‘And how old are you?’ the young girls asks. ‘30.’ She gasps and replies, ‘wow, I hope I’m still traveling when I’m 30.’

I turned on my heel and walked away. I needed to think about this. Why wouldn’t you travel when you’re 30? Should I be relegated to a desk, a nice house, a fancy car, a family and a dog (note: I do have a dog).

I’m not sure why I thought landing in a hostel in Costa Rica was the best choice but for some reason I longed for the independence of it. I would get myself from the airport to my accommodation and I wouldn’t need anyone’s help. 2 hours after landing, with 2 boats in tow I’m still waiting for a shuttle. Ah… tico time.

Mario, Team JK paddler, rescues me from the hostel and in true kayaker fashion we head straight to the river.

The rest of the Jackson crew arrives a few days later and we begin our mission of making a strokes and concepts video and prepping for a season of competition. Rios Tropicales and the Pasque quickly become our stomping grounds. Nick and Joel assume the roles of videographers while the rest of us rally around demoing whatever they require.

We treat ourselves to a trip to the beach and suddenly we see a completely new side of Costa Rica – sun, sand and surf!

Trip Highlights:

-         paddling, poker and pinto

-         meeting the Phil Coleman: the guy the infamous Ottawa River’s Phil’s Hole is named after

-         Having a local guide to help with everything from language to logistics – Thank you Marito!

-         Rios Tropicales Pacure Lodge: zip lines, monkey’s and more

-         Log climbing and cliff jumping

-         All the flora and fauna you can imagine!

After three weeks I’m still thinking about the words of my first fellow traveler. Of course I’m still traveling, there is a whole world out there for me to explore!

Looking forward to my next (over 30) adventure.