Surf's Up

I have finally experienced what I expected to find in Costa Rica - hot sun, blue skies, and perfect beaches. I went with a group of friends to Tamarindo, a beach town on the southern tip of the region called Guanacaste on the west coast of CR. There were so many American beach bums just hanging out, it was awesome. Our condo was a bit further away from the center of town so our beach was pretty secluded. I also rented a surfboard our last day there and have absolutely found my new favorite hobby.

Tamarindo

sunset on the beach

Monteverde

Last weekend I took a trip to Monteverde with a group of students. Monteverde is a region in Costa Rica north of San Jose known for its incredible rainforests and cloud forests that give life to a huge array of wildlife and plant life. I had never heard the term cloud forest before arriving in Costa Rica; it is a tropical evergreen forest characterized by persistent fog - basically a damp, misty forest. Though this prompted me to expect overcast weather and maybe some rain here or there, I did not expect the monsoon that we endured.

The group had reserved a trip for zip lining/canopy tours through the top of the trees. It was pretty amazing to fly through and over the trees, but it rained the entire time. Not a warm rain, either. By the end we were all wet, cold, dirty, tired, and ready for a nap. Fortunately our hotel was one of the nicest in the region and we got to relish in the oversized comfortable beds and hot showers.

view from our hotel

a tad bit dirty

cloud forest that we zip lined through

the not so sturdy bridges we trekked

The next day we explored the small town of Santa Elena. And when I say small, I mean literally a block of shops and restaurants. One restaurant named the Treehouse was exactly like the Rainforest Cafe back home, only it was actually the rainforest. There was also a quaint little art studio that reminded me so much of Rebekah.

gazebo art studio

www.monteverdearthouse.com

entrance to the Tree House restaurant

Raw Youth

"It's easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough, it is your God-given right to have it... death remains as abstract a concept as non-Euclidean geometry or marriage."

-Jon Krakauer, author of Into the Wild

I'm not sure what it is about being young that permits, or prompts, one to fearlessly challenge the unknown. All I know is that the attraction exists in me and it is defiantly thriving. Not only does it lead me to travel to a third world country, it settles me on top of a 265 foot bridge in the middle of the rainforest and calmly demands "Jump." And I obey. Much to the dismay of my mother.

So, bungee jumping is now crossed off the bucket list. I wasn't nervous until I started plunging down, but by then it's too late to even think about what just happened. I have a video that I will try to post on here a little later.

265 ft bridge

the rocky river underneath

all the jumpers

toes over the edge

post jump glee

Con mucho gusto

One of the things I like best about Costa Rican character is the way they respond to saying thank you. In most Spanish speaking countries, the response is "de nada." Here, almost everyone says "con mucho gusto," literally, "with much pleasure." It seems like such an emphatic, over-the-top response for usually very trivial things, but I really like it. Another typical response to "thank you" is "pura vida," literally "pure life." This translation gets a little lost along the way, but I suppose it's simply a way to remind the thanker that life is good and they are happy to help.

Speaking of the good life, I spent my Saturday on a fairly isolated island called Isla Tortuga. We took an hour and half cruise from the west coast of Costa Rica, past other gorgeous mountainous islands, and arrived at the beach with plenty of time to sit and soak up the sun. My experience made beach bum look like a very enticing career path. Here are some pictures, as if you weren't already jealous enough.

CR is home to an extensive amount of wildlife, plant life, and has 12 out of the 14 climate zones. For being such a small country, this is really impressive. Yesterday I traveled to Poas Volcano and La Paz Waterfalls. While walking the trails around these natural phenomena I was able to witness some of the lush vegetation as well as the diverse animals that call CR home (although, thankfully, the majority of these were in cages). The volcano looks more like a giant steaming crater although its 9000 feet above sea level.

The Paz Waterfalls are one of 112 in the country. Part of the trail led so close to the rushing water it was almost like I was underneath it. Watching the ambush of water cascade over the edge was by far the coolest part of the excursion.

Along with a plethora of flowers there was also an animal reserve for rescued animals. If I could pick one word to describe CR after this trip it would be vibrant.

Estoy en Costa Rica!

After six months of community college Spanish and demeaning work at a restaurant, my efforts have finally paid off. I arrived in Costa Rica on Thursday and will remain here for one month. Here are a few first impressions:

1. It is a LOT rainier and colder than I expected. It was an extremely novice mistake to bring only one pair of pants.

2. Despite the warnings that black beans and rice would constitute the majority of my meals in CR, my first meal with my family was take-out Chinese food. Imagine that.

3. My Tica (Costa Rican) mother and sisters are the best. I can't imagine living with a more affectionate, helpful, and companionable family (except my own of course).

4. CR is tiny. I'll put it in perspective: The total population of CR is 4.5 million. London alone has 9 million inhabitants. Que pequeño.

5. It is surprisingly difficult to get used to throwing toilet paper in the trash can as opposed to the toilet.

6. San Jose, the capital city in which I reside, is mainly comprised of mestizos: people of both European and indigenous descent. This is why its not uncommon to see blue or green eyed people or people with very pale skin or lighter hair.

7. My Spanish is deplorable, but I'm now convinced that living in a Spanish speaking country is by far the most efficient, and interesting, way to learn.