Costa Rica experience, The GPT-3 way
Join me on an exciting journey as I recount my trip, brought to life through the advanced language capabilities of OpenAI's GPT-3 AI model, also known as ChatGPT-3. But what is ChatGPT-3? It's the third generation of OpenAI's Generative Pre-trained Transformer language models that leverage deep learning techniques to generate human-like text based on a given prompt. Get ready to be amazed as ChatGPT-3 takes the lead in narrating my adventure using the bullet points I've provided.
My flight leaving Quebec on December 31st, 2022 was unfortunately canceled, but I was able to book a new one leaving from Montreal on January 1st, 2023. The flight took 6 hours, and upon arrival, the driver Leo was there waiting for me with a sign with my name on it. He helped me with my bags and we headed for my accommodation in Jaco. I arrived at the School of the World in Jaco around 1 am.
The next morning, I went for a 5 am run along the beach, and later in the day, I took part in two back-to-back surf sessions at 10 am. To my surprise, surfing was easier than expected, probably because of my snowboarding experience. On Wednesday, during the first surf session of the day, I suffered an injury when the fin hit my elbow. This injury caused me to miss the second session of the day and I also fell sick later in the night. I had to spend Thursday and Friday in my room, resting and trying to heal. Due to the injury and being sick, I only attended three out of eight surf sessions.
One of the highlights of the week was ordering at Subway, yes they have one in Jaco, in Spanish. It was quite fun to say "Pollo de grill, blanco, quince centímetros, con mostaza y mayonesa, para llevar". On Saturday, I took a bus to Manuel Antonio where I would be staying for the rest of the trip, which was three weeks. The Airbnb I was staying at was quite peaceful and had a beautiful garden. I was able to cook and wash my clothes without leaving.
I also visited a nearby restaurant named "Cerdo Feliz" three times during the week for breakfast and dinner. The view from the restaurant was wonderful, and I even saw a monkey steal and eat a banana in front of me. On Saturday, I went to Quepos to do the pool sessions for my PADI open water dive certification. It was fun to learn about scuba diving, but doing it with a cold wasn't ideal. I had to reschedule the open water dive sessions for later when I hoped my cold would pass.
On Sunday, I went on a Night Jungle Tour at Biophilia Park and saw multiple frogs, deer, monkeys, and even a carcajou. On Monday, I moved to another Airbnb nearby in the jungle and was warned that the monkeys might steal my food. Unfortunately, I didn't close the cabinet properly and the monkey stole my bread.
On Saturday, I went on an excursion to visit three waterfalls where I was able to jump off 10, 15, and 30ft respectively. At the second waterfall, there was a 30ft natural slide which I did and I dropped my GoPro at the end. Fortunately, one of the guides was able to retrieve it. We then stopped at a restaurant with an incredible view of Uvita's whale tail and headed for a nearby beach to relax and end the excursion.
On the 26th, I headed to Quepos for the open dive sessions 1 and 2, but unfortunately, they were canceled due to dangerous conditions. I had to reschedule my ride to San Jose for the 28th and was able to complete dives 3 and 4 on the same day. Diving in the ocean was an incredible experience, but it was challenging to determine the depth without looking at a gauge.
In conclusion, my trip to Jaco, Manuel Antonio, and surrounding areas were filled with ups and downs, but overall it was a fantastic experience. I was able to take in the beauty of the country, try new activities, and meet new people, all while having the opportunity to work and complete my scuba diving certification. I will cherish the memories of this trip forever and I can’t wait to plan my next adventure in Costa Rica!