Yesterday I had what you could possibly call a busy day. Ok, no, you couldn't. There are no busy days here. But a couple things happened.
First, my amiga took her first surfing lesson in the morning when the waves were tiny. She stood up, and I got some sweet pictures of her, wooo!
Second, I went into town (Quepos) to try and retrieve my lost ATM card. I was pretty positive that I left it in the ATM machine at BCR last Thursday. Of course I didn't notice until Saturday when I needed to get more money. (Yes, I pay lots of ATM fees but I don't want to carry around too much cash and get it stolen). I went back to BCR at that time, but they are closed all day Saturday and Sunday. Of course.
So now it's Monday and I head down to BCR again. I go in and take a number. 67. They are currently on 53. Five minutes later they are still on 53. I am questioning why I have embarked on this fool's errand. In another 15 minutes, two of the four tellers get up and leave for their lunch break. After holding my head in my hands for another 40 minutes, I finally get to talk to a teller! It was exciting, honestly. The teller I spoke to was the only one who actually got through more than one customer during that hour. He was like an angel. And, they had my card!!!!! So lucky.
After the banking session, I head back to the beach and rent a board. I surf for about an hour and then my arm runs into a cactus. Well apparently it was called an 'aguamala'. My arm swelled as though the entire forearm is covered by a giant mosquito bite. I was told to rub it with hot sand which actually did relieve the pain a bit. I was done with surfing though. Now I know what that feels like! I learn something every day here.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Manuel Antonio
One of my high school friends and I have been in Manuel Antonio for 5 days now. To be totally honest, it is kind of a pain in the butt here. Why? Well, the ¨town¨ is sort of like Cinque Terre, in the sense that it is a strip of buildings along a very steep series of hills. Except imagine instead of a walking path, there´s a busy street with cars, trucks, buses, and scooters zooming around hairpin turns. (No sidewalks, of course!) Any time you want to go somewhere, you´re either walking 10-15 minutes along this ridiculous road, or you´re waiting anywhere from 5 mins to half an hour for the next bus.
The weather is hot and humid, but the beach is really nice. A little more ¨Mexico¨ compared to Tamarindo. More people walking up and down trying to sell you drinks, food, jewelry, etc. (Everything is also more expensive here. Bottled water costs 850 versus 600 in Tam.) But the water is so warm it makes Tamarindo feel like an ice bath. Surfing is OK - I have only been once but we are planning on going again tomorrow. The waves break pretty shallow and it´s kind of rocky in places, so that´s not so awesome in my opinion. But there are some really good locals who are fun to watch. Have you ever gone fishing and started at your bobber for so long that at night when you close your eyes, you see it? When I close my eyes now I see surfers.
The national park, which is one of the main draws to Manuel Antonio, was beautiful. We saw baby monkeys, a sloth, and several other animals, but my favorite were these giant butterflies. We saw two of them - they were iridescent blue and their wing span was at least the size of my hand. (And I have man hands, so that´s pretty big!) They flew much slower than a normal butterfly, which made them look like cartoons. To put it in technical terms, it was way cool.
I would come back to this place (preferably with the fiance) for 2 reasons:
1. To eat at El Avion again. It´s a restaurant built around a C-123 plane. The plane thing is gimmicky, of course, but their food was amazing. I had a giant plate of mahi-mahi, complete with a sweet-spicy passion fruit sauce, grilled veggies, and rice, for about $13. Maybe I am biased because this is the only upscale restaurant I´ve eaten at on this whole trip, but I am still drooling when I think about it.
2. To watch the sunsets at Vista Serena. Vista Serena is the 3rd and final hostel that we have stayed at on this trip. So many people recommended it to me that I was afraid it couldn´t possibly live up to the hype. But it is indeed as cool as they say, and the balcony (complete with several hammocks) has a priceless view of the ocean. At about 5:30 every day the sun sets, and it gets so red. You can look right at it and see the little puddle of red below it as it melts into the ocean.
