TravelingSaurus

a part-time traveler, with a love for triathlon, terriers, and seeing the world

Destination #1 for 2015: The Reveal!

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CostaRica_1

Some people reveal the sex of their baby…I reveal our first destination for 2015!  I’m scheduling this post for when we are away in Bhutan and Thailand, as I have a feeling that the internet may be a bit slow for blogging in Bhutan.  But I could be wrong…in which case, you might get Bhutan updates, too.You may remember the destination triage post from a few months ago…the first reveal is….

Vamos a Costa Rica!  January 2015.

Costa Rica was an easy choice for us to start off our year. It’s relatively easy and close to get to (about 6 hours with one stop), no significant time is lost due to time changes, and it’s relatively inexpensive–even when we (well…I) don’t really try to travel inexpensively. Now, I can hear people out there groaning already, but we opted for the Caribbean coast rather than Arenal or Guanacaste.  I know, I know. I am aware how popular those places are and how much there is to see. But…

We are interested in seeing cool tropical wildlife and hopefully finding some decent snorkeling around Cahuita.  We realize snorkeling can be hit or miss, but that’s ok. We know it’s not like Belize or other reefs, but it is supposed to be decent around the National Park. I also reallyreallyreally want to see a sloth; DH really wants to see tree frogs and other jungle fun. We didn’t want a resort–we wanted a more glamp-like environment. We might do some rafting, but are going to focus on wildlife on land and in the ocean. Have I mentioned I think zip-lines are borrrinnngggg? There I said it. I’d much rather watch animals.

As an aside, and another benefit of Costa Rica is the language. I really need to stop being so shy about my damn Spanish. I can read pretty well, I can understand 75% of CNN en espanol, but I’m still petrified of speaking. So any chance I have to practice is a chance I need to take. Of course, DH can help me out with the swear words and the slang, his Spanish specialty. I hope to practice y no hablare ingles en Costa Rica (I will not speak English in Costa Rica).Also, while Costa Rica is a solid plan, I’m itching to add a night or two in Bocas de Toro or even Granada, but don’t tell DH. Oh wait, I just did. Please?

Here are the details on our Costa Rica trip–I think it is helpful to give some dollar figures, at least for non-budget travelers, looking to take a quick trip to Costa Rica–particularly the Caribbean coast. From what I’ve seen, based on how we travel, the Guanacaste area can be much more expensive (depending on accommodation preferences, obviously).

While we have a general idea of how much we’re spending while on a trip–and how much we want to spend–we don’t “count down” . Sure, we will opt for a less expensive dinner one night if we think we’re spending too much (and DH will stick to beer instead of girly, fruity concoctions). But in terms of activities, if there is something else we want to do, we just do it. Never know when we’ll get back to some of these places. It’s not worth quibbling over, just for the sake of sticking to an arbitrary budget.  That said, DH and I both strongly believe in spending within our means…no putting things on a credit card for paying off months later!

Costa Rica, 2015 (Tentative Plans)

Time: 6 days, 5 nights
Food Budget: $300
Activity Budget: $500
Internal Transportation Budget: $150
Lodging Budget: $600
Focus: Wildlife! Nature!
Number of Destinations: One, for now.

While we definitely have some things we’d like to see, our trip to Costa Rica will be pretty unstructured, with time to enjoy, relax, and explore on our own time, as much as we want to (or don’t want to). Oh yea, and practice my Spanish with whomever I can find, including tree sloths.

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