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.
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