Thursday 3 March 2016

March 3rd - SJO to FLL and beautiful Suzanne!

My morning is pretty relaxed. Wake up, chill, shower, chill, dress, chill, eat breakfast, chill and then pack and chill while I wait for a taxis to the airport. 

My ride to the airport was less chilled and I found myself wondering if my driver might not be angry at someone ad he weaves within an inch of other passing cars. 'Speed bumps would mean nothing to this guy' I think as I am bounced around the back of the cab. All windows open, he takes corners like he was expecting me to give birth any second. Then he gets on the phone. Drivers are very relaxed in Costa Rica and especially in San José. Every car I see has some kind of damage or dent. The number of deaths in car accidents is high and yet the police here barely pay attention to the streets, let alone the roads and so people can pretty much do as they wish. At least in San José the roads have lines which brings the illusion of order. 

San José just doesn't fit the weather. This sunshine deserves a beautiful field or coastline. This sky shouldn't greet such chaos on the ground with barbed wire and steel bars a plenty. 






My driver argues on the phone and then starts laughing, weaving in the traffic. I am pretty nervous to say the least. I was spoilt with Chantelle's canny driving moves. I notice that my shoulders are tense... Urgh! I wonder if I can do yoga in the airport.

We are now in the traffic queue to the airport. I've been here before, it's not fun and there is no aircon in this vehicle. Sales people litter the motorway, such is the traffic. We nearly take out a guy with papaya strips... I wince and close my eyes. 


I arrive at the airport and I am really woozy. I give the drive 15colones for the drive. I stagger into the departure hall. He beat googles estimate for how long it would take to get here but I think my stomach flew out along the way. 

The lady at the ticket desk notices "are you ok?" I start to answer the way I normally do "yes, good than..." I stop. "Actually I feel really woozy, just had a rough cab ride!" for some reason I have really started to dislike the general lies we  are used to telling: "fine thanks, you?", "the meal is great thanks", "you look great in that honestly", "nah I don't mind that I am the one who always cooks/washes up"... You get the gist. Anyway the ticket lady was lovely, "awe that sucks! I hope you find somewhere to sit and get a drink to settle you... Maybe something with ginger?!"

"Yes good idea, thanks" and I am genuinely grateful for her look of concern and her attempt to help :) Nothing wrong with just being vulnerable. Now I am queuing for security and am given a proving look by the guy who looks at my passport. I imagine he is wondering how such a stunning and clearly car-sick woman can look so psychopathic and fat in a tiny photo.... It was the best of four as well. I am not photogenic and especially not in passport photos. 

Wednesday 2 March 2016

Review of pre-envision tour

Review of Envision Festival - the many highs and lows

Ok so I don't know how popular this blog post will be because my review is going to be very much my personal experience and opinions but for all those that want to read a specific type of review I'll cut to the chase to help you decide if you want to read any further: 

Review: I didn't like it. 
Negatives: Too hot; Surrounded by drugs; surrounded by people heavily on drug and drug cocktails; Over-crowded; Everything over priced - might as well be in London by the prices; Creeps on the beach; Beach closed so no access to sunset; No meditation area or quite spaces despite being supposedly that kind of festival; dusty; dirty; $4 for a 5min cold shower - yes they charge for showers and lecture you about water use in the process, nothing like patronising those suffering from heat stroke; Loud throughout the night so sleep is hard; Everyone looks miserable but says they are happy - confused the heck out of me; Bad yoga, limited guest mats so you have to take on; No adaption for the heat; smelly toilets; limited hand washing places; weird talks that I would have liked to fact check on the spot; no wifi so couldn't fact check the statements; So many dilated pupils; unpopular with the local community - sort of ironic when thinking about envisions 'ideals'.

Summary over... Wanna hear more

I was open minded about drugs before this festival. I personally don't want to do them as I've seen too many people having issues to feel comfortable with the risks, but to be immersed in that world again was uncomfortable. I had conversations with people I had spoken to before from my tour that were now completely incoherent. 




"Who has drugs, I want them now in my mouth..... Drugs need to be in my mouth now!"

March 2nd - Solo travelling again

I wake up excited to go to breakfast with Chantelle and Carlie. I throw on my clothes from yesterday, I can shower later, and I scoot over to the breakfast place. I get lost in the hotel - having the bearings of a magic eight ball - and go to ask the way at reception. Their instructions are good and I arrive at a stunning buffet which will easily set me up for the day: Succulent fruit and freshly cooked omelettes quickly adorn my large plate and I decide to stay here until they remove me by force ;) 





At the drinks area I see hot chocolate but no hot milk so I decide on a mocha... Mmmm. I see no spoons over by the coffee though and I have only collected a fork and so I give it a ago retriving the fine brown powder using a fork. The coffee table is located right next to a dining table with a green cloth where an American gentleman is having what looks like a super healthy breakfast considering the options.

"Have you considered using a spoon?" he enquirers and I realise simultaneously that I am being watched and that I look like a idiot ;) I consider defending my mental capabilities with "I have a PhD in physics ya know?!" and realise that would only add fuel to the whole clever people have limited common sense theory, and so I decide to be honest and reveal my inner thoughts:

"Ok so here is what I was thinking..." I say, fully focused on my culinary equipment, "...to get a spoon, I have to go back up the stairs and my legs are tired, so I figured the powder might be moist enough to clump and thus stay on the fork. It is in fact very fine and so this plan has truly failed! However my backup plan was to do this..."

lift the pot and tip a steady stream of the fine brown powder into my coffee creating a whisp of cocoa dust to delicately curl upwards towards my face... So much powder enters my drink that it is probably closer to hot chocolate than coffee now. 