The weather is hot and humid, but the beach is really nice. A little more ¨Mexico¨ compared to Tamarindo. More people walking up and down trying to sell you drinks, food, jewelry, etc. (Everything is also more expensive here. Bottled water costs 850 versus 600 in Tam.) But the water is so warm it makes Tamarindo feel like an ice bath. Surfing is OK - I have only been once but we are planning on going again tomorrow. The waves break pretty shallow and it´s kind of rocky in places, so that´s not so awesome in my opinion. But there are some really good locals who are fun to watch. Have you ever gone fishing and started at your bobber for so long that at night when you close your eyes, you see it? When I close my eyes now I see surfers.
The national park, which is one of the main draws to Manuel Antonio, was beautiful. We saw baby monkeys, a sloth, and several other animals, but my favorite were these giant butterflies. We saw two of them - they were iridescent blue and their wing span was at least the size of my hand. (And I have man hands, so that´s pretty big!) They flew much slower than a normal butterfly, which made them look like cartoons. To put it in technical terms, it was way cool.
I would come back to this place (preferably with the fiance) for 2 reasons:
1. To eat at El Avion again. It´s a restaurant built around a C-123 plane. The plane thing is gimmicky, of course, but their food was amazing. I had a giant plate of mahi-mahi, complete with a sweet-spicy passion fruit sauce, grilled veggies, and rice, for about $13. Maybe I am biased because this is the only upscale restaurant I´ve eaten at on this whole trip, but I am still drooling when I think about it.
2. To watch the sunsets at Vista Serena. Vista Serena is the 3rd and final hostel that we have stayed at on this trip. So many people recommended it to me that I was afraid it couldn´t possibly live up to the hype. But it is indeed as cool as they say, and the balcony (complete with several hammocks) has a priceless view of the ocean. At about 5:30 every day the sun sets, and it gets so red. You can look right at it and see the little puddle of red below it as it melts into the ocean.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Party Bus
On Tuesday, I had a new experience that I have always wanted to try! No, not white water rafting, although I want to try that too. I rode on a party bus! Wooo! :)
It worked out great... a friend from the US happened to be in Costa Rica this week, and thanks to the magic of facebook we were able to meet up. I took him surfing, and showed off my sweet new moves (the best one is where I wipe out, swallow lots of salt water and then emerge from the sea with streams of water pouring out of my nose).
That night, we decided to go out on the town. Tuesday night is Pasatiempo (there's a designated bar for each night of the week) but when we went there, it was dead. So we moseyed around the corner to Bar 1, since we could hear music coming from over there. When we got there, we saw lots of people streaming out, so we waited to see where they were going. They headed for the Witch's Rock Surf Camp bus, which is normally parked over in front of the surf camp but was now in front of Bar 1.
I said to my friend, hey we should wait and see where the bus goes, cause they will be creating a party wherever they go. Suddenly a girl waved to us. "Get on the bus!" she said. We looked at each other, and back at her. "Come on, come on, get on!" She was insisting, so we laughed and got on the bus. Needless to say, we were by FAR the most sober people on the bus. It was mostly gringos on the bus, with a few Ticos thrown in the mix, and everyone was screaming and laughing. We found out that the owners of the bus (it is literally an old school bus that has been painted over) drove it down from San Diego 8 years ago.
The bus drove around for a bit and then went back to Pasatiempo. It was still dead, but this time we had a 40-person posse to back us up. A live band came on stage later, and we danced, drank Imperials, and got involved in a game that involves sticking stickers on people's backs without them noticing. I saw some people taking a photo and I ran up and joined their photo just so I could stick a sticker on a girl's back. Yes, I am so sneaky, ha! :)
Yesterday I Interbused it down to Quepos, where I am now. (The slogan for Interbus is "Really Good". How hilarious is that?) More on Quepos soon...
It worked out great... a friend from the US happened to be in Costa Rica this week, and thanks to the magic of facebook we were able to meet up. I took him surfing, and showed off my sweet new moves (the best one is where I wipe out, swallow lots of salt water and then emerge from the sea with streams of water pouring out of my nose).
