So I have put my deposit down for a 4 week stay in Costa Rica working on the turtle preserve. Tomorrow I am picking up my Spanish cds so that I can hopefully learn as much Spanish as possible before I go.
I am so excited about this trip. It has been my dream for several years and I finally decided to make it happen. I am also scared. Mostly of the unknown and scared I will be very very homesick.
I understand that this is going to be a homestay situation which is good and bad for me. I am a vegetarian and do not want to have to eat meat but I know that I can't insult the family I am staying with by not eating their food. So about a month before I leave I am going to start to re-introduce meat into my diet.
I would love some advice from people who have been on this trip before and hear about some stories.
Loading recent content...
Post Comments
Add Your Comment!
Log in to leave a comment or Create an account
Thanks for the advice. I am hoping I get a chance to do some of the things you told me about.
If you have any other questions, let me know... only other advice is the monkeys have a tendency to jump on you - without your permission so I'd avoid jewelrey as they do enjoy grabbing it! Also.. maybe take a watch with an alarm on it. The group I was with had no alarm clock... so every night we took turns chugging bottles of water so we were sure to wake up the next day.
Good luck to you and I hope you have a great time!
Hi there. I'm incredibly jealous that you get to go to Costa Rica while I'm in "sunny" Leeds!
I went to Costa Rica about 5 years ago - it wasn't this specific trip but I had an absolutely amazing time and was a vegetarian as well so I wanted to feedback. I did a combination of many things during my time there...from natural hot springs (with bars actually in the water) to zip sliding and bungee jumps.
We began our trip with a very warm but beautiful hike near the Arenal Volcano...after which we were driven to these natural hot springs which were unbelievable. Felt a bit more justified chilling out in a natural hot spring than in a five star hotel's spa. We then set off to go zip sliding - during which there was an option of Tarzan Jumping. I put my foot down and waited at the bottom shaking with fear! But... then got talked into doing it. The men who got me geared up were hilarious (they weren't at the moment), as they were singing a song in Spanish about my doom before pushing me over the edge...literally.
We also did horseback riding - in which you get a lot more freedom (and therefore fear!) as the rules are different than they would be in the West so you can experience galloping in open fields and through the mountains.
In regards to food.. .if you're not a picky eater you'll be fine and you don't need to give up being a vegetarian for your trip. I ate loads of beans and rice with salads and quesadila type meals. If you once ate meat and enjoy it, then you'll have a ball with the options but I really don't think you need to sacrifice your "vegetarianism" if you don't want to. Different foods are part of the experience!
Additionally, my Spanish was alright when I went, so I could get by but a LOT of the people with me spoke 0 Spanish and were just fine.
The people are lovely and the experience will be amazing so don't worry about being home-sick at all! Embrace the experience! :)
Sounds awesome, I'd love to go, turtles are awesome!
» Comments RSS