I look up grinning, internally pleased at my resourcefulness despite my now intensely chocolatey drink, and see the smiling gentleman sitting holding out a teaspoon. 

"Ah!" I laugh and blush, embarrassed that I had been so engrossed in my self-defined challenge that I hadn't noticed him offer the solution. "Thanks!" I say. "No problem, you clearly got the job done there" said the gentleman kindly smiling the patient smile that I have seen before on parents watching toddlers figure out which wooden block fits in which toy space. Hehe I decide I am happy with by non-conventional inefficient but comical ways ;) 

Chantelle and Carlie arrive and join me at breakfast. It is great to see them. They are both such warm and caring people. I see their similarities and differences too and there is such a lot to respect about these ladies. 

The primary thing I am thinking about them this morning is their patience and acceptance. They exude a relaxed acceptance of the moment around them and their place with in it. This makes me feel very comfortable with them. It's like being around people who are competant at their jobs, it makes you relax. These beautiful ladies are competant at just being and their effort on me is to bring out my inner happy child self: boucey, joyfilled and wanting to tell them everything I have recently seen and done and to hear what they think. 

After eating, it's time to leave and Chantelle reports we only have a few minutes before they need to go. My heart sinks a little and while I do feel super happy to have met them I do now feel sad that they are leaving. I give them each a big hug and I promise myself I won't cry over breakfast - I can be quite an emotional bunny so this proves a little challenging. Then they leave, and I am once again a solo traveller after so many adventures, trials, celebrations and emotions with so many incredible people.

I have one day in San José before I leave for the states. Today I will do some exploring, limited shopping (I have so little luggage space) and some blog writing. The blog for me is as much a cathartic emotion processing tool as it is my travel news and updates. I love that people are reading it and I'm excited always to hear people's thoughts and comments but I also simply love remembering and reliving  the colourful moments that make up my wonderful adventure. 

Exploring San José

After breakfast I chill in my room for a while messaging people and then I shower. I have purchased conditioner and I indulge myself with un-rationed shampoo and conditioner. My hair feels amazing, everything that the bottle promise and more and I feel like a new and slightly less singed woman. 

I pack up my stuff as I have to swap rooms today and I love my things to a room conveniently close to the breakfast buffet. How did they know?? ;) Then I leave with my rucksack on my back ready to explore and learn about the vibe in San José. I have a map of the area from the hotel and have asked the dude on reception for recommendations :) 


I head out and walk towards the town. San José feels busy with lots of people doing very much their own thing. I do not detect as much of a flow as other big cities. I walk past a guy on the corner selling gum, followed by a dude selling tv remotes. Their wares are confusingly specific and I wonder if this is not a city of del-boys, it has a feeling of the London east side where the buildings are run down but where there is no compensatory areas of obviously money amid the ruins. Things in San José seem be functional but not necessarily comfortable and certainly not clean. 

I do not have a feeling for the safety or security of the place. I have been told that the hotel is in a safe area and my walk to the market feels ok but I am on guard and very aware too. I have nothing openly available to pickpockets except my map and i can cope without that ;)

My first walk takes me to the National Park which is a reasonably nice bit of the area with green bits and some grass. The shade provides a nice place to stop and take in the surroundings. 

This is a monument to the war heroes of the battle of 1856. I don't know much about that battle other than it has a monument. 


I sit for a while and decide to go to the cafe recommended by Chantelle last night. On route I see this sign with a dude flipping me the V-sign. I doubt it means what it does in England but I find it funny all the same. 

My travels take me past the hospital, a big old looking yellow building, where a lot of people wait by the wall for news of their friends and relatives. On guy paces up and down in front of the hospital on the phone and as I get close I see he is a wearing a T-shirt of the stay calm variety that reads "Stay Calm! I'm gonna be a dad soon!". I wonder if this is the reason he is at the hospital now, another little tica or tico about to come into the world. :) 


I am close to the cafe now as a man walks past me carrying a big tray of eggs like a silver service tray.

 This is Cafe Trigo Miel a lovely cafe so popular that there is one table with one chair left. Perfect for the solo travelling blogger to sit down at for a refreshing smoothie and bizarre not entirely pleasant piece of cheesey corn bread which I mostly leave. The smoothie is delicious and they speak English very well haha. I remember how I must learn Spanish because this is embarrassing. ;) 





Banking drama in San José

I want to go shopping so I need some cash. I head off to find the bank and struggle somewhat, through my own incompetance more than anything else. Eventually I find the bank and I go to the cash point. It isn't giving US dollars so I go inside to try and get some. I meet the bank doorman who asks me something in fast Spanish. I ask him, in Spanish, if he speaks English:

¿habla usted Inglés?

He gives me a knowing look and directs me to a machine 
which gives the customers 

He gives me a knowing look and pokes some specific buttons on a machine to get a ticket. I take a seat and wait for my number to be called 'F192'. 



It is eventually called and I head up to the counter. I ask if the guy speaks English and he says "yes of course, why did you come to this counter?"

"Because my ticket told me to?!" I reply cautiously.

"Is is the disabled counter!" he explains. 

"Ah! I told the chap I was English and he gave me this." I am quasi apologetic and sort of laughing. Does the doorman think being English is a disability? 

"Ok well you knowing for next time." he says and I reply with "ok, sure" knowing a next time I unlikely really. We then discuss my trouble and he explains how there is a second machine for US dollars and describe where it is. 

So off I go to that machine. It does indeed dispense dollars whoop and just as I am taking my money and splitting it between my purse bad money belt it takes my credit card back into the machine and I look at the machine confused... Wtf? It's eaten my card. I only had about 10seconds to grab it I think. 

