Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

This is by far the most influential book I’ve journeyed through.

I am currently going through my second time reading this book, 6 years later…

At a completely different point in my life, now, I am able to use this book as a tool in a way I had not before.

If you are truly ready to change your vibration, the way you think, act & your daily practices… do yourself a favor & STUDY this book!

KO

La Fortuna, Alajuela, Costa Rica

The land of the Hot Springs!

This part of Costa Rica (near lake Arenal/ the Volcano 🌋) is quite literally built up around natural flowing hot springs.

There is one area that you can join the locals for free dips just passed the hotel Tabacon, on your way out of La Fortuna towards the volcano. There are guys always telling you they are security and to pay them, they are NOT security and you do NOT have to pay them (unless you’re feeling charitable 😉, they are just hustling the tourists).

However, for a really special romantic time I highly recommend staying 2-3 nights at one of the resorts.

We’ve been here multiple times and have found our two favorites are:
⭐️Tabacon: natural feel, all the pools have nautical volcanic rock, easy to get around, the bar pool is big and beautiful), high end vibes in respect to some of the other spots.
⭐️The Springs: massive property and absolutely breathtaking. I didn’t think I’d like anything better than Tabacon, until we came here. This is truly an over the top creation, whoever created this heaven on earth should earn some major points. It is incredibly lush, there are three different areas of hot springs. By the actual hotel, there is a main pool bar and a dozen or so hot springs that are more resort-esk, with a killer view of the volcano and the jungle enveloping in every way.The changing rooms are also nice & a few good restaurant options!

A quick walk down the hill you find more hot springs built into the jungle hills (my fav spot in the entire resort), with multiple pools and another small bar.

There are even MORE with a quick cart ride down to the bottom.

The rooms are stunning, this place is a must.

••••••••

In the town of La Fortuna you will find restaurants (organico la Fortuna is DELICIOUS and highly recommended) I think we went there multiple times a week 😆 .

I recommend going to the hanging bridges if you can, it is a beautiful hike. A piece of my heart lives in La Fortuna. This is also where Emily proposed to me a few years ago 🌈

KO

Curridabat, San José, Costa Rica

The CITY! Wow I did not know I would love living in a city in Costa Rica. The last month of our trip we decided to move closer to the airport, check out the central/city part of Costa, and plan weekend trips to different surrounding areas.

This turned out to be one of my favorite spots. We almost bought the condo we stayed in, I loved it so much. I would describe Curridabat (a San Jose province) as a combination of Miami & San Francisco. Our high rise was surrounded by lush hilltops in everywhich way but also different colored homes and buildings.

The climate inland also proved to be much cooler, and being that we lived here during the “fall”, I was excited to have “snuggle weather”!

My favorite part, outside of the high rise views, abundance of flowers (everywhere), daily rain, HUGE camera market (300+ vendors every weekend), the close proximity to our favorite local grocer... was the food. In Curridabat all the way to the other side of San Jose, we found some of the best restaurants I have ever had (vegan burger spots, pizza, Russian, Mexican, tea spots, bakeries ahh so much delicious food!

The only hard part I would say is our inability to have conversations with the locals, our Spanish is poor and the locals in the city tend to not be bilingual. This did make us feel somewhat inhibited. I wish I had learned better Spanish before spending so much time here, I think it would have only heightened out experience.

If you are looking for a beautiful city experience, check this city out, even for a night of two before heading back to the states!

KO

Manuel Antonio, Puntarenas, Quepos, Costa Rica

Nature nature nature!!

This is a very small but incredibly rich town, rich is nature that is. We came for a quick weekend to zip line, check out new beaches and see as many animals as well could.

I recommend going to the National park here. ⚠️DO NOT BUY A GUIDE OUTSIDE OF THE GATES! They will come up to you and insist this is where you purchase your tickets and it seems very formal, but it’s a hustle. Unless that is your intention, just say no and walk through the gates. You purchase tickets inside the gates of the park!

This park is huge with multiple beaches, they are so beautiful and recommend stopping here. There are TONS of monkeys all over the place, careful of your belongings, they are relentless and WILL go after your stuff if it looks shinny or they see food.

There are sloths and birds as well. It is magical and worth the visit.

We stayed a up the road away from the hustle and bustle of the park, a 20 minute walk up a hill from the beaches. Which by the way are mostly private to the hotels. There were a few cute restaurants but not too much going on. Our spot was special though, views of the ocean below, monkeys & birds on the trees outside our front patio.

