Hacienda Baru: Adventure in the Costa Rican Rainforest
When we walked into Hacienda Baru, we didn’t know that we would soon be climbing to the treetops of the Costa Rican rainforest.
When we walked into Hacienda Baru, we didn’t know that we would soon be climbing to the treetops of the Costa Rican rainforest.
Standing on the roadside, we see a wooden sign.
It reads: Tipi Jungla.
A painted arrow directs us up a rubble track.
When you get that message through on Couchsurfing saying someone has agreed to host you, it’s always really exciting. You’re going to meet someone new, see the local side of a place, and have an awesome time – or are you?
I’ve heard a lot of tall tales about Couchsurfing from travellers on the road, and here are some of the best (and worst)…
When I started Charlie on Travel six months ago, I thought I’d read enough internet articles and spent enough time blogging on a free WordPress platform for my new travel blog to be smooth sailing.
Not so. Even after six months of dipping my toe in the proverbial travel blogging pool, I’ve still barely scraped the surface of what there is to know. I went back to the internet last week to read some more about how to build up a successful travel blog.
I realised then that there is almost too much to know without having a reliable guide. What better to get than a book from two experienced travel bloggers who have already made their blog a success?
After a year living and travelling in Taiwan, Luke and I know that little sweet potato shaped island pretty well. Taiwan is a bit of a hidden gem in Asia. While backpackers flock to Thailand and Vietnam, and adventurous travellers tackle China and South Korea, there are very few Western tourists in Taiwan. Instead, Taiwan sees a fair amount of domestic tourists and Chinese tourists in high season, and otherwise mostly attracts expats coming over to work as ESL teachers.
Couchsurfing is a super way for budget travellers to find a free place to stay – but, the first thing to bear in mind before your starting signing up and smashing out requests is that you will be a more successful Couchsurfer if you are an awesome guest.
We came to Costa Rica by chance. Open to house sitting anywhere in the world, Luke and I were fortunate enough to find a temporary home in the mountains overlooking San José. We don’t have much – a close to empty bank account, a backpack each, and just a couple of ideas between us. After 10 days living in Costa Rica, we’ve realised that we don’t need much more than that. We’re living a good life for much less than you would think.
All we’ve got is a one-way ticket to Costa Rica, a house-sit lined up for the first few months, and a lot of ideas.
It’s our first time travelling indefinitely. By indefinite travel, I mean travel which is open-ended, which continues until something either goes wrong – whether that’s running out of money, being kicked out of a country because of an expired tourist VISA, or running out of ideas – or something comes up, like just deciding we want to go home to our families.
As somebody who has failed miserably to learn three different foreign languages, but is having middling success with my fourth, Spanish, I feel uniquely unqualified in sharing my tips for successfully learning a foreign language for free. Enjoy!
We’re Charlie and Luke — UK travel bloggers, adventurers and storytellers. We travel slow and write about sustainable travel. We want to make responsible travel choices and help you do the same. Get to know us.