Sonja Alvarez, a young student from Nice, has decided to travel around the world.
She shares her impressions with us…
Week 3 (Costa Rica)
Feb 24: Easy morning at Martina’s place. Today is for resting. There are lots of beautiful beaches here. Luna and I decide to go to Cocalito Beach and have a picnic there. We leisurely buy some food. On the way, we run into Antoine, Guillaume, and Laurene and agree to meet them at the beach later. Luna and I settle peacefully and see two magnificent macaws.
After having lunch together, we part ways and change beaches. A relaxed day. I booked my tour for tomorrow at Corcovado Park ($107 yay). We’ll see how it goes!
Feb 25: Waking up at 5 AM! Departure at 6 AM for Corcovado Park. We take a boat from Drake Bay for an hour. The landscapes are magnificent. Once at the park, I turn on my camera… well… I try to and it doesn’t turn on… no battery. It must have overheated… great, an expensive tour to photograph animals and I’m stuck with my phone, which doesn’t work well for distant shots. So, I enjoy the experience with my eyes instead, and that’s fine too. Actually, I realize that the camera tends to separate us from the moment, so I appreciate it more. A bit disappointed as I didn’t see any new animals like I expected… we saw coatis (can’t get enough of them), howler monkeys, lots of birds, and insects. But it was pleasant even if not quite worth the cost. Around 11 AM, we stop at a station where we can refill water bottles and buy food. Around 12 PM, we head back on the boat for lunch. A very simple meal: rice, vegetables, beans, and chicken.
Around 2:30 PM, we return to Drake’s Bay Beach. I’m feeling a bit sunstruck, so I avoid going out. I meet Naya, Ryan, and Thomas (two Danes and a German). We start talking. They head to the beach and when they return, we will have dinner together. I planned to photograph the stars tonight (something I’ve been trying to do for a long time…), but it was a FAILURE… we’ll manage one day, hope keeps us alive, as they say. We sit peacefully on the beach, then head back not too late because tomorrow they are going to Corcovado. I was supposed to go whale watching tomorrow, but the only available agency leaves me doubtful ethics-wise + $120 for 8 hours is quite expensive… so a relaxed day tomorrow. Hope I sleep well (yay)
Feb 26: Today is easygoing. I thought I would sleep in, but that didn’t happen… thank you, communal dorms and uncivilized people. Usually, when waking up at 5 AM, we avoid turning on the main room light, but oh well… generally. So, I was awake at 7 AM. Connor (a Canadian) and I decide to return to Cocalito Beach for a picnic. We stayed there quite a while. Until the tide came in. And for your information, it comes in quickly, fast enough to get things wet. Because yes, water does get things wet. Anyway, an hour later we head back. At the hostel, we reunite with our friends from the day before: Naja, Thomas, and Ryan. We book a snorkeling trip (€85 for snorkeling, it’s a bit much, but oh well) then we relax, chat, eat, and play a game called “Exploding Cat” (the name sounds exciting). It’s a relatively simple and fun game (unlike belote). Anyway, it’s quite a long text for a day where nothing interesting happened. Tomorrow meeting at 7:40 AM, so easygoing.
Feb 27: Departure at 7:40 AM for snorkeling with Thomas! And of course, the weather is bad (because nothing’s ever easy otherwise). The sea is extremely choppy, everyone feels unwell. We put on our fins, masks, and snorkels, and off we go. We’re all hoping to see manta rays. The first dive lasts 45 minutes. We see a beautiful turtle. Since it’s my first time doing this, I have no expectations. It’s great because I’m amazed by everything around me. We then get back on the boat for a break as many of us feel unwell. We take a beach break. Then it’s back in the water, diving toward deeper areas. At this time, we see two sharks sleeping peacefully at the bottom and encounter a second turtle. Around midday, it’s time for a picnic: rice, beans, salad, meat for those who want it, pineapple, and watermelon. By 2 PM, we’re back at the hostel. This experience was amazing but I still find it expensive for what it was… can’t wait to be in Asia where activities are cheaper! The afternoon is for relaxing. We play cards, chat, and the time flies. By the end of the evening, everyone goes to bed early because tomorrow is departure day.
Feb 28: The boat leaves at 7:30 AM, so departure from the hostel is at 7:00 AM. Everyone checks out and at that moment Naja realizes they still have one more day left… so the goodbyes are said at the hostel entrance instead of at the boat. We leave with Connor for the boat (which, by the way, is cheaper in the morning! It’s $15 at 7 AM and $20 at 11 AM and 3 PM). Once we arrive at Sierpe, Connor goes to get the car. While waiting, I run into Antoine and Guillaume for one last goodbye. 2:30 hours by car later, we arrive at Jacò. We each settle into our accommodations. I’m at Room2Board and he’s at his hotel, we will probably meet up to go to the beach in the afternoon. Upon arriving, like in many hostels, they have me sign a contract that happens to be in French. But it was riddled with mistakes (a bit like my travel journal, actually). I offer to correct it, and to thank me, the reception person gives me 3 mimosas! What a way to start the day!
Around 2 PM, I get my room, change, and head out to meet Connor at the beach. We stay there until the sunset, which was one of the most beautiful of the trip.
We head back to shower and change and go out to eat around 7:30 PM at Isaga Bar. It was really cheap; we each paid €9 for a Casado and a beer. With our bellies full, we head toward my hostel because he doesn’t really feel comfortable in this town (nor do I, for that matter). At least we know we won’t be coming back! And that’s where our paths part. Tomorrow is my last day in Costa Rica.
Feb 29: last day in Costa Rica… I’m quite frustrated, I would have loved to stay longer. But this will give me the chance to come back, right? There are still plenty of things waiting for me, new adventures, new discoveries. But in the meantime, I have until 2:30 PM to enjoy myself. So I have breakfast at the hostel (it said pancakes and eggs, but they served it with rice…) after that, I went to pack my bag and take a walk in town. After eating at the hostel, I gather my things and head to the bus stop where, as usual, I arrive way too early.
The bus finally arrives, I noticed that bus drivers are never very friendly. I arrive at Juan Santamaria International Airport (Alajuela) to catch a taxi. He offers $10 to take me to my hostel.
We arrive 15 mins later at Alajuela. I get to the hostel; they don’t take cards and have no kitchen. I book a taxi for tomorrow at 4:45, and then he tells me it’s usually $5 for the taxi… oh well.
So, I go out looking for an ATM and a supermarket.
Back from my quest, I pack my things and stay at the hostel for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow waking up at 4:00 AM is going to be tough.
4:00 AM wake-up call, it stings. I finish packing up and go meet the taxi. Except there’s a problem: the door is locked, and no one is there to open it for me… after much effort, I rang the bell and probably woke up the whole hostel… but hey, I have a plane to catch, so, oh well!
I go through check-in and security, and off I go, heading to Phoenix!
March 1: and so an adventure comes to an end. What did I think of this trip? First, I’m definitely coming back. But above all, traveling alone, you are never truly alone, Costa Rica is a country rich in good cheer, kindness, and caring. Also, there’s so much to do that it would take two months to be fully satisfied with this trip. But I experienced wonderful things, met incredible people. Sure, everything is quite expensive (especially the activities), but I never really regretted it. I knew coming here would be costly. To be honest, the country I feared the most was Costa Rica because when I talked about it, people seemed wary, worried for me. In the end, I fell in love with this country. But next time, I will come back and travel to other countries in Latin America. Now I am no longer afraid. I’m also eager to go to Australia; it’s going to be totally different!
Meanwhile, thank you to all the amazing people I met along the way and with whom I shared so much. Look forward to seeing you again!
