I'm half way through my trip and finally got a minute to sit over breakfast to write about my travels!
Everything has been wonderful since the minute I arrived at LAX. I met a girl on my flight Megan, who was traveling to the same town I was upon arrival in Costa Rica. We shared a private shuttle going in to town and chatted most of the way. She is between jobs and wanted to take some time to herself before changing firms. I have been meeting her and her friend, who flew in from New York, for dinners in town. We went to this beautiful place on the beach for dinner two nights ago called La Luna and got to watch the most beautiful sunset ever. My Passion Fruit Mojito and Shrimp Tacos were on point!
That same day I connected with my friend Jen who I met in Costa Rica my very first Solo trip here four years ago. We met in Montezuma and she just happens to live in Nosara now as an equestrian trainer on a farm. I have never seen 15 horses, 1 pig, 5 goats, 17 dogs and a handful of other animals all run so freely. It was something else! Jen took me out on a two hour long horseback riding adventure around Nosara all throughout the jungles and beaches. I had the most tranquillo horse ever-he wanted to stop every five minutes to eat trees and leaves. It was pretty hilarious! Jen said that horses feed off of their rider's energy-If that is the case, I guess I'm pretty tranquillo :)
I've been waking up every morning and taking yoga class at sunrise at the Bodhi Tree Resort, which is where I'm staying at. Yesterday was the day I was supposed to transition over to start my yoga retreat, but as most of you know I got word one week prior to departure that it got cancelled. I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason and have been making the most of my trip anyways. It's been a blessing in disguise being on my own schedule and going with the Pura Vida flow of life here! I haven't had a shortage of people to hang out with and mixing it in with alone time. Last night after sunset yoga there was live music at my hotel and I just sat and listened for two hours. I found out the drummer tours with Tim Reynolds who travels with Dave Matthews MY FAV! Six degrees of separation right? I was pretty stoked! lol Between taking yoga twice a day, eating my way through town, taking bike rides to the playa, and practicing my broken Spanish with the Tico's- This trip has been nothing short of an adventure.
The last two days I've also had the pleasure of having lunch with Shane's childhood friend from Toronto. Val moved to Costa 10 years ago and has been great to hang out with and get a sense of what locals do here. I'm so excited she's coming to town next week so I can return the favor and show her around!
The trip has been wonderful so far! I couldn't have asked for a better solo vacation. It's been such a great balance of adventure, relaxation, learning and exploring. The only downside was that I came down with an ear infection the first day I got here which has unfortunately stopped me from surfing, but I got ear drops from the Farmacia and I'm on the road to recovery!
If you ever have the opportunity to travel alone- I HIGHLY recommend it. Traveling solo is the best! You are forced to step outside your comfort zone, be the master of your own schedule, learn about yourself, make new friends, and put yourself in situations you normally wouldn't otherwise. If anything, my intention and hope is that this blog post inspires people to take a solo trip!