On a walk home from dinner one night we saw a sloth just hanging on a wire that the locals made to allow them to cross the road! It was my first sloth sighting and so exciting! 🦥

If you’re looking to have a weekend in true nature, make a pit stop here!

KO

Nosara, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

We took a weekend trip to visit our friends, and I have to say this place was BEAUTIFUL!

An chic medium sized town with so much charm. It was incredible lush, so incredibly green. The ocean was pretty unpopulated, meaning in general, no beachside restaurants or goings ons. However the scenery was superb. The waves are pretty intense in comparison to Tamarindo, but not in comparison to Jaco. However we spent time swimming in the heavy waves.

There are tons of chic shops, first town that I actually found beautiful boutiques with gorgeous one of a kind articles of clothing, jewelry, hats, etc.

The people were very zen & friendly. The food was fantastic. We spent a short time here but I absolutely loved this spot.

KO

Puerto Viejo, Manzanillo, Limón Province, Costa Rica

The first place Emily & visited in Costa Rica was Manzanillo on the Caribbean side of the country.

We landed in San Jose, rented a car and drove 6 hours across the country to the small, vibrant, lush town of Puerto Viejo.

The most memorable moment was our evening arrival into town. We were interrupted by a nightly migration of crabs crossing the road. I don’t mean a couple crabs here, I mean thousands!!! 🦀

We unfortunately smashed a few driving through, it was impossible to drive across the highway without missing these buggers.

It was so shocking, I think we both were laughing and crying 🙈🤣

In general this town is super quaint but filled with so much life. Most beach towns I find are filled with late nights and live music, this town was no different.

We found ourselves enjoying the beautiful warm beaches, snorkeling the reefs, dancing to live bands at sunset & eating delicious foods.

Definitely had a Caribbean vibe and would definitely visit again for the raw, delicious feels! Also, tons of wild life here (monkeys to crocks!)

KO

Jaco Beach, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica

Jaco Jaco oohhh Jaco.

Okay, so this town is definitely the most built up, big paved roads, bars, prostitution and grimmy vibes. However!! We met some of the most incredible people during our stay here.

Although the town itself is not necessarily my speed, more junk food and practically no organic or vegan options. (Excluding SER & Karma.. both amazing). We lived next to a small local market that we were able to buy fresh foods and cook tons.

The surrounding beaches and resorts were a fun bike ride away. Emily rented bikes this month and checked out so many incredible spots!
⭐️Marriot Los Suenos was a 15 min bike ride down the road. Beautiful pools, huge property to roam and explore
⭐️Hermosa beach had black sand beaches which was incredibly picturesque BUT this ocean is not for swimmers. There are strong rip currents here.
⭐️the White beach, was a 30 min drive and it is somewhat of a hidden gem (ask a local how to reach it) but it may have been my favorite beach. Soooo beautiful 😻

Jaco beach, I have to say was not my favorite, it was covered in masses of brush (trees, trash and other) due to it location. There was little sand and covered in pebbles and seemingly implanted rocks. Also there was a funny stinky smell, I believe it has to do with it being so close to a junk yard area (waste despised into the ocean near by), which a local friend let us know: however!! The swells are massive, the further North you went the bigger the waves, for big time surfers, I know this is a big reason to come here.

All in all, I may not return to Jaco, but I am grateful for the adventures we had there, biking in the rain, seeing so many surrounding beaches, meeting big black pigs and horses, so many macaws (sooo many living in the almond trees), it was a really special experience.

KO

THE BEST Cheese Substitute

Treeline Artisanal nut cheeses are BY FAR the BEST cheese alternative I have tried as a vegan.

I find that most cheese alternatives have a specific taste, which I have grown to enjoy. However they do not taste anything like cheese.

This brand though, actually tastes like cheese! It has a savory flavor that I just absolutely love and highly recommend.

My favorite is the classic ❤️

I have so far found this at Whole Foods, I’ll let you know where else I come across this delicious treat! 🧀

Other Dairy Substitutes

Oatly milk is one of my favorites.

My favorite brand for substitute dairy drinks I found in Costa Rica and haven’t found them in the states yet. #RUDEHEALTH (so many varieties, ALL delicious).

However the BEST milk substitute is homemade cashew milk, cashews are the creamiest and not overly sweet. It mimics the most, in my opinion, to the real thing.

My favorite creamer was actually my favorite creamer before I went vegan. It is their Almond & Coconut Creamer (dear heaven it is so delicious, if you like sweet)!