It was March 2023. After years of perusing Workaway listings and dreaming of spending a month in a foreign country, the time had come to spread my wings and take the leap. I had quit my job in the pump industry and thought I was retiring. It turned out that I would take a new job soon but that is a different story. I was headed to Drake Bay, Costa Rica to provide childcare for a 4 year old in exchange for a place to stay near the beach.
Drake Bay was only accessible by plane, river boat or 4 wheel drive vehicles because not all the river crossings in that part of Costa Rica had bridges. I had selected this remote workaway stay because the hosts were both scuba instructors and the house was close to the beach. I was hoping for plenty of time in and at the water.
This would be my first work exchange through a program called workaway. In exchange for babysitting 25 hours each week, I would have a place to stay and three meals a day. I had been looking forward to retirement when I would be able to spend weeks or months in a foreign country, not just the few days available when I was working. The time had come and I was so excited to start a new adventure.
The host had arranged for me to be picked up at the single gate airport, then driven 30 minutes to the house. It is hard to describe my state of mind when first arriving at a workaway stay. This one was so remote that not staying would be difficult. I was excited, a little anxious, curious and very alert.
When the taxi stopped to shift into 4 wheel drive, I had my first clue about how close to the beach the house was. Ten minutes later, after the driver negotiated deep ruts, loose gravel and slippery smooth rock sections of the road, we pulled into the driveway of a small, modest house. It would turn out to be a 45 minute walk up the hill, each time I wanted to go to the beach.
My room was nice, the family was warm and friendly. After the initial shock of where the house actually was, I settled in for an amazing experience. It turned out to be a really great stay. The adventures of that month are for a different post.
Time to Explore
One weekend, I decided it was time to explore outside Drake Bay. I booked a room for 2 nights a few hours north and arranged to take the one-hour boat ride into Sierpe. Then, traveling north by public bus, I would have a chance to meet locals, practice speaking Spanish and get a feel for life in this rural part of Costa Rica.
I waited two hours for the bus to Palma Norte. It cost 350 colones (about $0.60) to go from Sierpe to Palma Norte, about 30 minutes away. Once there, I walked to the bus ticket office, waited for the grumpy lady to do something I couldn’t figure out, then asked about buying the ticket to Ojochal. A nice man translated and directed me to the right ticket office. The bus would depart at 4:30. That gave me over two hours to wait in a dingy little town on a hot afternoon carrying two backpacks.
I wandered a bit, found a hair salon, got my hair cut in an air-conditioned salon for $8 and thought about waiting for the bus. Specifically, I wondered where to wait. The restaurant/bars looked sketchy. The haircut was a nice bonus, I really wanted to have less hair and was a little proud of making that happen.
I stepped into one bar, tentatively looking to see who might be able to help me find out how much a taxi to Ojochal might be. True to the spirit of most people I met in Costa Rica, three strangers gladly and patiently listened to my request. One man called a friend who was a taxi driver to ask the price of a ride. 12,000 colones. That should have been about $21 but when I asked for the price in dollars, it was $30. Didn’t catch the error at the time. $30 seemed like a reasonable amount to pay for not having to hang out, buy food I didn’t want, then try to get on the right bus to find El Paraíso Azul.
The taxi arrived within minutes of hanging up the phone. Freddy, the taxi driver, was very nice. He complimented my Spanish and was pretty chatty. He asked if I minded if he made a stop on the way, not too far out of the way to Ojochal. Sure, no problem, I was saving lots of time by not waiting for the bus.
As we retraced the route I had just come from, I turned on cellular data and checked the route. Yep, we were headed back to Sierpe. I asked about where we were going and Freddy told me again, he needed to make a quick stop on the way. It wasn’t on the way at all and was almost all the way back to where I got on the bus in Sierpe an hour earlier – Pura Vida, that’s life!.
After dropping something off near where Freddy had some cows, we headed back north toward Palma Norte. We picked up a young man who appeared to have car trouble. He was another friend of Freddy’s. We dropped him off in Palma Norte and then headed to Ojochal. I had asked Freddy maybe three times if he knew El Paraíso Azul Hotel – yes, yes, no problem.
