Okay, so… Costa Rica. Let me recap my stay like this:

• • • Wildlife: There’s one thing that truly sets this place apart from the rest of Central America. Costa Rica has got – hands down – the best wildlife of any of them. I still find myself incredulous at how much flora and fauna I managed to see in such a short span of time. From humpback whales to white-tip reef sharks, from agoutis to coatis, from crocodiles to basilisks, from monkeys to sloths. And let’s not forget that I achieved my childhood dream of seeing a quetzal. The friggin’ quetzal! I knew I’d have to go back to revisit some of it one day!

• • • Money: On the same note, Costa Rica also wins the best value-for-money award. Sure, the tours and entrance fees are more expensive, but they’re justified by the fact that the money goes towards conservation and by how knowledgeable the guides here are. Seriously, I learnt so much, and I didn’t have a single problem with any of my guides – something I can’t quite say about other countries I’ve visited. I shudder just thinking about Kevin in El Salvador. Also because it was more expensive than elsewhere, I started budgeting more strictly. By staying in hostels, I was already saving a fair bit of money, and with the occasional cook-offs I’d have with other backpackers – as they slaved away behind the oven while I chose the simplest, most economic dish – I was saving even more. By the end, I was €50 under budget. Under. Yes. I saved money. In Costa Rica. Crazy.

• • • Lessons: Reaching the six-month mark triggered a mid-mid-life crisis, as I realised I only had two and a half months of freedom left and that the end of my trip felt less like closing a chapter and more like finishing a book. Torn between excitement for what lay ahead and grief for what I was about to leave behind, I resolved to make the most of the time remaining while confronting the fear of returning to medicine, a career I’d stepped away from but still demanded excellence from myself. For the first time, the future felt wide open, uncertain, and frightening, yet full of possibility – and all I could do was give it my best and let Future Me handle the rest.

• Distance:

• • • Total walked: 160km
    • Total travelled: 1693km

• Books: 
  • • One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez