Welcome To Jaco – A New Scene In Our Ongoing Journey

Bumps, Curves, and A Bare-Bones Grocery Run

We have safely arrived at our next destination and are slowly getting settled. The shuttle ride here was LONG! It took 4 hours and the roads were no less forgiving than our previous shuttle ride. Alexis had the worst of the motion sickness this time, but we all felt pretty awful for most of the trip. Our shuttle driver was amazing. He stopped whenever we needed, helped us navigate the security gate when we arrived to our condo, and even pointed out some monkeys in a tree along the way.

Our first impressions of the condo were overall positive. We put our stuff down and all made the trek to the closest grocery store. It was getting late and we didn’t want to be walking after dark, so we chose the closest store we could find. The produce section was almost non-existent which was disappointing. My body was craving fresh food after a long day of travel. We got the essentials that we could and I made rice and beans for dinner. Everyone was feeling a bit down and we were all exhausted! Dave reminded me each new place will be an adjustment.

New Place/New Smell Blues

Last night I was experiencing what I have now coined as the new place/new smell blues. If you’ve ever stayed in Airbnb’s you know that two things are often true. The place likely looks slightly more rundown than advertised in the pictures and there is always some kind of smell. It’s not always a bad smell (although we’ve experienced those too), just a new smell. I was surprised how quickly our house in La Fortuna felt comfortable and like home, even among the bugs! Our condo here has more space and some of the comforts we are accustomed to at home. Hello there oven, dining table, and cabinet of board/card games – we’ve missed you! I know the smell will eventually become familiar (or maybe it won’t). Either way we’ll survive.

As I was laying in bed trying to sleep last night I was extremely uncomfortable. The bed was too soft, the pillow too hard, the room smelled weird and everything felt scratchy/itchy. I started having a real thought spiral about having to sleep here for the next 28 nights. I laid there for a bit feeling sorry for myself and then remembered the podcast I listened to on our shuttle ride here.

It’s an interview with Michael Easter, the author of the book The Comfort Crisis. We read this for my book club back home and I loved it! The book argues that modern life’s obsession with ease and convenience is eroding our physical and mental resilience—and that embracing discomfort is the key to reclaiming a wild, happy, and healthy self. In the podcast episode the author talks about an 800 mile hike he just completed that took over 40 days. I decided that sleeping in my too soft bed, with central AC didn’t exactly qualify as discomfort and went to sleep.

Routines, Bright Skies, and the Beach

We all slept decent all things considered. Dave and I started our month in this new place with a daily routine we love and enjoyed coffee together on our balcony. As we were chatting, two scarlet macaws flew by. They were beautiful! I reminded myself what a privilege this is to get to explore the beauty of the world and my new place/new smell blues were officially over.

The sun was shining today, which didn’t happen a lot in La Fortuna and we were excited to explore a new place. After breakfast we made our way to the beach! We saw a huge Iguana on our way there. The beach is a 5 minute walk away, and as with most beaches it is stunning! The waves are massive. Jaco is known for its surfing and the beach is surrounded by rainforest on each side. We spent the entire morning there. We all got a little more sun than we should have, but it was worth it!

Familiar Foods and Finding our Footing

After lunch, Dave and I made the long walk to a much bigger grocery store. We were able to get a lot of familiar foods which everyone was excited about! Dave and I took an Uber back because we had way too much to carry. Alexis helped me make dinner and it was so nice to sit around a table again as a family to eat.

Overall, it was a good first day in Jaco! So far there appears to be fewer bugs, but time will tell. We learned in La Fortuna that it’s best to explore the free things a place has to offer before looking into other adventures. I would be happy to spend every day at the beach. I love the smell there!