Somewhere within the last two weeks of 2019 I woke up one morning and felt terrible chest pains. When the ache didn’t go away after 24 hours I went to a walk-in clinic. The receptionist led me to a small room where I sat on top of a plastic bed covered with that weird parchment paper that crinkled as I waited for the doctor to tell me WTF is wrong with me.

A blonde lady in her mid-50’s quickly burst into the room with a clipboard, barely looking up. She asked me 100 questions, checked me out and asked, “are you an anxious person? Are you stressed?” Yes, to all of the above.

She recommended I make an appointment with my family doctor, whom I visited a week later. He set up an appointment for me to get a blood test done and when the results came back, I was very low on white blood cells. As you may already know, white blood cells protect the body against infectious diseases. If you’re low on these suckers, illness is inevitable. My family doctor said that strain, stress, and anxiety usually lasts in the nervous system for 3-4 weeks and only time can heal. ALL OF THIS TO SAY.. I needed rest and relaxation so I flew to a tropical beach, doctor’s orders.

Hola Tamarindo, Costa Rica! 🎉 🎉 🎉 

Playa Tamarindo stretches for miles and every morning I sat on the soft blonde coloured sand, ate french fries, drank coconut water, and swam in the glistening cool blue waters. I wish I had crazy stories about wild adventures and drunken nights since this little town is known for two things – parties and surfing. I did neither. I sat on the beach by 10am every morning and was in bed by 8pm every night.

I was very happy with this routine.

The sunsets in Tamarindo are ridiculously beautiful. My soul went from 0 to 100 after just one evening.

TIP: There’s a grocery store in town (5 minute walk from the beach) where you can purchase fruits, bread, meats, and cheese. Restaurant prices, especially on the beach, are comparable to big city eateries. Save yourself some $$$ and have cute little picnics on the beach.

Other than laying out and resembling bacon every night, I did eat a whole lot. My favourite dish was called casado, a traditional Costa Rican meal which consists of rice, black beans, plantains, veggies, and a meat (chicken, beef, pork, fish, etc). In my vlog I show you a super delicious casado dish as well as other minor activities I did.

This tropical paradise cured all my troubles (lol, cheesy but true) and whether you go solo or with a group of friends, I recommend visiting this gorgeous part of the world if you can!