That night, we decided to go out on the town. Tuesday night is Pasatiempo (there's a designated bar for each night of the week) but when we went there, it was dead. So we moseyed around the corner to Bar 1, since we could hear music coming from over there. When we got there, we saw lots of people streaming out, so we waited to see where they were going. They headed for the Witch's Rock Surf Camp bus, which is normally parked over in front of the surf camp but was now in front of Bar 1.
I said to my friend, hey we should wait and see where the bus goes, cause they will be creating a party wherever they go. Suddenly a girl waved to us. "Get on the bus!" she said. We looked at each other, and back at her. "Come on, come on, get on!" She was insisting, so we laughed and got on the bus. Needless to say, we were by FAR the most sober people on the bus. It was mostly gringos on the bus, with a few Ticos thrown in the mix, and everyone was screaming and laughing. We found out that the owners of the bus (it is literally an old school bus that has been painted over) drove it down from San Diego 8 years ago.
The bus drove around for a bit and then went back to Pasatiempo. It was still dead, but this time we had a 40-person posse to back us up. A live band came on stage later, and we danced, drank Imperials, and got involved in a game that involves sticking stickers on people's backs without them noticing. I saw some people taking a photo and I ran up and joined their photo just so I could stick a sticker on a girl's back. Yes, I am so sneaky, ha! :)
Yesterday I Interbused it down to Quepos, where I am now. (The slogan for Interbus is "Really Good". How hilarious is that?) More on Quepos soon...
Monday, March 23, 2009
Can I Stay Here?
Yesterday I was talking to a guy who has been teaching English down here for a while. I was really tempted to ask him about how he found that job, but I don't even want to start down that path. I think it would be sweet to live here for a while and teach English, but I know that Sean has no desire to give up his career to become a beach bum.
I think I was supposed to be getting something out of my system by doing this trip, but I'm not sure it is working out that way exactly.
I think I was supposed to be getting something out of my system by doing this trip, but I'm not sure it is working out that way exactly.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Coffee Shop
Yesterday I 'graduated' from the Spanish school! It feels like that week just flew by. And my Spanish... well, it's somewhat better I think. :)
Yesterday the waves were flat again, so I spent most of the day talking to random people. I went to Olga's coffee shop, and got a soy mocha.... yay! I felt like I was back in Seattle for a bit. There's even free wifi in that shop so I could use my phone just like at home. Too bad everyone I called was at work, ha ha!
I think Olga's is one of the ex-pat hangouts here. Everyone who came in and chatted with me was an ex-pat, mostly U.S.
Last night I went to the rodeo again, I think I am getting rodeo-ed out here, but tonight is the grand finale so I'll go check that out too. The interesting thing at the rodeo is that if you go and sit in the stands it is a large percentage of tourists, while down on the ground are all the locals. They don't want to pay the 2000 colones (about $4) for a seat in the stands.
Other exciting news - my Costa Rican mom cooked lobster last night, so I have now eaten lobster for the first time. It was good, man! Me gusta. :)
Yesterday the waves were flat again, so I spent most of the day talking to random people. I went to Olga's coffee shop, and got a soy mocha.... yay! I felt like I was back in Seattle for a bit. There's even free wifi in that shop so I could use my phone just like at home. Too bad everyone I called was at work, ha ha!
I think Olga's is one of the ex-pat hangouts here. Everyone who came in and chatted with me was an ex-pat, mostly U.S.
Last night I went to the rodeo again, I think I am getting rodeo-ed out here, but tonight is the grand finale so I'll go check that out too. The interesting thing at the rodeo is that if you go and sit in the stands it is a large percentage of tourists, while down on the ground are all the locals. They don't want to pay the 2000 colones (about $4) for a seat in the stands.
Other exciting news - my Costa Rican mom cooked lobster last night, so I have now eaten lobster for the first time. It was good, man! Me gusta. :)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
El baile de polvo
Yesterday I went to the baile del polvo, or 'dust dance' in Villarreal. It marks the beginning of a 5 day festival with a rodeo, music, parades, food, etc. Yesterday I ate arroz cantones, or 'cantonese rice'. It was kind of similar to fried rice, with small pieces of ham in it but no egg.
