Costa Rican Adventure

When I was 17, I went to Costa Rica.  How it came about, how my mom afforded the trip for me, how I even decided I truly wanted to go, I have no idea, but I went, and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. 

My high school offered school trips through the language departments.  The most popular and widely taken one was the French trip.  I was a Spanish student and by the time I entered 11^th Grade, didn’t even know the Spanish department offered a trip. 

A flyer must have been passed around in class saying something like, “Sign up for the Spanish trip to Costa Rica, only $1700!” and I probably didn’t think much of it, that kind of money was a little out of my family’s price range.  I must have mentioned it to my mom, however, and she must have said yes because before I knew it, I was on a plane to the tiny Central American Country.

I remember arriving at the hot congested airport.  I had massively over packed for some reason (probably because I didn’t let my mom do it for me) and had to drag around a heavy suitcase and bag.  But I didn’t care, I was in Costa Rica!

First day, San Jose.  I needed a nap but everyone else went to the pool.  In addition to being tired I was also avoiding being seen in a bathing suit, an affliction I suffered for many years preceding and many years after.  It is my biggest regret from that trip, having something so stupid on my mind while I should have been enjoying such an amazing experience.  But I digress. 

I was suddenly awoken from my nap by my roommates who told me to get my butt down to the pool area, there was a Mr. Costa Rica Pageant happening!  Now, it wasn’t like a typical beauty pageant, it basically was a bunch of hunky men in minimal clothing flexing for cameras in front of a swimming pool…..and a bunch of 17-year-olds from Pittsburgh gawking over them.

Mr. Costa Rica Pageant

While in San Jose we did some touristy stuff and visited museums and even got to go to a Discotheque!  My friend and I were the only two old enough to get in and we danced the night away (with a few teachers) while all the other kids had to stay at the hotel.  We felt triumphant. 

Playing Soccer at the Base of the Arenal Volcano

The rest of the trip was taken in a rickety bus ride down dirt roads to places that took forever to get to, but was worth every second.  On our way to the Arenal Volcano we stopped for lunch at huge field in front of a church.  Some of my classmates joined the locals and played some soccer then we ate lunch at an outdoor restaurant that looked like a huge grove. 

We arrived at the volcano base at the Thermal Pools of Tabacon.  According to my teacher this is now a luxury resort that students are no longer permitted to visit.  It is one of my favorite Costa Rican experiences.  I was truly in the middle of a tropical paradise, with lush vegetation, black rock, and pools filled with natural springs.  There was even a swimming pool that was fed with the water from the hot springs.

Thermal Pools of Tabacon

After a hike up to as close to the volcano as we cold get, we spent the evening swimming in the hot springs pool.  At one point I remember seeing something falling from the sky.  I looked up and realized it was ash, the volcano was erupting!  It was just a little erupt, nothing dangerous, but magenta lava was flowing down the side and the ash was raining on us. 

After that we were off to a tiny town, to the hotel with no air conditioning, no window screens, and only one phone in the entire place.  The accompanying village had only a dirt road and the electricity went off after dark. 

Hike to the Volcano

The next day was the most fun activity of the trip, Sky Trekking.  We hiked into the rainforest and climbed a chain latter to a platform at the top of a tree.  We put on a harness and a helmet, and were hooked to a zip line that ran across the top of the trees to another platform.  Then we unhooked ourselves and hiked to the next zip line.  It felt like flying.  

The experience of traveling by bus through the rainforest is a difficult one to describe.  I was listening to Madonna’s Ray of Light album that had recently come out, and I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up and looked out the window, it was as if I had stuck my head into a picture storybook.  I had never seen anything so unreal or beautiful.  I remember starting to cry and looking around at the other students and some of them were crying too. 

Sky Trekking

After many hikes through many rainforests listening to many animals, we finally made it to a Costa Rican beach.  I was born in Fort Lauderdale and had never visited a beach I liked better until I went to Costa Rica.  Like everything else, we had to walk a bit to get to it.  On the way we saw hippy American surfers selling jewelry and other homemade trinkets, to support their surfing habit. 

We walked through some trees that opened up to a beach with tropical plant life, toucans, monkeys that ate our crackers, and the warmest water I’ve ever felt.  Once again I was initially plagued by my bathing suit insecurities, but after I got into the water, it all fell away.  

The best beach I've ever visited

The last night of our Costa Rican Adventure was spent back in the capital city of San Jose.  We had dinner, played games in the lobby, and just hung out, reminiscing about this amazing trip we just took.

As I sit here now looking outside at the snow, nearly 12 years later, I would give anything to be back in that tropical paradise again.  My new found fear of flying may put a damper in any imminent plans to visit Costa Rica, but I know I’ll make it back again.