Healing Beaches & Hard Lessons

#9

Since last October, I spent six months slow-traveling through the Americas — sharing real stories of freedom, growth, and soul-led adventure. I’ll be heading back out again this October, and in the meantime, I’m reflecting on what the journey taught me.

Ahhhh, sunshine at last! For two people traveling in the winter to escape the rain, we’ve certainly had our fair share of it on this journey. Unusual weather patterns seem to be following us, but at least for now, the Pacific side of Costa Rica is looking sunshiney and bright.

We arrive safe and sound in a town called Sámara. I had read it was more laid back than some of the other coastal spots, and I booked us a small hotel just a short walk from the beach. I usually try to snag a top-floor room for a little more quiet, but this time, being a last-minute booking, no luck. The hotel was run by a warm and welcoming German family. No gym or breakfast, but it did have a little kitchen in the room which is always a plus.

Out of all the beaches we saw in Costa Rica, this one was in my top two. For me, it’s the energy of the place more than anything that defines it for me. Some of the beaches had black sand, others were rocky, but the water was warm enough to swim in and overall the crowds were minimal.

After 3 nights, we continue south and stop in Playa San Miguel overnight at a bed and breakfast run by another German couple. We are finding that there are quite a few expats who decide to retire or reinvent themselves here. The government in Costa Rica is relatively stable and friendly to those looking to start anew and try their hand at a different life experience. We met many people from Canada and also many from Oregon and the Pacific Northwest!

This bed and breakfast is pristine and one of the best breakfasts we have on the entire trip. The husband baked fresh bread every day, and the wife made homemade jams from fruits grown right on the property. And there are lots of monkeys in the trees! But the drive to get to this lodging was crazy difficult. Dirt roads filled with potholes and what felt like 45-degree inclines. Once we landed, we refused to drive again until we had to leave. Thankfully, the hosts offered to drive us to dinner and pick us up — very kind.

It was also here that I broke my pinky toe — slammed it right into a solid wood bedpost. I brushed it off that night hoping it would improve by morning. Nope. Swollen, bruised, and purple. Arrrghhhh. I would be nursing this for the rest of the trip, but fortunately I could walk without pain and wore tennis shoes religiously for the next two weeks for support. A nudge from the Universe to slow down? Perhaps I should listen more.

Next, we headed farther south to Santa Teresa. I’d booked us three nights in a newer condo with a full kitchen, but although the listing said “king-size bed,” we walked in to find a full. I haven’t mentioned this yet, but another big factor for us in booking a room is a king-sized bed when they are to be found. We are two very tall people! In many of these countries, that is not so easy to find and not a standard in the rooms. When we can’t get a king, we opt for 2 double beds so we each have room to sleep. On Eleuthera, we spent six weeks in a queen bed, and it wasn’t ideal. We were always quite excited when we could find king-sized bed accommodations that fit all the criteria.Thankfully, the onsite manager let us cancel at no charge. We packed up our stuff — again — including all the groceries we had just bought, and drove a mile or two down the road to a view property that was absolutely stunning.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but often in the world of social media, pictures can regal a tale that is the exact opposite of what actually occurs. The tension between us from the constant movement and small rooms reaches the apex. We have the worst night of our two years together here. There is huge tension in the sky with a Full Moon, and everything reaches a boiling point. The owner’s wife of the hotel is toxic as well, and the energy is off every which way we turn. Too much alcohol also doesn’t help the situation.

I draw on every skill set I have to manage myself, reach out to a friend and my spiritual coach, Tim does what he needs to do, and after 36 hours we head off to the next destination. It was the best view from the pool we had to date, but I will not have fond memories of this place. Looking back, it was probably inevitable to have it out, and we both needed to make some adjustments, so if we could take the learnings from the moment, we can be better for it. That is our intention, and so we reset and move on.

A ferry ride over the Gulf of Nicoya saves us 3 hours of backtracking through some treacherous roads, and we continue on South to my favorite overnight stop in Esterillos. For me, it had such charm! Reasonable pricing, the beach had great energy and I had a nice long swim in the ocean, we had one of the best meals at a small restaurant, and as we walked around the small town, we watched a bit of a football (soccer in the States) match next to the Church. It was a 24 hour stop that will stay in my heart for years to come!

More travel, and more beds. Farther South to Manuel Antonio for 3 nights in an Igloo lodge for something different (fun, but the echoing sound was a little creepy); 2 nights in Dominical where we had a difficult but stunning hike to a waterfall; 2 nights back in San Jose for a pause before switching coasts. When we set out for the Caribbean side of the country, we were tentatively planning on staying in Limon for a night to break up the driving, but I learned my lesson about not booking anything non-refundable, and this really saved us here. The town was not at all our vibe, was quite unsafe, and so Tim powered through a long driving day, and we finally landed in Cahuita.

The Caribbean side of Costa Rica is way more relaxed than the Pacific side. There are different weather patterns here and the week we were here, there tended to be more rain. Go figure. The people are even more relaxed and go-with-the-flow if that’s possible. We stayed 2 nights in Cahuita, and this place is Tim’s favorite. We have massages, I connect with the lovely Swiss owner of the hotel, the daily breakfast is pretty good, and Tim takes a half day on the beach by himself. Another small room, more rain, but we’re in Costa Rica! From there, we headed farther south to Puerto Viejo for two nights, then circled back for one more night in Cahuita, and finally, three nights in San José before flying out to our next destination. Whew! There was hussle here to be sure.

The month gave us 13 different beds, more rain than expected, jaw-dropping nature, cuisine that was average, kind and laid-back people, roads that were good to bad to what the ??, beaches that ranged from stunning to healing to slightly overcrowded, one broken toe, and a rental car that somehow made it through unscathed! We covered everything we wanted to see, and once again, Costa Rica was incredible to visit, but a one-and-done for us. We feel complete. No need to return. There’s still so much of the world left to explore, and we’re still searching for “our people” and a place that truly feels like home.

The variety of people from around the world that are calling Costa Rica home and restarting their lives here was fascinating, and we enjoyed hearing the stories of pivots, reinventions and what makes each individual truly happy. The number of couples, many with no children, starting small hotels or bed and breakfasts was numerous. We have no blueprint for this type of travel, learning as we go, and the larger rooms with more space to spread out were not to be found this month. It was too much hussle and movement and unpacking, but we wanted to see as much as we could, so taking a two week cruise out of Ft Lauderdale sounds relaxing and refreshing.

But here’s the thing about the road: Life keeps offering us opportunities that are never picture perfect. But we’re committed to each other, to this journey, and to growing in the process. We’re learning what to leave behind and what’s worth carrying forward, seeing which patterns and ways of being we need to leave on the side of the road never to pick up again. Otherwise, it will break down and become irreparable.

I believe the energy of a place stays with us, and every ground we walk has inherent wisdom we can hold within ourselves. Our energy in turn affects the people and Earth with each step, leaving behind either goodness and Light or dark and menace. I do my best to leave behind Light. To share my heart, my smile, and my intention to contribute to something better. It’s not always easy. But I stay open, present, and ready for more magic as much as possible.

Because this moment — this road, this meal, this beach — will never come again. Most places we’ll never return to. So be conscious. Catch the rainbow after the rain. Breathe. And be grateful.

As the saying goes: No matter where we go, there we are.

Next stop - a cruise through the Caribbean, a culture shock of too many people, and the sickness comes.

To your highest and best,

Dianna

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