Travel to one country, connect with twelve

by Beatrice Frasca (Canada)

I didn't expect to find Costa Rica

It all started with a tweet. That’s how all great travel stories start, right? A vague tweet in March about traveling led to flights being booked to Costa Rica. All we had planned was our hostels & return flight home. This would turn out to be the best decision we made. Our first arrival - Monteverde. After talking to the receptionist at Selina Hostel Monteverde, we were directed to the most beautiful ziplining option we could get our hands on. That’s where we met Ariel. Ariel was not bashful in the least and would not hesitate to poke fun at our ziplining capabilities. While Kate and I were going across & 2 person zipline, I was in the back, which required me to break in time for the platform. Naturally, my glove fell off. After our life had flashed before our eyes at the thought of hitting the platform and full speed, Ariel had activated the secondary break so we made a safe landing. First, a feeling of relief washed over me. Then, quickly precipitated by a feeling of embarrassment. Through my uncomfortable giggle I had tried to explain that my glove had come off, which Ariel had a found hilarious. Safe to say, the rest of the day my inability to break would become a reoccurring topic between the two of us. Our second destination- La Fortuna. Known for its volcano & hot springs, we were eager to make it here and explore some more. While we arrived at our Selina Hostel in La Fortuna, Bryan came and introduced himself to Kate and I, making it very clear it was “Bryan with a Y”. Bryan was originally from Honduras, but working throughout Nicaragua & Costa Rica. His group had decided to stay in that night, so the 3 of us had gone to explore La Fortuna. By the end of the night, Bryan may had mentioned that “Canadian girls would be his demise”, but what can I say, we Canadians know how to make an impression! Our third and final destination- Tamerindo. After a long drive, Kate and I had checked in to our final stay at Selina Tamerindo. Immediately we booked surf lessons for 6am the next morning. Jonathan, the surf instructor, made it very clear not to go out that night as we needed sleep. This advice probably would have been followed, had the 5 minutes following not transpired. As we left reception and headed to our room, we passed a group of people and said hello. First thing we get asked is where we are from, to which we reply “Canada”. Immediately one of the boys asks us which part, and we soon learn that in this small hostel, there were 5 people from Toronto area all under the same roof. We had basically flown several hours to hangout with our neighbors. Soon we’re invited for a night out, with Jonathan’s advice on a full nights sleep ringing in our ears. Kate being a nurse, and myself being a paramedic meant we were able to function on little to no sleep on a consistent basis, and we were not about to pass up a night out. Soon our night out turned into an all nighter, consisting of an evening swim in the ocean & many card games under the stars, right into our 6am surf class. This ended up being one of our most memorable nights, as we truly made incredible connections with everyone in such a short time. We ended up taking multiple surf lessons and spending time with the people we met on that night. I’m so glad we decided to stop by that picnic table on our first night there. The trip wouldn’t have been the same without it. So yes, Kate and I had a general expectation of what we wanted to do. Zip-lining, waterfalls, surfing, rain forest hikes. But what I didn’t expect to find while traveling and exploring Costa Rica, was making even more lifelong connections with Belgium, France, England, Norway, Argentina, California, Calgary, Germany, Toronto, Switzerland, Australia & Nicaragua. Because of that trip, we now have friends to visit and connect with all over the world, and they know they’ll always have a home in Canada.