Montezuma, Costa Rica

The Dates: January 12-15, 2012

The Place: Montezuma, known as 'Montefuma' to locals for its hippie roots, was our first real stop, after a required night in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica upon arrival. You have to put grand effort in the form of a two-hour bus ride, a two-hour ferry ride, a one-hour (re-enter same) bus ride and a final switch to new bus for a 30-minute ride to find this 'original' gem. Lonely Planet describes the place as a remote location for "hippies, artist, and dreamers alike." This statement is validity... however, you know when a town has an organic restaurant and vegan options on multiple menus, tourism has exploded. Montezuma has been discovered. That being said, the ongoing beaches, more devoid of people the further out of town you were willing to walk, and waterfall attractions made this place my high for the coastline of Costa Rica.

The Lodging: Hotel Lucy. This hostel is located right on the beach--the continuous soundtrack of the ocean provided background music throughout the my stay. As the tide came in, the water crashed against huge rocks, roaring with anger. It was loud in the best way.

The Book I Read: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

The Activity: Coming off a pre-travel fitness high, I was eager to keep up the routine (as much as possible) while traveling. In Montezuma, I happily took off jogging alongside the ocean each morning as the sun rose above me. The sun radiated heat that made it feel close enough to touch, leaving me feeling overdressed in my t-shirt and shorts, though thankful I was not at home layering up. The sand was not the compact, low-tide, padded surface this runner longs for, instead there was a slanted, thickly coated sandy surface sprinkled with large slippery rocks to trudge through. I incorporated Jillian Michaels' moves as if I was having trouble breaking a sweat, using running as more of a warm-up and cool-down. Before the sun finished rising, I felt accomplished.

I was a bit restless here in Montezuma; I could not grasp the fact I had five weeks to do with as I would. There was plenty an afternoons spent resting on the beaches, the sprawling beaches, however, called to be hiked. One arduous hike to an oceanside waterfall seemed a letdown for the distance traveled to get there. Once refueled and rehydrated, I thought to myself, can an oceanside waterfall actually be a letdown. Short answer: no. Long answer: N-O-!

Another hike to another waterfall proved intense--up and down, gripping roots for balance the entire way with essentially no ledge (please do not slip there are many a days to travel ahead!)--but short. The new shoes N.J.M. warned against packing, were initially not up to the slip-factor challenge this hike presented; they managed this hike and with time progressed in durability. The waterfall was more three separate falls--stacked like cascades. The "hike" out was smooth strolling. And when we emerged out of the dense Costa Rican brush, the ocean views were spectacular.

This was Montezuma.