Hola Amigos!
I'm safely back in Brooklyn and have never felt more alive in my life! Costa Rica was amazing. A month of solo traveling in a a country one has never been is like life boot camp. Through all the crazy experiences, It was alot of fun I came away with some valuable lessons.
1.Travel Light...I can't stress this enough. I don't just mean your tangible items, I'm also speaking figuratively. If your head is full off all kinds of crap you saw/heard it's almost impossible to absord what's happening in the moment.
(what better occasion to make myself some junkprints bags)
2. Everything wants to grow UP! Costa Rica and New York are very similar in the fact that things will survive and often do so on the backs of others. The main difference is that in CR it's the plant life that's running the show and in New york it's the people (so they think).Ā Everything grows really fast in Costa Rica, a cocoa seed sprouted in my pocket in less than 2 days and I saw tomatoes go from seeds to vines in less than a week. Just like NY, you either adapt (start to sprout in a pocket) or die...that's just the way it goes. Stuff grows on top of things and just like some train lines, you have to get down to get up. There is nothing wrong with things vining on other things and often one helps the other reach the sun, just like people. The only thing to be aware of is that they aren't viruses or unwanted mold that drain your energy, but ultimately we all want to get up and will continue to lean towards the sun and often have different paths to get there.
3. Folks that travel solo and stay away from 'home' to long are just as crazy as folks who never leave home.
4. It's WAYYYYYYYYY bigger than hip hop
5. When it's time to move...you must move.
6. Me, farming in the rain forest is not a good look. After spending about 10 days on a (pseudo farm) planting things, helping build additions to some one's house, and paying to do so, yes )I'm a sucker), getting bit up by ants, stepping on a gecko, stepping into a spider web web the massive spider in it, having a toad jump across my foot and pooing/peeing in compost toilets I came to the conclusion that me planting some stuff in the most fertile place in the world is pretty stupid. I mean basically i was digging holes (getting exhausted to the inth degree) to plant things and taking breaks eating starfruit that were just growing on their own. Kinda silly. I realized that my interest is primarily in botany think that farming is fairly simple. Basically, come up with a crop plan that aligns it self with your conditions and pray that your plan was on point and that the conditions don't vary too much. Perhaps I just didn't think to highly of the folks I was staying with as 'farmers' They were nice people, but they were not in route to running a sustainable farm and seemed to be making there income off the paying volunteers, such as my self. Hey, can't knock the hustle, and I appreciate the lesson...in fact maybe I'll set up craigs listing that read 'live with a NY artists' and let folks (pay to) stay at my apartment in exchange for doing my laundry and cleaning my bathroom...just kidding š
7. Never stay at place with the term Paradise in the name, especially if it's the only place open...you may do better to sleep on the beach instead...I'm just saying.
8. Rushing in Costa Rica...is like like growing bananas in the Arctic...don't even try, you won't win.Ā I thought I could get some laundry done 'real fast' before I was leaving one location to go another. Guess I didn't understand that a 'dryer' doesn't necessary mean warm air and sometimes just means an extra spin cycle. So IĀ ended up sleeping in a bikini, getting bites everywhere including my butt crack, and packing a bag of wet laundry...I repeat don't rush especially in matters of drying things in tropical regions.
9. Hang with the locals...learn the freaking language and hang with the locals.
10. Just pretend that all snakes and spiders are poisonous, but don't let that stop you from swimming in the Rios š
To see The pics and videos check out
this posting.
(what better occasion to make myself some junkprints bags)
2. Everything wants to grow UP! Costa Rica and New York are very similar in the fact that things will survive and often do so on the backs of others. The main difference is that in CR it's the plant life that's running the show and in New york it's the people (so they think).Ā Everything grows really fast in Costa Rica, a cocoa seed sprouted in my pocket in less than 2 days and I saw tomatoes go from seeds to vines in less than a week. Just like NY, you either adapt (start to sprout in a pocket) or die...that's just the way it goes. Stuff grows on top of things and just like some train lines, you have to get down to get up. There is nothing wrong with things vining on other things and often one helps the other reach the sun, just like people. The only thing to be aware of is that they aren't viruses or unwanted mold that drain your energy, but ultimately we all want to get up and will continue to lean towards the sun and often have different paths to get there.
3. Folks that travel solo and stay away from 'home' to long are just as crazy as folks who never leave home.
4. It's WAYYYYYYYYY bigger than hip hop
5. When it's time to move...you must move.
6. Me, farming in the rain forest is not a good look. After spending about 10 days on a (pseudo farm) planting things, helping build additions to some one's house, and paying to do so, yes )I'm a sucker), getting bit up by ants, stepping on a gecko, stepping into a spider web web the massive spider in it, having a toad jump across my foot and pooing/peeing in compost toilets I came to the conclusion that me planting some stuff in the most fertile place in the world is pretty stupid. I mean basically i was digging holes (getting exhausted to the inth degree) to plant things and taking breaks eating starfruit that were just growing on their own. Kinda silly. I realized that my interest is primarily in botany think that farming is fairly simple. Basically, come up with a crop plan that aligns it self with your conditions and pray that your plan was on point and that the conditions don't vary too much. Perhaps I just didn't think to highly of the folks I was staying with as 'farmers' They were nice people, but they were not in route to running a sustainable farm and seemed to be making there income off the paying volunteers, such as my self. Hey, can't knock the hustle, and I appreciate the lesson...in fact maybe I'll set up craigs listing that read 'live with a NY artists' and let folks (pay to) stay at my apartment in exchange for doing my laundry and cleaning my bathroom...just kidding š
7. Never stay at place with the term Paradise in the name, especially if it's the only place open...you may do better to sleep on the beach instead...I'm just saying.
8. Rushing in Costa Rica...is like like growing bananas in the Arctic...don't even try, you won't win.Ā I thought I could get some laundry done 'real fast' before I was leaving one location to go another. Guess I didn't understand that a 'dryer' doesn't necessary mean warm air and sometimes just means an extra spin cycle. So IĀ ended up sleeping in a bikini, getting bites everywhere including my butt crack, and packing a bag of wet laundry...I repeat don't rush especially in matters of drying things in tropical regions.
9. Hang with the locals...learn the freaking language and hang with the locals.
10. Just pretend that all snakes and spiders are poisonous, but don't let that stop you from swimming in the Rios š
To see The pics and videos check out this posting.
2 Comments
Hi Etsy!
I’m from Amsterdam, in the Netherlands and just got back from a month of traveling Costra Rica as well! I like your blog in general, but now you have been to CR even more! š
Just wanna say that!
Hi Naomi!
That’s awesome, Thx for sharing. Costa Rica is a pretty magical place. I’m sure we must have past each other while we were there!