5 Interesting Things About Tamarindo, Costa Rica

I know I keep going on and on about Costa Rica, but we really loved it. It was such a quick and easy flight (we flew on Southwest but many airlines fly there) and you felt like you were worlds away - I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a tropical getaway!

1. You Can Use US Currency
You can pay in Colon, the local currency, or US dollars, and occasionally by credit card ;) If paying with USD, they will calculate based on the most current accepted exchange rate. What's funny is they might give you change back in Colon (which I think is kind of fun). I remember living in London and people asking if we accepted Euro at the store I worked at, when England uses the GB Pound. I thought it was hilarious that they would even ask! I guess this is proof it happens some places... but good luck finding a US store that will take Costa Rican Colon ;)

It's smart to bring cash and assume you'll use it - because everyone will accept it. Credit cards were excepted a lot of places, but not everywhere like we're used to in the US.

Side note - 5 & 10 Colon coins are made out of aluminum. I could literally bend them with my fingers, which is crazy! But when you think about it, 5 colones is almost worth 1 penny.... but not quite. I actually think they're on to something since our pennies cost us more to make than they are worth! But seeing bent coins made me laugh.

2. Everything (Local) is Very Affordable
When we visited in November, the exchange rate was a little less than 500Colon =$0.90 US. To make it easier, we just rounded up to $1 = 500c so we could do fast math. We went to dinner at Bamboo Sushi Club, and Matt ordered the Tuna Steak Special. I realized after he ordered, we never asked about the price! We joked about how it was going to be $50 or something crazy, but assumed it would be around $25, which isn't the end of the world. When the dish made it to the table, the tuna steak was HUGE. Easily 12oz. When the bill came, we had to laugh - the tuna meal was just under 7000Colon, or around $12 US. Insanity! Can you imagine getting a fresh, perfect tun a steak for that price at any restaurant in the US?

On the flip side, some items at the grocery store were very expensive - anything imported has a high premium price. Luckily, all of the local, seasonal food is what makes Costa Rica such a delicious place, so stick to those!

3. It's Developed - But Also Undeveloped
The water is safe to drink. The food is safe to eat. It's a safe place to walk around at night. Everywhere has running water and free wifi and all the comforts you're used to! But then you look, and many of the roads are unpaved and there are no sidewalks or actual traffic rules. I liked this about Costa Rica, because it felt like a real place - but I also could drink water from the tap without worrying :)

we were walking on the "sidewalk" 

this is the center of town, and has a large section of paved road - but it drops of if you notice the huge mud puddles

4. It's Wild!
We saw so many different types of birds, monkeys, sea snakes (don't worry, they were dead), tons of huge iguanas, crabs, and other kinds of animals! The jungle comes right up to the ocean, so it's really a unique little eco system. The only animal I hoped to see but didn't was a sloth... but maybe next time. What's cool is that we didn't do any type of tour or excursion, these were just animals we saw around town. So fun!

not the best photo, but this little bird was so pretty!

5. It's Casual
And I mean casual. It's the epitome of laid back surfer culture. Very no shoes, no shirt, no problem, attitude. Leave the heels at home, ladies, you won't be able to use them here (and you wouldn't want to since the roads are muddy and rocky and unpaved!) Even at the nicest restaurants, people were wearing cut off jean shorts and t shirts or tank tops. More about packing for Costa Rica here.

Matt "dressed up" for dinner ;) 

As you can see from the number of posts, we really loved Costa Rica. I think it was the perfect combination of tropical, comfortable, easy to get to, and easy to be there. It would be easy with kids, everything is very family friendly!

Pura Vida!
xo

Bruges Recap

Have you ever heard of Bruges? If you haven't you're definitely not alone. I had no idea where it was until Matt made me watch "In Bruges" (it's a very dark comedy - heavy on the dark, and the F word, so be advised if you've never watched it). 

BUT - one thing that stuck out to me in the movie is that the villain keeps referring to Bruges as a "fairy tale town" - he wasn't kidding. 

Bruges is so stinking CUTE! It's one of the only cities in Europe that never got distorted during a war or was victim to a massive fire. It's medieval charm is thick and many of the buildings are marked with the year they were built. We saw tons from the 1500's and 1600's, and even as early as the 1400's! Incredible. 

I mean, seriously. Can you even resist those little ginger bread houses? The town is covered with them. The Bed & Breakfast we stayed in was also quite dreamy, and an incredible price for such a beautiful room and amazing service! It was all decorated for Christmas which only added to its charm. The couple that runs the B&B were so lovely. If you ever find yourself in Bruges, I can't recommend the Huis Koning B&B enough.

A few things you should definitely check out in Bruges if you happen to find yourself there:

1 - Belfort

The beautiful tower in the middle of the main square. You can climb to the top (366 steps!), there are a few stops on the way to inspect the bells and other pieces of history. It was fun and worth the climb. The view is wonderful! The staircase is very winde-y, there's no elevator, and it's the same stairs to go up or come down. But it's fun. If you cheated and took the elevator to the top of the Eiffel tower, you better clime the Belfort!

