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A Terrifying Trek Around the Back Roads of Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Is it a true vacation without a crazy road trip?
“Let’s go there!” Mark watched my arm extend towards the sky, my fingers pointing at the chalk-white turret on the horizon across from us. What looked like an honest-to-goodness getaway for Disney princesses sat regally atop a mountain.
“It’s called Castillo de Lilo,” he said, looking down at his phone. “Apparently, it has the best sunset in Costa Rica. It’s a somewhat private restaurant that’s 2,230 feet above sea level.”
“Thanks, Monsieur Google. Let’s go there.”
So, we did.
Little did I know that our adventure would be, well, terrifying. For once, I’m not exaggerating.
If thoughts of potential death could be woven into a cardigan, I would’ve been sporting an anxiety sweater tight enough to make my boobs look 20 years younger. Hairpin turns up and down steep terrain are one thing. Another is when the gravel beneath your vehicle offers about as much grip as a Canadian lake in January.
Why aren’t there guardrails? What if the brakes fail? Would anyone find our bodies after we plummeted to the valley below? Why didn’t I pee before we left?