And now I have to go back into the stupid bank.... Arggggg! There was a next time and it's sooner than I thought it would be. 

I push all buttons on the atm to no avail and then skulk back towards the bank. Arg! I got up to a different bank guard to explain my issue. He goes over to the little ticket machine. 'Nooooooo!' I cry inside my head. At least he doesn't push the disabled button but I still have my card in a machine and I am worried it might pop back out any minute.

So in my British way, and because I want immediate service, I stand and refuse to sit down. I am the odd one out in this place for sure. Things seem to move very slowly in this bank. I scale up the British annoyance by scowling and giving out a little huff noise. It works and when the next number is called the guard takes me over in front of the genuine ticket holder and I get served straight away. 

"Yes the machine will do that if you don't take your card straight out." I am told by a very smart looking lady bank clerk. "You can have it back if you show me your passport!" 

"Great! I have that here!" and I pull my trousers down....

... Enough to get at my money pouch :) 

I hand the lady my passport and then wait for what feels like an hour but was probably 10-15minutes. The staff even walk slowly from place to place. I don't really understand this with so many people waiting.  

The lady returns and wants me to sign photocopies of my card. She doesn't like my signature because it's not the same as my passport. It is however identical to he signature on the card which apparently isn't enough and I try and copy out he signature on my passport to her satisfaction. She eventually gives me my card and I smile and leave the bank with my hope never to return again.

Now I head to the market with my hard earned money. :) The indoor market is one long line of touristy stuff in sequential alcoves with their attendees all inviting you in to look at their almost identical products. "I do you a good deal!" rings hollow by he end of the market line because they all say it and they all so the same deals. Never pay the price on these tags m because they are set to be able to discount for your 'deal' ;) 



I wander down the market and chat briefly to many many many market sellers. Many of them remember me from yesterday. It seems I am memorable, maybe just by trousers :)

 
I look at many items and purchase some trousers I take a fancy to :) I do a deal with the girl who seems confused. I leave and am looking at other items when she runs after me saying she calculated wrong and she pleads with me to come back. Now this may split my audience if I tell you what I did ;) Should I have kept my awesome deal, or saved her from her boss? I might leave you guessing here. If you want to know, tell me in the comments ;) 

After I leave the market it starts spitting with rain and I head back to he hotel at a fast pace. No one else seems to move in a rush here; the pace of things is more akin to a stroll. I change clothes and get ready to go out for dinner at Limoncello, a restaurant highly rated for those of us sensitive to gluten :) 

I decided to walk to limoncello and in hindsight I feel this is a bit silly. A cab is about £1.40 and the walk felt a bit nerve wracking. It gets dark about 5:30pm here year round and the place takes on a distinctly different feel at night; the areas behind the many railings and barbed wire fences are now plunged into darkness becoming perfect spots for my imagination to insert a mugger or murderer lurking in the dark. 

I follow the google maps path which brings me to a train track. I look down the track, people are crossing it further down do I guess it's ok and I hop across quickly. I can hear a train in the distance and it passes about 10 seconds after I jump across the track. 


I scoot along to limoncello and try to ignore the many guys that talk to me from their cars... Yikes! After what is only a 10minute journey I arrive and breath out a sigh of relief. 

Limoncello is a celiac's haven. Most of the menu is gluten free and they even bring warm fresh gluten free bread made from yucca root.



The waiter has clearly sensed my caution and looks up the yucca plant on his phone and presents me with the Wikipedia page. I grin and have a little read "wow that's great! and you make his in-house?" I can see the waiter likes to please his customers and so I like to show I am pleased... We are pleasers :). "Yes! Yes we do!" he says proudly and seems to stand up a little straighter as he does. "It's excellent!" I proffer and he takes the compliment well "thank you, thank you very much!" and walks away with what I detect is a mini strut. I adore it when people love their work :)

Limoncello is a spacious restaurant with low level romantic classical music playing and lighting to match... I may be having a solo date but I am still very much enjoying this place and I order an iced tea... I know how to treat a lady ;) I continue to woo the heck out of myself my ordering salmon, my favourite... But how did I know?! ;) Salmone al Miele


It is a decent portion and nutty and delicious, also quite a lot of food after I allowed myself some snacks earlier (naughty Peta). The plate also has a tiny label on the plate saying 'gluten free'.

Now I am not always one for a desert but I feel like my date is going well and so I order Nutella cake for myself with maracuya ice cream. The waiter proudly tells me it is very good and "it is best slightly heated which I will do for you personally", I feel very looked after here. 



It is a nice cake albeit a little dry and because I am quite full anyway I leave a fair bit and ask for the bill and a taxi. They sort out both promptly for me and help me into the taxi and stand on the step to wave goodbye. It's feels like I have had dinner at someone's grandparents :) 

The taxi home cost £1.20 and I give £1.40 which is 1000colones. It is a much nicer way to travel here at night and I get into my room with a full tummy and sleepy eyes. I chat to a few mates online and fall asleep listening to a podcast about the statistics of Twitter messaging. Geek! ;) 





Tuesday 1 March 2016

24-02-16

Drama to get clothes washed. One woman doing all the laundry. Priced by the weight of laundry. £5 for a big bag of laundry. 

Breakfast of eggs and bacon... Bacon!!! 

Chocolate milkshake, good in coffee. 

Pack up and walk into town. Buy some soft trousers

Pick up washing for me and Lauren

Lots of people's washing not ready

Heading to the festival on the bus. Feeling very nervous. Stomach churning. Mary has come with us and will go back to collect her washing. She has a huge suitcase. 

We get our stuff and queue up to get our entry wristbands and then John and Tara go off to do their thing for bio hotel access. 

