Closing down wtf? Anyway – trip!

OD is closing down? wtf? I’ve been using this since like 2003. This is going to be a lot of copying and pasting to get through. I want to save these memories.

I am on the bus back from Boston with my mom, we just went to Costa Rica together. It was great! We both loved it and would go back. We went to Playas del Colo in Guanacaste and stayed in an airbnb. We each got our own bedroom and bathroom, which was key for a mother/son trip! I need space and so does she. I want to write what we did day by day just to be able to look back.

Sat Nov 29 – We took the bus to Boston and go out direct flight to Liberia on Jetblue. There was no one in the middle seat so that was good. Once we got there, it was really no hassle going to the airbnb, which was a nice little condominium area near the beach with a pool. There was a little ‘village’ nearby full of restaurants and things. To get downtown, we had to walk 10, but that’s okay, I like steps! Basically this day we just walked around and got some falafel for dinner and of course stepped into the casino. Went to the beach. I guess we got in around like 4 so we were tired and didn’t do much. I got a little Xmas tree to decorate the room with. My mom was like WHY do you need that but I cant help it, I love being festive.

Nov 30 – I got a weekly gym membership, so I went there. We also stayed at the Playa del Coco itself. We read online that people thought this beach was not it, but let me tell you, it was IT. No development, still felt local, no major resorts. It was quite, clean, peaceful, and massive. I thought the black sand was also cool. I don’t know what people online are saying, it’s kind of the perfect family trip destination. Is it the most lit? Nope, but that wasn’t out vibe. It was honestly the exact vibe we wanted. We also went to a Sunday Market and bought some stuff. I got a nice red necklace.

Dec 1 – This was another chill beach day. The beach was EMPTY, basically. It’s literally so chill and quite. The water was warm, and i needed to work on my tan, so we swam. We also played Scrabble Yahtzee in the room and my mom made some 3 bean salads for lunch. I love light lunches like that.

Dec 2- My mom took a jungle and beach horseback ride in the morning at Ocotal Beach. I just met her at the beach by walking from the farm since I didnt want to go by horse, so I just chilled there. Other than that we chilled at the beach in the afternoon and I think she did a bit of shopping.

Dec 3 – This was another chill day. I think we went in the pool at the condo this day, which was really a nice and pretty and well gardened area. Or maybe that was Wednesday. I know we only got in once because we were mostly at the beach this trip. In the evening we walked to see the Christmas lights down at the ocean walk in the town center. I love how festive Latin America gets in December with lights and displays.

Dec 4 – We took a half day trip to the Rincon de la Vieja National Park and went on a 1.5 hours, I think 3.2 walk through the jungle. We got to see active mudpots bubbling and it smelled nasty. That was new for us. We also so a monkey and capybara and it was just healthy to be in nature and get some steps in. After, we went to the Llanos de Cortes waterfall for a swim, which was probably my favorite thing. It was so beautiful. The water was so crystal clear and the falls were pretty big. The best part was they let you swim in the little lake at the bottom (to an extent). I definitely want to go back, it was magical. There were also tons of little butterflies flying around everywhere, which added to the ambiance. I would for sure go here on a date or something, spend a whole day, bring a picnic, etc. But I guess for that I need a date first;) with someone with GOOD chemistry. After our day we were pretty tired to just went to the beach near our airbnb for a bit in the afternoon, and I came back and basically just read and napped the evening away.

Dec 5 – We just chilled at Coco Beach mostly. It was super chill and relaxing. In the evening, we went shopping, went to the slowest and most overpriced place for vegan sushi, and I lost like 70 dollars at the casino on slots so i was PISSED at myself for being dumb and wasting the money. But, I mean, I like never do it. Lets just say it was a bit of a vacation experience. Anyway, I packed a bit and then went to meet a guy for a couple drinks, came home early and did some TIPSY TASKING. lol.

Dec 6 – We got a late check out at 12, so the morning I went to the gym and walked at the beach, finished backing, and we went and chilled at a cafe for coffee and some breakfast. Chilled int he room playing yahtzee scrabble until it was time to go. We went right the airport in Liberia which was CHAOS on a Satuday, and had to wait like 3 to 4 hours since our flight was delayed until 5. I did a bit of AI work, chilled, blah. The flight back ton Boston arrived at 11 and was okay but I sat in the middle because there was a 3rd person in our row. We had to stay the night at a hotel in Boston near logan since we arrived so late and there was no bus to POTLAND Maine. So we took the shuttle at like midnight and got to the hotel. I paid 200 dollars for it and we only ended up staying 7 hours.

Dec 7 – Today – I’m on the bus back to Maine writing this. We woke up, of course had hotel breakfast for a while, and then just got the shuttle to Logan where we caught the bus. My sister will pike us up, and then we are off to go Christmass tree hunting.

All in all, I definitely love solo travel, but since I’m basically the only person my mom has to travel with, I try to go with her sometimes.

To rank the places in the Caribbean/LATAM region we went together so far, the trips were like this.

1. Costa Rica
2. Dominican Republic
3. Bahamas

We both said we would come back to Playas del Coco and I’m so happy my mom liked this because really that was what mattered to me. She ended up loving it! So did I. Maybe I should invest there?

Happy Holidays