Miravalles – Postcards and shenanigans

My one month in Costa Rica ended almost a week ago and I am ready to share my overall thoughts and experiences. I am trying to strike a balance between telling you about the place and how I experienced it, and self-reflection. Let me know in the comments what you want to read more about!

The Good

I knew what to expect from Costa Rica, even though I hadn’t been to the Guanacaste province, and I wasn’t disappointed. The beaches, sunsets, volcanoes, fauna, flora, and food were exactly what a thousand other blogs will tell you about. The food is fresh and delicious (albeit relatively expensive), the nature a true sight to behold. The people are absolute gems, offering warmth and hospitality, excited to share their knowledge about the country and the region, and always willing to help. These are a few things that make Costa Rica a worthwhile destination, so if you’re hesitating about going – just do it.

In mid-April I started my second month of not working. I had a tough time answering the “so, how does it feel to be on sabbatical?” question, because I honestly did not know what I felt. For a good while I felt like the time off was short-lived and I would be going back to work the following Monday. Interestingly, that seems to have faded now as I’m settling into another rhythm.

I got into the habit of doing yoga flows, using the travel mat I carried with me. Always looking to optimize my packing, I was afraid carrying the yoga mat would be a PITA and I wouldn’t use it – I was wrong (well, it is a bit of a PITA to carry but mostly worth it).

I read 13 books in April, which feels like such a luxury. I simply had no mental capacity to read when I was working full-time. Or rather, I didn’t (couldn’t?) prioritize reading when I needed to disconnect. I love immersing myself in the written word, and yet I somehow found it too hard, which seems very nonsensical. I was afraid I’d lost my love for books. Luckily it seems that I still have the capacity to immerse myself, devour books, and enjoy the heck out of it. On the flip side, I have not watched a single minute of tv since I left Canada (I don’t even miss it).

One of the books I read in April, What My Bones Know (Stephanie Foo) – highly recommended!

The pictures below capture some of the amazing sights and experiences from Costa Rica.

The Shenanigans

You can read about the laundry shenanigans in this post. There were also cold plunge shenanigans (you can read about my cold plunge experience in this post). My cousin and I dropped by the wellness centre a few days prior to my cold plunge to find the owners refilling one of the tubs with water from various plastic bottles that had been stored in a freezer. We helped out while talking to them (as one does) and it took all my willpower not to have a giggle fit at filling a 65 L tub with 250 ml Fanta bottles… but hey, they had their system (and it worked)!

As expected, sending postcards from Costa Rica was rich in shenanigans. Accompanied by a new friend, I set out to Playas del Coco to look for postcards and stamps. Neither of us knew the exact Costa Rican term for postcards so we got some blank stares when we asked shopkeepers if they had them until a kind soul finally understood and told us the correct term (rinse and repeat with stamps). Armed with postcards, we set out to find stamps. From experience, this is the problematic quest in most countries, Costa Rica being no exception. We were told that the only place you can buy stamps is at a post office (called correo) and there was one about a kilometre away from where we were. We set out on foot in 37+ Celsius weather and somehow made it alive to the blissfully air conditioned post office.

I was able to buy international stamps, which the post office worker additionally manually stamped. Interesting. When I asked where I can drop off mail I found out that I would have to return to said post office or drop them off somewhere at the airport (the second choice seemed a little risky to me, I did not particularly want to leave the country with mail I wouldn’t be able to send from anywhere else).

Days flew by and I realized I wouldn’t have the opportunity to return to the post office so I packed the postcards in my bags and left for San José to fly to Colombia, hoping for the best. Luckily, my wonderful AirBnB host in San José told me there is a post office in a nearby mall. Huzzah!! Finding the post office was an obstacle challenge, peppered with many, many interesting shops (apparently I lost my interest in watching tv but not in shopping). I managed to make it relatively unscathed only because I simply have no room in my packs for anything else. I did however buy a slightly bigger messenger bag to fit that one extra shirt I found and couldn’t say no to…

In the end, I managed to mail the postcards! They were left with the Costa Rican postal office on May 2, 2024. Godspeed, little paper rectangles!

And uh… I obviously stumbled on the mailbox at the San José airport without any effort. Figures.

Mailbox in departures area of San José international airport

The Ugly

The heat. I am not made for it, and I suffer from being in it for long periods of time. By the same token, the blistering sun – with all my efforts to sunscreen diligently and cover up as much as possible, I still got a weird half-a-leg, half-an-arm, full-face sunburn.

Costa Rican road infrastructure. From bizarre 3-way intersections with no traffic lights to clogged up traffic due to choke points. It takes wayyyy longer to get between places than it should.

Public buses, for their lack of air conditioning. At the least the ones I took, which included a 6-hour bus from Playa del Cocos to San José. See first issue re: heat.

Getting caught in a downpour and walking the 15 minutes from the grocery store to my accommodation on the side of the highway in shin-deep side-of-the-highway runoff water, in the dark, with a backpack of groceries and a 6 L water bottle.

Feeling guilty if I don’t do anything “productive” during my day. I think this one will take a while to unlearn. I’m working on it every day, trying to relearn how to simply live my life, find joy, and not feel guilty about it. My sense of worth is so wrapped up in my work that I have to actively focus on defining who I am, not what I do.

What’s next?

I have started exploring Bogotá, Colombia! I am letting everything settle in, taking the experiences, the lessons, and the self-reflections in stride. I will continue to work on myself while enjoying a cooler climate, learning about a new culture, seeing new places and meeting new people.

There is so much more I could share about Costa Rica, let me know in the comments below if you would like to know about anything else!