We try to find a good spot and eventually we think we do but we are then told that the spot will get the morning sun. Luckily Mark has scouted further afield and found a great spot and we relocate to a place with lots of shade. 

I put up my tent, help mark with his, help Richie with his and then I put up Lauren's too. Jojo is sleeping in a hammock. Mary has assembled get tent and the others go up quickly too and soon we have our close knit little village.

I am filthy! I comment on this and Richie offers me some wet wipes which I great fully take and sit in my tent doorway and open. I wipe myself with one of the wipes, a simple swipe across my chest; it comes off thick with brown dusty dirty. I dared to do the same to my forehead.... It was the same! "I am a dirty girl!" I say before I realise what I am saying and some people laugh. 

I then get up and start wiping as best I can to clean up. Some people move in next door. Americans: Brandon and Ann and some Brit ladies, Sharon and Emma. 

Had a walk around with Mary and Lauren. We looked for food but nothing was open. Had a look at the jewellery and I purchased some pretty rings :) 

We head back to the tent for a drink and Mary starts doing Henna. I join in an scrawl some equations onto my leg. Geeeeek!!!

The pre-envision tour crowd discuss going into town for dinner and we assemble at 8 and head to the taxi rank area. It takes 4 taxis to get us all there but once we are we sit down and have a delicious meal with cocktails. I have stuffed sweet potatoes which I make a mental note to try at home when I get back. 

Jen has brought body paint and we add to the fading henna so that puffy becomes a bright and colourful fish :) 

We end up chatting in the toilets again - what is it with that? ;) 

We head to the store down the road to get mixer for mine and Mary's rum. We then need to get taxis back and since some people stayed at the restaurant we now only need three cabs. Mark calls and books the taxis. We are wait the best part of an hour and he makes around 4 more phone calls before the taxis turn up. Meanwhile a lot of people in my group are now smoking dope and chatting with a guy who was parked next to us. 

We get back to festival and I make us up a rum cocktail mix. We go for a wander with Sam and Jorden and then I hear that they are enabling free showers for an hour at midnight so I grab my stuff and rush over. 

Lecture on water conservation and a shower. Walk back naked apart from a sarong. 


I climb into my tent and go to sleep forgetting to take out my contact lenses doh! The water on my skin keeps me cool enough to sleep.


25-2-16

Wake up in tent. Go with Mary to clean teeth and explore a bit. The previous day I had been told that there was yoga starting at 9:30am and so I wandered over early. 

It's already roasting hot!!!!

I didn't have a yoga mat but there were some there so I borrowed one and started doing some yoga. Eventually people came and they set up for something called five rhythms. 

Nails on the floor and all a bit woo woo. 

"Find the space now, move into the space" 

I dance off the mat area, pick up my shoes and dance off into the spectators. 

Urgh! 

I met with Mary for the next class which was at 11am and was achroyoga. 

On the mat:

In a circle massaging the people on either side. Lean into the circle with palms cupped up "fill your hands with love..." Oh god.... " and empty the love onto your neighbour" slimed hands all over my back. My hands catching in a very tanned dudes back hair as I feel the urge to gag. 

We are encouraged forward to make a big group. 

Rock paper sissors game

Groups of five 

Man who couldn't move his neck and foamed under the armpit. 

Flying practice 

Bailed claiming sunstroke.... Ran back to tent. 

Violetta due to arrive around midday.

Meet up with Violetta and she has to babysit for a friend

Hang out with Mary for a bit more... Explore the beach area a bit. 


I chill on the cross-strapping platform. Then a couple join me.

Then I see Violetta and she is with a kid. They join me and I go and get a pancake. 

We talk about life and men and it starts spitting. Eventually we make for the tent as its raining more and we hide inside while it rains. I have plantain chips and share those and then the little boy falls asleep. 

The little boys mum comes to collect him at some point and Mary comes over and we start getting ready to go out. Marry is determined to have a good time despite the grime and sweat and grimness of it all. We 

28

Stayed at hotel until 3:30 


I laid by pool and got burnt on my legs :( 

Did some blog 

and then went pick up Mary, John and Tara and we went for ice cream at lick it. 

Went to hotel and swam and watched sunset and took yoga pictures. 

Got dressed and went to dinner with lots of drinks. 

Sat by pool and said goodbye to John and Tara and the the three of us went to bed. Chantelle passed out hard. 

27

I chilled by the pool while Chantelle went to see kaypacha a the festival and then we chilled by the pool a bit and then went to see John and Tara and then I send a picture to Mary and then she came up. We watched sunset. 


We go to visit John and Tara


We went back to the hotel and then I stayed in and skyped home and chantelle went to the festival 

29

Chantelle gets up and we have breakfast and she goes to pick up Carlie

Carlie arrives  and goes to sunbath round the pool

Chantelle and me chill in the room and have room service 

Meatballs

Later we went to dinner and sat in front of John playing great music and we are yummy food meatballs and Gallo pinto for me and shrimp tacos for Chantelle and fish tacos for Carlie

We finish eating and have lots of cocktails Dan get up and dance and it's awesome 

Lots of old but cool people 

Lots of stuff in hair 

Photo for restaurant of back of my head



Skinny dipping 

30-1

Up at 6:30am and shower and pack. 

Breakfast taco

Check out and say goodbye to John the awesome owner

Driving to Jaco

Jaco

Expensive tourist trap

Very hot

$35 for what I have bough for $10 elsewhere. 


