Just back from Costa Rica and it was AMAZING.  It was my first time to the country and it was beautiful.  I got to attend a yoga retreat led by nOMad, which was great, b/c everything was planned out.  Here are some of the highlights from the trip:

Welcome to the Jungle!
The Osa Peninsula is a remote part of Costa Rica – right in the middle of the jungle – complete with monkeys, all types of birds, pumas and even jaguars!  To get there, I took a tiny 10 seater plane from San Jose to Puerto Jimenez (on Sansa Air). 

I took a taxi 30 minutes from the "airport" on a VERY bumpy road to Osa Clandestina – what a beautiful spot!!  My room literally felt like I was staying in a tree house.  

​All of our meals were prepared for us, by such a wonderful staff. The food was SO good – simple and local. The fresh fruit in the morning (pineapple, mangoes and papayas), was some of the best I’ve ever had. Plus the Costa Rican coffee - yum!!

Our host, Michael, took very good care of us the entire trip!  There were smaller “casitas” on the property where some of the other guest stayed.  The property also has the most beautiful pool right in the middle of the jungle. All of our yoga classes were on a platform overlooking the trees (and butterflies, monkeys and a baby hawk that practiced with us daily ? ).  

​Yoga and Movement
We had daily yoga practice every morning and experienced a movement class in the evenings, which was a beautiful way to move our bodies and find a connection between movement and stillness. Both were such a great way to clear my mind and stay present to really fully enjoy the entire experience.

Surfing!
Costa Rica is one of the best places in the world for surfing.  Unfortunately, the day we were there, it was super flat!  Not many “olas” (waves) at the Playa Pan Dulce, but we still had a fun time enjoying the warm water and paddling around in the water.  It was just beautiful to be in the water and enjoy the scenery and sounds of the Osa Peninsula.  I was able to catch a few small waves, which made me happy!

​Waterfalls – “Only Opportunity”
We took a couple of hikes to two different waterfalls.  So beautiful and the best experience to swim in a waterfall.  As our guide, Julio, said “This is your only opportunity!”  Such a great motto and one I want to take on whenever I travel from now on!

​Horseback Riding
We also went horseback riding through the jungle.  We saw the most gorgeous views of the coast from high up.  Such beautiful scenery and interesting flowers and plants we encountered along the way. A wonderful experience to connect with nature.  

​Meeting new friends
Part of having a “zest for life” is meeting new people and learning about their experiences.  It was so great to meet some wonderful women on this trip.  We really connected and had such a fun time together – which included a dance party and a dip in the pool (with or without bathing suits ? ) on the last night.  I love meeting and connecting with new people and these ladies were just the best!

​I absolutely loved my time in the Osa Peninsula and am looking forward to my next trip back!  As they say in Costa Rica, Pura Vida!!

Over the past couple of years I’ve become “quite the hiking enthusiast” as my Mom says 😊 So many people travel to go hiking in the Hudson Valley and I’m SO lucky to live in the Hudson Valley and have amazing mountains out my back door.  Hiking is such a great way to clear my mind and relieve stress.  As soon as I get to the top of the mountain, I feel amazing.  I’m a big fan of a strenuous hike that gets your heart pumping that has a big view as a payoff.  Rock scrambles are my favorite – such an adrenaline rush! 
I recently got to check out Bonticou Crag, which is an amazing rock scramble hike in Mohonk Preserve in New Paltz.  It was one that I had wanted to try for a while and when I had a day off and a couple of my friends were planning a trip – I jumped at the chance.  WHAT A HIKE!  The rock scramble was short, but awesome.  It was tough in certain spots and just awe inspiring when you were at the bottom looking up at all the rock formations – seriously took my breath away.  I’m not too bad with heights, but there were a couple of times that made me a bit dizzy! 
We also checked out the Table Rocks, which is about a 2 mile detour off the trail, but totally worth it too.  They were large slanted rock formations with splits down the middle – such a cool thing to see.  This one definitely challenged my fear of heights.  At one point we jumped over one of the “cracks” (with a serious drop down) and I was fine going one way, but almost couldn’t make it back!  The outreached hand of my friend helped me jump over it (thanks, Karen!!)!
Highly recommend a trip there if you plan to be in the Hudson Valley and want a to check out one of the best hikes. 

Tags: Hiking; Hiking the Hudson Valley, Top hikes in the Hudson Valley, Best hikes in the Hudson Valley.

​Three (out of four) of my siblings live in Los Angeles.  I typically visit a couple of times a year.  I’m lucky enough to get out there for work usually once a year and I always tack on an extra weekend to spend time with them.  The first time I went out to visit them was soon after I had 3 kids in 3 years (!!), so I was definitely ready to let loose!  We were celebrating my sister’s birthday and a few of my cousins joined us for the trip too.  We had a blast and I definitely took advantage of being childless for the few days I was there!  They ended up nicknaming me “LA Meghan” and the moniker has stuck!

​It’s always an adventure when I’m there.  This time revolved a lot around food.  We got to go to Majordomo, David Chang’s restaurant.  I’m slightly obsessed with David Chang and the best meal of my life was at Momofuku Ko in 2008.  As soon as I knew I was going to be in LA, I booked a reservation when they opened up 30 days before.  It was AH-mazing.  The space was super cool.  The service was fantastic and the food was seriously SO good. I started with a “cobbler” cocktail which was made with scotch, smoked short-rib fat, apricot and oloroso sherry.  It came in a copper julep cup and was delish!