Puerto Viejo!

This weekend we went to Puerto Viejo, an afro-caribbean town that was a lot of fun! I have a picture of me here on the bus because I spend a lot of quality time on buses. And my hair was just so beautiful I couldn't resist. Fiesha and I are trying to have good attitudes about our hotel room where we could see through the walls, had screens instead of windows, and a cockroach in the bathroom. I guess the girls next door had it a little worse because they had a bat in the room...but I guess it is all a part of the adventure! Also part of the adventure was being offered "special brownies" on our way to go out dancing later that night. Let's just say there were some interesting sights and smells in this town...
I just finished getting a massage on the beach for only 10 dollars! And the sun was shining, and I was happy to be in Costa Rica. I was thinking about you Mom, in California and Dad hunting and me, sunbathing on a Carribean beach. And I decided that life is good.
Danny and I and a little beach jumping contest, and I think she won. The water was like pool water, the sand was soft, and the weather was so hot. The beach town was super fun, it felt like we were in Jamaica.
I think I am going to miss the palm trees.
After the time at the beach we Fiesha, Danny, Lupe and I rented bikes. We rode into town for dinner (definitely experienced Tico Time here, the meal took like an hour! But everyone is so relaxed that you can't really complain). Then we headed out in search of a different beach. Everyone was riding bikes, it was so fun! We weren't quite as fast as the locals since we weren't used to all the potholes and cars not exactly yeilding to bikes. But the ride was beautiful!
We got to the beach just in time for some sunset wave jumping. This beach was gorgeous. We were the only ones there, the waves were so fun, and the sand was soft and beautiful. None of my pictures could quite capture the beauty of the moment. Then we rode our bikes back, had some amazing chocolate cheesecake to celebrate Lupe's birthday, and headed back to the hotel, exhausted. Sunday we woke up to rain, which was a bummer, but the weather was still warm. We went snorkeling, and while it wasn't Hawaii, it was fun and I saw tons of fish. We also went to a beach with monkeys and they were bold! They tried to steal the coconuts and fruits from out of our hands and jumped all around us and up in the trees. They were cute, but I can say that is as close as I would like to be with a monkey. Then we came back, had one last meal in Puetro Viejo, and made the long journey home. It was such a great weekend and now I am exhausted! Good thing we don't have class tomorrow so I can sleep in! I am continuously amazed by the experiences and opportunities I have had here. I have made some amazing friends, seen beautiful examples of God's creativity in the nature and examples of His love through the people here. Sometimes I really miss home (like paved roads and clean sidewalks and starbucks and food that doesn't take an hour and of course all my family and friends) but I know it will be tough to leave in a few months. This has truly been incredible!

El Clasico!

This past week was very nice and relaxing and not too busy. I stayed home all weekend, so that was nice to sleep in. Lupe and I explored San Jose all day Saturday and bought ice cream cones for fifty cents and sat on a park bench and watched the ticos. Saturday night Danny and Lupe and I went back to El Taller de Artistas and stayed there for five hours chatting and laughing. And we got ourselves some free drinks (Sangria...amazing) along with our dessert and coffee. Sunday we went to two church services (and I might have fallen asleep in both sermons) but the worship was good and it was fun to meet some ticos.
So my activities committee skills came in handy this past week. I went downtown with Fiesha and we bought over thirty tickets for the biggest futbol game of the year, the Clasico between Saprissa and El Liga. Then we sold the tickets to the students, rented a tour bus, and headed to the game! It was so incredible! So much energy. And again, the ticos had trouble using the camera so we have a finger in the corner and not quite the desired effect, but we were super close to the action. And it was incredible. You can see Lupe was excited. She might have been eating some of the peanuts they sold. That or a juice box, hamburger, or ice cream. All in carboard boxes...a different type of vendor than at Safeco that's for sure.
This is how close we were! I loved the game, cheered for Saprissa, they won, and we watched the fans go wild in the stands (we are talking fire torches, toilet paper, drums, and painted chests like crazy).
On Friday our class took a field trip to the Costa Rican art museum. It was actually the first international airport of Costa Rica, as you can see by the control tower, and was pretty interesting. BUT I was super tired from staying out late at Castro's salsa dance club, so I was very grateful when we didn't have to walk around anymore and we could have our picnic in the park nearby. No more thursday night dancing in heels for me, it was killer!
Friday night we had a super "american" night of going to the mall, getting ice cream, and watching "Baila con Pasion" (or step up in english...not really a translation). I loved the movie and us girls has so much fun in the theatre, since we were like the only ones in there.
Here we are helping Argelis out in the kitchen making some limonada (Lime-ade) and chopping something...I don't exactly remember why I had a knife. But it was super fun and hopefully I can transfer some of my Costa Rican cooking techniques to the kitchens back home, because the food here is good! And, as I tell my host mom every day, "Voy a engordar mucho porque su comida me pone gordita." (which means I am going to gain a lot of weight because the food makes me a little fatty).

Isla Tortuga!

We had to be at school at 5:45 this morning to catch a bus to La Isla Tortuga, but it was worth the lack of sleep. We took a boat there (kind of an older not so classy vessel that reminded me of the one we took in Mexico, maybe even worse) and the ride was an hour and a half. But we had music on board, some free snacks, and dancing. And the island was beautifully and practically empty except for our group when we arrived. I really feel like I am in a tropical country now. I just can't believe that I actually have to go to class tomorrow.
As soon as we got there we jumped in the water. Then a few of us swam over to another island to look in caves and watch the crabs. It was actually quite the long swim, even if it may not look like it, so it's a good thing we have our muscles.
Table linens? Check. White wine? Check. Live music? Check. It was a pretty nice lunch on the beach. The banana boat was one of the many optional activities and totally worth it. We flipped off a few times (and a few times on purpose) and our boat driver thought us girls were crazy. It was a blast!
Needless to say this wave took us by surprise as Danny and Lupe and I were trying to make a cool pose in the water. Luckily the water is warm.
I think I found the Latin Lover! His name is Esteban...and he was our tour guide. I may need to hang on to the shirt for a while because I think I am still looking...