Freddy has been driving taxis in the area for 30 years. It made sense that he would know the hotel, except that it is a four-room sort of boutique place that turns out didn’t have much signage from the main road.
Freddy liked to drive fast, 140 KM/hr fast in some places. Apparently, the rules for driving are a little different here. A double yellow line seemed to indicate that the driver should snug up to a slower car, staying maybe on car length behind, then accelerate to pass as many slow cars as possible. Good thing his truck had plenty of speed and power.
About the time I was wondering if the bus might have been a better, or at least safer way to go, Freddy turned off the main road telling me we were in Ojochal. Five minutes down a dirt road and it was clear he had no idea where the hotel was. I turned on cellular data to do a quick check and saw was had missed the turn. Freddy had no faith in Google Maps opinion of where we were trying to go. He asked a few people, took a few more wrong turns, refused or wasn’t able to understand what I was showing him which didn’t help us find the hotel.
Finally, we backtracked (a word I did not know in Spanish) and found the turn.
This is where it gets interesting. When I asked the hotel host how to get to the El Paiso Azul hotel, the answer had been – take the bus, it is easy to find and easy to get to. Neither of those things were true. I don’t think I would have been able to tell the bus driver where I wanted to get off. I would have ended up at least half a mile down the road and still not known where to go. The hotel sign on the main road was very small. So, with Freddy driving, we turned on to the gravel road and started to climb. Freddy stopped to put the vehicle in 4 wheel drive, never a good sign when I was going to need to walk the route. We climbed and climbed and climbed. It made the road to the Drake Bay house seem like a short hop. The road was in better condition but it was much, much longer. Freddy, by this time, was a little less chipper. I paid him and thanked him and jumped out the truck wondering WTF.
My room was nice, had hot water for the shower, the tap water tasted good, the bed was comfy, the screens were in good shape but there was nothing to do. The view of the ocean is pretty but I had no way, other than walking, to go anywhere. The hotel served breakfast, included in the price, but did not have a restaurant. No dinner, no wine.
I started to wonder if I would stay two nights. I would pay for 2 nights, either way. Should I head back to Drake Bay a day early? Should I spend the day cleaning out all of the old work pictures from my accounts? I looked to see if there was something compelling to do nearby but came up empty.
It was late, I needed to sleep. I took an Advil PM, got a good night’s sleep and decided to just see what tomorrow would bring. At the moment, hiking the hill seemed daunting. I would ask the hostess in the morning for ideas about getting around on foot. I really didn’t think it had occurred to her that this location was better suited to tourist with a car.
At least her dog had stopped barking and the noise from the highway had subsided. I just needed to keep an open mind.
Be open to the universe was the mantra going to sleep that night.
Possibilities unfold
Not having a clue how I would spend the day, I went down to the minimalist breakfast (just as the reviews had indicated) with an open mind and an open heart. There was a young man from Germany, Neals, having breakfast, and we got to sharing our stories. The hostess, Ellie, sat with us by the pool and was very chatty. After covering Covid, politics, Biden and Neals’ fruit allergy, Ellie said she was considering taking her visiting cousins to the island today. She would arrange the small boat needed to cross the water between the mainland and the island. We were welcome to come along.
And so, a plan was born.
I rode with Neals down the hill and down the road to where we would meet the boat. Ellie and her cousins followed a short time later. We motored over to the islands, cooler beer and snacks in tow. We trekked across the width of the island, maybe a 1000 feet, and set up camp under a coconut tree. I did not point out the risk of being hit on the head with a coconut, as I have been taught by several people on this trip.
Neals and I walked to the tip of the island, then swam for a short bit in the ocean. The water was a long walk away from our little camp under the coconut tree, over very hot sand. The beauty of this beach was a little overwhelming as I drew my full attention to just how amazing the moment was. Miles of bright white sand spread from the far tip of the island into the distance in the south. Crabs built little sand sculptures all over the beach but quickly disappeared into their holes when I walked nearby. The sky stretched brilliant blue behind the hill where the hotel sat. I could just make out the balcony of my room on the tropical hillside.