Driving in San Jose is ok, the people are impatient and bullish but it somehow flows

San Jose:



Dusty, dirty buildings, run down feeling, feels like it was once grand, 

Street art is pervasive 

Lots of wrought iron shutters and barbed wire to protect properties 

Pull up at hotel and check in. Chantelle and Carlie are hungry and want to go to the market for a t-shirt so off we go. The market is beautiful. A narrow walkway is bounded by a rainbow of objects. Every direction holds a cacophony of visual stimulus: bags, t-shirts, purses, key-rings, mugs, glasses, chess sets, ratings, necklaces, sarongs, trousers, hats, statues, hammocks, 

After the market we head to the Beer House

Difficulty knowing what's what... Thank goodness they speak English - must learn Spanish I think. 

End up eating ravioli made from courgette (called zucchini here). We settle our bill and head back to hotel, agreeing to meet for breakfast the next morning prompt at 7am. We head back via a market when I find gluten free cookies - these turn out to be pretty rubbish which just shows that gluten free recipes are just tricky for everyone. I return to my room, send a few messages to people I am thinking about

I felt I didn't really get a chance to bond with everyone in the pre-tour, this maybe because of my own limiting beliefs, theirs, or maybe because it was just not meant to be... But I like to have said all the things I wanted to do I dash off a few little notes to people who left an impact on me that I felt I didn't express in person well enough.

I clean my teeth, set an alarm, put on my favourite podcast (the bbc's Inside Health and promptly fall asleep. 




26-2-16 escape day

Got up early at 6am and went to brush teeth 

Asked woman "where do we spit?"

"Dunno" as she spits onto the grass

I use the porta potties which stink but I can hold my breath long enough. I am now pretty much permanently in a sarong. I put contact lenses in and go back to the tent. Everyone is sleeping, some with tents open and boobs everywhere. I decide to go for a wander and down to the beach. 

Crabs are cute. Spend time on Internet looking for escape plans: 

Escape thoughts

Grim massage man... Ewww! 

Scurry back to the tents. I see Chantelle who says she's on board if I am off to escape. She is headed into town and I say I'm going to go in later so We arrange to meet st 12 and I got in the shower. 

Went to town,
cyber cafe,

Tried to book Airbnb but couldn't so booked a hotel yay! 

Taxi back to site... Skipping happy. 

Pack up our stuff and go to hire car place

We hire car and Chantelle drives us to the place... Crazy road up

Amazing place

Swim straight away and watched sunset and showered and went back to festival

I ate a pancake and flirted with cute guy

Very very annoying happy

Watched band Dan something tribe

Awesome... Jumped up and down and happy.

Went home as Chantelle was tired. 

Climbed into amazing bed and had a great nights sleep.

Meanwhile Violetta discovers snake earlier in day and then spider in tent at night :( 


Monday 29 February 2016

23-02-16





Had shower-  'hallelujah!' - and packed up and went to other hotel for breakfast. 

Breakfast of eggs rice and beans all together.

Brook loves my t-shirt and takes a picture to send her mum. 

Brook is a beautiful person inside and out and I find myself wondering what I don't know. Tour guides can often have to portray a certain face. Is she doing this? A tour guide has to be nice to everyone don't they? It's a funny dynamic where I don't know if someone would like to spend time with me or not so I don't know whether to try. Us English do not like to impose ourselves on others. 

After breakfast we all load onto the bus again as we are off to swim in some rivers today and visit another Eco town. I find visiting these Eco communities on a huge bus a little odd. An Eco community in its own right is one thing but does it make money from our visit? Is this a new type of feel-good visitor site? 

Needing a wee and to change 

Brook asking the bus driver to give me some privacy. 

Beautiful spot

Found 5c treasure



Glad for John, Tara, Kat,  Mary and Chantelle today :) 

We got dressed again (ish) a sarong for me and we were told we were going for lunch so we walked up and along a route to the Eco blah blah where we met Tarzan and had some strange soup and drink and then a little buffet. It is impressive that people can grow and make all their own stuff for sure but I'm not sure things are to my taste really here. The fruit is excellent though :) 

Tarzan leads us to a second river point where a lot of people get naked. I'm not keen on this point as it's very easy to fall and hurt yourself and Bryce injures himself :( 

Bryce serenades us with his instument. I like Bryce... But about my impressions of Bryce 

We run behind so Tarzan takes us on a shortcut which turns out to be a bit of a scary nightmare of a route and Tara has half a toenail ripped off. Bleeding and sore she tries to clean the wound with water and winces. I carry antiseptic cream with me wherever I go :) 

On bus to Dominical beach. I'm sitting with John which is ace because he is hilarious. First stop is at Brooks mums house where someone blocks up the toilet :( 

Brooks mum is lovely and welcomingher fish looked a bit dead.

We head into Jaco and it's great; shops and cafes all around and delicious fruit smoothies and ice creams are available

We purchase some supplies, get money and head to the bus again. I would like to have spent more time in Jaco and skipped river number two. 

A bit about peer pressure. 

Mary adds some rum to my fruit smoothie and we happily chat and drink until our bus arrives at our dinner location! Arriving at dinner I am pretty drunk and very very cheerful. :) I have pre-ordered fish tacos and the filling overflows the corn tacos. I end up eating the fish out of the tacos mostly and chat away to people happily. I chat to crissie and Jen in the ladies toilets - the drunken cliche ;) - and tell them what I think is wonderful about them. 

Then we head off to hotel Dominicos which is really lovely! Our rooms are now all together and we decide to go out to the bar next door. 

Lauren skypes home

Music, drink from Richie, dancing, straw disappeared, music disappeared, good time Charlie, off to next place...

Next place, surf boards swings, table football... I wanted to play but never got an opportunity disappointingly. 

Crissie removes straw from my hair. 

