Google knows a lot, the locals know the most

This long weekend, Kulturstudier arranged transportation to Santa Teresa for those of us studying in Costa Rica. That meant we didn’t have to coordinate bus changes, ferry schedules, and could avoid stress on the way to the world‑famous paradise.

All we had to do was get on the bus and relax for a few hours, and then we would “suddenly” be there.

Once we had arrived, the rest was up to us – the schedule was completely open, and there were plenty of possibilities. The only thing I knew was that the waves Santa Teresa is known for had to be taken advantage of.

When it came to the rest of the weekend, I was a bit more unsure. In the past I’ve used Instagram, Google and TikTok as travel guides, but this time I wanted to do it a little differently.

So I thought, who knows the city better than the people who live there? With that in mind, the plan was set: the locals would decide the weekend’s activities. As an extra challenge, all communication with the locals would take place in Spanish.

It turned out to be a surprisingly easy task, as our Airbnb hosts knew the city very well.

They could arrange surfing lessons, help us book transportation, and give tips about hidden gems in the city. That meant we were quick to act, and suddenly ten of us on the trip had a surfing lesson scheduled for 2:00 p.m. the next day.

Excited to explore the city, we woke up early the next morning. Before our surf lesson, we spent a few hours sitting on the beach watching the surfers in the water—fully aware that it would soon be us.

I myself was quite excited. I surfed a fair bit when I was on exchange in Spain, but that’s quite a few years ago now, and I was curious to see if my skills had held up. Fortunately, the nerves disappeared quickly once the lesson started.

After a short while, (almost) everyone was standing on their boards throwing shaka signs at each other, before we fell flat on our faces in the water. I think we actually did pretty well, because after the lesson we were rewarded by the instructors with our own fresh coconuts filled with coconut water. More pura vida than that, it doesn’t get!

The next day we were going to explore the Montezuma waterfall. The 30-minute bus ride was bumpy, but despite motion sickness and the lack of air conditioning, we arrived safely.

After a short walk through the jungle, we arrived at the waterfall. The water was refreshingly cool compared to the warm sea – exactly what we needed in the heat. What was going to happen next was still unclear.

Fortunately, we met a jeweler who had lived in the area for many years, right by the waterfall. Naturally, he got to decide the next stop on the itinerary: the trip would continue to Playa Las Manchas.

After a 30-minute walk we arrived. The beach looked like it was taken straight out of a postcard and had everything you could dream of.

Blue crystal-clear water, white sand, small cliffs with tidal pools and palm trees. We stayed there on the beach and in the water until it was time to head back to Santa Teresa.

After the weekend, the memory book was filled up and my Spanish level was a bit better again!