I'll Be Home For Christmas...

I should start this post by giving an example of the wonderful infrastructure of Costa Rica (please note the sarcasm). Playa Junquillal, where we were when I last wrote, is near Tamarindo on the pacific coast of Costa Rica and Montezuma is directly south along the coast at the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. It is, however, impossible to go straight there (or even in a round-a-bout way there) without a rental car. I posted a picture to the right of a map of just where we had to go to get there, which included 4 local buses and 1 ferry and took us all the way north to Liberia before heading southeast to Puntarenas to catch the ferry back west across the Gulf of Nicoya and finally another bus to Montezuma. The trip took a total of about 13 hours, the same time it takes me to drive from Tahoe to my brother's house in Montana, over 800 miles away. Playa Junquillal and Montezuma are about 70 miles apart as the pelican flies.

I can't complain though as I am used to long periods of dirty bus travel and the reward this time was so great. My Montezuma, as I sometime call it, is where I spent so much of my second semester in Costa Rica when I lived there 6 years ago. My dear friend Michelle (whom I just saw in London) and I became almost like locals, knew most of the townspeople, and most importantly made lasting friendships that I love coming back to on visits like this. It is literally made up of a street corner, like an "L" running along the beach on one side and inland on the other. Packed with shops, restaurants, and people, it is sometimes hard to believe it is still so small. Montezuma is where Nate and I stayed for the next two weeks, finally winding down from traveling so much and focusing simply on relaxing and not much else. We greatly succeeded in this. Our hotel had a kitchen, so we cooked a lot which not only saved us a lot of money but also quenched our craving to cook after having eaten out so much. Our days were spent going to the beach, hiking the river to the swimming hole and waterfall, going to the beach, taking photos of wildlife, going to the beach, and pretty much going to the beach. We did happen to take a yoga class and an ice-cream making class as well, but mostly we just tried to stay cool and went through a lot of sunscreen. Our nights were spent playing gin rummy, and occasionally we went out to Chico's Bar (the only bar in town) to hang out with my friends. It was almost like old times, except that we've all grown up a lot in the last 6 years (this is a good thing:). I was so happy to learn that I haven't lost a step in my salsa dancing, and spent many many songs being twirled around the dance floor, something that makes me SO SO SO happy that I can't stop smiling. It was amazing to see my friends again, and I'm so glad I've been able to visit a few times before things really change and all my friends eventually leave, which is slowly starting to happen.

Here are a couple of fun stories from Montezuma: one night in the grocery store as Nate and I were picking out vegetables, I was suddenly engulfed in a giant hug from one of my girl friends that I hadn't seen yet, so excited to see her although I think at first Nate's heart skipped a beat thinking something was wrong from all the commotion, girls:) Anyway as we tried to make plans to hang out she insisted we come to breakfast tomorrow (her parents own a hotel) and then suddenly felt so bad and so saddened by the fact that she couldn't tomorrow because she promised she'd go with the hotel workers to Isla Tortuga for their Christmas bonus and acted as if it was such a burden. Let me explain something, Isla Tortuga is a destination island with white sandy beaches where tourists go on nice boats for lunch and snorkeling. Such is the hard life in Montezuma! The very next night in the same exact spot I actually ran into a girl I knew in high school though, and THAT was a small world story! Nate was beginning to wonder what was so magic about that corner of the grocery store. And one morning as we were eating breakfast, flowers were falling from the sky, literally. Our hotel faces the park, full of big trees where monkeys like to visit. They sit high in the trees and pick the flowers, sucking something out of them and then letting them float to the ground. Only in paradise does it rain flowers:)

