I’m dreaming big, these days. Actually, I always dream big, so that’s no surprise. Ever since we watched a program on monkeys a few weeks ago, I have been thinking about returning to Costa Rica, this time with my daughter.
I did a lot of travelling before I had my daughter, and I visited Costa Rica about 10 years ago on a volunteer trip. I worked in the Cloud Forest Preserve in Monteverde, a cooler area in the mountains of Costa Rica. Costa Rica is beautiful and quite safe for children. In fact, people I know who have taken children there say that it’s far more child-friendly than many North American cities. That fear you have about your child screaming for the entire duration of a two-hour bus ride? Apparently you needn’t worry about the withering glances if you’re visiting Costa Rica – people tend to take it in stride.
This is good, because the place that I want to go to with my daughter is at least a three-hour ride up a mountain, if not more. But once we’re there, it will be glorious. The wildlife is amazing – monkeys, hummingbirds, and butterflies everywhere. There are several large forest reserves around the town, and there is enough of a town to occupy us for at least a month. There’s a music festival, horseback riding, the works. She’ll be exposed to a new culture and a new language, too.
Now, I’ve travelled internationally with my daughter twice so far, once when she was two and once when she was three. These were great trips, but I feel a little sad that she’s forgotten all about them. Perhaps the memory is there somewhere, though. And when she is five, she may retain a little more, perhaps a striking image and a feeling of the loveliness of the cloud forest that not every North American child has. I think it’s worth it.
Would you go on a month-long trip with your preschooler? Would it be worth it to you, even if your preschooler wouldn’t remember?