I lucked out living in Villarreal this week, cause I'm within walking distance of all the festivities. A bunch of us from the Spanish school went to the baile del polvo, which is so named because you dance around inside the rodeo ring, and kick up lots of dust. Although a dude on the beach today told me that "hacemos polvo" is also Costa Rican slang for getting it on. Interesante... these are the things they don't teach us in class.
The dance was fun, I danced with a couple different people but mostly I just watched. One of my favorite things is to watch old couples dance.... aww. I love it so much.
During the dance, there were several cases of fireworks sitting in the middle of the ring. These two guys were 'guarding' them, and by guarding I mean standing next to them and smoking cigarettes. Buen idea, no? It was seriously so unsafe. When they started lighting them off, we were standing literally no more than 20 feet away. I started backing up because I was freaked out. I saw embers land on a guy's shoulder while he was standing right in front of me. I waited for a pause in the fire-storm and then ran outside of the ring. When the big ones were going off, only my pride stopped me from dropping to the ground and covering my head. It was definitely not as relaxing as most fireworks displays I've been to, but if you're into adrenaline, this is the fireworks show for you.
I lucked out living in Villarreal this week, cause I'm within walking distance of all the festivities. A bunch of us from the Spanish school went to the baile del polvo, which is so named because you dance around inside the rodeo ring, and kick up lots of dust. Although a dude on the beach today told me that "hacemos polvo" is also Costa Rican slang for getting it on. Interesante... these are the things they don't teach us in class.
The dance was fun, I danced with a couple different people but mostly I just watched. One of my favorite things is to watch old couples dance.... aww. I love it so much.
During the dance, there were several cases of fireworks sitting in the middle of the ring. These two guys were 'guarding' them, and by guarding I mean standing next to them and smoking cigarettes. Buen idea, no? It was seriously so unsafe. When they started lighting them off, we were standing literally no more than 20 feet away. I started backing up because I was freaked out. I saw embers land on a guy's shoulder while he was standing right in front of me. I waited for a pause in the fire-storm and then ran outside of the ring. When the big ones were going off, only my pride stopped me from dropping to the ground and covering my head. It was definitely not as relaxing as most fireworks displays I've been to, but if you're into adrenaline, this is the fireworks show for you.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Costa Rican TV
For the past two evenings I have been watching TV with my Costa Rican host family, which has been very interesting. Not only can I try to pick up some new words that way, but it's been fun to see how TV is different in this country. Here are a few funny things that I've seen:
1. Within minutes of beginning to watch TV on Sunday, I saw a news special about someone who saw the face of Jesus in their dish towel. Yes, the face of Jesus.
2. There was a news story about how some sharks were spotted during some giant swimming competition. This isn't something that I find funny, in general, but I was cracking up during this news segment because while they showed the footage of the sharks they were playing a techno song. It's like, "woo party with the tiburons!" When I realized what the song was it made a little more sense, but still.
3. In the US, if you saw a commercial for sunscreen, you would probably expect to see people lounging on the beach and splashing in the ocean or in a pool. And the sunscreen commercial here showed some of that, but it also showed a guy building something using cinder blocks. Sunscreen isn't just for fun and games, it's for work too.
4. I saw a commercial for tortillas which I thought was interesting since I haven't seen many tortillas down here. But this commercial definitely sold me on the idea of eating tortillas. It showed a couple eating dinner by the fire, having breakfast in bed, etc. Basically all these romantic settings, in which they are eating tortillas. Do you and your boyfriend have a fairytale romance? No? Buy some tortillas!!
There are also a couple just, well, ghetto things that I saw.
1. In one news story, they wanted to indicate where something took place, so they filmed a close up of a map, with someone using a pencil to point to the location. Hey, why bust your budget on high-tech graphics? A map with a pencil gets the point across.
