A Look Inside The Tabacon Hot Springs in La Fortuna

Thinking of relaxing in natural hot springs? Here is a look at what to expect. This is relaxation at its finest, surrounded by a Volcano and lush jungle. One can really tap into their senses effortlessly in these natural surroundings.

Click HERE to watch the video!

Surf Camp at Witchsrock, Costa Rica

Only a few months pass until I re visited Costa Rica, but this time I was diving into a week of surf school. I brought along a pal and together we conquered our goal; to be able to stand up and ride a wave by the end of the week. We stayed in Tamarindo. Lindsay and I had a blast, it was right up there with our experience in the jungle homestays. Surfing is something I have always dreamed of exploring. I love everything about it… the culture, the lifestyle, the smell of sunscreen, sun kissed skin, palm trees, ocean, sore muscles, putting wax on a board… I can go on and on. We were complete rookies, thinking we will have a surf lesson in the morning, then take the boards out later in the day to practice. After the third day, we were exhausted! A one and a half hour lesson was plenty for a days efforts, especially when your body isn’t conditioned for surfing. We were covered in bumps and bruises, sore muscles and burnt skin, and I loved every minute of it. I was living out my dream and no one could ever take that away. We surfed in the AM, walked around the shops of Tamarindo by afternoon and in the evening we were chillin out to some reggae drinking Imperials. This truly was PuraVida.

The Costa Ricans are so warm, friendly and really live each day to its fullest. They don’t have much, and they also don’t need much. This mentality is something I think MANY people in this world can use a heavier dosage of.

Keep it simple :)
Link to SURFCAMP Video

 

Costa Rica Hidden Trekk

 

Waterfall Rapelling

Two weeks of a CR adventure. This is the trip that sparked my Love for learning how to really travel. I was with Autentico Adventures, a tour company, which provided local experiences including jungle homestays with different families hosting us. We learned how to cook with the families, make sugar from sugar canes, and live a lifestyle that they know as PuraVida. Autentico wasn’t kidding around, our tour began with a 6-7 hour hike to our first jungle homestay. Unbelievable views and lush greenery as you take in the earths elements. The best part of a 6 hour hike is that you are so deep in the jungle that you can drink the water straight from the waterfalls you pass. I bet you its way cleaner than the fluoride filled water we drink back home. While in the jungle we white water rafted down the Sevegre River and had the opportunity to cleanse ourselves through a natural sauna following the local’s rituals. 

After the homestays, we journeyed on some vigorous trails later to find our end reward be a jaw dropping waterfall embraced by lush greenery. Behind the waterfall was a cave where we would spend our next 2 nights. There was something so special about not having electricity or WiFI and going back to candlelight and fire to live that brought everyone closer together. We had to entertain ourselves by communicating and using our imaginations to play games and make music. We fell asleep to the sound of the waterfall and breathed in nothing but fresh air.

After living in the jungle for over a week, it was time to end our trip in a couple surf towns along the pacific coast, Dominical and Uvita. We had options to do some more excursions on our own time or just relax on the beach. I chose to try my first ever surf lesson in Uvita. I cannot express how exciting this was for me, as I have always dreamed of a surfer lifestyle. My favourite movie when it came out was Blue Crush (guilty pleasure). There was nothing pretty about learning how to surf, besides the scenery and warm ocean. This was hard, and exhausting. I didn’t realize how weak my upper body really was. My surf instructor (Gibran from Bodhi Surf) was super laid back, patient and cared that all of us stood up atleast once on the white water. My board was MASSIVE so there would be more stability, which only means I have no excuse to not stand up. Eventually I did, and road a white water wave to shore. That was all I needed, I was hooked. I knew I had to spend my last few days in Uvita renting a board and attempt to re live that feeling. A few friends and I got right to it and had a blast cheering eachother on and taking pics of eachothers wipeouts. Sadly it was time to return home, but I knew this wasn’t the last time Costa Rica would see me. I was already brewing a plan to head back soon to go to Surf School!  

Uvita

From Resort Hopping to Adventure Travelling

Varadero, Cuba

I have always been attracted to water and nature. Since a young age, my family would take us in a motorhome on vacation to Florida. You could always find me near the water, wether it was the pool or the ocean, I was there. My first trip below the borders of North and South America was when I was 13, after that, I knew this was the beginning of a love to travel.

Since then I have landed in dozens of countries in the Caribbean and bits of Central America to soak up as much sun and nature as I could. I was always up for any excursion and trying most things at least once.

After hitting up as many resorts as I could, I finally came to the realization that this is not the kind of travel I want to continue doing. When I sat down and absorbed it all, I wasn’t REALLY travelling and experiencing the country by spending most of my time in a resort. Everything was always nicely packaged and pre planned in a fancy building with all the amenities and more. Don’t get me wrong, I was very fortunate to have experienced what I experienced, but I began to crave something deeper.


Honduras

I had a taste of Honduras, I stayed in a resort for 2 weeks and did most of the excursions offered to get a feel for the actual country. The beautiful part of Honduras is that it is unspoiled, raw, and there are minimal tourists. I got to hike in the rainforests, explore hot springs and exfoliate with volcanic mud, go cliff jumping and white water rafting, this was right up my alley!

Time came to plan my next trip. Since I had such a strong experience in Honduras, I felt a calling to dive into Costa Rica. That time, I wasn’t going to stay in a resort at all. Since it was my first trip not doing the whole resort thing, I wanted the transition to be smooth, therefore I made sure I had my trip planned out. The best way I knew how to do this while still experiencing the country was to go down with an adventure travel company.

I searched different companies and the one that caught my eye was G Adventures. They had a brand new tour available that was off the beaten path, somewhere in the jungle that involved a lot of trekking and camping in caves behind waterfalls. SIGN me up! This was so adventurous for me and every ounce of me said yes, that is what I want. The tour was called Costa Rica Hidden Trekk, and so began my deeper love for adventure.

Beginner Rock Climbing

When asked to go rock climbing, the answer is whynot!?

I had the privilege today to tryout some indoor rock climbing at Joe Rockheads in Toronto. I went in with no expectations and came out with a new outlook on the whole sport.

I got to watch a few experts show their skills climbing some of these challenging walls, and wow, they sure make it look easy...but it definitely isn't. It's all about planning your route, muscle strength and endurance.

Take a look at my first ever attempt! 


Or Click Below:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AB1i53C