When is the last time you experienced a first? Most of us don’t remember our first steps or words, but the adults around us who witnessed them remember them with awe. You probably remember your first heartbreak or the first time you did your taxes and felt very grown up (well, I felt utter terror). Firsts don’t have to be huge to be remarkable and memorable, but I think the joy they bring is priceless.

Today I want to share with you a few firsts I experienced over the last weeks in Costa Rica – I’m still smiling when I think about them.

The first first: cold

My cousin really likes cold plunges and scheduled to do one in one of the only places offering them in Guanacaste, a holistic wellness spot in Tamarindo, about 30 minutes away from where I’m staying. Curious about what a cold plunge entails, I asked him for details. It turns out that you (voluntarily) immerse yourself in very cold water for 5 to 10 minutes. Whether this has any extraordinary health benefits or not remains to be seen, but since the average temperature here has been 35 degrees Celsius, an ice bath sounded freaking great! I signed up because I had never done one before (save the 12 seconds I plunged in an Icelandic lake or 25.5 seconds I go in the cold pools at the spa) so… why not?

Once at the wellness centre I asked the kind owners how I should go about it. They offered some breathing tips, said it’s best to immerse yourself as quickly as possible, and assured me it’s ok if I only make it to a minute or 2. Armed with the bravery of one who doesn’t quite know what they’re getting into, I plunged. And then I stayed. The 12 degree water feels like… well, being encased in ice, if I’m being honest. But I somehow got used to it, focusing on making conversation with the owners as opposed to focusing on my thoughts, which were basically a loop of ermygawedthisisfreakingfreezing for 5 minutes. I learned that if you stay absolutely still you don’t feel it as much anymore, but as soon as you move different parts get exposed to the icy water and you feel it all over again. I wasn’t sure my legs would work well enough to be able to get out of the bathtub but I was pleasantly surprised. I got out and towelled off, feeling incredibly refreshed.

As I was paying up and getting ready to leave, I thought it was a great first cold plunge and something I would definitely try again, if only as a way to cool off from the tropical heat. Not sure if the poor guy who went after me would – they realized when he kept asking how much longer that they forgot to turn the timer on.

Woman laying in a bathtub — I am fine, I am totally fine chilling in this 12 degrees ice water

The second first: bulls

I was lucky enough to visit Guayabo, a charming town at the base of the Miravalles volcano, during the weekend of the annual festejo, i.e. traditional festival. After having a delicious meal in one of the local sodas (a family-owned restaurant that serves traditional Costa Rican food), my cousin asked if I had ever seen bull riding shows. As a staunch city dweller, I have not.

We paid our 3,ooo colones ($8.50 CAD) entrance fee and found a seat to watch the 14 bulls and their riders put on a show, equal in entertainment to the very animated announcer. I’m not entirely sure of the etiquette for bull riding but I for one was rooting for the bulls. I was fascinated watching the folks hanging out at the edges of the ring, taunting the bulls, and jumping up the sides when an understandably pissed off bull would charge at them. I am very glad I caught a snippet of a bull who was much more interested in grazing the grass than anything else (ahem, giving decidedly Ferdinand vibes).

I am glad I got to see this show, I would likely watch another one – if only to root for the docile bull in the gang.

Channeling Ferdinand

The third first: community

On the second night of checking out the Guayabo festival, I had the immense pleasure of watching a tope, which is a horse parade. Imagine the town’s main street lined up on both sides with all dwellers from the area, young and old, bringing their own chairs, food, and drinks to watch an impressive array of horses and riders show off their skills, often accompanied by live bands. I honestly could not stop grinning. I was mesmerized by what I dubbed ‘the dancing horses’ and actually burst out crying with joy, wondering how this is my life.

I had never seen something like this before, I share it here with you hoping that you feel even a spark of the wonder I experienced. The dancing horses, the proud riders, the live bands, the people dressed in cowboy gear talking and laughing in the streets – it was abundantly clear how this festival brings everyone together. It was a community event in the best sense of the word, and I feel like we need community more than ever.

Dancing horse in the Guayabo tope (might be a better cumbia dancer than me)

The fourth first: nature

This one happened purely by chance and I am so grateful it did. My cousin’s farm in Miravalles is at the base of a dormant volcano, with a gorgeous valley spreading out across the street. Its distance from cities and light pollution sources make it great for watching the night sky – imagine my surprise when I looked up at the full moon to see a perfect circle around it. I tapped my cousin on the shoulder and asked him to look up at the moon. His ‘whoa, what is that?’ reaction reassured me that I wasn’t hallucinating.

While hoping for aliens (that would be a super cool first!) I later found out it is a phenomenon called a moon halo. It was my first time seeing this and while not as grand as seeing the Milky Way in the Sahara it was definitely memorable. I am incredibly humbled every time I glimpse something Mother Nature shows us – humbled by how perfect it is, how small we are, and how much we should work to protect it.

Full moon surrounded by 2 haloes — Moon halo

The next first?

I look forward to a next first, whether it is an experience I sign up for or a natural wonder that reveals itself to me. This planet and its inhabitants have so much to offer, all we have to do is be open, be curious, and say yes to things. I won’t chase these first experiences but I welcome the joy they bring. They make my heart full and I can’t stop grinning, like a kid experiencing cotton candy or a roller coaster for the first time (sometimes the order matters). Remember,we are never too old to try something for the first time, never too old to be joyful.

How about you, reader? What brings you joy? Share a first that delighted you recently, or how you make sure you’re open to these experiences.

Tag: Miravalles

Costa Rica wrap-up