Habanero’s, Playa Cielo
I had such a wonderful and amazing trip in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica the past week. As a first time solo traveler, I was a definitely a bit apprehensive about this adventure I was about to depart on. It ended up being the perfect journey that I needed and was seeking. I am really proud that I maintained steadfast on making this trip happen and remained intrepid as always. This attitude was much needed as I flew on a tiny plane for 12 passengers from San José to Tambor, which’s “airport” resembled a bus shelter. I was rewarded with a spectacular aerial view of Costa Rica and of the peninsula where Santa Teresa is located on. After 3 flights and a 1 hour shuttle, I finalized arrived at the coveted Funky Monkey Lodge. I’m staying at this hostel for the next week and enrolled in a 8 day 7 night Yoga & Surf retreat!
I quickly got my bearings and wanted to explore immediately. I took a nice stroll down to the strip which was littered with artsy cafés and local eateries called sodas, surf shops, and beach clubs to chill and admire the sunset at. My first stop was at Soda La Yunta where I ordered tuna ceviché which came with a fresh hot pita bread, fish tacos, and a delicious smoothie. I chatted with Jason, a surfer from San Diego, and we exchanged friendly conversation for the past hour discussing DMT, french bull dogs and full moon parties. I proceeded to check out the beaches and ended up at Habanero’s for an iced coffee while the DJ started pumping out sunset beats. Making my way back across the beaches immersing my toes into the sand composed of seashells and broken remnants of them. I have a habit of collecting shells from places I visit as a souvenir gift, usually inscribed on the under side the name of the beach it came from or the city I was in. Dinner was devoured with a large group of new friends from all walks of life, some from Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Mexico, NYC, Seattle, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Miami, Seville, Amsterdam, Germany, and Bermuda! The chefs and food were superb and I enjoyed an aesthetically presented tuna poké bowl. I decided to hit the hay early as a bunch of us planned to rent ATVs the next morning and adventure to Montezuma to hike and swim at the waterfall.
Wild Thing – Camatkarasana
Buenos dias! It’s typical of Costan Rican culture to get up early as the sun rises around 5:30am and it’s much cooler in the morning if you’re keen for a surf or jog along the beach. Also, it’s not easy to sleep in, as our residence is embedded within a jungle, so birds start chirping, toucans start singing their songs, and howler monkeys perched in the mango trees are announcing the beginning of another glorious new day. For breakfast I had a refreshing and energy packed açai bowl.
The gang then heads into town to rent ATVs, and although with scooter experience, I am a bit nervous as there is gear shifting involved. However, with little hesitation, were riding our badass quads through the rubble streets on gear 5 and flooring it to Mal Pais. We take a few pit stops to take in the scenery and cool down for a swim in the ocean. Riding on the ATV was definitely a thrilling experience, feeling straight out of the movie Mad Max, we gaze at the different terrain and nature sights around us. Arriving at downtown Montezuma, we’re parched and famished and find a nice spot to grab lunch right by the water and beach. After restoring our vitals and energy, we press onward to hike to the waterfall. Along the way we’re followed by a bright and colourful little critter, a Halloween Crab! Everyone is jumping into the pond or going for a cliff dive. While we wade in the pool, a spectacular show is put on by some locals who bravely rock climb the waterfall and perform an insane dive from up top! Bravo !!
Tree Pose – Vrksasana 
We journey back to Santa Teresa and take in the sunset with happy hour drinks at Banana Beach. Everyone is exhausted but hearts are filled with gratitude for the amazing experiencing, what a great place we are in “right here, right now!” as Craig and I practice our mindfulness.
I hop back to the lodge for evening yoga session melt class with Alina. She is truly such a pure and amazing soul, I loved being guided by her, she helped us relax and find calmness, set intentions, share her inspirations for the class, release negative energies, instill gratitude and elevate us to the next level. Her passion and love for her work invigorates me as I continue to move closer to my dream to becoming a yogi. We all lay in savasana in the dark of the night in the amazon, surrounded by sounds from the shadows, the cool breeze washing over our faces, and we can hear the ocean softly calling from afar. I feel fully relaxed in a zen moment until I realize I’m being eaten alive by 100 mosquitoes! At dinner I’m greeted by Nacho our surfing instructor as he discusses with me the tide forecast for tomorrow. I’m going for my first surf lesson at 6:30am on the white waters with Martha. I imbibe more tuna tataki and some lager at El Facon and gather rest for the early morning. Excited little heart!
