A Weekend Away from the World
A Weekend Away from the World
Relaxing at a Cabin in the Country
This past weekend found me in the middle of nowhere Costa Rica in a picturesque cabin to celebrate the 20th birthday of one of my closest friends at LIU Global. A 45-minute long Uber transported up into a different world; one far from the stresses of school and re-acclimating to living in a foreign country.
Melissa found this beautiful little cabin outside of San Jose for only about $12 a night per person. That, combined with $6 each for groceries and cheap Ubers made for a wonderfully affordable weekend away.
The view of the Central Valley of Costa Rica from the cabin.
Upon arriving at our weekend cabin, we were greeted by our host Richard and this sweet pupper.
Walks Through the Countryside
Richard was able to give us recommendations for scenic walks around the area, so we set off directly after he left to explore the stunning nature of the area. We came across dainty and colorful flowers, cows, and a river with a precarious bridge.
Expectation…
vs. the reality of me majestically butt scooting across the bridge
Playing at Adulthood
After roaming the area, we set out to make dinner: spaghetti with red sauce and a birthday cake for Melissa. It was a team effort split into many jobs: boiling the noodles, setting the table, figuring out how to light a gas oven (yikes), mixing cake ingredients, heating up the sauce (and letting it boil over), and washing dishes and such as we went. What a display of adult abilities. Truly.
Everything turned out well, even the cake with which we substituted bananas for eggs. I would definitely recommend this as the texture was perfect…for my piece at least. The others were a tad crumbly.
Regardless, every piece tasted great, and the match that was used as a birthday candle made for a comically fast rendition of the ‘Happy Birthday’ song. And as for the spaghetti, we made 2 packages of noodles and sat around eating pasta and talking for hours.
After this, we occupied ourselves by playing card games – B.S. and Hearts, until everyone became simultaneously more tired and worse at cards as it approached 11. So, after admiring the view of the Central Valley by night, we retreated to the many rooms of the cabin for much needed sleep.
A Lazy Morning
The next morning, we were awoken oddly by the sounds of lawnmowers. After getting out of bed, we watched Josie masterfully make pancakes for the group.
-
- I mean come on, how perfect do those look?
Melissa and Ross even teamed up to figure out a French press for fresh coffee.
Then, as we were eating breakfast, Josie noticed something just outside of our front window…
Enter this random pony, freely roaming around the cabin.
He was friendly, enjoyed clovers, and let me braid his mane. Good times. Sometimes odd stuff that happens to us like this in Costa Rica seems surreal, but it makes the experience all the better.
After the excitement of the pony wore off, we lounged around outside and read and enjoyed the scenery and tea.
Then, when it was time to say goodbye to the peaceful respite of our cabin, we crammed ourselves into a teeny tiny Uber because no Uber XLs were to be found out in the farmland. Our combined weight caused the tiny car to scrape and drag on the pavement when we took on turns and speed bumps, but our driver was kind and forgiving. Gotta love the unfailing kindness of the Ticos.
All in all, a perfect weekend. With work already piling up from school, this was an ideal way to disconnect from everything. The lack of WiFi was an unforeseen blessing. As for a general update on my life here is Costa Rica, I am now living with a new host family that is AMAZING, my classes this semester are difficult but exciting, and I still eat the same chicken and cheese empanada every day for lunch because I’m ridiculously cheap. Stay tuned for more tales of my adventures in Costa Rica this semester!