After our two weeks we headed back to the central valley to Heredia which is where I lived 6 years ago. I showed Nate my university, which hardly looks the same at all they have built many new buildings and repainted some old ones. It actually looks more like a university than a correctional center now, which I think is a step in the right direction! And finally, on our last night in Costa Rica, we went to my house to visit my host family that I lived with for the entire year that I was there. It was a Monday and at their house that means English class night! My dad is a retired English teacher, and gives classes each Monday to all my mom's siblings, plus a few extra relatives, there are about 10 students in all. After catching up with my parents and little brother who turns 14 in March (crazy, he was 7 when I first moved there!) over a Christmas tamale and coffee, the students arrived. We were happy to act as the visiting professors for the night, and engaged in conversation (mostly prepared questions) with all of them for over an hour to practice their English. And when class was over we all ate dinner together and let me tell you it was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. I love those people, they loved us, and they are so real. One of the things I love the most about being able to conquer the language barrier is understanding that people are all the same behind their languages! They love to laugh and joke and share with each other and I just love to be part of it. Nate did very well and I think they all really liked him too. Unfortunately the night had to end eventually and my family gave us a ride back to our hotel, bidding us farewell until who knows when, but it left me with such a feeling satisfaction for our whole trip, and I was ready to go back to the US.

Nate left before me, as he was flying home to Minnesota for Christmas, so I had one last breakfast of gallo pinto before heading to the airport. As it turns out, I was sitting next to a blind man on my flight. His name was Brad and he was from the States, a very nice guy whom I chatted with for a bit. He has friends in Costa Rica that he visits often, and by himself. It broke my heart when he said he had visited Jaco and San Ramon and that "San Ramon is so beautiful..." I didn't know what to say but to agree with him, who sat there staring blankly at nothing with a big smile on his face. I suddenly was hit with such a deep gratitude for my healthy eyesight, I couldn't even imagine being in a place as beautiful and lush as Costa Rica (or any place for that matter) and not being able to enjoy it with my eyes, and my camera, as I do so absent-mindedly. I am so thankful for the freedom that I have to travel and my healthy body that enables me to do so. Today is Christmas and I am spending it at home with my brother and parents (and the dogs, of course:) and am feeling very blessed!

I won't be staying in Tahoe for long, but we don't have a plan yet for where we are going next (not abroad, just moving somewhere) so I may be posting again soon, but for now, Merry Christmas everybody!

With love,
J

A Very Happy Thanksgiving AND Birthday!

I have never seen Puerto Viejo without rain, and this is still true even after the sun we've had recently. We somehow made the most of it, eating scrumptious gallo pinto again and enjoying being back in Costa Rica. We rented bikes and ventured down the road through the jungle to a little town/beach called Manzanillo. The exciting part about this trip is not Manzanillo, however, it is the wildife spotting on the way! We kept stopping for sloths, got some great pictures (I LOVE my zoom lens), we saw monkeys, giant spiders, and even several toucans! It was like being on a guided tour, only we were our own guides, and even served as guides for the gringos that kept catching up to us and stopping to see what we found this time. It was a fun and cheap way to get to see a lot, and luckily we only got caught in one bad shower on the way. We stayed 3 days in Puerto Viejo which is on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, and then needed to figure out how we were going to make it to La Fortuna (Volcan Arenal) in hopefully one day (it's a LONG day to get anywhere far away in CR). We came across a tour operator that we thought might do a private shuttle to where we needed to go, asked about it, gagged when he said $250, and then left while he was trying to sell us a rafting trip that would then have continuing transport to La Fortuna blah blah blah. Well at least I thought it was blah blah blah, but apparently the boys thought otherwise, and after dinner we went back to inquire, and suddenly found ourselves signing up to go rafting! This would be a day of getting picked up from our hotel, brought to raft place, breakfast included, then rafting for a few hours, then lunch included, and THEN another private shuttle straight to La Fortuna. All for $99 per person! We thought that was worth it. So we got to raft the Rio Pacuare, the river rated #5 in the WORLD by National Geographic for best rivers to raft. The scenery was UNbelievable, like a movie. We rafted literally through waterfalls, canyons, the thick jungle, oh and not to mention the Class IV rapids. That part was a bit unnerving for me, I have a problem with water and hyperventilation, not a good combo. Luckily non of us fell out of the raft unless on purpose, they made me do it once to "practice" a rescue, NOT exciting for me even a little bit. The other raft, however, did manage to lose everyone but the guide on one of the big rapids, that was pretty scary. Nate and Daryl were in heaven the whole time, and I was just trying to survive and enjoy the scenery, which I did, so in the end it was a huge success and a really amazing thing to have done. AND we ended up right where we needed to go!

