December 20, 2011
Rain, rain, go away?
I love the rain. Maybe it’s the nine years I spent living in Florida, but to me, nothing beats a hot shower in the tropics. So when my insane work schedule made it so that my last Costa Rica adventure landed during the tail end of rainy season, I didn’t bat an eye. Obviously, it was sort of a buzzkill when it rained during my one boat day, but we didn’t let it stop us. And the beach here in Guiones proved that stormy weather can be absolutely beautiful. I’ve collected some of my favorite photos that show off the wet weather. This first one here is the Club at Coco Bay, a beautiful beach club that just recently opened to the public. One minute we were sunning ourselves in the searing hot sun, the next we were grabbing our towels and running for cover, as the sky tore open. I thought it was beautiful, all part of the Costa Rica adventure. I love how the rain makes everything so green — none of that lushness exists long after the rains have stopped for the year, usually in November. Instead of “summer” and “winter,” Ticos enjoy “wet season,” “windy season,” (which affects all sports and tourism at the beginning of each year) and then dry season again until about September.
Posted in Big Travel, Journal Entry, The Good Life Tagged Central America, Costa Rica, travel, weather 51 Comments
December 15, 2011
Costa Rica coffee yum
Costa Rica coffee is some of the most renowned in the world. I have never returned from a trip there without 1820 and Cafe Britt in my suitcase for somebody — I’ve even twice mailed it to strangers (aka online travel friends) who had a craving for it! Me? I don’t drink coffee. I have enough problems turning off my brain to sleep at night without adding caffeine to the mix. While I was living in Spain during college, I was in a (ten-year) “no red meat” phase, and during my year in Costa Rica, I didn’t drink coffee. Sigh. Well, during my recent trip, my friends (locals) drank enough coffee for me.
Posted in Big Travel, Snapshot, The Good Life Tagged Central America, coffee, Costa Rica, travel 47 Comments
December 10, 2011
My Mini Sea Turtle Rescue in Costa Rica
During a routine early-morning walk on Playa Guiones during my recent trip to Costa Rica, my friend and I came upon a scene that was way more than we had bargained for. We had brought my friend’s dogs (two huge boxers) down from Coco, so we were on a section of the beach that was pretty much empty except for us. It had been a cloudy morning after some storms, so the air already had a moody feel, the still-ferocious waves lapping at the shore. The dogs started running after something, so we knew something was up. Then we saw the vultures — lots of them. And then… we came upon the first skeleton.
We had stumbled upon a turtle graveyard.
Posted in Big Travel, Journal Entry, The Good Life Tagged activism, animals, Costa Rica, travel 49 Comments
December 5, 2011
Holiday contest: win travel funds here!
©iStockphoto.com/mphillips007
Who’s going home for the holidays? I know I am! I’m headed straight to my family’s house in Albuquerque the second our office closes in late December. If you haven’t yet made your plans, don’t fret – Enrout is giving away $500 to one lucky winner who’s wanting to head home this holiday season.
To enter, click here. The contest ends December 16th.
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December 3, 2011
Reflections
Whenever I head to the tropics and someone hears I got a little rain, they groan, “awww.” But I love it! The smell of rain and the feel of humidity make me so happy. It’s hard to capture that slice of nature in a photograph, but I liked this picture. Being cold makes me feel so tired, but warm tropical waterfall makes me feel so alive and safe. This photo looks like it could have been taken on a chilly day, but instead we were blanketed by hot, humid air. I took this during an early morning walk in Playa Guiones, a fun surf town a few hours south of Coco.
November 27, 2011
No Judgements on a Stormy Day
No cranky clouds could keep us off that boat!
On my first day of vacation in Costa Rica, visiting for the first time in the 15 months after I left the good life to follow my career dreams in Las Vegas, my friends had gotten the entire group together for a day on Lisa and Mau’s fishing boat at North Pacific Tours. It was all set up to be a perfect day… The weather, however, was not in a party mood. Nothing can stop this group though! We laughed during the entire wet, cold trip out to our favorite beach, Playa Juevos. Being with the old crew gave me a lot to think about – I have such amazing friends in Las Vegas, but we don’t have this same sort of light friendship, where we can laugh all day at nothing, and everyone feels themselves. Maybe it’s just that we’re all so busy there that we don’t get to spend the same amount of quality time together as I did during my year in Costa Rica, where I saw my friends literally every single day.
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Posted in Big Travel, Journal Entry, The Good Life Tagged Central America, Costa Rica, relationships, travel 45 Comments
November 16, 2011
This is why I travel
This is why I travel.
After a full day laughing with friends on Lisa and Mau’s boat, drinking, snacking, swimming, weathering a rainstorm, hiking alone on an island, exploring the cave on Playa Juevos… Then this magical sunset as we headed home. With not another soul in sight for as far as we could see, we took in these bright colors, changing from pinks to yellow and orange from horizon to shore. We were all in awe!
Shown here: Guanacaste’s famous Monkey’s Head Rock, outside of Coco, Costa Rica.
Posted in Big Travel, Journal Entry, Snapshot, The Good Life Tagged Central America, Coco, Costa Rica, photography, travel 23 Comments
November 11, 2011
Travel vs vacation
Nothing beats the sunsets -- and happy hours -- at Pacifico.
I am taking a vacation.
It is weird for me to have five glorious days off of work yet not be planning a Big Trip. I don’t have to research all of the sites or look into visa issues. Packing ahead? Nah – I’ll just throw a few things into a bag tomorrow night.
Finally, I am off on a trip that will rejuvenate me – I won’t need a vacation after the vacation. I often say that Big Travel revives and reenergizes me. Most of the time, it does. But lately, I’ve been run-down, trying to fit everything in. Work has been too hard, and I’m getting up when it’s still dark out just to catch up or work on my blog. My gym membership is a thing of the past, as is getting more than a few hours of sleep. On the weekends, I want to get all of my errands done – and then do nothing. I am just too tired and need to rest up to start all over again Monday morning.
Posted in Big Travel, Journal Entry Tagged Central America, Costa Rica, self-improvement, travel 45 Comments
November 7, 2011
Ultimate Weekend Packing Guide
I love the puzzle that is packing for a backpacking trip. But I so rarely see posts about what people put in their bags on weekend getaways or longer vacations! If you’re like me and hate to check bags, you really have about the same amount of room: I hit the airport with one roller bag and one (always very heavy) shoulder bag. Aside from the usuals, here are the things I never leave home without. What are your “extras”?
