Costa Rica 2021
Our first trip to Costa Rica was in 2018 . International restrictions were lifted so we headed back to Costa Rica this time staying for twenty days and adding the Caribbean side of CR to our itinerary. We started our trip in the capital San Jose .We picked up our 4×4 and headed to our first stop Quepos. After flying for fifteen hours the three hour drive to Quepos is kind of a nice “jumping off point ” for us to get our trip started . There’s a beautiful apartment we rent for a few days owned by a lovely french couple Fred and Carl called La Maison Blanche . They’re located in the El Cerro area of Quepos and their property is so clean , comfortable and with the most stunning views. I can cook , do our shopping , laundry and it’s 45 minutes away from Dominical which is this tiny surf side town that has an amazing array of cafes and organic shops , It’s just a cool vibe. It hit different because once you’ve been somewhere and you go back and find that the same people are working in your spots , it’s just so cool to me. I guess I’m not explaining it LOL It’s just a lovely feeling I had. We did stay in a beautiful resort Makanda by the Sea http://Makanda.com for two nights in Manuel Antonio . A really beautiful resort with amazing amenities. The staff was super kind , the food was wonderful and it was just nice to lounge in the pools and bar at night … Until the monkeys came !!! Oh and a scorpion found its way into my bathroom but other than that it was a fantastic stay! Our next stop was Villas Alturas. http://villasalturas.com We were staying seven days on the pacific side then driving across the country and up to Tortuguero to stay the weekend (hoping ) to catch the turtles nesting. We visited Villas Alturas on our first trip and went to tour the sanctuary , (SLOTHS) but it was the Tamarindo margaritas and fish tacos that really lured us back . YES they were THAT good and we booked a villa with the most breathtaking view so we could eat and drink there for the next two nights while we went whale watching. If you’re going to be in the area this is the best accommodation in my opinion . The sanctuary is small and to be honest after visiting a few I’m not fond of them in general but for activities and a stop over before heading down to the Osa Peninsula if you’re headed that way I recommend it.We now needed to start heading east towards Tortuguero and this was a long tiring bumpy drive . NOT as bad as Africa was in some parts but you do need a 4×4 to get around Costa Rica if you plan on driving to see parts of the country for sure. Our last trip to the Oso peninsula had us crossing rivers (Luna Lodge!!!) so we were MUCH better equipped this time . Located in the Northeast Tortuguero is small and you really only need two days to visit . You take a small boat through the mangroves and canals and after 45 minutes you arrive to this tiny village . There’s literally one path that guides you and winds around the few shops and cafe’s . It’s on the canal side and there’s no driving it’s just walking or bicycles allowed. For accommodation we stayed right next to the beach at Pura Natura as our focus was to see the turtles . You go with a guide , at night around midnight and only red lights are lit so as not to disturb the turtles. This sadly was what I call the “dip in the trip ” for me….. I feel like on vacations there’s sometimes that one time or moment where something just feels off for you am I right ? For me is just wasn’t a pleasant experience being there . The saving grace was this beautiful spot we found about five minutes from our hotel called Taylor’s Place. It was this beautiful space we stumbled upon and the sweetest guy came out and greeted us . He was like come in ! He made us Pina Colada’s then told us he’d cook us something amazing . Yea he did! Alberto had steak with coffee sauce (he says it was tamarind but I swear Taylor said cafe LOL) and I had prawns . I’m telling you it was one of the best dinner’s I’ve ever had and we went back again the next night for more . He was super sunburned from fishing all day and prepared us the most amazing fish . Finding Taylor’s was really what I needed . This was our first trip after a six month lockdown in Italy and between that , studying, not seeing my family and just a lot of unknown stuff floating around my head was kind of all over the place. Tortuguero isn’t MY place at all but If you’re curious about going do a little research first is my suggestion . It was about four hours to get to Limon which is the main port city on the Caribbean side. It’s a bit chaotic and bustling , but if you need to get gas , stretch or essentials it’s a solid place to stop. We stayed in Puerto Viejo , and Cahuita for this last ten days of our trip. The sea is so beautiful here . Blue and green , warm , it’s so beautiful . We stayed at a few different places my favorite being La Paz Del Caribe http://lapazdelcaribe.com run by a WONDERFUL couple (Wade and Laurie ). They are the kindest people and have this beautiful comfortable home in the jungle. They know their area really well and will give you the best
Costa Rica Pura Vida !