2. Sometimes a little box will pop up in the corner of the screen, with some breaking news or what-not. When this happens, there is the most ridiculous sound effect. It was probably created in 1982. I feel like I've heard this sound somewhere.... I think it's on Jeopardy when they fill in the new categories.
1. Within minutes of beginning to watch TV on Sunday, I saw a news special about someone who saw the face of Jesus in their dish towel. Yes, the face of Jesus.
2. There was a news story about how some sharks were spotted during some giant swimming competition. This isn't something that I find funny, in general, but I was cracking up during this news segment because while they showed the footage of the sharks they were playing a techno song. It's like, "woo party with the tiburons!" When I realized what the song was it made a little more sense, but still.
3. In the US, if you saw a commercial for sunscreen, you would probably expect to see people lounging on the beach and splashing in the ocean or in a pool. And the sunscreen commercial here showed some of that, but it also showed a guy building something using cinder blocks. Sunscreen isn't just for fun and games, it's for work too.
4. I saw a commercial for tortillas which I thought was interesting since I haven't seen many tortillas down here. But this commercial definitely sold me on the idea of eating tortillas. It showed a couple eating dinner by the fire, having breakfast in bed, etc. Basically all these romantic settings, in which they are eating tortillas. Do you and your boyfriend have a fairytale romance? No? Buy some tortillas!!
There are also a couple just, well, ghetto things that I saw.
1. In one news story, they wanted to indicate where something took place, so they filmed a close up of a map, with someone using a pencil to point to the location. Hey, why bust your budget on high-tech graphics? A map with a pencil gets the point across.
2. Sometimes a little box will pop up in the corner of the screen, with some breaking news or what-not. When this happens, there is the most ridiculous sound effect. It was probably created in 1982. I feel like I've heard this sound somewhere.... I think it's on Jeopardy when they fill in the new categories.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Monday in Tamarindo
Yesterday I moved in with my new familia... they are super nice! They live in Villareal, which is about 1-2 miles from Tamarindo. Sometime today (with any luck) I am going to learn how to use the public bus to get back there. This morning I got picked up by the WAYRA school bus.
Their house is concrete with a corrugated tin roof, and it has the typical 'suicide shower' in the bathroom. (We first encountered this last year in Cahuita... people have these showers with wires going straight to the faucet, and Sean actually shocked himself on it once. Freaking terrifying. I'm just glad I'm only 5'5" so I never come close to hitting the shower head.)
They have cable tv, and my room has a ceiling fan which keeps it pretty comfy. While I was watching CNN in Spanish, about 10 horses galloped past the door along a dirt road. There are also an assortment of chickens and dogs running around.
Milda, la mama de mi familia, is trying to fatten me up already. Last night we had rice, beans, pork chops, potatoes, and salad, and for breakfast I had juice, coffee, scrambled eggs, and toast. (In general I'd say the food is pretty plain here, but it seems very healthy.) I must admit it is great having meals cooked for me, and putting my clothes into a dresser.
Today was my first day of classes and it was really fun! My class has only 3 students - me, a teenage girl, and her mom. They are from the US too, but apparently travel quite a lot. The teenager had a really great attitude and doesn't seem embarrassed of her mom at all. We spent most of the class time trying to tell stories in broken Spanish, with our teacher correcting our verb tenses and copious other mistakes. It's the best way to learn I think. By the end of this week, my Spanish will still be really broken, but I think that I'll be a lot less hesitant to use it.
And the funny story of the day - after class, I went down to the beach to find my surf instructor. I told him that I'd tell him my class schedule so we could plan lessons. When I found him on the beach, he said "you look different in clothes." Hey-o!
Their house is concrete with a corrugated tin roof, and it has the typical 'suicide shower' in the bathroom. (We first encountered this last year in Cahuita... people have these showers with wires going straight to the faucet, and Sean actually shocked himself on it once. Freaking terrifying. I'm just glad I'm only 5'5" so I never come close to hitting the shower head.)
