Three girls, a plan and Costa Rica

As I sat cross-legged on the couch browsing my archives, a particular yellow folder caught my attention.

Costa Rica.

"That was another you in another time," an inner voice said, nudging me to move on.

And yet, I found myself double-clicking the yellow folder and the pictures in it.

The first picture showed three 20-something-year-old girls. They were lying on their bellies, faces cupped in their hands, smiling into the camera. The innocence of youth evident in their eyes.

The second picture had the same smiling faces and a few new ones. Their hands held up in various gestures ranging from a thumbs up to a victory sign. Inviting the viewer to celebrate an unknown triumph with them.

A deep sense of nostalgia washed over me - of uncomplicated times and uncomplicated friendships. While it was not recent, something in me wanted to write about this trip.

The more I thought about it, the more excited I became. This trip, after all, had all the makings of a perfect story.

• The characters (three girls with a love for travel)
• The storyline (five days in Costa Rica)
• The beautiful locations (rain forests and volcanoes)
• The excitement (we got to save something for the post!) and
• Let's not forget, the happy ending ('aww' moments and smiles for the finish).

But to tell a tale of adventure and excitement takes time, so this series is divided into two posts. There is a link for part two at the end of this story.

For now, grab a cup of coffee, and let's go.

The Plan

It was the fall of my freshman year in dental school when a close friend suggested we take a trip.

"Nothing too crazy or expensive," she said, as my brain went into overdrive thinking about my modest student budget.

"Costa Rica. It's beautiful, affordable, and not too far from the US," she elaborated.

Being an avid traveler, Span (20-something-year-old No. 1), had the ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary with the click of a camera.

That was also my convincing pitch to Nidhi (20-something-year-old No. 2), a sparkling new buddy at the time who was fun and easygoing.

And in case you haven't figured it out by now, yours truly was 20-something-year-old No. 3.

What ensued were weeks of planning and some decisions. Surprisingly, for how tiny Costa Rica was, it had much to see and do.

"The hustle and bustle of a city or the calm of the mountains?"

"Relax on a beach or zipline a forest?"

Hard decisions for the 'have to do everything' attitude of youth.

But eventually, choices were made, and not before long we found ourselves on a flight en route to the Juan Santamaría Airport, the primary international airport in Costa Rica.

But first, why Costa Rica?

• Costa Rica is renowned for its biodiversity. It is home to millions of species of plants and animals along with unique rainforests, sandy beaches, national parks, and majestic volcanoes - A true nature lover's paradise.
• It is located in Central America (imagine the little strip that connects North and South America - it's there!), and has a tropical climate that makes for a perfect sunny getaway.
• The country is divided into seven provinces, and each province has its own unique flavor. For more information, click here.

The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

After our arrival at the Juan Santamaría Airport, we took a pre-arranged taxi to our first hotel in the Monteverde region.

The drive, though beautiful, had me unsettled. Some of the areas we drove through were extremely remote.

"If we go missing or end up in a ditch, nobody will ever know," my fearful mind whispered.

My friends' reaction was a cross between laughing their heads off and reassurance.

Needless to say, we arrived safely at our hotel with everyone still present and nobody in a ditch.

Our destination the following day was The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, a tropical jungle with a variety of flora and fauna and an ever-present mist. It is a truly magical place that is best explored with a zip line!

• The canopy tour we took boasted to make us feel " like a monkey traveling through tree tops." And like monkeys, we felt!
• Gliding over tree tops and getting incredible top-down views of the cloud forest.
• The zipline system consisted of suspended cables attached from tree to tree.
• Cables varied in length and ended on small wooden platforms. Our longest zipline was close to 700m long!

Before I give you the impression that I enjoy being suspended in mid-air, I have a confession to make. Heights terrify me.

The thought of hanging tens of feet above the ground is not my idea of a good time. But with my two cheerleaders beside me, I found myself enjoying the glide. I even opened my eyes after a few initial zips :)

Flora and fauna

The biodiversity that Costa Rica is famous for was evident in the cloud forest. Seeing the animals and plants in their natural habitat and the conservation efforts to protect this natural environment was heartening.

Arenal Volcano

Following our Monteverde visit, we made our way to the Arenal Volcano National Park.

Located in the northwest of Costa Rica, the Arenal volcano, with its beautiful conical silhouette is, undoubtedly, a sight to behold.

While still considered active by scientists, its last eruptions stopped around 2010.

We were hoping to see a burst of activity during our stay there, but the volcano remained silent. The region was still worth exploring, and we did a few short trails during our time there.

The Airport

With much of our traveling being road trips thus far, we were quite exhausted. We decided to take a local flight from Arenal to our next destination to save time in our packed itinerary.

While the official airports are few, many landing strips connect the provinces in Costa Rica.

What greeted us at the 'airport' was the sight below.

As if the hut terminal was not enough, we were 'checked in' by a pilot into a small charter plane with only 3 passengers - Span, Nidhi, and me!

We giggled like school girls, startled yet fascinated as the tiny plane made strange noises and took off.

When the plane jostled at a slight turbulence mid-air, its small size overwhelmed by a particularly gusty wind, I clutched my seat.

"Hmm.. perhaps a crash on one of those gorgeous volcanoes on the itinerary today?"  a familiar fearful voice said, making its presence felt.

I instinctively looked for my two travel buddies.

Nidhi was peacefully staring out the window, and Span was trying to capture a shot of the Arenal from the air.

And at that moment, just knowing that we were all in it together was enough.

"Not today, my fearful friend, not today," I whispered back as the plane started its descent into San José, the capital city of Costa Rica.

Click here to continue to part two.