Hello ! High off my amazing trip to Mexico City I decided to head to Costa Rica! I’ve been wanting to go to Costa Rica forever and traveling there from Mexico is so much easier than Italy so off we went! After landing in San Jose we got our rental car and headed to Quepos where we were going to stay for the first half of our ten day trip… I wanted to be near Manuel Antonio national park as I heard this was the best park to see Sloths…. Quepos is very nice and has everything you need. It’s close to other cool towns like Dominical, Puntarenas, Tamarindo, and Nauyaca Falls. Then we were headed to the most southern point of Costa Rica The Oso Peninsula! Since we were driving south first stop was Rio Tarcoles. This is the crocodile bridge. We got out to see the crocs and take pics! To be honest I was scared to lean too far over and get a better pic! We heard a man wandered down there one night (drunk I presume) to get a closer look (WHYYYYY) and well no ones heard from him since… Quepos is really nice, if you do go to CR I recommend you begin your trip here. What amazes me is as you drive it’s just so green. The jungle here is really incredible but it’s not too developed.. I heard that it’s taken 25 years for them to build a highway and yes its quite new… driving in Costa Rica isn’t easy (more on that later) My first time seeing Sloths was in Puntarenas at the Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary. http://alturaswildlifesanctuary.org There were only two both of them three fingered and female. You can’t get near them or touch them and they are in a small enclosed area. The tour in itself is meh (my 2 cents) I mean come on I am part sloth so I already knew all the rhetoric but it’s a beautiful place with a view and they have GREAT Tamarindo margaritas! If you don’t want to do the tour enjoy lunch in their cafe . It has the most beautiful view . FINALLY my second day here and I am on a private guided tour of Manuel Antonio Park and I have a GREAT guide who shows me all the sloths. EIGHT of them, helps me take pics and vids, shows me birds, snakes, monkeys and is really knowledgeable about the flora and fauna in the park. The beach at Manuel Antonio is so beautiful too. We spent about four days here then headed south to the Oso peninsula.. Oh boy……. So driving in Costa Rica is quite the experience . I’m told that we should rent a 4×4 and this is the only way to drive in CR… I also heard the roads were paved AND I saw plenty of cars so we should be ok driving into the Oso peninsula right? Well this works IF you stay in Quepos OR around San Jose the capital…. Heading south the map says two hours. Well this turned into six hours! I booked the weekend at a place called Luna Lodge http://lunalodge.comlocated on the peninsula overlooking Corcovado National Park. The closest town and last stop is Puerto Jimenez”. The road from Puerto Jimenez is 45 km and should take they say an hour and a half… It took us almost three. It’s not a road but gravel, with huge Potholes and you have to cross 7 rivers then go up two mountains.. Trip advisor doesn’t tell you this! Even a 4×4 wouldn’t make it! We somehow managed to get about 4km away from the lodge in our car with people (when we would come across them) looking at us like what the heck ! f you can picture the roughest terrain in the jungle at night this is what we were driving through! I literally had no idea! There is a ranch about 4km from the lodge owned by a sweet Canadian couple who are used to seeing people and tourists stuck so her husband and his horse go up the mountain to the lodge to tell them “hey you have two people who want to check in!” and then he rides down and then someone from the lodge eventually gets the truck and comes to get you . We finally arrived to the lodge and it’s a really nice treehouse with a good working bathroom! Sleeping in the rainforest..is like a constant hum of thunder, rain, insects, monkeys, and I can’t even describe what else! There’s no wifi, and I now go about my second “mission” which is to go deep into the Corcovado national Park and find a Tapir ! I found two sets of tracks on both of the days I was there but no Tapir. I managed to hike 12 km in and out of the forest and avoided being pooped on by the monkeys which were very aggressive ! I realized after spending the weekend at Luna Lodge that as much as I love nature and I was grateful for the experience I do love the city and all it’s comforts!! Plus now we had the drive back… We had four days left so we went back to Quepos and went to Nauyaca Waterfallshttp://nauyacawterfallscostarica.com and just hung around Quepos. Laying by the beach, swimming seeing sloths when I could and a lot of relaxing.. It was nice and just a really beautiful trip. If I go back I would like to see Limon on the Caribbean side. There is a Sloth Sanctuary I would like to see and the beaches and scenery from this side of the country. I can check off something from my bucket list and what an amazing tip! XO Tera Check out some Video Shorts & photos below:
Mexico City , Mexico Unboxing Toy Convention
Hola I’ve arrived Mexico City! I was invited here by La Mole Convention http://www.lamole.commx They produce great shows hosted at The World Trade Center in Mexico City at the international Exhibition and convention center. I was honored to be a featured guest at the The Unboxing Toy Show… Comic Con takes place in March so this was a new show I think in their third year. Unboxing toys is a huge thing on YouTube and because I’ve attended so many Comic Con shows and Cosplay I was invited . August 1-5 The convention was so much fun! I’m always happy to travel the world and meet my fans. I only met one other Cosplayer Sofia Sivan http://sofiafans.com and she was a sweetheart. The first day we were taken to the pyramids and the Museum of Anthropology http://mna.inah.gob.mx which was very cool. I love museum’s and will always look for one or two when I’m traveling…. I had incredible Thai food at http://galangathai.mx such a beautiful place ! Friday night we went to see La Lucha Libre wrestling at Arena Mexico and it was so fun! This is the website to check the dates and times for matches . http://cmll.comHonestly the women luchadores impressed me more! They were so acrobatic and put on a great show. The men felt more theatrical to me. A lot of talking, hair flipping and just like how WWF used to be when I was a kid. Just get a Chelada with Chamoy and have fun! Get a mask! I didn’t because I never need extra stuff when traveling but I kind of regret I didn’t…. I should have gotten a pink one!!Mexico was so much fun. I really enjoyed The Unboxing show , made some friends and I can’t say enough good things about our hosts La Mole group. What a fantastic team to work with .I hope I get invited back , I want to see so much more of this great city. It was an incredible to visit Mexico City and I know I barely scratched the surface XO Tera
