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 3: Playa San Juanillo

I think it's time to share a secret. I'm a giant, shameless... nerd. And the next couple of posts will probably prove it. He're the part of our trip where we (or I should probably say I) start to get excited about the crrrraziest things. But what's it to ya? It makes for more interesting blog posts, right?

Here are two videos of our ATV ride to Playa Juanillo near Nosara. Holy moly Costa Rica has a beauuuutiful countryside! We also had our own little "high adventure." We had to traverse a river to make it to this beach. I'm just glad we weren't in a car. Probably wouldn't have had to guts to make it...

And we made it. Playa Juanillo, most definitely one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever been to. I felt like I was living in a commercial. And check out all that greenery!

And then there were feet pictures.

Nerd alert part 1: I made Rachel stand in front of this rock while I put the camera in action mode. Hence the perfecto splash picture. Also hence the 400 other pictures of the wave coming, Rachel freaking out, and then standing perfectly poised as she was drenched by awesomeness. I'm particularly fond of the picture below... "Er... is this water sanitary??".

Nerd alert 2: We found a sea urchin hole and I was so excited. I tried to get Rachel to sit in it... but she was afraid of getting stuck - or maybe getting sucked into a third dimension. How cool would that be!? Side note: I actually also got an action shot of a water snail. If I ever get the energy to put all the action shots in a movie, you will see how freaking cool this sea life can be!)

Nerd alert 3: Yep. We snorkeled. There wasn't much to see, but I had a blast floatin' with my lil fishes in the sea. I'm pretty sure we had some special bonding moments. With the fish.

We only had the ATV for 4 hours, so we had to head back while the sun was still high. But it was ok, because we discovered a black sand beach and ate at a cute little "soda." 

This is the bathroom at the Soda. That door states "Bano de Mujer." hehe, waaaay more effective than those silly little pictures of stick girls in the States!




And when we returned the ATV we found this little treat.

Classy boys, reeeeeal classy. But I must confess, we giggled lots anyway.

Even though it was our last night in town, we were pooped. So we decided to watch the sunset (again) and give ourselves some Costa Rican delicacies. TRITS (a juicy ice cream and graham cracker treat) and Pina Coladas (sin alcohol!). 

Had it not been for all the walking and playing we did, those TRITS may have been responsible for a 5 lb ring around my mid-section. Come to think of it, I still may be walking off those suckers. 

But our time was up in Nosara, and again it was time for us to move forward on our trek. So we got our back packs packed and our shoes tied tight... and hoped we wouldn't get in a fight... (reference anyone?) and woke up early (5am) with the Howler Monkeys (um... can I say they are some scary specimen?) to start our journey to La Fortuna. 

Watch out, tomorrow we have a SLOTH ALERT! Get excited people. Get. excited.

Costa Rica 2: Nicoya and Nosara

Note: Public travel in a foreign country is an experience. Rachel and I learned the backpacking way that buses take FOR-EV-ER. Naturally you can't just hop from one town to the other, and there's no red or blue line directly to your destination (as with the subway or metro). No, colors for these buses indicate level of comfort. Grey: you've got your own comfy seat and plenty of AC to calm the oncoming heat stroke. White: you still have a comfy seat, but make sure you're sitting next to a window. 'Nuff said. Yellow: WATCH OUT! Unless you are one of the first 5 people in line, this is standing room only and you will likely be riding with the groceries waaay in the back. Make sure you don't lock your knees cuz it's going to be a long 2 hours before you stop again. Needless to say, Rachel and I got our fair share of yellow buses. I guess they are called "chicken buses" because it isn't uncommon to have people bring their pet chickys with them. Hehe... actually I kind of liked the adventure.

But since we had to travel through our share of towns we decided to take advantage of it. From Tamarindo we took a bus to Santa Cruz, which then dropped us off in Nicoya. After many hand signals and lots of Spanglish, Rachel and I discovered that there were two buses leaving to Nosara that day (our final destination on this leg of the trip), one 30 mins from that time and one 3 hours later. So naturally we took the  later bus! And I'm so glad we did.

