Happy 2023! How did you start the new year? Celebrating with friends, with family, in the mountains, by the sea or sleeping? I was able to ring in the new year dancing, with a Pinâ Colada in my hand and surrounded by cloud forest in Monteverde, Costa Rica. Something different. When I look back on the past 12 months, they were characterised by change und recreation. Trying things out was my motto. After 6 months in a temporary job, I packed my backpack in August and spent summer and autumn travelling, hiking and kayaking in Scandinavia (you can read more about this in my previous blog posts). Then a short stopover in Switzerland.
My backpack didn’t sit in the corner for long, because in early November the next travel adventure called. I flew to Costa Rica with a friend and from there on to Cartagena in Colombia. After a week of language study and salsa lessons, we explored the Caribbean coast in the north of Colombia. Relaxing beach days and impressive desert walks were as much a part of our programme as unexpected roadblocks and nerve-wracking boat trips.
In mid-November, we boarded a sailing ship in Cartagena bound for San Blas, Panama, with no idea what to expect on this voyage and on the other shore. We went on the adventure and were not disappointed: calm seas, great fellow passengers, delicious food and paradisiacal islands. Satisfied and enriched by an experience on the high seas, we pitched our tents in Panama City for a few days. But it had nothing to do with camping. We treated ourselves to a nice hotel room with two big beds, hot shower and a generous breakfast buffet. We hung the label “luxury” on these days, because in the previous weeks we got used to a simple and no-frills daily travel routine.
After a few days, we left the “luxury” behind and travelled by public bus along the Panamericana. We hiked through dense rainforests and around volcanic craters, improved our Spanish in conversations with the friendly locals and enjoyed delicious food. Panama positively surprised us from start to finish. Yes, Panama is that beautiful.
With a new stamp in our passports, Costa Rica didn’t leave us any less enraptured: beach walks, discovery tours in the numerous national parks in rainforests and cloud forests, on wildlife safaris guided or on our own. Our wildlife encounters became more and more numerous: sloth, toucan, coati, iguana, boa, lizard, gecko, crocodile, caiman, red and green macaw, blue morpho butterfly, red-eye leaf frog, bullet ant, arakari, howler monkey, quetzal…
Now I am sitting here in San José, where I started my trip to Central America two months ago, and reflecting on the past year. A year marked by openness, wanderlust, the desire to discover, devotion, letting go and new beginnings. I travelled through various countries, hiked on numerous paths, learned Spanish, welcomed new people into my life and let others go. In 2022, many opportunities opened up and I made countless decisions. I trusted my gut feeling, my intuition. I didn’t always know whether my choice would be meaningful. However, I wouldn’t find out until I tried and experiences are there to be made. And if I wasn’t satisfied with the result, I could make a new decision based on the new insights.
An important insight for me that I am taking into the new year: I can always choose which path I want to take, what kind of life I want to live and what kind of person I want to be. It doesn’t take big achievements, but small intentions every day. Every day a little more of what is good for me and makes me happy. For me, the new year starts where the old one ended: travelling. And my adventure through Central America continues for another month. I am where I am now because my daily decisions have led me here. I am very grateful for that.
Thank you for taking the time to read my writing and for accompanying me on my journeys. How was your 2022 and what do you wish for 2023? What decisions are you making for yourself today? May you have a prosperous new year filled with people who bring out the best in you! PURA VIDA – to life and its possibilities!