The next few days in La Fortuna were unfortunately a bit cloudy. I've been there 4 times and only seen the volcano ONCE. Unlucky. But we did find an awesome swimming hole with a rope swing that the guys played on for a while, and went on a volcano hike that pretty much ended up being sort of a guided tour through the jungle, not entirely worth it but still a good activity to pass the time. Thanksgiving Day was the best day we spent there. We found out that the Patriots were playing, and we could watch the game on the tv at our hotel! So we watched a bit of the Macy's Parade and then the Pats game, and then went to Baldi Hotsprings for the rest of the day. This place is awesome, it has 25 pools of different temperatures and designs to go and just soak all day. There were water slides and swim up bars and lounge chair pools as well, and we didn't have any problem enjoying ourselves. Thanksgiving dinner consisted of a buffet at the hotsprings, a delicious spread of Costa Rican cuisine, followed by another round of soaking in the lounge pool (see photos). Thanksgiving was definitely a success.

With 2 days left before Daryl had to leave we decided to make the most of it and headed to Monteverde on what they call a "Jeep Boat Jeep" transfer, but it's more like bus boat bus, not as exciting. A couple bumpy hours later we arrived to Monteverde, and signed up to do the zipline that very day. It's a good thing I didn't look at the photos, because this zipline has CHANGED since I last did it, and it's not just an ordinary zipline anymore, this zipline includes a Tarzan swing, it's 200ft, starting with about a 10 ft freefall, HOLY CRAP. I have a hilarious video of Daryl doing it, it's the scariest man scream I've ever heard, which really didn't make me want to do it any more. But seriously everyone in the whole group did it, I was the last one, so I went. I WENT ON A TARZAN SWING. It's like those giants swings they do in the States where they hoist you up and then drop you, ya those ones that I said I'd never do. Well I did. In the jungle. Unfortunately Daryl didn't think to video me, so sad, but we have some photos. It was pretty terrifying and that free fall thing, no thanks. But that wasn't all! The very last zipline is 1 KM long, takes about a minute to complete, and this one of called Superman! They change the harness so you are attached from the back, and they attach your feet too, so you are literally face down, flying 1KM through the mountains, and this is WAY high, not sure how many hundred feet in the air we were, but it was UP there. That was scarier for me than the Tarzan, because there was nothing I could do to get out of that position, and I felt really helpless! Most people loved the exhilaration, but being afraid of heights, I sort of just looked at the end and prayed I'd get there before the cable snapped. Anyway though we all made it without any problems, thank GOD. The next day we went on a tour of a coffee plantation, and I was happy to be grounded and not risking my life to have fun that day. I think that's where the photos stop for now. The next day we sent Daryl on a bus back to San Jose to get his flight out, and managed to catch a ride to Playa Brasilito in Guanacaste where we would spend my birthday! I guess I should mention the reason we got a ride, but I'm gonna make it a long crazy story very short- there was another American guy who got hurt and needed to get x rays and see doctors and he was living in a beach town near where we needed to go, so we went with him and I acted as his translator for the day in return for a ride to Brasilito. He was very thankful to me, and I knew that I really helped him a lot, it was a good feeling, I really love translating (SPANISH!:) and I was so glad to be able to help even though it took all day..

Anyway, Playa Brasilito is right next to Playa Conchal, which is supposed to be (and it is) one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica. This is where I spent my birthday! They even had massage tables right on the beach! So of course we got massages, and we ate that night at an Italian place (yum!) in town, delicious food, and even got some chocolate ice cream for dessert. I can't believe I'm 26 now, yikes.. but each year seems to be better than the last so it can only get more exciting, right? After a few lazy days there we made our way to where we are now, a beach called Playa Junquillal, try pronouncing that! It's hoonk-ee-YALL. There is NOTHING here, just a beach, I'm surprised this hotel even has internet for me to use, but glad just the same. There is a nice pool, and this place happens to be owned by an Italian from Milano, we've been chatting in Italian and it's nice to get to do that every now and then! The Italian restaurant here opens tonight for the summer season so I'm excited, because in a town this small there aren't other options, and last night's dinner consisted of 20 oz of ice cream (between the 2 of us) and chips and cheese. YUM. But can't eat like that all the time:) We are thinking after this that we will just head down to Montezuma and stay there for a while, maybe a week or two. For now, the beach is calling...