They have cable tv, and my room has a ceiling fan which keeps it pretty comfy. While I was watching CNN in Spanish, about 10 horses galloped past the door along a dirt road. There are also an assortment of chickens and dogs running around.
Milda, la mama de mi familia, is trying to fatten me up already. Last night we had rice, beans, pork chops, potatoes, and salad, and for breakfast I had juice, coffee, scrambled eggs, and toast. (In general I'd say the food is pretty plain here, but it seems very healthy.) I must admit it is great having meals cooked for me, and putting my clothes into a dresser.
Today was my first day of classes and it was really fun! My class has only 3 students - me, a teenage girl, and her mom. They are from the US too, but apparently travel quite a lot. The teenager had a really great attitude and doesn't seem embarrassed of her mom at all. We spent most of the class time trying to tell stories in broken Spanish, with our teacher correcting our verb tenses and copious other mistakes. It's the best way to learn I think. By the end of this week, my Spanish will still be really broken, but I think that I'll be a lot less hesitant to use it.
And the funny story of the day - after class, I went down to the beach to find my surf instructor. I told him that I'd tell him my class schedule so we could plan lessons. When I found him on the beach, he said "you look different in clothes." Hey-o!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Spanish School
I just went and signed up for Spanish classes this morning and I am kind of nervous. As of this afternoon, I will be staying with a host family. The woman at the school office this morning talked to me only in Spanish, which was mostly fine. She spoke very slowly, being a Spanish teacher and all. But then she put me on the phone with the woman who I will be living with.... oh my gosh! I don't think I've ever done a phone call in Spanish. It's kind of scary, cause you can't point at stuff or make hand gestures or anything.
But, this morning I did help an Amerian man use the ATM (it doesn't have an English option here), so my Spanish can't be that bad. Oh, and I saw Ms. Butt Shorts again today. She was wearing a different bikini and different shorts, but exact same style.
And in the happiest news of the day, I finally broke down and bought some Immodium. I'll tell you, I feel like a different person already. With any luck, I will be able to use the pool again soon!!
But, this morning I did help an Amerian man use the ATM (it doesn't have an English option here), so my Spanish can't be that bad. Oh, and I saw Ms. Butt Shorts again today. She was wearing a different bikini and different shorts, but exact same style.
And in the happiest news of the day, I finally broke down and bought some Immodium. I'll tell you, I feel like a different person already. With any luck, I will be able to use the pool again soon!!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Hostel Life
I've been staying at the Mamiri hostel since I arrived in Tamarindo, and I have to say it's one of the best hostels I've been in. When I first arrived, I was listening to everyone BS-ing and watching MTV, and I was thinking "oh God, I am way too old for this". But once I got chatting with everyone, they are all cool. And there's a wide age range... from 18 to at least my age. (Not sure if anyone is older than me, I don't ask everyone their age.)
After the quiet of Cahuita it was just kind of like jumping into cold water, remembering how to party like a college kid again. I only go out with these guys every other day, I can't hang like I used to. Plus, I'm here to surf not to get drunk. I did play a drinking game last night though, which I hadn't done in forever. I will admit, it was quite fun.
In general, I'd say that Tamarindo is kind of like Pleasure Island, from Pinocchio. (Remember, where all the bad kids go and just party like crazy until they turn into donkeys?) Everyone is constantly drinking at all hours of the day and night, partying, laying out in the sun, smoking, etc. I suppose it's like any spring break town, except there are a ton of ex-pats who live here, and a lot of people who stay for months, so I doubt the spring break vibe ever goes away here.
Today I saw this lady in the grocery store who was in really good shape for her age, but quite old, wearing a bikini top and super short shorts where the bottom of her butt hangs out. I guess it's cool that a place exists where 60+ year old women can run around wearing butt shorts like U of A sorority girls.
After the quiet of Cahuita it was just kind of like jumping into cold water, remembering how to party like a college kid again. I only go out with these guys every other day, I can't hang like I used to. Plus, I'm here to surf not to get drunk. I did play a drinking game last night though, which I hadn't done in forever. I will admit, it was quite fun.