Nicoya is a charming little town tucked in the middle of the Nicoya Peninsula. It's main attraction is this old mission-style church. Unfortunately there weren't giving tours on Tuesdays, so we just showed ourselves around. 

Look at that majestic wood work! We were in awe at how simply beautiful it was. 

We also found these cool benches in the park outside of the church. They each had different native artwork on them. It has started to fade, but you can still see all the cool Indian-style details. 

After we finished walking around the church (and resting our heavy packs), we took a stroll around the town. I was excited to find this 'lil treasure!

I asked Rachel if we could stay the night there. Pleaded really. But she said it looked skeevy. "Pa-sha!" was my reply. How could ANYTHING named Jenny be "skeevy?" Silly Rachel. She wasn't convinced. Fine, next time I stop by Nicoya, that hotel is ALL MINE. Literally?

And then... we found a pastry shop. As you can tell from my expression I was totally in eating shock. My mouth wouldn't stop moving in on that bready stuff no matter what I did. Nom nom nom nom nom... Rachel couldn't pull that chocolate, cheesy goodness from my cold dead fingers. Yet somehow she found a way to make me share with her. She's cunning like that.

Sunburned Chikas in front of one of those fateful yellow buses!

Frutas! We didn't buy more of that stuff till later in the trip. We were too engrossed with pastries and such. Our digestive systems suffered from that choice. But hey, isn't it the cutest street style picture?

This is inside our rickity bus to Nosara AFTER we had passed our stop. You can tell by the way no one is on the bus that something was wrong. Very wrong. Eventually the bus driver told us to get of and go "that way." I swear he pointed in a swirly 45 degree angle direction. Luckily we found an English speaking cab driver who said he would give us a "good deal" of $20 to take us 5km. Ah-hem Mr. taxi driver, we may be gringos, but we are not stupid gringos. He took the price down to $10 - a "special price" for us. Had our skin been brown we may have been able to trade a chicken. But no such luck for lobster-skinned Americans.

This is where he dropped us!

courtesy of solobuenohostel.net 

courtesy of solobuenohostel.net 

Of course it was completely pitch dark when we got to "the Bueno," but we were given beds. Kind of. I was assigned a bed on the first floor. Somehow I knew I wasn't going to get any sleep that night. Maybe it was because the kids were already a lil tipsy, and they hadn't even gone out yet. So Rachel and I shared a twin bed that first night. After that I got my own bed upstairs. And now you know how to get really close to a travel mate ;). But the Solo Bueno ended up being a really cool place to stay. We met some fun travelers here and really enjoyed the laid back feel of this surf town. Basically we spent all of our time here on beaches.

I have to say it was the most beautiful beach by far I had ever been to. Crystal clear water, beautiful scenery wherever you looked, and pristine weather. 

Unfortunately we were still rather sunburned, so we found a tree to chill under. I got a great way through Freakanomics. Ahhh, I miss that calming moment.

Rachel found her new BFF. Mr. Hermy Crab. He was a little frisky - just kissed and ran! But we got it documented before he went too far.

And then we watched our first sunset on the Costa Rica coast. Oh my heavens it was beautiful. 

This Sasquatch-lookin hooligan is Boyd, one of the Dutch guys staying in our hostel. He was taking pictures of the surfers at sunset and we couldn't resist capturing the moment he strolled on by. 

And this is why people move to Costa Rica. To be apart of this picturesque moment.

We had a very fun/interesting stay at the Solo Bueno. Our hostel ended up getting robbed the first night while we were sleeping (we were the only ones unaffected because we locked up our valuables. One point for paranoia!!), and actually we didn't sleep much because our hostel-mates were quite the partiers. But that's what you get with $12 a night, right? But I'm still glad we went and stayed there. We cooked for ourselves a lot and we met a lot of really cool travelers at the Bueno. I had some great conversations about traveling, surfing and life. I also had quite the time convincing people that America was worth traveling to. Apparently Jersey Shore has done more damage than we think. Yipes!

But one of the best parts of going to Nosara was taking the ATV ride to Playa San Juanillo. It was our first real activity of the trip and boy was it a great way to start! Stay tuned for our ATV snorkel trip coming up next.