It must have been about 3AM on a freezing cold February night, when I was violently pulled out of the sanctuary and comfort of my warm bed, handcuffed, a bag thrown over my head, and dragged out of my apartment into the blistering cold. I still remember my heart beating loudly in my ears as I was pushed into what I could only imagine was the backseat of a van, and as the tires squealed at take-off, I thought to myself, “Morgan – oh God – where the Hell is Morgan? Is she ok? Had they taken her too; hurt her?” Just as panic had kicked in, I heard a very loud POP sound and suddenly was drenched in something – something with a familiar smell – and at that exact moment I felt my mask pulled off, and I found myself in a limo with my college buddies. They had fake-abducted me – and so began my surprise weekend Bachelor Party in Jaco Beach, Costa Rica!
Now, fully-dressed in our matching Bachelor Party gear consisting of a multi-color tie-dye shirts with the words “ADIOS AMIGO” printed on them, cargo shorts and flip flops, we stepped out of the limo, took ten steps through the snow, and ran into the airport. They had planned everything, these boys – the fake abduction, the plane tickets, the transportation there, the accommodations, the parties, the daytime activities – it was all done and ready, just waiting for us to arrive. We landed in Costa Rica at about noon, and an Air-Conditioned Mercedes Benz Sprinter van received us at the airport along with a super cute girl who was to be our very own Personal Concierge. The drive down from the airport was about an hour and a half, and as I stepped out of the cool Air-Conditioned van, I felt the heat slap me like a ton of bricks upon our arrival at the party-friendly Cocal Hotel & Casino in Jaco Beach. The party had evidently already begun, for the music got louder and louder as we approached the poolside bar, and before long we were in the pool, sipping on ice-cold beers, surrounded by local honeys, the music booming in our ears – life was good! We partied poolside until the sunset, for which we walked onto the beach and made our way to the restaurant for dinner. It was a seafood restaurant called El Hicaco right on the beach with a view of the ocean, and thanks to our reservations we had amazing seats. We ordered a lot of cocktails along with the hot and cold starters, and then moved onto main dishes – I had the grilled red snapper which was simply to die for! After dinner, we went into town to look for a place in which to party. We bar-hopped for a couple of hours, discovered Red Parrot and Jaco Bar, made new friends, and altogether went to a nightclub called Republik where we went wild! We returned to the hotel at dawn; what a crazy night!
The next morning, in spite of having barely slept, we were woken up bright and early. As it turns out, the boys had planned a Fishing Trip, and there was a Fishing Charter in Los Suenos Marina, 10 minutes away from Jaco Beach, waiting for us! Hungover and sleep-deprived, we made our way to the marina in our designated van, and a happy-looking man greeted us at the boat and introduced himself as the mate. The captain then stepped out, introduced himself too, and then we took off into the blue. The wind in my hair, the sea-breeze in my face, the sun in my eyes, I took a deep breath, cracked open an ice-cold beer, and took a long drink. The boys made a toast in my honor, and after a lot of hoots and hollers, the party began. Beers in hand, music playing, us dancing around and singing, we made our way to the designated spot in which the fishing would actually occur. It was the most serene, beautiful spot of the ocean where we stopped. We turned the music off, settled in our places, and waited. Before long, I got a bite! After a brief but intense struggle, I caught a nice, big Yellowfin Tuna. Of course, since we were staying at a hotel, there was no way to take this fish back for dinner – well, our Personal Concierge came to the rescue! She said she knew a restaurant that would cook it up for us, as long as we ordered drinks there. We spent the afternoon drinking beers on the boat, relaxing, and made it back to shore before sunset. We went back to the hotel, and left the fish with our Concierge, whom we would meet at the restaurant a couple of hours later for dinner.
Green Room, was the name of the restaurant nice enough to cook us the tuna I had caught, and it was a very nice little place, at that! Decorated with many, many plants, a tropical sort of vibe, very lively and energetic, we sat and ordered many, many cocktails as the live music played and we got merrier and merrier. Before long, a refreshing and delicious Tuna Tartare arrived, and then a Tuna Carpaccio, followed by a Tuna Ceviche – what creativity! Within the hour, the main dish arrived – Grilled Tuna Steaks with a Mango-Chutney Sauce – breath-takingly scrumptious! It was an all-tuna, tuna fish-themed dinner in which tuna was without a doubt the shining star of the show. Delicious! Our bellies full, nicely liquored up, we went over to a beachside bar called El Point where we had Frozen Margaritas, shot some pool, and met up with the girls from the day before. After one too many drinks, we went back to the hotel to keep the party going. Music booming, the girls dancing, the boys jumping in and out of the pool, we kept the party going until the morning light! Sleepless in Jaco Beach!
Once again, hungover and sleep-deprived, we woke up and made our way to the airport to fly back home. It had been an absolutely crazy, insane weekend getaway. I thanked the boys for arranging it all, and then ran to the bathroom to puke before having to get on the plane. Even though I knew that I’d probably be hungover for another 48 hours to come, it had been so, so worth it! Pura Vida, Costa Rica!