And… what if I told you that I ended up in Costa Rica by pure chance?
With a job already secured in the islands of Roatán, Honduras… I was at the Chicago airport on a layover when I received news that a revolution had broken out in my destination country (back in 2017), shutting down all airports.
And now what?!… A long wait at the U.S. airport and a slow-moving line awaited me, just to finally speak with the airline hours later.
“What do you think if I change your flight to Costa Rica for early tomorrow morning?” the agent asked me.
I’ll never forget that sentence. What was supposed to be a season in Honduras turned into more than two years living in Costa Rica—and a relationship with the country that left its mark on me:
“What have you done to me?
What is it that you have, Costa Rica? Like a good lover, you always play with me and trap me.
Soon the day will come when I have to move on, but I feel like I’ll never have the strength to say goodbye.
Just like a true lover.”
I wrote these words at the end of my stay in the Central American country, in January 2020.
During all that time, I had the chance to live and work on both of its coasts: first as a dive guide on the best beaches of the Pacific coast, and later on the Caribbean side—Puerto Viejo—ending up in its lush Central American mountains as a canyoning guide.
When I arrived, I had the idea of traveling through Latin America, a dream. But this country stopped me in my tracks.
It stays with me wherever I go; and now I can bring you unique experiences, from complete first-hand knowledge.
At its San José airport, the same thing always happens to me… One of the hardest countries to leave behind every time I go.
Pura vida.
PS: In the next article I’ll tell you more about my day-to-day life in Costa Rica, my different jobs, and the wonderful people who surrounded me.
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