Surfing at Selina beach was fantastic, I learned how to push up and stand on my long board, accelerate, slow down, turn left/right, turtle roll, and how to dismount properly. Grazzia captured my victorious moments and intense concentration in avoiding a wipe out. Check out our funky monkey rash guards, it even has a tail on the back of the shirt!
Our hard work is met with a fresh cracked coconut, as I gobble the coco water and delicious flesh inside. I eventually acquire the skill of hacking them open myself which is pretty simple but an accomplishment I feel nonetheless. Breakfast is served back at Funky Monkey and I get the mouth watering banana pancakes with fruit on the side: papaya, watermelon and pineapple. Refueled and recharged, a group of us bravely test out our flexibility and gracefulness at aerial yoga. Our yogi is this incredible goddess of silks, and actually gets us to do some very advance techniques: inverted butterfly, half pigeon, double foot locks into balanced splits, and french climb. It’s a serious work out for our core/upper body in building strength and endurance – and it looks frigging cool like the circus! Luckily, I have been doing aerial silks at Lotus in Bermuda so I’m looking like a rockstar. Respects to all the gents that gave it a shot and are looking like professionals. By the way, how gorgeous is our al fresco yoga studio, I’m falling in love with the 360 views. If you stay still and quiet just long enough, you’ll be enchanted by iguanas, humming birds, butterflies, and GIANT BLACK SPIDERS.
Lunch time is one of my favourite parts of the day because I get to check out other eateries and trendy cafés in the area. My fellow Canadian’s, Drew and Craig, meet me for lunch at Zwart café/art gallery & studio. It’s so incredible that there are so many health conscious options that are high in energy and equally tasty. This place is so chill and offers communal seating with long tables, giving that sense of community and free flowing vibe. Are you surprised – I ordered a mediterranean bowl with ahi tuna and a passionfruit lemonade. This place is totally my jam!
I spend the rest of the afternoon meandering the streets and find myself sweating like crazy so I stop for a drink at BALI café. As you can imagine this little gem is really quaint and decorated with quirky trinkets, vibrant splashes of colours, cute sayings on chalk boards, mini cacti plants, and yummy looking baked goods. I muster up the courage to order in Spanish, ” Yo quiero una cafe de frio, con leche, con CBD oil, sin azucar, por favor.” Both the waiter and I are grinning with pride, NAILED IT! I have been practicing my Spanish on Duolingo 20 minutes daily prior to the trip and it’s definitely paying off. Locals seem to find it endearing and are very helpful when I try to habler en español. *stainless steel straw for for the win
All paths lead to the beach…
It’s time for another beautiful sunset and everyone is sprawled on the beach with dogs running about playfully, little hermit crabs scuttling around, people doing acro yoga, and others performing an african healing dance. Someone in the far distance is fishing, another is doing a hand stand, while several people are still surfing or bobbing in the ocean. I rock in a hammock for a bit and read my book and then I find a spot facing the firey red sinking sun and find peace in meditation. A bonfire breaks out and I get back to the lodge for yin yoga. It’s a bittersweet evening, as some people are leaving the next day. It was an absolute pleasure that our lives crossed paths, sharing memories and stories, and making pure connections despite a brief moment in each other’s company. It would be lovely and interesting to see how we all stay in touch, especially since learning that Jamie and Becky met each other at a prior retreat and decided to be traveling buddies for this trip. Camilla already has plans in October to go shark diving in Mexico, so I’m intrigued to hear of everyone’s next adventure. Perhaps we will visit each other and find our friendship extending from Santa Teresa. New friends are also arriving, so it is the ebb and flow of life; the ebb and flow of the ocean that units us. Grazzia saves us from a night of reggae disaster as the crew jam to reggaeton off her Spotify and we turn the sushi bar into our night club, while Salvator & Domingo grace us with their appearance once more.
” Vamos pa’ la playa, pa’ curarte el alma
Cierra la pantalla, abre la Medalla
Todo el mar caribe, viendo tu cintura
Tú le coqueteas, tú eres buscabulla
Vamos pa’ la playa, pa’ curarte el alma
Cierra la pantalla, abre la Medalla
Todo el mar caribe, viendo tu cintura
Tú le coqueteas, tú eres buscabulla y me gusta “
Playa Selina, Santa Teresa
Sunday Sessions 