Pura Vida!

Before I got my house last year, I read a book, Buying Solo, that recommended I set one-, two-, and five-year goals. Compulsive soul that I am, I seized the opportunity to establish structure where none exists. Three lists were born.

The one-year list included several admirable goals: buy a house, be a better friend and daughter, create more "work-life balance" (i.e., any). I also wrote, "Take a 'real' vacation," but I didn't define what that meant.

Fortunately, several months ago I discovered GAP Adventures, the travel company of my dreams. It offers small outdoor group adventures, promotes sustainable travel and encourages giving back to the host community. I was relieved to find that many of the company's vacationers travel alone. I was even more relieved to find that people over age 30 often used GAP's services.

After much hemming and hawing, pep talks from my extremely supportive boss and ever-patient friends, and several seemingly unnecessary panic attacks, I signed up for a 13-day volunteer trip to Costa Rica, the "Rich Coast." My itinerary: a week at a sea turtle project, plus trips to a cloud-forest reserve and an active volcano. I knew I'd ride by horseback, hike through the forest canopy and walk along the beach looking for turtles. I didn't yet know that I'd fly hundreds of feet through the air on a cable, get thrown from a boat while rafting on a class III-IV river or jump from a platform using a thin rope.

Over the next few weeks, I'll share my adventures with you. It was the trip of a lifetime, thanks to my adventures and my travel mates (above, l. to r.): Hellela, Chau, Dustin (whose wife, Lanita, is sadly missing from this image), me, Tammy, Arella, Roxanna, Monica, and Corina. (Thanks, Corina, for the photo!). Visit my Facebook page for the photos.