I am so happy, counting blessings this morning.
Today’s Blessing Cards pull from the box: Love and Happiness.
It’s Perfection.
This stretch of my travels includes the Guanacaste area along the Pacific Coast. It’s the area that’s a bit warmer in Costa Rica, especially in March and the beginning of April, before the rainy season starts.
I plan three beach days for this week, right in the middle of my trip to relax and recuperate for the rest of my journey.
I didn’t really notice I was alone. But on Day 4, I notice I’m inching to the halfway point of my trip. It’s a bittersweet realization: While I’m halfway done with traveling, I’m also halfway to the celebrating of my first solo trip through a foreign country. This means I’ll be leaving Costa Rica soon.
Tamarindo is the big beach and shopping town, about 30-40 minute drive away from my quiet hotel on the Playa Grande beach.
Most people who vacation in Costa Rica like this area the best — because there’s lots of food and hand-crafted goods stands in Tamarindo, and there’s also a long stretch of beaches all along this Pacific Coast.
I never feel scared at all during my travels — especially not in this beach town.
I’m asked that the most as a female traveler. And while that’s a common question, sometimes it does feel like a sexist one. A topic for another day.
A part of me feeling safe for the entire trip is the island lifestyle in Costa Rica. It is very much the welcoming, warm people and culture who are always ready to recommend food and destinations.
With the exception of some war-torn countries, highlighted by political unrest, Costa Rica feels just as safe as any spot in the United States. Which means, it could really be just as dangerous as any spot in the United States.
Same rules apply: I’m aware of my surroundings throughout the day. I carry my backpack tightly by me and keep an eye on who’s walking nearby.
I do that in Rhode Island anyway, so it’s really no different here. To set the record straight, in all my travels, including the nine days in Costa Rica, I do not feel unsafe, at all.
I look up some spots on TripAdvisor this morning and decide I want to hunt down the Tamarindo Farmer’s Market.
With very few street signs, I use the Waze app to navigate out of the quiet beach and head into this tourist destination.
The farmers’ market is hidden.
I ask for directions along the way, but I don’t speak Spanish. It’s less scary handling this language barrier in person than the fears I pictured at home during the research and planning for Costa Rica. It was much worse in my head. As things always seem to be.
The great thing is, I pull up photos on my phone, saved from the internet and ask for help.
Technology boosts communication, powerfully.
I think about using Google Translate to help convert my English to Spanish, but with some hand motions, non-verbal cues, and descriptive photos, it’s unnecessary. A woman doesn’t understand English, but she understands the photos I’m showing her and she points the way to the farmers’ market. It’s that easy.
I walk a few blocks, and here we are!
What I like about going to Farmers’ Markets in foreign places is how quickly it immerses me in the local culture. And it’s vibrant, very fun.
Jewelry makers sell their handcraft silver and gold-plated goods. I buy a few beautiful bracelets to bring back home to friends, and one bracelet for myself. Of course, I admire the silver work and haggle a bit — haggling is standard procedure since many will up-sell the costs.
It’s not disrespectful to name a different price; it’s all part of the process and frankly a little weird for those who don’t negotiate costs.
But I find some good deals, and I wear this hand-crafted bracelet for weeks after I return to New England, a visual reminder to myself of Costa Rica and the feeling I want at home too.
There are also fresh goods, baked goods, some Kombucha to drink (a fermented tea drink that’s known for health benefits especially to the gut) at the farmers’ market.
I buy some because I really admire how it takes more than six weeks for some of these people to ferment and bottle Kombucha, and the drink is so much fresher than what I buy in Rhode Island. I want to support as many local businesses as I can while I’m traveling, so I am generous with my purchases.
I wander around the Farmer’s Market for quite a bit and decide it’s time for lunch at a scenic restaurant along the beach.
Here’s my view — and it’s quite possibly one of the best frozen coffees I have had. I see some random iguanas walking around the beach. Odd, for sure.
After lunch, I take the few steps away from the restaurant, rent a beach chair and umbrella — a little annoying to pay $10 for the day, but it gives me some shade as the beach portion of my trip begins.
Point Street Reading series in Rhode Island gives me an advance copy from one of my favorite authors, Emily Giffin. So I dig into her newest book, “All We Ever Wanted,” while taking some quiet moments to hop in the water, float in the warm ocean, and really relax.
It’s a great book by the way. I devour it pretty quickly on my next few beach days, and I’ll write a review on another post soon.
Spending time with myself and seeing my adventurous side in action makes me happy. I’m a person who enjoys traveling, experimenting with food, meeting new people, as I search for the hidden parts of the world, trying to discover every wonder.
Back at the hotel, I grab another bite of dinner from the same downstairs restaurant — my favorite spot.
I write in my journal, read, and I tuck myself into bed pretty early, getting ready for the next day.
The adventure continues,
