Costa Rica / Personal / Travel Back in Costa Rica
Nov 16, 2010 10 Comments Wow! It feels so good to be back here in Costa Rica! I love the warmth weather (a perfect 65-75 degrees), the lush, green vegetation and breathtaking views all around, the friendly, smiling people, the inexpensive food, the spaciousness and quietness of our rental house and the gardens surrounding it, and no plans of anything to see or do — just total freedom to do whatever I want all day. I am loving life and I am so happy!!!
balcony
Last night, after a long 2 days of travel, we cleaned and re-organized the house, then stayed up late to watch one of my favorite old movies on my laptop, “The Three Amigos” – a very silly but entertaining show. This morning I got up around 7:30am, a full two hours before anyone else, and enjoyed a lovely morning, reading quietly on our balcony which overlooks the garden and views of the valley below. It was so relaxing. I also did my morning exercises, tai chi, and meditation there, like I used to. It felt great. I then made a list of some things I’d like to do today. Writing on my blog wasn’t one of them, but I suddenly got the urge, so here I am.
During the past few months, the list of books I want to read has continued to grow and I plan to dedicate a lot more time to reading in the months ahead, and hope to post some reviews here as well. I’ve really missed my morning reading time while we’ve been traveling. In fact, I’ve missed a lot of things.
Back to homeschool
Traveling to South America and the United States for the past two and a half months has been a wonderful and rewarding experience in so many ways. We were able to see and experience new and excited places, meet wonderful people, learn about several cultures, both ancient and modern, try new foods, give of ourselves, and receive so much more. But I think we’ve all decided that we went at too fast a pace for too long. We were flying to new destinations every week! Staying constantly in hotels (except in Utah), eating mainly at restaurants, trying to fill our days with interesting activities. We didn’t necessarily feel rushed, and sometimes even took full days to recuperate. We also feel like we got to see and do everything we wanted to. But after a while, I found myself missing the routine of productive living. I wanted to get back to working on my book and composing music, to evenings at home with my family, and to home cooked meals.
Praying mantis
That isn’t to say that I don’t love travel – I absolutely do! But I think I prefer the type of travel where I just get a one way ticket and live there until I feel like leaving. In a week or two, you can get a nice whirlwind tour of a place, and a good overall feel, but you don’t really get to immerse yourself in the culture or the language, get to know the people, and really be changed as much by the experience, to the same degree as when you stay longer, and with the intent to make it more permanent. We’ll still probably take a few shorter trips here and there (like with visa runs), but generally, I think we’d like to spend more time in a place before moving on.
A lot of people have asked me what my favorite place was in all of the areas we recently traveled to (Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, Nicaragua, Florida, and Utah). I love each of them for different reasons, but if I had to pick a place to live, it would definitely be Costa Rica, where I am right now. I’m a sucker for warm and green, and so far I haven’t found any place with as perfect temperatures, and as green and lush as Costa Rica, not to mention the relaxed people, affordable quality health care, and low cost of living. Sure, it’s got its problems, but every place does. That said, we like change, and we certainly won’t be here forever. But for now, it’s the place we want to be.
Brandon Pearce
Brandon is a location independent entrepreneur, musician, worldschooling father, and the principal author of this blog. He's all about reaching his potential and enjoying life to the fullest in each moment.
Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Recommended Posts
Raising Entrepreneurs
02 Jun 2019
7 Things to Do in Luang Prabang, Laos
14 May 2019
10 Things to Love about Ljubljana, Slovenia
23 Dec 2018
You make it sound like heaven there. It’s getting blustery here. Rainy, chilly – though still pretty green. I’m sure when end of December rolls around I’ll be really, really glad to come enjoy your perfect climate! (As well as time with you guys of course :)
Your style of travel sounds great to me too.
It really does feel great to be back here in Costa Rica! We were ready to leave for a new adventure this past September, and now we’re ready to take a break and settle into a comfortable routine again. I really enjoy the contrasts we’ve been experiencing. It helps me focus on and appreciate all that I have to be grateful for, wherever I am.
I would like to hear more about home schooling on the road. We moved to the Philippines just over two months ago with our 11 and 9 year old sons just to experience life a little more. I put them in a private school when we first moved and now we know every word in Tagalog that resembles any bad word in English! Who new rice in Tagalog was “big ass” or that I wear a dammit (dress)! Needless to say,I am starting home schooling in February and I am dreading losing our adult time but very excited that I will hopefully not lose the innocence of my children. My husband does the computer thing and he can work from anywhere in the world and I am a nurse starting to do medical missions so we have the ability to be flexible with our lifestyle. Our oldest was diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, ODD, major depression and possible bi-polar, he was on so many medications he was a ticking time bomb! Since we left the US he is off all of his medications and smiles from ear to ear daily! The blog about school not being the right fit for every child is very true. Our oldest is very social and musical he needs the attention that he could not receive in an over crowded classroom. We were at a fiesta last weekend and he climbed up with the band corp and started playing a drum beat and they all followed his beat. This experience is something that I don’t believe he would have ever had in the States! He thrived on the crowds reaction! Can’t wait to hear more about your home schooling experiences!
My place is all to quiet since you left. I enjoyed the mornings getting the girls breakfast and listening to and trying to answer all of Emily’s questions.
Yes the temperatures you’re experiencing now are sure lots more comfortable than what we have had today.
Yes Jen sometimes we need to experience a few things that makes us much more grateful for what we have. I know I’m truly blessed.
It was wonderful having you for a couple of weeks
Wonderful! It’s fun to hear about each adventure you take with your family. Great pictures and great memories.
How are things in Costa Rica in terms of damage from the terrible rains they had this past rainy season. From what I have read, major roads have been significantly damaged as have many many homes. What is your observation since returning if it isn’t too soon.
Thanks.
Yes, there were some homes lost, and I think 20 or so people even died in the Escazu area. They’re still repairing some of the roads in many parts of the country. Nothing seems to have been affected out in the area we live.
I feel the same way about travel–love it every second until I start hating it. After a while it starts to catch up with you! Costa Rica sounds like a great place to send out some (short) roots for a while. Staying longer will give you a chance to get to really know some people, and feel absorbed by the culture, I bet. We sure love having adventures through you!!
I so understand the warm feelings of just being home. It’s wonderful when you truely connect to where you live. I just decided to go part time at work so I could have one more day a week to just be home and do whatever I want.
That’s awesome, Paul! I think the world would be a very different place if everyone spent more time doing the things they really want to do.