Leave and head to the beach. I don't have a swimsuit on so I tuck my skirt into my pants and I do cartwheels in the lapping waves. It is magical and awesome and he stars are bright and I might have got bitten a bit. 

Tara, Mary were in the sea :) John was on the shore. 

Then we went back home and Lauren is still Skyping but stops soon after. We go to sleep :) 






Sunday 28 February 2016

Behind the blog

Blogging is fun, there is no doubt about it. It's great to take pictures and note down all the great and funny things that happen during the day. It does however get challenging when things get really busy. 

The end of my New Zealand trip and my trip to Costa Rica was go-go-go with barely any bathroom breaks let along blog time. It is during these times that a person needs to remember the point of the trip and the blog. The blog is to help remember and communicate thoughts and feelings about the trip, the trip isn't to support a blog! ;) So if anything has to give a little it's the blog... 

... Still saying that I have found that taking a bunch of pictures and a few notes before a fall asleep can make it tonnes easier to play catch up ;) and it is still my hope that I complete my blog so that I can remember and share this exciting trip around the globe, which I hope is the only the beginning of my brave travel adventures :) 

Hopefully there will be more posts coming out today!

Mwah! Big love to all my wonderful friends and to any other readers too! :)

Thursday - Hiking with geckos and sleeping with lizards

Today



































Tuesday 23 February 2016

22-02-16 Monday - Bouncing boats and zip-lining through the Costa Rican rainforest canopy.

Up early at 5:40am, showered with crickets, breakfast of eggs and fruit, collected washing, packed luggage back up and took it down to the boat, burned back with rucksack... Ouch!... Get onto boat. Put lotion on and got bounced back into the footwell of the boat. Lifted up by burnt back. Ouch! 

"What makes you alive?" Conversation on the boat with Mark. Off the boat and load luggage onto the bus. Start off towards ziplining-ing. We arrive at the hotel from the first few nights and pick up the luggage from the other packed downs. This gives me time to nip to be shop and buy some water and chocolate. Omg real chocolate!!!! 

We set off again and fairly soon we are at the town where we sign in at the tour office and load onto a shuttle bus where we meet Roberto a smooth skinned Costa Rican charmer. He learns our names and then practices them. While we all chat he comments "English voices so sexy!" I obviously love this ;) He drives us up to near the top of the hill where we then swap to the back of a jeep-truck and get shuttle up to the top of the zip lines. Roberto and some others then donned in their yellow high via jackets kit us out with harnesses and give us instructions as to what we need to know. 

1. Don't touch anything!
2. Do everything we tell you! 

We did...well at least I did ;) 

We head to the first zip line and Jojo is the first up apart from the guides themselves. After watching the first couple of people I am not as nervous anymore but I am still a bit nervous and I chat with Jen about it briefly. "It's all very safe and you have multiple things holding you on so you'll be fine and I think you'll love it!". I give her a hug.

Jen is a super interesting character. She has the presence of Oprah and the sweetness of Ellen. Whenever she walks into a room with "Hey guys!" she carries such loving warmth that without knowing anything else she is still impressive. Curly brown hair and a tactile loving gregarious nature Jen exudes a simultaneous calm confidence. She makes you feel instantly relaxed and included. 

I get up to the edge of the platform. 
I look over the edge as I'm told "Don't break much on the first two lines as you'll want to maintain your speed."... Gulp!! The zip line is a carbon fibre rope. To get hooked on you are first hooked onto the guide, who is attached to the platform. You the place both hands on the rope line and do a small jump pull up as the guide attaches your harness to a pulley ok the line. A second line to your harness is then also connected and you position your gloved hands. For the right handed among us: Left hand towards the top of the vertical ropes connecting you to the pulley and your right hand up and back onto the zip wire.

The gloves they give you are designed to make your life very easy and protected. The hand that rests on the zip wire behind you keeps you orientated and also has a thick leather pad which allows you to break as you approach your destination. This is done by pulling down on the zip line. 

Once you are hooked onto the zip wire my legs were off the ground and, with my hands in place, I was released! 

Whoosh! I fly along the cable and over the forrest canopy. The cable hums at an increasingly higher pitch as I increase in speed. My nerves have disappeared and I see that this is going to be incredible fun. Even the harness rubbing on my poor burnt back doesn't detract from the beauty of the moment. I get close to the bottom of this line and I pull down to break. I can feel the leather warming from the friction. I slow to a graceful stop to the cheers and warm welcome of the people that have gone before me! 

"Hey Peta! How was it?" They ask and I reply "Awesome!" and they reciprocate with a response of "Awesome!" 

What follows is 10+ different zip lines that eventually bring us back to the beginning! It's truely special and I feel very greatful to experience it. 

Nearing the last of the zip lines there is a different section which has a rope swing. Each person is connected and has to simply swing across the deep valley section. This bit turns my stomach. It's one thing sitting suspended from a wire and then sliding along it, it's another thing to voluentarily step of a platform into thin air. "Move forward" my guide says as I stand near the edge. "Erm..." I say involuntarily as I take another step. I am now right on the edge. I look down. It's a long way down. The thing is... This is sort of why I am here. To face my fears, my demons, to break and recreate myself. To shed my past and return anew or at least a big leap along my healing path :) It's time to be brave again, I know this because I am feeling afraid and that's always a sign that it's time :) 

I bend my knees and I am released from the platform. The initial acceleration is dramatic. 9.8ms-2 suddenly feels like a lot




Arrive in San Jose at hotel opposite prison ;) tiny room but with shower. Me and Lauren are so excited to have a proper shower and Lauren rubs some magic stuff into my back with lavender oil... I don't seem to be allergic anymore

Sleeeeep! Still unable to get washing done. 