In general, I'd say that Tamarindo is kind of like Pleasure Island, from Pinocchio. (Remember, where all the bad kids go and just party like crazy until they turn into donkeys?) Everyone is constantly drinking at all hours of the day and night, partying, laying out in the sun, smoking, etc. I suppose it's like any spring break town, except there are a ton of ex-pats who live here, and a lot of people who stay for months, so I doubt the spring break vibe ever goes away here.
Today I saw this lady in the grocery store who was in really good shape for her age, but quite old, wearing a bikini top and super short shorts where the bottom of her butt hangs out. I guess it's cool that a place exists where 60+ year old women can run around wearing butt shorts like U of A sorority girls.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Aqui in Tamarindo
Yesterday I got the 7am bus from Cahuita to San Jose. In San Jose I got a cab ride over to another bus station, and I had great timing because it was 11:15 and the next bus to Tamarindo left at 11:30am. If I had missed that one, I would have had to wait till 3:30pm.
After about 6 more hours on the bus, we arrived in Tamarindo. It's very touristy here - there is a Pizza Hut, Subway, etc. But even touristy places can surprise you with new things! Last night I saw a sign that listed various spa packages, and I saw something that I hadn't seen before. You could get a combo that included a massage, some other spa-type thing (manicure maybe?), and a teeth cleaning. Mmmmm, relaxing. Clean teeth.
Also, I just found out that you are not allowed to watch the free episodes of Lost on abc.com if you are logged in from outside of the US. Doh.
After about 6 more hours on the bus, we arrived in Tamarindo. It's very touristy here - there is a Pizza Hut, Subway, etc. But even touristy places can surprise you with new things! Last night I saw a sign that listed various spa packages, and I saw something that I hadn't seen before. You could get a combo that included a massage, some other spa-type thing (manicure maybe?), and a teeth cleaning. Mmmmm, relaxing. Clean teeth.
Also, I just found out that you are not allowed to watch the free episodes of Lost on abc.com if you are logged in from outside of the US. Doh.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Cahuita wildlife
I have had some interesting creatures in my room so far in Cahuita. Mosquitos, ants, a cockroach, a worm, and a cat.
I´m in the internet cafe and it seemed like the sun was finally about to come out, but now it´s raining again. Yesterday was the rainiest day yet, I think. It´s pretty hard to tell, they are all so rainy. What a place!
I have determined that I am completely sick of this rain, so I am leaving for Tamarindo tomorrow. It´s a surfing town on the west coast that is apparently super touristy and over-developed. But I think it´ll be sunny there and the surf is supposed to be nice. There should be lots of beginners there so I can just bump into people and not worry about it.
What can I say about Cahuita so far, other than the rain? It´s a nice place for couples. I´ve seen a ton of couples here. Food-wise, Cafe Parquecito is the best place I´ve eaten at so far, although it´s usually fairly crowded with tourists. They have delicious crepes. And, the pineapple juice is always extremely delicous.
I´m in the internet cafe and it seemed like the sun was finally about to come out, but now it´s raining again. Yesterday was the rainiest day yet, I think. It´s pretty hard to tell, they are all so rainy. What a place!
I have determined that I am completely sick of this rain, so I am leaving for Tamarindo tomorrow. It´s a surfing town on the west coast that is apparently super touristy and over-developed. But I think it´ll be sunny there and the surf is supposed to be nice. There should be lots of beginners there so I can just bump into people and not worry about it.
What can I say about Cahuita so far, other than the rain? It´s a nice place for couples. I´ve seen a ton of couples here. Food-wise, Cafe Parquecito is the best place I´ve eaten at so far, although it´s usually fairly crowded with tourists. They have delicious crepes. And, the pineapple juice is always extremely delicous.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Rainy Cahuita
Well, today is day 3 of my visit to Costa Rica. Everything is very soggy here because it has been raining almost nonestop since I arrived. Supposedly this is not normal... rainy season is from Sept. through Dec. People here have told me that it´s usually nice by January but this year it´s rained nonstop since November. Global warming I guess!