Back on the blanket, Ellie and her cousins shared snacks and drinks with the group. Neal and I shared our stories. After short naps by some, a new plan was made to go back to the Mainland and visit the waterfalls. Afterwards, on the way back to the hotel, we would shop for food for the special dinner Ellie was planning.
I was struck with the contrast between my pissy, self pity from the night before and the generosity of the host that was turning my experience into something memorable. After a long day of struggling to reach the hotel, I had looked at the location and concluded that my little journey away from Drake Bay would be a big disappointment. I saw only the location and the difficulties I had finding it and assumed it would be just as difficult to access activities near it. The universe jumped in to gift me the lesson of an open heart. Here I was, spending the day with a local and her family, doing local people things I would not have easily found on my own.
Instead of feeling isolated and excluded, I was engaged and included.
I could have gone to sleep believing that the visit would be unpleasant and that I would be miserable. I could have concluded that I would pack up and leave, first thing in the morning. Those would have been reasonable perspectives, based on the challenges of the day.
Instead of feeling isolated and excluded, I was engaged and included.
I could have gone to sleep believing that the visit would be unpleasant and that I would be miserable. I could have concluded that I would pack up and leave, first thing in the morning. Those would have been reasonable perspectives, based on the challenges of the day.
I captured the saga in my journal, sent a silent hope into the universe and went to sleep with only the expectation that tomorrow would be a new day. I was open to the possibility of good things happening so when Ellie talked my ear off over breakfast, I didn’t shut her off or withdraw. I made the effort to meet Neals, the only other guest, to learn more about him. And when Ellie proposed a day of adventure, I said yes because I was open to the possibility of a great day.
Choosing open
We all have the option to choose how open our hearts are. When we are hurting or tired or angry, the heart closes to protect us. We can stay in that state as long as needed but it is not in our best interest to stay with a closed heart too long. The energy of a closed heart acts like a barrier to new experiences. Whatever has closed us in will stay the focus of perspective until we resolve it or simply decide to we don’t want to feel that way anymore.
Can you think of a time when something went wrong and you needed to get over it quickly? I remember times before a birthday party for one of my kids when some part of the party fell apart, cake was a flop, people cancelled at the last minute, the weather failed to cooperate, you get the idea.
As a mom, I had to choose – do I stay in the negative energy of my disappointment or find my way back to cheerfulness. Kids watch their parents for clues as to which way that decision will go and follow our example. The same skill used to shift mood to be the fun party parent is the skill you can use when traveling, even if you are traveling alone, with only yourself to influence.
The real point is that the situation or circumstance doesn’t determine the mood. Knowing how to do a mental reset, or at least end the day on an optimistic note, creates the opportunities for great things to happen. Traveling with adventure in mind will always present a chance to practice this skill. It might not come naturally at first. You need to pack a little totem in your carryon bag to remind yourself to let go of the bad and make room for the good, maybe a small, fluffy, stuffed toy. Luggage not arrive the same day you did? Get upset, file the claim and let fluffy remind you to make room for a great day. Flights not flying because of a strike, fume a bit, then let fluffy remind you that you have a great excuse for spending more time in Athens. You get the idea.
In my experience, great things are always on the horizon. My job is to be open to them. The exploring part of travel, the part that leads to adventures and meeting very interesting people is bound to not always go according to plan, even when there is a plan.
Our little group packed up and headed to the waterfall, which turned out to be amazing. On the dirt road leading to the waterfall, Ellie kept letting her tiny little dog out of the car. It would run ahead at lightning speed – Only a local would have known how to find the path off the dirt road that led to the waterfalls. The water was deep and just cold enough to be refreshing on a hot afternoon. There were large fish swimming in the crystal-clear pools at the base of each waterfall.
Ellie made a variety of delicious, traditional dishes for dinner. We ate together, watching the Costa Rica soccer team compete for a spot in the World Cup. It was a crazy fun day.