Sunday - farm tour and strange coincidences

Another incomplete post here folks. This one I took notes from a pretty nice day. I do not think I can recreate the day with words this long since... an interesting thing to note and possibly the reason why people write travel diaries :) 

Breakfast


Farm tour after breakfast

Walk, mud, beach, burn, 

Back to place, shower, lunch, go down to hammock with passion fruit juice, 

Henna on arms

At lunch - chocolate cake I couldn't eat and I smelt Tara's cake. 

Came in when it got windy and sat upstairs in the main building chatting with Mary, John and Tara. 

Storm that never came.

again Dinner and chatted with John about being a nurse and life while everyone else watched a video of the trio photos. John and me moved to the sofa area and kept talking... Weird coincidence where his future dog has the same name as a man who broke my heart. Went to bed :) 

Saturday - A problem shared...

Today woke up, got up before breakfast and readied myself and got down to the beach 5mins before breakfast after telling Lauren that breakfast was happening soon. After arriving at the beach it turns out that my clock was fast and it was 7am so I'd woken Lauren an hour early....oops! Still I sat with Chad, Brook and Grant with coffee and chatted while the sun came up over the ocean. 

It was going to be a chill morning so after this we had breakfast which was a delicious mix of beans and eggs with fruit. Then they suggested yoga so in my demon shorts and green shirt off I went to yoga! It was beautiful as I followed along yoga with Grant on a big stage with fricking giant ants. 

Grant was amazing! His yoga was gentle, strong, powerful and insightful. He encouraged and inspired us all to think while we moved which moved us to do better yoga! 

After yoga I was dirty and sweaty and chilled and all I wanted to do was to get clean and to mentally relax. 

I went for a shower and it was glorious. Even the pipe filled with mozzies didn't make the shower less glorious in this hot and humid weather. 

I eyed up a particularly persistent mozzie and stared it down! 

Clean and fresh feeling I headed over for some chill time and ended up chatting to people for a good while.

Lunch was served which, as always, was deliciously healthy but possibly insufficient in calories. After dinner I grabbed a coffee and me and Mary went to the beach and sat on a tree trunk chatting about life, experience and our plans, hopes and fears. Mary is a bright, sweet, kind and funny young woman who is bravely travelling alone like me. Like me she is healing wounds from her past and like me she gets funnier and more confident the more relaxed she feels around you. She is a joy to be around and makes me feel very at ease. 

We chat until it's time to start making chocolate! 

Chocolate - Bean to bar

The chocolate making process is right from the bean and starts with us peeling a whole bunch of cocoa beans. The size of an almost I find a twisting motion removes the outer skin fairly effectively and we break the beans in half to check they are good beans (no green mold). The beans then need to be ground three times. The grinder is not ideally clamped to the kitchen surface and so it rocks about as we try and crank the handle back and forth.

The second run through the grinder is difficult but we manage it eventually with a lot of coaxing and poking. 

And this is where my post ends... I must have become busy and/or distracted. Blogging takes dedication Peta! What are you doing?! 😂








Friday - Hiking through hell (with other good bits ;)

The hike! - this post is just in note form. It’s all I did at the time and 3 years later it is all I will get to keep now but it does bring back memories all the same. Anyway to my brief notes from that day: 


Rain in night Packing up, cold shower and breakfast after bad dream ... Bit of a cry in shower and want to leave... Worries that people don't like me - snooty breakfast people not giving us food - clothes from white water rafting not drying - mud - spider web in face - shoes filled with mud 3.5hrs of up and down and through deep mud with spider webs and mozzies and sun and yuck! Slipping and the smell of monkey shit. 

Bought new sunglasses when I couldn't find mine and more mozzie spray and thought I'd lost wallet. Man serving had lost his arm. 

Good things: magnetic sand and Mary saying "I'm trying to think positive thoughts to take my mind off the fact that I'm so miserable"

Got back from hike and then ate  the most delicious tasting meal ever and went into the sea to wash off and chill.

The we checked into our rooms and had a shower and chilled out playing games, 

Inc rhino hero! :) 

Then I went to bed and talked to Lauren about her life and esp etc. 


Monday 22 February 2016

17-02-16 Wednesday - White river rafting and live tunes!

Wednesday the 17th of February 2016

This morning I woke super glad of a full nights undisturbed sleep, even if I was in a strange bottom bunk of the dark dingy little room that has been my evenings shelter. I unpacked my wash stuff and went to the shower. I was met by the crazy fish mobile from the previous evening. The shower was pretty pointless as it dribbled/trickled into my forehead. I attempted to clean myself up and get dressed ready to raft! Woohoo! Now with my daypack, my rucksack and my hat, gotta keep hold of that sucker, I venture downstairs to check out and grab breakfast. 

Here I met a lady born in Germany who has lived in Costa Rica for 39 years and before that the states. Her accent completely baffles me which is why we start chatting. She tells me how when she was a little girl all she wanted to do was live in the jungle with monkeys and beautiful birds and now she is here and she still finds it magical. I think about what first brought me to Costa Rica and I prefer the simplicity of her story. 

The buffet breakfast provides an array of utterly delicious local fruit and omelettes made on demand... Nom! I collect an awesome breakfast and a delicious cup of coffee and take a seat with Lauren and Mary at breakfast in the Kaps garden area. These people seem so wonderfully chilled. I find myself instantly at ease with many of them. Those that I am least at ease with are the ones who I think I will learn the most from. They are the ones who have an almost inherent inner freedom which I am working to try and grow and develop. I find I don't understand them and I almost feel comparatively nervous in their confidence. They are all delightful however and I know I will learn from them and grow as a result :) Hurrah! 

