Best Trip Gift - EVER

I know what you're thinking. Looks like a normal sea-shell to me.

Well LOOK AGAIN.

Someone I love went the the Dominican Republic and all they brought me back was THE BEST GIFT EVER.

No stupid T-shirt that I would never wear, no silly coffee mug that I'd hardly find meaningful. But what is the significance of a sea-shell? Can I tell you? Pretty, pretty please?

I'm sure you've heard the saying, "Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints." Hmmm, well I know many people (including me) who go to the most exotic places and bring back sand, sea-shells, and whatever natural memorabilia they can - as long as it isn't taken away at customs. Maybe we all have the same sentiment, "There are SO many sea-shells, how is the sea ever going to miss just this one?" And seeing as there are more grains of sand than probably every other thing created in this world, surely the sand won't be missed. And the truth is, it probably won't. But it's the whole concept of entitlement that bothers me. The 'I-can-take-what-isn't-mine-because-no-one-will-miss-it' idea just doesn't sit well. So why on earth is this sea-shell the best travel gift I have ever received? Doesn't that go against my very core values? Not exactly. Why?

Because it comes with a promise.

You see, the shell isn't exactly mine. When it was given to me, I was told that I MUST take it back to the beach where it came from. I am only a temporary owner of this shell. Connecticut isn't it's real home. But it will stay with me here - and everywhere I go - until the day I can return it to that beach. And if for some reason I can't return it, I will entrust it with someone I know who can. 

So I'm pretty sure you've guessed it, this means I HAVE to go the Republica Dominicana!! Yeah Bay-bee!! Can't say I've been given a better trip gift than that! But that's not the only reason I love it. I love it because it was so thoughtful of the giver to give me such a gift. And to trust me to take it back. Maybe you're thinking, "come one Jenny, it's just a SEA-SHELL! Don't get your heart all twisted up in knots over THAT." But I think of it more than just a sea-shell. It has all sorts of symbolism tied up in it. Emotional, physical, spiritual. And it meant a lot to me when I got it. 

Plus, I don't think this is the type of gift that I would give to just anyone, you know? Like I would really have to know that they wanted to be where I had been. And would maybe even want to go where I want to go. There aren't many people I would trust with that kind of gift. 

So I don't know where my life will take me and how long I'll get to hold on to this beautiful little shell. I have no idea if and when I'll make it to the DR, but I'm super excited for the chance! 

Man... how do you top a gift like that? 

Costa Rica 7: Tamarindo - the Final Chapter

The end of my two week adventure was by far my favorite leg of the trip. Rachel and I made our way back to Tamarindo and stayed at the Blue Trailz hostel. I think the reason I loved it so much was because we finally had the chance to meet some new people and get to know their stories. Have you ever noticed how interesting people are? Well mix that with a foreign country and close living quarters. Then it get's extremely interesting! And don't worry, I don't mean that in "The Bachelor" sort of way. 

Basically traveling produces a certain kind of person, someone who wants to see the world and all it has to offer. And in turn, every person offers what they have to the world. If I could take a basket and collect everything I learned about the people I encountered, I would take away much much more than a tacky souvenir (although I took away plenty of those too!). I can't really tell you what I learned, because I don't think there was a "take home" lesson. But I do know that by the end I felt rejuvenated and completely fulfilled. Originally I thought that the only way to have that feeling would be through a major service project or something akin to that, but isn't service all about forming relationships? Well, not only did I form new relationships, but in certain ways I strengthened the ones I already had. So in the end, I received all I came for and more.

Plus, we couldn't leave Costa Rica without one more trip to the beach! Who would I be if I came back from Central America without a tan? Here are some beachy pictures we took first thing in Tamarindo.

Can't get enough JUMPING PICTURES

I love the colors here! These are some of the areas where we went shopping. Tamarindo was full local-made nick-knacks and artwork.

PURA VIDA. What a wonderful phrase! It means "Pure Life," and is basically the Tico way way to say "Hello," or "It's all good," or "Fancy a drink"? It all depends on the intonation. I figure every country has a phrase like this, so I'm going to start a collection of them starting with "hakuna matata." (I think we can consider Disney a country, right?)