The rain is more of a bummer here than it is in Seattle I think (although of course it is much warmer here, which is nice.) Its just that the roads are so muddy and full of giant puddles. I was expecting to be wearing flip flops, tanning, and surfing, and so far I have done none of these things.
I did however meet a guy last night who told me that no one cares if you have a gram of coke in your house here. Good to know!
Anyway some fun stuff has happened too. Yesterday I met a nice Jamaican couple who live here now... I actually called them because they had a house for sale on craigslist. They picked me up and took me to their house, and made me lunch... bread fruit! They sliced it up and fried it, and served it with ketchup and hot sauce. The skin of the fruit looks like dinosaur skin, and the taste is very similar to french fries. It was fun chatting with them and asking them about what it´s like to live down here. As of right now I´m pretty unconvinced that I want to live here, so I guess it´s a good thing I took this trip before buying something!
The rain is more of a bummer here than it is in Seattle I think (although of course it is much warmer here, which is nice.) Its just that the roads are so muddy and full of giant puddles. I was expecting to be wearing flip flops, tanning, and surfing, and so far I have done none of these things.
I did however meet a guy last night who told me that no one cares if you have a gram of coke in your house here. Good to know!
Anyway some fun stuff has happened too. Yesterday I met a nice Jamaican couple who live here now... I actually called them because they had a house for sale on craigslist. They picked me up and took me to their house, and made me lunch... bread fruit! They sliced it up and fried it, and served it with ketchup and hot sauce. The skin of the fruit looks like dinosaur skin, and the taste is very similar to french fries. It was fun chatting with them and asking them about what it´s like to live down here. As of right now I´m pretty unconvinced that I want to live here, so I guess it´s a good thing I took this trip before buying something!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Costa Rica, here I come!
I'm in the Denver airport right now, enjoying the free wifi and kind of regretting that I just ate Panda Express.
In less than 3 hours, I'll be taking off for San Jose, Costa Rica!! I've been alternating between nervous and excited about this trip. When Sean and I went to Costa Rica last spring break I wasn't nervous at all, but it's funny what a difference it makes when you're going alone.
Hopefully by this time tomorrow I'll be lounging in a hammock at Cabinas Brigitte, and with some luck I'll be able to pick up a wifi signal from their internet cafe. (Either way I will certainly have some access to email.)
For anyone who would like to come visit me in Cahuita or just wants to practice Spanish, here are a few helpful sites I've found:
La Matinal is an NPR podcast in Spanish.
Carlos Guzman's blog. I came across this blog written by a Costa Rican who lives in Japan. He often posts in both Spanish and English which is great because you can read the Spanish first and then translate all the words you didn't know in the English section.
Word Reference.. This online dictionary is amazing. Our teacher showed it to us when I took a class at Seattle Language Academy last summer. On top of the definitions it also has forums where people discuss how to say/translate various things in Spanish.
In less than 3 hours, I'll be taking off for San Jose, Costa Rica!! I've been alternating between nervous and excited about this trip. When Sean and I went to Costa Rica last spring break I wasn't nervous at all, but it's funny what a difference it makes when you're going alone.
Hopefully by this time tomorrow I'll be lounging in a hammock at Cabinas Brigitte, and with some luck I'll be able to pick up a wifi signal from their internet cafe. (Either way I will certainly have some access to email.)
For anyone who would like to come visit me in Cahuita or just wants to practice Spanish, here are a few helpful sites I've found:
La Matinal is an NPR podcast in Spanish.
Carlos Guzman's blog. I came across this blog written by a Costa Rican who lives in Japan. He often posts in both Spanish and English which is great because you can read the Spanish first and then translate all the words you didn't know in the English section.
Word Reference.. This online dictionary is amazing. Our teacher showed it to us when I took a class at Seattle Language Academy last summer. On top of the definitions it also has forums where people discuss how to say/translate various things in Spanish.
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