Costa Rica

Our first stop in Costa Rica was Jaco Beach, and let me tell you; it was magical. I don't know if it was all the pent-up excitement for my first big trip since the pandemic, but I felt like crying when I first stepped onto the beach. It was so beautiful, and I stood there for a few minutes, letting the sun warm my body. We only spent three days there, but I could have spent my entire life on that beach. We went surfing every day, but I could never quite get the hang of it. The surfers we rented the boards from told us that the waves were "super gnarly," so I will blame my poor performance on that. After all, if the locals who have spent their whole lives surfing say that the waves are gnarly, I think it's pretty serious. 

Next, we drove to Monteverde, a small town in the mountains of Costa Rica. We only spent a day here, but I still managed to do quite a bit. In the morning, I went on the El Tigre Waterfall hike, where I saw a ton of waterfalls and even crossed a few hanging bridges. The natural wonders of the jungle were so unlike anything I had ever seen before. I loved being able to explore it - even if the last two miles of the hike were straight uphill in the hot sun without any water. After I drank what felt like two gallons of water and took a shower (that's a whole other story), we took what Ashley assured me would be a short walk to a restaurant for dinner. After about two miles up the mountain, we finally arrived. The food, sunset, and some margaritas quickly relieved any pain my legs felt, and we had a lovely evening in Monteverde. 

Our last stop in Costa Rica was La Fortuna, a small town at the base of the Volcán Arenal. We had to take a bus from Monteverde and then a boat across the lake to reach the town. We spent two days here, and I sure did make the most of it. On our first afternoon, we went to a swimming hole where we all jumped off the rocks and swung from a rope swing. I was lowkey (ok, highkey) so scared at first, but once I overcame the initial fear, I had the time of my life. The next day, Ashley and Joe wanted to get couples massages. Since I didn't feel like tagging along for obvious reasons, I decided to go waterfall repelling instead. It was such an unforgettable experience - but I'm sure the massage was nice too.