I begin the morning again by pulling out my Angel Card.
My word for Day 5 — Pleasure: a feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment.
Oh, this is going to be a good one.
I have a lazy breakfast down at the restaurant at the hotel; I sit at the bar, chat again. Same strategy.
I ask where I should go for a beautiful, relaxing beach day and get some recommendations from the locals. I pack up, slather on some sunscreen, ready to explore.
It takes about 45 minutes when I see this beautiful shack-like restaurant with live music as I head towards Flamingo beach: a crescent shaped shoreline with white sand and warm, clear waters.
For whatever reason, last night’s Day 4 made me incredibly emotional. I know, I know. But I slept well.
Knowing day 5 is another day part of the dreaded countdown to the plane back to Providence, I begin really thinking deeply about some changes I need to make when I’m back in the states. And perhaps, some things I need to let go.
It’s a little cheesy, but my friends and I refer to this trip as a soul-searching “Eat, Pray, Love” kind of adventure.
That movie is awful, but the book is about a woman who goes through a divorce; she feel lost, confused, and searching for what she really wanted in life.
Sound familiar?
I only read parts of the book, but I very much feel some of those emotions, admittedly. My aunt’s passing dug up some stuff, and there was also a lot of other griefs, disappointments to handle.
The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.
– Isak Dinesen
So here I am, taking a lunch break as I head to Flamingo beach, the sea.
It’s a cute open-restaurant, called “Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar.”
Clever, and just what the doctor ordered.
Their motto: Veer from the beaten path, forget your routine, and adjust your attitude. Bring your kids. Bring your dogs. We’re easy.
Easy and casual it was. And delicious.
I order a meal fit for a queen — pleasure, remember? Happy satisfaction and enjoyment. I get whatever I want, which you’ll see, includes dessert.
I sit at the restaurant awhile longer, watching a surfing competition on one of their TVs. The bartenders are especially attentive, and for the most part, everyone sitting around the bar largly is wrapped in their own conversation, so I’m left alone with my own thoughts. Which is fine.
A mentor once told me, I needed to believe I was the most FUN person at the party. Metaphorical party, but also probably literal. She said, because sometimes I will be the Only person at the party.
True that, double true.
I haven’t talked about this yet in my other posts, but there are a lot of stray dogs in Costa Rica.
They’re not like the ones at home where you watch sort of closely to make sure the stray dog doesn’t run at you and make a move.
I’ve covered way too many stories reporting about dogs turning vicious on the streets, whether they have an owner or not.
But these Costa Rica stray dogs are such “island” dogs. They’re so chill. They’ll sit with you while you’re eating — a strategy, hoping to get some food. And they’re so sweet. I have a few dogs sitting with me at every restaurant.
And I miss that companionship deeply.
My friend and I made the mistake of naming one dog “Charlie,” who was especially cute and I texted her some photos. You’ll meet Charlie later, and that’s a whole different story.
Before this trip, I’ve always liked dogs, but that’s as far as it goes.
On this trip, there’s something about the quiet companion during a meal. They’re well behaved, and obviously as strays, the dogs are off-leash and content. They also don’t bark. That’s interesting to me.
Here’s a dog I met; he came to say hello during my meal. Didn’t name this one, but liked him a lot.
I’ve been toying around with what country to go to next, for my solo adventure part 2.
But, with so many stray dogs, I oddly felt attached to, I’m thinking about waiting for the flight tickets to Costa Rica to drop back down to $325, and I may take another few days in the country.
Adopt a nice, quiet, friendly dog while exploring the Carribean side. The jury’s out on this one, but I feel sort of compelled to save a dog from a country that’s grown to mean so, so much to me.
Maybe it’s a part of wanting to give back to something in this country that gave so much to me.
I don’t know. But it’s been on my mind.
There’s a few interesting destination spots if you want to meet some of the rescue dogs, and I’ll share more in an upcoming post.
Anyways, back to Costa Rica. I pay the check and head out.
Here I am, arriving to Flamingo beach, and the beach is all mine. There isn’t a single person around for a bit, and there’s something incredibly spiritual and welcoming now to the “cure for anything” — the quote above.
There are many moments where it seems like I am completely in touch with my true self, this beach is another one of those moments I won’t forget.
Look how pristine the water is:
I sit and read more of Emily Giffin’s book, and when it gets really hot, I rent an umbrella and a chair.
I hate how they charge $20 to rent it all day, because that seems absorbant. But it goes to a local family hustling, so a part of me doesn’t mind contributing to the local economy many depend on.
I get into the ocean, and it feels like the water pulls me in, for some sort of healing.
I love being weightless. It makes me feel like the world is so much bigger, and the ocean, salt and water is simply supporting me to feel lighter.
I’m calm.
I reflect on a few deep things, but it feels like I’m being embraced in this ocean, where I’m still by myself.
I even lay on my back for a bit, floating.
It’s not that I’ve never swam in an ocean before. I lived in Hawaii for many seasons.
I have no worries; I’m carefree. This is how I imagine Liberation feels like.
The water seems to wash away much of my earlier grief and dissappointment.
It’s not really the same as swimming in some beautiful Ocean State beaches back in Rhode Island. There’s something about stepping into these waters that seem to solidfy even more: I’m really here.
For all my fears of traveling solo, Wow. This is truly it, and I am here.
I sign my name in the sand, to really remind myself I made it to Costa Rica despite being so nervous about what I would encounter on this adventure.
This is true pleasure. The angel cards have a way with becoming true, maybe also because it’s the word I’m visualizing the moment I step into my car in the morning until the moment I journal before bed at night.
I organize my luggage, tomorrow I’m leaving to Playa Samara, in the Guanacaste area.
The adventure continues,