And check out this ocean water artwork. A true beauty in itself.

Here are some more fun things we found in Tamarindo.

Bunk Bed quotes. Everyone wants to make their mark.

TINY BANANAS! Don't let these little guys fool you. They pack a real punch.

This was in our van on the way to a surf trip. On, off, or Mood lighting. I must say, this is something I could use in my car.

Rachel and I also tried to make our meals as much as possible. It was cheaper than eating out, and easier on our bellies. One can only handle so much beans and rice. So what did we make? French toast and fried plantains. Who needs healthy on vay-cay!?

Check it - I learned how to SURF!!

We had our own little surf instructor from Blue Trailz. The world renowned Giovanny. His fame is known by women of every land. Rachel and I dubbed him the Tico Zac Efron.

For the most part, I became a super expert at paddling on a surfboard. But eventually I defeated my demon and stood up.

Rachel also reached vertical victory. Unfortunately, the only action shot we got was this ultimate wipe out. But I think we all agree, it wins MVP for best picture of the trip. Ultimate Bail!

After surfing, we enjoyed our last Costa Rica sunset. 

Group shot of part of the Blue Trailz dream team. I wish I had captured everyone we were there with! Love 'em. Miss 'em. And I would repeat it all in a heartbeat. 

I'm really grateful that I had the chance to take this trip. I'm glad I got to go with Rachel, too. I can't think of a more perfect way to transition from one phase of my life into the next. And now that I've caught the travel bug, I don't know that I'll be able to sit still for too long. But everything comes in good time, so for now I'll just enjoy the fact that this trip was everything I needed and more. Thanks for enjoying it with me.

PURA VIDA!

Costa Rica 6: Zip Line

Today I'm going to let the pictures do the talking. Here's what you need to know. Rachel and I carried pin-wheels all the way from America for this one activity. We guarded them with our lives. They came on every bus ride, and survived every childs grappy grasp, only to die an unfulfilled pin-wheel life. Why did we bring them, you ask? Because we were inspired by this little piggy.  

Alas, our pin-wheels could not make it, but that didn't stop our fun, or our inspiration. Zip-lining was a pretty darn fun way to see the country-side of Costa Rica. We only got a few pictures, but we got some videos to make up for it. I did my best to live up to my inner piggy. 15 zip lines later, all I can say is, "pure. adrenaline."

Enjoy!

And then there were pretty flowers.

See what I mean? Beautiful flowers livin' up to our inner piggies. Doesn't get better than that. It was our last night in La Fortuna so we splurged on Batas and Tres Leches. Yu-uuuum. Rachel's drink kind of looks like Nickelodeon slime. Am I right? 

Tomorrow is my final post for Costa Rica. But I have to say it was by far my favorite part of the trip. Tamarindo, here we come!

Costa Rica 5: Rio Celeste

Rio Celeste means Celestial River. Celestial is a term given to Rivers when they turn amazingly turquoise blue. So naturally when you swim in an amazingly turquoise blue river, you expect to receive everlasting life. Right? Well, I can't say I didn't think about it when we signed up for the Rio Celeste Hike. And believe me, it WAS celestial in many ways, but I'm still nowhere near immortal. I guess I'll leave the quest for the holy grail to another trip.

We started this adventure by taking a 1.5 hour shuttle ride to the national park. Along the way, we saw Guanacaste at it's finest.

Photo by Aspen Uzleman

Photo by Aspen Uzleman 

Seriously, I could NOT stop looking out my window! There were so many beautiful scenes. I wish I had taken more pictures. Along the way our guide told us all about Costa Rica and the native people in the land. I was sad to find out that while Costa Rica has a great economy, the people are still very poor. Minimum wage in Costa Rica is $1-2 dollars an hour! Most of the Tico's live off tips from tourists (if they are lucky enough to be in a town with a lot of tourism). Yet they still some of the most appreciative people I have ever met. I swear I never saw a surly face. Not once! (Unless of course you count the taxi drivers. They have no shame I tell you...)

