Chilling in Costa Rica

I just came back from Spring Break and decided I wanted to make a blog post because it was LEGEND-wait for it-ARY.  Costa Rica was super relaxing which was a nice break from chaotic life of a student. The first three days we were in Guanacaste which not only was ridiculously hot but left me with a very endearing sunglasses tan.



The beach was clear and was really refreshing from the 9999898989898998 degrees weather. The best part about the trip was the fresh juice and fruit: I'm a sucker for guava juice and this Costa Rican guava juice rivaled Hawaiian guava juices.

 

After Guanacaste, we headed to Arenal which was GORGEOUS. The volcano looked beautiful on a clear day.

Our first day in Arenal we spent the hot springs at Tabacon which not only was super relaxing but had gorgeous views. (and not

too many people) (and also good pina coladas)



 

The Hanging Bridges Tour was pretty cool and it was a good way to get a taste of the Costa Rican rainforest. I saw howler monkeys, a spider monkey, a snake,an owl, and toucans. The howler monkeys were the best though.

We also did zip lining in the rain which made it on my top greatest experiences ever. EVER. There was the tarzan swing which was crazy scary and also crazy fun. I have never screamed that loud.

The last tour we did was white water rafting which I LOVED. I had never rafted before but the guides taught us pretty well, and considering my mom can't swim and none of us never fell out of the raft, we did pretty well and had loads of fun.

Costa Rica was a really awesome trip and is one of those places where you can have a lot of adventure but relax at the same time.

 

Bermuda: The Happy Island

So during these dull, dreary, cold months, I decided I would write a post on some of the sunniest, and warmest places on Earth, starting with Bermuda.
Bermuda was a pretty nice place to be, with the great weather and the nice people, eerily nice people. The island was RIDICULOUSLY small however. It took us only a couple of hours to drive from one side of the island to the other.

The beaches were incredible, particuarly Horeshoe Bay with its infamous pink sands. My sister and I love big waves and these waves were incredible.

There is not much to do in Bermuda, so staying for a long period of time, even 10 days, may become tedious, unless you like sitting in the sun all day, every day.
We also visited Crystal Cave, which was pretty fascinating. I don't know why I find caves and caverns so fascinating but I do. I swear I've been to the crystal caverns up in Tennessee about 30 times.

 

Around our last couple of days, my dad, sister and I decided to go jetskiing. It wasn't my first time going jetskiing but that day on the END of the jetski, I thought I was going to die. The waves were choppy so every jump I would literally be floating in the air for what seemed like ages clinging on to my ridiculously underweight sister, who usually blows away just standing in wind. Other than feelings of impending doom, and my ultimate demise, it was a lot of fun.

So while Bermuda doesn't offer a lot what it does offer is pretty fun and even if you don't like going to caverns or water sports, you can always get sun burnt on their pink beaches.

 

A Passion that Burns with a Fire: My Hatred of Flying

As a first post I can think of no better topic to write about then my vehement dislike for airplanes. I can't stand the smell, the seats, kicking children and those toilets. I am deathly afraid of those toilets.
Since my first trips, I either  have had to wake up ungodly time in the morning (No one should be up at 5:30, especially not a young Riya) or stay up really late at night to take an overnight flight. To add to the "I hate airplane" list, Newark Airport is one of the most unpleasant places on the planet,especially the Security Checklist. BUT WAIT. THERE'S MORE. Then you board the airplane, and while I have plenty of great airplane stories, from kicking Italian boys to crazy grandmothers, I'll save that for another post.

I blame genetics that I have vomited on possibly every long distance trip I have ever taken. Once I vomited all over the man sitting next to me on a bus at Heathrow Airport. It was the lowest point in 10 year old Riya's life( and also probably that man's). To this day I can never eat lasagna without puking my guts out, thanks to a flight to India where I vomited up a crazy amount of Italian food.