Costa Rica Travel Diary: Day 13

Thur Aug 17 We packed up our stuff, had a very nice breakfast at our hotel. We shared a Tico burrito (gallo pinto, cheese, tomato sauce, eggs) and an American breakfast burrito (eggs, potatoes, bacon). We also had a passionfruit and strawberry smoothie. After checkout, we went to the market across the street to get…

Costa Rica Travel Diary: Day 12

Wed Aug 16 I was feeling much better today. Things were looking up. I made a breakfast of all the food we had to use up: scrambled eggs with chayote, green beans with onion and garlic, black beans and rice (hah look at me making my own gallo pinto!) and leftover mango salsa. It was…

Costa Rica Travel Diary: Day 10

Mon Aug 14 Our day began with James attempting to break the bike lock per Javier’s instructions as there was no extra key. In the end Javier ended up coming over around 9am to break the bike lock himself with the appropriate tools. So we just had one lock for both our bikes. Soon after,…

Costa Rica Travel Diary: Day 8

Sat Aug 12 I woke up at 5:20 and actually was out the door by 5:40, determined that today I would finally do some morning yoga on the beach. First I biked to Sunset Point which is a nearby overlook. I laid out my mat here as the ground is flat and the view is…

Costa Rica Travel Diary: Day 6

Thur Aug 10 Today was a lazy day. Like the other days we still woke up around 6/6:30am but we didn’t go for a morning walk or outing. It just looked too dreadfully hot out with hardly any cloud coverage. Instead we enjoyed our cool, air conditioned Airbnb. I made a little brunch of beans,…

Costa Rica Travel Diary: Day 5

Wed Aug 9 We started our day sitting outside with coffee and German bread, slowly taking in the morning alongside the numerous butterflies and dragonflies and the background cacophony of birds, howler monkeys and dogs. I researched some of the wildlife  in the Nicoya Peninsula and I think the massive snake we saw yesterday was…

Costa Rica Travel Diary: Day 2

Sunday Aug 6 Woke up just before 6am local time (8am EST). The sun was already up (I think it rises around 5:30) and life was buzzing all around us. After slowly getting up and organizing/ unpacking our things, we went out for a morning stroll and to check out the local shopping options. We…

The best day trips from San Marino

San Marino is a fairytale-like little country in the middle of northern Italy. The historic center is easily walkable and well preserved, it really feels like you are walking around during medieval times. No matter where you walk in the historic center, you are rewarded with incredible vistas. It is perfect for a romantic getaway….

Ceviche

Ceviche. Seh/bee/tchay. If you haven’t already tried ceviche, drop everything you’re doing and make this recipe NOW. So fresh and delicious, ceviche should be a regular part of everyone’s  summer diet. Ceviche is basically salsa with seafood. Although there is no cooking with heat involved, the seafood is “cooked” thanks to the strong acid in…

Simple Ahi Tuna Appetizer

Simple, yet fancy. Wow your foodie friends even though it’s honestly one of the easiest things to make. The restaurant up charge for variations of this dish is ridiculous. Skills needed? Slicing and layering. I absolutely adore raw tuna. Sushi, sashimi, poke bowls, carpaccio, tataki, seared…I want it all! Now of course everyone has heard…