Our journey to Costa Rica began months ago as we planned to return to Costa Rica again in 2013 after a fabulous adventure to the Guanacaste coast in 2012. Most of us were able to arrange life to get back to Costa Rica this year, some were off to other adventures and we have added a few new faces to our tribe of travelers.
We flew to San Jose on a Saturday. Up with the sun and off to the airport – all meeting up in San Jose – with the exception of one straggler, our flight was oversold and Lynn had to stay back and fly on another flight. 5 of us arrived at immigration in San Jose to be greeted by Lisa’s smiling face. We navigated immigration, cash conversion and the duty free store and ca
ught up with Sandy. When we got through immigration we found our guide, Mary and decided to go to a hotel for lunch while we waited for Lynn to catch up with us.
We navigated the colorful streets of San Jose to a hotel where we stayed last year – the home of the Marilyn Monroe bar at the Orquideas Inn- and home of K9 Marilyn Monroe. Lynn’s plans changed and we were to meet her at Finca Luna Nueva so we headed out into the twilight with our driver, but not before we did a headstand bomb.
We were warned that the drive would be foggy, but I don’t think any of us have ever been is such thick fog as we rode into the higher elevations of the rainforest. Our driver knew the roads so well that he knew when there would be speed bumps and sharp turns. It was slow and arduous, but we got to Finca Luna Nueva and moments later, the wayward Lynn showed up. All was well and we settled into our rooms.
Sunday was
our first day here. We’ll call it Day 1 as we really arrived into the rainforest. We started with a tour of the biodynamic farm led by founder, Steven. The farm is really amazing and Steven’s dedication to enriching the planet is truly inspiring. We toured the gardens, the livestock areas – the pigs were a favorite and had our first sloth sighting.
We ate fresh plants and learned a lot about ayurvedic applications for using food to heal and cultivate energy.
Our tour ended with a yoga practice so we could stretch and then sit with all we had experienced that morning.
The afternoon was filled with exploration, the massage appointments began and we did a Yin & Flow practice to set ourselves into taking time for ourselves on this journey.
We spent the evening relaxing and getting to know each other with a post-yoga class happy hour – a circle where we shared some journal entries from last year’s trip and got to know each other a little better – catching up with old friends and learning all about new friends.
Impressions from the first day echo a deep appreciation and love for the environment here on the farm – the sounds, the scents the scenes; an appreciation of the warmth after leaving the colder climbs of NC and the opportunity to take our yoga into nature on the beautiful yoga pavilion.
Yoga is our cornerstone as we progress through the week. Our second day here is pointed toward more exploration of the property, more yoga and great community with strong, interesting women – recharging and celebrating life on this planet! Tomorrow we head out for a tour of the Volcano and Stand Up Paddle boarding. Adventure and stretching our limits in paradise!
Peace and lots of love and laughter ringing through the jungle!
Blogging from Costa Rica:
Andrea Dyer
