Caysunset

Dreaming of Costa Rica

The pandemic has made me a shut- in and I hate it. I am a traveler forced to travel only in my mind. Lately I have been dreaming of Costa Rica. I’ve only been there once, but it left such an impression that I find myself daydreaming of being there. I went with 22 avid surfers as part of a travel package. I was a wife tagalong (not an avid or even mediocre surfer), but happy to join the group. I did attempt to surf, but my board flew up and hit me on the nose so hard I thought it was broken (my nose, not my board). I spent the rest of the day laying in a hammock looking up at a sloth in a tree. No complaints at all. A trip to Manual Antonio Nature Reserve taught me about the native plants used to cure a variety of ailments. Our guide warned us of the Howler Monkeys who enjoy warning tourists to keep out of their territory by flinging excrement. Luckily they must have sensed our respect for their space, or they relieved themselves on the previous group. It was almost sunset and I decided to take a raft into a lagoon. The colors of the water were surreal, dark emerald and teal. The sky was on fire. I wanted to stop time. I was certain that this was what heaven looks like. On the way back to our hotel our guide told us about the crocodiles who use this part of the ocean to return to the estuary. I was grateful that I didn’t know that when my nose was gushing blood from my surfboard mishap. Costa Rica is teeming with life, what the natives call “pura vida.” The sunset lagoon is etched in my memory. I revisit it when I need to get away to a place of peace, even if it’s in my mind.