugs in Costa Rica have been manageable (with deet and my natural repellent). But today vengeance occurred. I decided to try out my Badger's natural repelling sunblock (great reviews) on a brief hike in the backyard/rainforest. Bad. Idea. I came back with countless bites and am using all of my will power not.to.scratch. Sometimes you gotta ditch the organic stuff and dowse yourself in toxic chemicals. That, or take a bath in After Itch (now that stuff WORKS). Unfortunately I'm on my last leg of that... Just before the real buggy part of my trip. Good one Lauren. Although I manage to not be too affected by the large flying beetles and ants, I still manage to make sure there are no moths in my room before I go to sleep. Yeah they freak me out!!! They're just brown butterflies you say? LIES! Have you seen a butterfly move its wings as quickly as a moth does? No. But little bugs can crawl all over me as much as they want.
Meditation & Decompress
Today has been a rest and rejuvenate day. The couples home I am staying at sits in the jungle and has a porch overlooking it. I woke up at 5:30 to see the critters in the morning, and haven't really left the porch since! I've taken this day to read my book, "Playing Big" by Tara Mohr, and meditate. I have meditated in the past, but not often. Today it has been very refreshing and I feel a sense of clarity for my life. Coming to Costa Rica, I wondered if I would fall in love with the lifestyle and jungle and never want to leave. I have an inner conflict with my personality: I love the wilderness and minimalistic living, but I also have passions to help others manage their stress and find their happiness. One part of me is pulled towards the solitude and beauty of nature, while the other part is pulled towards the western business world. By meeting, and living with people who live the simple life in nature removed from the western world, I've come to a realization. Many parts of me long for a life like theirs. But if I didn't go after my passions and aspirations, I would regret that more than a life not lived in the wilderness. Maybe one day I will run off and live in a secluded rainforest town... But for now, I'm confident in the path I've chosen. A few wise words from the movie Pocahontas: "I don't know what I can do. But still I know I've got to try." "Listen to your heart. You will understand."
Jungle. Journal. Coffee. ☕️🌿 I've been watching monkeys swing from tree to tree and various birds eat fruit in the yard. I'm hearing toucans, but haven't seen any yet. Geckos run by as if there is a marathon in town. #laureninpuravida #backporch (at Playa Dominical, Costa Rica)