Today we are off white water rafting on the longest rafting river trip in Costa Rica. 4hrs guided paddling and rafting through incredible tropical rainforest that makes this the 5th most beautiful rafting course in the world. What a priveledge. I blooming love life on days like this!

We get into the coach and we're off! Raoul is our rafting guide and he tells us about a childhood game they used to play in coffee fields hiding and then throwing green coffee beans at each other. 

I have sat next to Kat, an beautiful lady from Chicargo who has chosen the worst seat on the bus... We soon decide to  relocate to seats with big windows at the back of the bus - where everyone knows the cool kids sit - the views were amazing! Bryce, Tara and John were sitting around us. I have so far discovered that we have two intensive care nurses, a physiotherapist and a massage theripist in our group. Things are looking good on the physical care front ;)
 
Bryce is a charming fellow and super interesting. He has played guitar with many bands including Korn and the Woo town clan (sp?). He has also brought with him a hang drum which is awesome and I have a go and managed to make a few sounds. 

Raoul, our rafting instructor, gives us a very thorough instruction which is both important and nerves initiating. Before too long we transferred to a minibus to get up to the final hill and played vehicle buckaroo until we arrive. At the rafting location we are kitted out with lift jackets, helmets and paddles.  I didn't take my phone on the water for obvious reasons and so will have to try and describe the experience. 

The group is split between four boats with 7 people on each including the guide. The guides mock a rivalry between boats where splashing is very much encouraged. 

Rafting is frickin' awesome!!! 

The raft is in essence a large rectangular shaped tube with a bottom for your feet and to make it a boat. You sit on the sides and wedge your feet under inflated cross sections. This makes you able to lean back if you wish and as long as you have the necessary core strength. I would say that this trip has made me very grateful for my year+ of yoga. 

The water wasn't clear but it was clean and supplied by many many waterfalls. This place has a much more tropical feel compared to New Zealand. The waterfalls here could easily feature in a shampoo ad. Nothing has the same size and scale feel as New Zealand though. These are both places I adore now though.

After climbing into the raft we have to practice our moves. We practice forward, backward, stop, paddles up, jump right, jump left, get down (jungle boogie) and how to retrieve people from the water - practiced by half of us actually intentionally falling in the water ;) I am sat opposite Bryce who retrieves me from the water with ease due to being much bigger than me at 6'3". The ladies work together to retrieve the chaps :) 

Once we were off onto the rapids, I can't help but let out my well known squeaks and squeals. I'm expressive haha and this is an experience that needs expressing. It is amazing! It is adrenaline and relaxation mixed in a spectacular setting. At no point do I feel fear which suprises me. I just enjoy every second, sight, smell, splash, bounce and roll. 

"Right forward" shouts out guide. I'm on the left so this means left paddle back. Knowledge of right and left is pretty important ;) 

I am now unsure as to how to describe white water rafting - what kind of rubbish blogger am I? Ha well I just don't think Incan do it justice. It's kind of like sitting on a sturdy-ish inflatable boat and then playing buckaroo while paddling under the instruction of a guide flipping between shouting commands and giving local information. It's the sort of ride which results in a perma-smile that lasts well beyond the activity. There is comradery, team work, jumps, drops, splashes, swimming, suprises, incredibly rewarding views and lots and lots of grinning! We even end up covered in mud and while the photo I saw of me looks like the worst photo of me ever, I don't care... It was hilarious and I love it! 

A number of people do fall in, par for the course, and are promtly retrieved. It is the best fun I have had yet this trip and I feel a warm glow of contentment from it. 

If you haven't done it, do it. I wanted to do it again immediately after we finished our 4hr trip! It is the 3rd best form of exercise in the world in my opinion. The water here isn't cold and all 23 of us happily jumped in during calm moments to float along with the river. The scenery is spectacular. It's the perfect topical paradise and I feel honoured to be here. 

The other people in my tour group are awesome! They are all the kind of people that would go to the festival 'envision' and as such they are all kind, loving and full of energy and fun. 

I have learnt about half their names so far. Two of them are now dancing in the bus. :) It's great to be immersed in the energy of others and let it infect you. 

I am now sitting on the bus and letting the nutrients of my experience and environment sink it. I'm not quite moved in same way as arriving in Queenstown, New Zealand but this a different kind of moved. This is a community feel, an experience with people and that feels differently moving but maybe equally so. I resist tears this time though haha ;) Yet as before I rest my head back and just feel the new experience cause waves of emotions and thoughts to flood my little body and mind. 

The conversations here remind me of awesomeness fest which was (to go with the obvious description) awesome. I am now very excited and nervous about this section of the trip. I feel I am being emotionally stretched again and it's a beautiful pain. 

Bryce and Mark are putting music through a waterproof speaker and the tunes fill the coach as we chill. 

I watch a man carry bananas across a river while we wait at a junction. 


A great day so far and there is more to come I am sure :) 

We arrive at the accomodation and 4 of us are separated from the group and are put in different and nicer accomodation we are told :) I am sharing with Lauren wo is a really chilled chic from the states. We dump our stuff, get cleaned up a bit and head out back to the others....

... Except we go the wrong way! Eeek! Now we were running late anyway but now we are heading the wrong way in the dark through the jungle. After about 20mins me and Matt are pretty convinced we are headed the wrong way and I bring up Google and some internet and confirm it. We turn around ;) 

We eventually get to the group about 45mins late (oops!) and we head off to the restaurant. The place is an amazing jamacan style place with reggae music and a really chilled vibe. The old and young are dancing is a very feel the flow type of way and a dude that looks like a Hawaiian Jesus totally rocks out to the live band.




The food is delicious and I also get to have run cocktails....yum! :)