You know when you get the spidey sense that whatever you are about to do, say, etc. is not going to end well? Well, I had that feeling with our last Airbnb rental when I was still in Canada because the host was not getting back to me and I didn’t feel my questions were getting their full attention. Unfortunately, I ignored my instinct and booked it anyways. For two reasons:

1. I was sick to death of looking for a place.

2. It was over New Years and everything was getting booked so fast and the prices were getting very expensive.

So, guess what? The house was not as advertised. Surprised? Me neither. We arrived in the middle (heat) of the day and couldn’t locate the property manager and were driving around in cab that you could see the ground passing beneath your feet. The car was literally disintegrating as we were driving. We were all crammed in and bottoming out whenever we hit a bad part of the road which was all the time. Then our driver tells us he’s not really a taxi, as in he isn’t registered. He just gives rides whenever he feels like it. Anyways, we finally find our guy and he takes us to the house. I could go on and on but needless to say it was dirty, the photos did not reflect the house and there was no where for us all to sit together. No table. Just a couple rusty patio chairs and a dodgy bar table. Plus upon further inspection a few of the items that were in the ad weren’t there.

Nick trying to float on the patio lounger. Very entertaining

3 resident bats that would swoop across my head in the evening and scare the life out of me.

At the end of it all we agreed to leave early and in the interim stayed over New Years and rented a side by side to get around. The house was in the jungle in a mainly expat area, there closest store was a 20 minute walk to town down the highway. I walked it with Madeline once to go get groceries and then we flagged a bus to get back. So hot. And the beach is another 15 minutes at least. Sheesh. It was a jaunt.

Now the town itself and the beach were beautiful. It is called Carrillo and if you like quiet and having to drive everywhere, this is the place for you to holiday. Like if you’re writing a book and you want solitude. The beach is expansive and the swimming is fantastic. Super clear water and the break isn’t too big. It was clearly a day out destination for the locals though. It was packed, nowhere to park and if you didn’t get there early all the shady spots were gone. Whole families decamped for the day with hammocks, bbq’s, sun shelters, and loads of food and drink.

So for our time there we explored the coast in our side by side. We drove the dirt roads and took any turn that would lead us to the beach. We went to Punta Islita where I saw three Scarlett Macaw’s flying together. They were amazing, so colourful and much bigger than I thought they were. I was very excited, they were on my list to see when we came down here. We found hidden beaches where the locals go, very tiny little bays that you have to hike into and of course, howler monkeys everywhere. We stopped for lunch in a tiny village that just got running water in 2017! Apparently the road we were on is only accessible in the dry season and a lot of the villages are cut off in the rainy season. So remote, I was suddenly thankful to be living in the booming metropolis of rural Vancouver Island.

New Years Eve was lovely and quiet. It started a bit rough though. Our water turned off while Nick was showering and covered in soap and the internet went down in the whole town. So that meant a couple of things; Nick was pissed off and we had to pay cash for dinner as the lines were down but at the same time the bank machine in the neighbouring town was out of money. So we were scrounging for colones to go out for the evening. We ended up with enough and off we went! After dinner we drove into Samara to watch the fireworks on the beach, there were thousands of people with beach fires everywhere and music playing, etc. No one appeared to be too drunk (yet) and we found a little spot in the sand to watch. Full disclosure – I had to have a little nap on the sand to make it to midnight. It was worth it though, there were fireworks going off everywhere including off a barge in the bay. As soon as it was was done we hightailed it out of town and back home.

The first was a pretty quiet day, we all took it easy and hung out poolside. Well, except Gigi; she doesn’t really like the heat that much and has spent majority of this trip in air conditioned bliss working on her drawings. Nick and I explored a bit more, I went for a walk and then we played cards and had a few cocktails. All in all a nice way to kick off the year.

We moved back to civilization on the second and came back to Samara. We rented an apartment in the Tico Adventure Lodge and it is perfect. A 5 minute walk to the beach, it’s super clean, nice pool area with proper loungers and a big space for us to all hang out together. And the wifi is much improved. There are other units in here that have a communal kitchen, the coffee is on at 6am and I have met people from all over the world. Plus there is a book exchange, thank god for that. I have read some really crazy books when travelling, things I wouldn’t normally pick up. I’m reading Family Fang right now and it is bizarre and really funny. I recommend you ask your librarian for it. It’s fiction and an easy read. No deep thinking required.

I started the 30 day Dedicate yoga series with Adrienne on YouTube. Is anyone else doing it? I found the first couple days a bit boring but she seems to be picking things up a little. I start my day with coffee, an hour walk on the beach and then home for a little Crossfit complex and some yoga. I spend most of day lying down, either on the beach reading or swimming in the sea! So relaxed. I realized last night that I haven’t worn high heels or a bra in almost a month. Bliss! Next week when I’m back to work I am going to have a rude awakening.