Day 8 - A place I've traveled to

This one is a toughie. I've visited so many places that rank really high up on the list.

Israel - I wish I had been older when I had the chance to go. I was only 12 and I slept through a lot of important things, didn't take pictures of anything, and didn't care much for the history and culture. The one thing I do remember is just feeling so peaceful over there. It was 1997 and the country was still pretty peaceful. There wasn't an overwhelming threat of terrorist attacks and war. I would love to go back, but not right now - it's scary over there.

Guatemala - I spent a week at an orphanage in the mountains with a group of people who had no reason to like me. There's nothing like being surrounded by children who have nothing to make you feel stupid for having senseless drama! I will never forget some of those kids!

Waikiki, Hawaii - AJ & I traveled there for our honeymoon. The one thing I regret the most is that we didn't do anything. We spent the week hanging out at the hotel, jet lagged, or walking down the beach. We hiked Diamond Head, ate at The Cheesecake Factory, and took a tour of Pearl Harbor. No snorkeling. No surfing. No tours of the island. No luaus. :-(

But for the purpose of Day 8, I'm going to pick Costa Rica.

The summer after my junior year of college, I had the opportunity to go with AJ, his brother, and some friends to Costa Rica for 3 weeks. Did I have the money to go? No way. But, like my mom said, I would never have the opportunity to spend 3 weeks in paradise ever again. (Warning: photo overload.)

Santa Teresa

Santa Teresa

Playa Hermosa

Playa Hermosa

Our canopy tour in Jaco

Jaco

Jaco

The one & only picture of me in the water :-)

I'm not gonna lie - those waves were scary! There was only one moment that I was absolutely terrified & thought I was gonna die, though. The guys all decided to paddle out in Santa Teresa, and it wasn't until about 30 minutes later that I decided to paddle out. The break there has what's referred to as an "impact zone" where the smaller waves are washing back out and the bigger waves are washing in and it's just a big mess. It's the hardest part to get past, and if you get past it, you're good to go. But if you're from where I'm from and aren't used to big waves, you can really get in trouble there. So, I get right smack dab in the middle of the impact zone and I get stuck. I can't get past the big waves, but I also can't get in to the shore because I keep getting washed back out. After fighting for about 10 minutes, I look up and see the guys walking back up the beach and none of them have a clue that I'm out there. I start yelling, just hoping that one of them would turn around to at least see me - you know, in case I start sinking, at least they'll know where to look for my body! - but they can't hear me over the ocean and just keep walking. An eternity later, I finally make it back in to shore, but I'm pretty sure that was the last time I paddled out at the beach!

The next beach we went to was much more "user-friendly." You didn't have an impact zone to get through, you just had to wait until the big waves rolled in and paddle your heart out. The beaches were black sand, though, so from about 10am until sundown, you either had to wear your sandals or run like heck to get where you needed to go. There was no laying out to be had. I spent most of my time sitting outside, reading books. That was the most relaxing vacation I've ever taken.

The food there was amazing. Each morning for breakfast, we had french toast stuffed with cream cheese and fresh fruit. In the evenings, we had our choice of fresh sushi, fresh red snapper, or fish tacos. Mmmm...

If you ever get the chance to visit, even if you don't surf, Costa Rica is a must-visit!

I really really want to travel both before I have kids and after my kids are grown. I really want to visit Colorado for some skiing/snowboarding/sitting by a fire soon. My parents are headed to Puerto Rico this month and that one is on my list, too. As well as Ireland, Australia, the Dominican, and I'd like to take a Mediterranean cruise. Man, I better start playing the lottery!