Coffee, Volcanoes, and Waterfalls

You know it is a good morning when you start out at a coffee farm and drink a delicious latte and walk around all this beauty.
We arrived at the crater of Vulcan Poas and it was refreshingly chilly. That's right, it felt good to be a little cold! You can't see the crater here too well because the clouds moved so fast it was hard to capture it, but it was huge with blue acid water and steam.
Nothing like a little hike through the rain forest. There were so many beautiful trees and everything was so lush and green!
When we arrived at La Paz waterfall park and gardens, we had an amazing lunch and walked all around the gardens. Then a butterfly landed on my arm in the butterfly garden! It actually felt really weird. But there were so many beautiful flowers and butterflies all over, it was insane.
After about 2000 steps over rocky cliffs, we arrived at the viewpoint for one of the many waterfalls along the trail. It was so beautiful! And don't forget the walking sticks. Gotta have the walking sticks.
I am continuously amazed at God's beauty here in Costa Rica. I have come to love this country and am so excited for the months to come. I am so blessed with my friendships, host family, and school and it will be so hard to leave in December. But there are many more adventures to come...

Bungee Jumping!

I was SO excited to go bungee jumping, but when the moment came and I looked over the bridge and realized what I had gotten myself into, fear started to set in. Luckily Lupe was with me and I did have the promise of a DVD...proof that I jumped off a bridge in Costa Rica.
Lupe was too scared and couldn't jump and so they THREW her off the bridge. This was before I had to go, and it made me a little nervous. But she had fun!
About to leap to the greatest adventure in my life. That time on the platform was the scariest time of my life, but so exciting! You would have been proud mom.
There I am, dangling over a Costa Rican river. Nothing like it in the world!


I think my face says it all.
At the end of they day, we still had our DVD's as proof. Thank you Juan, our guide.
Dia de las Culturas! And African drumming! and men in not very many clothes. That's what we get for a front row seat.
The fourth graders had better dance moves than I could ever hope to have, despite my recent salsa dance lessons.

Monteverde!

This morning we got up bright and early, ate some rice and beans, and headed off to the canopy tour! We did 16 zip lines and a huge swing (you have to jump off a platform and then swing back and forth) and the whole thing was an adventure I would love to repeat!
We have our harnesses, gloves, and helmets. And I have my tie-dye. I think we are ready.
Here I am, high above the trees, with my guide Raul (actually, I am not sure if that was his name, but there is a very good chance I am correct).
Yep, I did this 16 times today. And a few times in the rain!


That's right....rain. As soon as I finished the big swing it was a tropical downpour. Luckily our tour guides were prepared with rain jackets so Danny and I didn't have to worry. It was still a very wet time. But nothing beats a sunday morning spent zipping over costa rican rainforest!

Hot Springs!

After a rather long bus ride through the rain and jungles of Costa Rica, we arrived at the hot springs. There were like 20 pools and hot tubs all with different water temperatures and with water falls and palm trees all around, it was amazing! And we were like the only people there, so lots of space to swim and roam around. It was so beautiful! (I feel like I use that sentence a lot here, but it's true...everything is SO beautiful)
Lupe and I enjoyed the swim up bar and the blue cherries that Maricio gave us.
Here we are enjoying some tropical cocktails without having to leave the comfort of the hot springs! They thought of everything at this place...
I have a new obsession with hammocks, and I think I am going to buy one soon. And lucky for me, the hot springs had a few to enjoy. I love hammocks.
Here are the girls outside Baldi Hot springs, at the base of Arenal volcano.
Here is the cute little hotel we stayed in, including towel art and hot water and air conditioning (two comforts I had missed for a while). We might have stayed up until 2 chatting and laughing like crazy with the girls, and I might have been a little tired in the morning, but it was totally worth it!

Arenal and Fortuna!

This past week has been so incredible and such a time of growth and new friendships. I started classes, and even though I am in a lower level than I had hoped, it has been good to review and solidify my spanish skills. I love my professor, there are only eight people in my class, and we hardly have any homework...yet at least. I have met some amazing friends and am excited for everything in store! This weekend was our first excursion, and we did so much!

Here I am with Lupe outside our hotel. In the background is Vulcan Arenal. We stayed in such a cute little hotel and they made the towels into swans and stuff, just like in Mexico! And we had breakfast in the restaurant behind us...rice and beans as usual.
Here we are (Melissa, Janelle, Melanie, Lupe, Krystal, and me) on Lake Arenal. We took a little cruise around and it was so beautiful. We kind of felt like we were in the middle of nowhere because it was all nature and dirt roads, and absolutely gorgeous.
Lupe and I are ready to hit the jungles and hike down to Fortuna waterfall. It was so warm and lots of animals and birds making noises. And it was beautiful!
This is a lookout point. You can see the waterfall in the middle of all the jungle and mountains. While we were hiking, we talked about what we WOULD be doing in oregon. Probably sitting in a coffee shop, writing a history paper, in the rain. I decided that I would much rather be in the jungles of Costa Rica. I just wish all my friends and family could be here with me!

We were the first to arrive to the bottom of the waterfall. The spray felt so good after the hike! And then I was the first to jump into the water, but for some reason the pictures that Lupe took didn't turn out...sad day. But the memories will be in my heart forever. Just imagine me swimming with all the other students then sunbathing on the rocks. It was like something out of a movie, and it was so fun!