During the drive we saw quite a few pineapple plantations. What a sight! The plantations are a true blessing and curse to Costa Rica. While they have provided plenty of income to the country, many of the farmers have used harsh chemicals and growth enhancers in their farming practices. Of course this is harmful to the environment and kills of many species of plants and animals. However, now that many companies will only buy organic pineapples, farmers are being forced to change their ways. 

Once we got closer to the national park and trail head, we had a chance to stop and see this gigantic tree!

Ok, botany lesson time. See all the spiky green plants growing on the tree? Those are bromeliads. Bromeliads are common houseplants in America, but here they spring up everywhere. Literally! Bromeliads are fascinating because they create their own soil. While sitting on the tree, they collect the falling leaves, let them decompose, and make soil out of them. Talk about recycling gurus.

But the real reason we took pictures of this particular tree is because of those gargantuan gambos! Gambos (I think that is how you spell it...) are the large flares that stem from the roots and support these trees. Gambos indicate excellent wood and great tree structure. It is a spectacular sight. 

Here Rachel and I are standing with our tour guide. Alfred (or Alfredo as we called him) graduated college with an eco-tourism degree. He plans on becoming an eco-tourism professor one day. I personally thing he also may have made plans to become Rachel's husband one day. What a charmer he was! Tee hee. 

See... told ya! (May I point out the stabilizing hand on Rachel's side?) 

You have permission to think I look particularly ragged. I think we were running on zero to no sleep. But who cares! We were in Costa Rica BAY-BEE!! 

Aaaaanyway, we had 3 legs to our trip. Our first stop was at the celestial waterfall. Can you believe this water!?

As much as we wanted to stay and swim in the fountain of youth, we had to continue on to our next stop. Did someone say HOT SPRINGS!?

Well, not without the first real mis-hap of the trip of course. Note: don't try to take pictures and walk on a plank bridge at the same time. Fail.

Future engagement picture? Maaaaybe :)

And then there were HOT SPRINGS!!

Oops! I don't have any pictures of the hot springs. Dang it. Maybe it's because they were so utterly unattractive that I was pretty sure I would lose friends over it. But you get the idea. Hot. Springs. Done and done.

So last leg of the trip was seeing where clear water celestially transforms. That line is where the volcanic sulfuric gas is released, which cases the river to turn blue. Um... blue darts anyone? JUST KIDDIN'! But really, it was truly amazing to see.

Check out those cuties!! The two girls on the left were from Argentina and joined us for our trek. They were hilarious! It wouldn't have been the same without them.

On our way back, we found some more great photo moments. Check it. May they make up for any lack of hot spring pictures you felt robbed of. 

Doesn't this one capture the spirit of Indiana Jones!? Heck yes it does! Were's my hat!?

Well, since we couldn't find any more adventure, so we drove home. Another long 2 hours of uncomfortable sleep. But we got another beautiful view of the Arenal Volcano right before we reached La Fortuna.

I wish I was like the Volcano. She sure photographs great and any angle!

Now I'd like to show you some pictures from the little town of La Fortuna. It was sooo charming. We went in every night for dinner and did lots of our shopping here. 

Typical souvenir shops. They all sold the same thing, so basically it was a price war. It you're willing to hunt, then you will win. 

Here is a another shop and the owner. Too cute right? 

And my favorite: the local park. It was the only piece of land I saw that was purposely landscaped. But they did a magnificent job. I always meant to take more pictures, but this what we got. It was a beautiful park in front of a beautiful church. The towns people gathered there every night to relaxed and mingle. I loved the feel of it all.

So we only had one day left in La Fortuna. And I know what you are thinking, "Jenny, you STILL haven't done the ONE THING that EVERYONE DOES in Costa Rica!" I know! I know! Tomorrow you will get a good look at the ZIP LINE. I've got pictures of videos up the wazoo. Be prepared to fly through the canopy of amazement!