In this edition of Short Tails, we’re talking coffee and are back in Costa Rica during the Autumn of 2022. Hannah recently wrote an excellent article discussing medical issues as one of the big concerns while traveling, read it here.
So, let me tell you the story of how I went temporarily deaf and ended up in the hospital in San Jose, Costa Rica.
The Costa Rica Coffee Garden
Towards the end of our time in Costa Rica, a Workaway placement we had scheduled was canceled at late notice. We weren’t too disappointed as we’d had minimal contact from the host and it looked tricky to get there.
With no house sitting opportunities available nearby and facing an expensive month in paid accommodation, we went back to Workaway. There are lots of listings in Costa Rica and we hoped to find another volunteer opportunity. We found Phil! A Californian ex-pat living the Costa Rica dream in San Isidro, about 30 minutes north of the capital San Jose.
He owned a magnificent coffee plantation and a stunning property. We reached out to see if he’d be up for taking us on at short notice.
Phil – The Californian Coffee Farmer
Phil’s response was quick but a little unclear. Many Workaway exchanges involve an element of grunt work and we expected the coffee plantation to fit into this category, but we were wrong. Phil said he was working on a self-help book and wanted Hannah, the seasoned copywriter to help him. I had to check I was invited too, and Phil said, ‘Yeh, I’m sure we’ll think of something for you’.
Just a few days later we arrived at Phil’s and were blown away by his home. With views that span across San Jose, his property is truly glorious. He also has 4 top-notch holiday apartments and it’s among the best accommodation we have stayed in during our travels.
The coffee plantation and sweeping gardens were breathtaking. The gates to the ranch were like entering Jurrasic Park and once inside it was completely feasible to get lost. It had all the wonderful rich Costa Rican wildlife, with streams and tranquil Zen gardens on an epic plot of land.
The Coffee
The ranch produced a significant amount of coffee beans every year and along with one permanent gardener, Jackson, Phil was proud of the coffee produced on his property. Although not a large-scale operation, beans were sold to local businesses and those using the holiday lets.
Needless to say, there was coffee on tap for us! If we ran out of beans we could simply help ourselves from the stockpile. It was a coffee-lovers dream.
Coffee and Me – A Brief Background
I love coffee. I like it strong, straight-up, with no sugar, and no milk – just pure coffee. However, during the Covid lockdowns and perhaps killing my boredom by making and drinking more of it, I found that caffeine was starting to have a weird effect on me. I started to have random muscle twitches, heart palpitations, and a serious feeling of nausea.
Apparently, it’s an age thing, (I’m now 38), and in some people, caffeine can affect you differently. So, when we left the UK in January 2022 I was down to just 2 cups of coffee a day.
Coffee On Tap
Now skip ahead 8 months to me mainlining coffee almost directly from the source in Costa Rica. It’s not hard to imagine a problem arising. Safely consuming 5-7 cups of java a day, I was productive, to say the least.
With little to no of the aforementioned side effects, I was very much enjoying my coffee intake. That was until the morning that I woke up 95% deaf in my left ear. I figured I’d slept on it funny or maybe I had a sinus infection. Or perhaps all my years as a professional rock musician were finally catching up with me.
I left it for a few days hoping the problem would resolve itself – It did not. By day 3 I was Googling my symptoms and became quite scared when I read that it could be a serious condition that might permanently damage my hearing if not seen to. We spoke to Phil and he directed us to his preferred hospital.
A Trip to the Hospital in San Jose
Although I went in with plenty of trepidations, the hospital visit couldn’t have been any smoother. The immaculate and modern mega facility was superior to anything I’d ever been to in the UK, and as Phil informed me, far better than many US hospitals.
I was seen by a doctor within 30 minutes and assured that it was not the serious condition I feared. However, on the doctor’s advice, I booked to see a specialist the next day.
The very nice specialist took one look at me, felt around my neck, and immediately asked, ‘How much coffee do you drink?’. I proceeded to explain I was currently living on a coffee farm in Costa Rica and my subsequent consumption levels.
Deaf by Coffee in Costa Rica
The specialist advised that my ear had become dehydrated! Who knew such a condition existed? This tied in with the very hot Costa Rican weather, and my daily hour round-trip to the gym where I had been training hard, as well as plenty of weekend cervezas had evidently taken its toll on my left ear.
On doctor’s orders, I was told to cut back to two small cups a day and drink more water. I’m pleased to say almost two years on, I have stuck to that advice rigidly.
I was given a week’s worth of pills to assist with bringing my hearing back. These included some bedtime tranquilizers to relax the muscles around my ear, they made me sleep like a baby. Over a week, my ear began popping like I’d just stepped off a plane. Every crackle brought me (and Hannah) immense joy and I’ve thankfully had no issues since.
More About Beaches All The Way Down
Hannah and I started this blog after 2 of traveling the world with a desire to record our adventures (and mishaps!) and as a resource for anyone looking to do a similar thing.
We have used sites like Workaway and Trusted Housesitters as an accommodation resource for years, and they have worked fantastically well for us. We’ve met lots of great people, like Phil in Costa Rica, and had experiences we wouldn’t have had by simply staying in a rented apartment or hotel. We have also saved a fortune in travel costs.
Workaway
The premise of Workaway is pretty simple, you generally offer around 5 hours of work a day, 5 days a week in exchange for accommodation and all of your food during your stay. There are 50,000+ listings globally including things like language exchanges, pet shelters, and eco farms. Membership is just $49/year! Click here to start browsing Workaway.
Trusted Housesitters
Our website is full of articles about house sitting, our experiences around the world, and Trusted Housesitters specifically. There are currently around 8000 homes accepting applications for house sitters globally and a year’s worth of sits starts at just $129. Furthermore, you’ll get 25% off when you use our discount code BEACHES25, click here to get started.
For further information check out my previous article – Everything You Need to Know About Trusted Housesitters.
SafetyWing
Finally, just a mention about our traveler insurance which is hard to attain as permanent digital nomads who rarely go home. We use SafetyWing as they have policies tailor-made for people like us that are easy to cancel when you don’t need them and reactivate when you do. Their prices are super competitive too.
We didn’t need to use our insurance for my hospital trip in Costa Rica because the bill was so low but it was reassuring to know that if it had been a more serious situation, we were properly covered. Click here to visit SafetyWing and save $20 on your first policy.
Like This Post? Pin It!
*Permission given to use all photos of pets and homes.