Today...it's okay (Pura Vida).
Did you miss a deadline? Oversleep and skip a workout? 'Forget' to clean the house?
I have good news. Today...it's okay.
My new favorite phrase after spending time in Costa Rica. Beautifully simple, and often forgotten. Be kind to both others and yourself.
We’re getting back to our roots this month with a destination recommendation. If you’re looking for a trip to cleanse your mind, body, and spirit, see below…
(Howler Monkey in Cahuita National Park)
Activity Recs:
Punta Uva Playa & Pelican Buffet - A great beach to swim, snorkel, and hike. There is a trail on the south end of the beach that leads to a stunning keyhole rock formation. You can hike down to the keyhole at low tide, put on some water shoes, and explore as waves crash through.
When hanging out at the beach, you may be in line for a pelican buffet show. During both visits, pelicans were having hot pelican summer while they soared from tree branches and dove into the water incessantly to fill their bird bellies.
Pretend to be Sir David Attenborough and have fun narrating nature in its purest form.
Abel Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge Tour - Abel is a legend at both spotting animals and entertaining the crowd. Wildlife can be spotted everywhere including (but not limited to) monkeys, snakes, lizards, frogs, sloths, toucans, and baby hummingbirds.
Guests hike through private land and have multiple opportunities to try out Abel’s machete. Abel must have been an actor in a past life - he has real talent for sharing the social structures of animal communities in the area (i.e., he played all roles in a multi-part howler monkey drama stemming from a potential mutiny within their monkey troop).
Svastha Yoga & Ecstatic Dance - The yoga studios are open-air and nestled in the jungle. Yogis participate in a variety of class offerings from breath-work to traditional vinyasa. The breath-work session was powerful, igniting ‘fire’ in the bellies our small (but mighty) group.
On our final evening in Puerto Viejo, we attended an Ecstatic Dance class at this venue. A never-before-experienced way to express yourself through sober movement and connection with others. It pushes you off the edge of your comfort zone and into a more authentic version of yourself.
Food Recs:
Cafeoteca, San Jose ($$) - My favorite restaurant experience during the trip. Think winery, but with coffee. Not recommended to order an iced vanilla latte.
You’re seated and given a luscious coffee menu. Your server will learn your taste preferences and recommend a pour-over coffee accordingly. The breakfast and pastries were also delicious.
Tamara, Puerto Viejo ($$) - Traditional Central American Caribbean food. Order some plantains, chicken or fish, and shrimp ceviche.
Awa Hotel, Puerto Viejo ($$$) - Beachfront hotel near Punta Uva. Serving cocktails and food right on the water. Get fed and body surf some waves.
washboard Laundromat & Cafe ($) - Open-air laundromat with a cafe to sip surprisingly delicious coffee and enjoy a pastry. Stop by during a morning walk.
Estimated cost key
$ ($0-20 pp)
$ ($20-40 pp)
$$$ ($40+ pp)
Dissuasions
Shuttling from San Jose to Puerto Viejo - Taking a shuttle is often a 6-7 hour beast of a trip. If it’s feasible, book a flight from San Jose to Limon and rent a vehicle for an easier 1-hour drive to Puerto Viejo.
Quote to consider:
“The particulars of new places grabbed me and held me, the sweep of new coasts, cold, lovely, dawns. The world was incomprehensibly large, and there was still so much to see. Yes, I got sick sometimes of being an expatriate, always ignorant, on the outside of things, but I didn't feel ready for domestic life, for seeing the same people, the same places, thinking more or less the same thoughts, each day. I liked surrendering to the onrush, the uncertainty, the serendipity of the road.” - William Finnegan, Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life
(Rainforest views in Puerto Viejo)