Costa Rican Adventure! Part Uno

January 07, 2014

Costa Rican Adventure! Part Uno

2013 has been such a crazy year for me… new job, new apartment, and new love (they do say good things come in 3s). It has been a wonderful and successful year, I have overcame many obstacles to get here and the view from the top looks spectacular. My boyfriend Lukas and I are pretty spontaneous, and we both love to travel. Our trip to Costa Rica was a last minute adventure planned 1 day prior to leaving (yes I know we are nuts), but it is always more fun when things happen unexpectedly. We literally just made it on our flight, running through the airport with 5 minutes left to board (I even lost a shoe on the way haha). At least we can say things are NEVER boring!

We flew into the beautiful city of San Jose, our boutique hotel was nestled amongst the real streets of the locals and amazing views of the mountains. I have so many fab pictures to share but I wanted to post our adventure first because this was a once in a lifetime expierience that I will never forget. I always watched the discovery channel growing up with my dad, and having the opportunity to see a live volcano up close was simply amazing. We took a day trip to La Poas Volcano located in Central Costa Rica (8,885 ft up), which also has 2 crater lakes near the summit. I am not the most "outdoorsy" person, and hiking is not my forte so this was def a challenge for me. Who wears leggings and flats on a serious hike? haha (prob not the best outfit choice) but hey, I made it to the top! I had my best friend/supporter/love by my side the entire way and he was patient enough to deal with me haha. One major thing I should have researched ahead was the weather, it was FREEZING when we got close to the volcano. The wind/smoke was blowing so hard I could barley see, and the air smelt like sulfur. When the smoke cleared it was one of the coolest sites I have ever seen.

After the volcano our next stop was to hit the La Paz Waterfall gardens. This was just stunning, the rainforest was filled with colorful birds, butterflies, and insects I have never seen in my life. Lukas and I made our New Years resolutions at the waterfalls and each tossed in a little coin for good luck, it was a special moment for me. All of the challenging hiking and trails along the way really can symbolize life's twist and turns. Nothing worth having comes easy; the harder the climb, the better the view.