View from the top!

Seriously, check out that staircase!

2 - Canal Tour
Seems cheesy, but it's fun. And it's a great way to see all the cute little areas of Bruges. They're pretty cheap and run from several spots along the main canal. And is about 75% cheaper than a gondola ride in Venice!

3 - Drink Beer!
I'm sure you could wander into just about any bar in Bruges and get some great beer, but here are a few I can recommend:

- De Garre is this tiny little place down this tiny little alley. Get the triple, it's their specialty! And it came with a side of cheese. Any beer that comes with a side of cheese is a win in my book.

- De Halve Maan Brewery is the oldest still running brewery in Bruges. They offer a daily tour and have a food/drink menu to keep you fueled for the day. 

Just a few of my favorites. I have to say, going at Christmas time was extra charming, everything was sparkling with lights and trees! Plus they had a cute little market set up in the town square. I loved it.

Oh, my Bruges. We will meet again. Have you ever been to Bruges?
xo

How to Stay Connected While You Travel (While Spending Limited Time Online)

I've always been a fan of unplugging. I avoided an iPhone for as long as possible, sticking with a phone that made calls and sent texts way longer than most. Now that I literally have the world at my fingertips, I have to be more conscious about making the decision to unplug.

When I studied abroad, we had no cell phones, and wifi was scarce. We might check in on the free computer in the hostel we stayed at, if there was even one available. I just remember feeling so free on those trips, and completely aware of everything around me - because I wasn't distracted by anything else.

It might not always be realistic to be disconnected for a prolonged period of time. When this is the case, I'll set boundaries and check in once a day or every two days on a longer trip (like our recent two week jaunt around New Zealand). I'm still using my phone to take pictures and as a wireless remote for my camera, so it's important to me that it's not buzzing and distracting me. Enjoy every minute!

Here are my tips for staying connected with limited time spent online/on your phone.

1 - Notifications
I don't know how you people do it. The only notifications I get are texts and phone calls. Email and apps are set to be checked manually, rather than pushed through every time someone likes my Instagram photo or J.Crew sends another sale email. If you need/prefer the Push settings during everyday life or for work, I would suggest you take it down to the bare minimum while you're traveling or on vacation. If you want to take it all the way down (or if you're traveling internationally), put it to Airplane Mode!

2 - Unroll Me
I can't stand the little red number in the corner of my mailbox.... so as soon as the emails load, I have to read and take care of them right away or I'm stressed out (Matt lives with 20k unread emails on the regular and I have no idea how he lives with it). I was also sick of waking up to 30 new emails, and only 1-2 of them being anything worth opening. I signed up for Unroll Me and it's really changed my inbox stress! 

Unroll Me scans your inbox and gives you the option to Unsubscribe, Add to Roll Up, or Keep in Inbox. I unsubscribed to everything I didn't care about (promotion I signed up for two years ago), Added to Roll Up anything like Victoria's Secret, Madewell, or PetCo who sends sale emails I'm interested in SOMETIMES, and Keep in Inbox was anything I would need to see as it comes in, like emails from Airbnb bookings, or The Skimm. Anything you add to your roll up will be sent to you in ONE big email, ONE time a day! 

3- The Skimm
The Skimm keeps me informed in about 5 minutes with news from all over the world. Which means I won't get back from a cruise and have no idea that the government was on strike (true story!), or that a plane tragically crashed into the Alps while I was flying to New Zealand (also true).  Sign up here even if you aren't going anywhere!

Just a little excerpt from today's Skimm about the FIFA controversy!

4 - Do Not Disturb
This feature is a miracle worker. It stops your phone from vibrating or ringing AT ALL, while still leaving it available to receive calls or texts. It's essentially "silent". This really should be mandatory in weddings, funerals, meetings and coffee shops (in my opinion!). Just to keep yourself from being constantly distracted, turn on the do not disturb. Swipe up on your home screen, and click the moon symbol :) This can be particularly helpful if you're in a group message. You could even switch that message chain only to Do Not Disturb! Open the message, click Details, and switch on Do Not Disturb. I also love using it at night when I'm in a different time zone - keeps you from accidental wake ups (your alarm still works when DND is activated).

5 - Make a Plan (and stick to it!) 
Before you go on your trip, make a plan - decide how often you'll check email and post to social media. Every evening after dinner? On the train only? Full digital detox? Whatever you decide, stick to it! You'll feel yourself relax so much when you're enjoying the streets of Rome, not wondering which filter to add to your photo of the Colosseum. Limiting your time online can be so FREEING and you'll realize you didn't really miss much anyway ;) 

There are so many beautiful details in the world! Don't miss them because you're checking Facebook ;)
xo

PS - this is in no way a sponsored post. I just love the Skimm & UnRoll me!