Top 10 things I will miss about Costa Rica

1. My Tico friends and family
2. Batidos (fresh fruit blended with milk..yumm)
3. Waterfalls and sunsets
4. Copious amounts of coffee always available
5. The Ketchup! (they make it with real sugar here, and much less salt, so delicious)
6. Granizados (snowcones but better with powdered milk in the middle and condensed milk on top, que rico!)
7. Hammocks
8. Wearing flip flops everyday
9. Horse Parades and Iguana crossing signs (instead of deer crossing)
10. Finally, I will miss the spanish and especially the Costa Rican slang like, Pura Vida mae, and the slow paced life style that comes along with it.

The Peanut Butter and Jelly Saga - Part II

Heading into our second week of travels we left Samara beach Monday to join Kurt´s family vacation yet again, this time in Rincon de La Vieja National Park. After graciously insisting Maisie and I sleep at their air conditioned (16 c) resort Sunday night, we were refreshed and ready to give the public bus system another shot. But, yet again, it was not with out hiccups.

After late buses and non existent but much needed bathrooms, Kurt and his brother, Peter, picked us up in Liberia. We quickly realized that contrary to our plans, there was no way maisie and I could have gotten around Rincon without a family or a car (or a LOT of cash to blow on taxis). Thankful for the kindness of the Davies family, we had a pleasant few days watching sunsets, eating great meals, hiking around craters, sitting in hot springs, and bathing ourselves in mud baths. When it was finally time to leave tears were shed as we shared a movie like goodbye from the back of our bus on the highway.

Off to Tamarindo (also known as TamaGRINGO), we welcomed the tourist development because it reminded us of home. It will be a nice transition destination as we head back to the great US of A Thursday. The first few days here were very relaxed and lazy days filled with beach time, runs, reading, naps, sunsets, movies, and, of course, PB and J´s. Now things have picked up as Kurt missed us (and we him) so much that he changed his flight from Saturday to Thursday. Now he is here with us and the good times are rolling. Today Edwin, my homestay brother, joins us for our last few days at the beach before we head back to San Jose early Wednesday morning.

Finally - a CR Vacation

School is officially over but for many of us, the adventure in Costa Rica continues. Finally, we have become those tourists that we studied and interacted with all semester, and I have to say, it's all it's cracked up to be, even on a budget. Our unfortunate mosquito cave rooms, PB and Jelly sandwiches, and the public transportation cannot overshadow the picturesque beaches, rythmic waves, and illuminating sunsets.

Maisie and I wasted no time getting to the beach. We took the 4 am shuttle from our school, stored our bags in San Jose, and hurried to the bus station in San Jose. But, just as for any first-time alone travelers, our plans did not go smoothly. We arrived at the station at 6:15, only to learn the bus was at 6am, not 7, and the next bus wasn't until 2:30 pm. Our hearty laughs were quickly followed by yawns as we picked a nice cafe to bum in for the day.

Montezuma was a cute little beach town with interesting restaurants and shops. Good thing for us, students on a budget, the beaches were beautiful and free. While we were there we hiked a waterfall, explored town , lounged on the beach and took a nice walk to visit a sea turtle hatchery that my friend, Hayley, volunteered at last fall.

Two nights a 3 PB and J's later, we were off to Playa Samara to meet up with our friend Kurt and his family. But, not before another hiccup. Turns out it is impossible to go north from Montezuma without a car of your own. Long story short, we had to drop some serious cash to take a private shuttle to Samara.

Instantly, the money was worth all the trouble. The beaches, the sunset, the waves - all out of a dream. We met up with Kurt and his family and joined them in surf lessons and beach meals. His parents even saved us from our mosquito cave hostel and let us stay in their resort with them. Maisie and I are both in awe of how welcoming his family has been to us, taking us to dinner and now taking us all the way to Rincon de la Vieja to stay with them, yet again, in their resort.

So we're off to enjoy these next few days of a "family" vacation, and then it's back to the beach for our student budget that may avoid the expenditures of a family vacation, but misses out on that group dynamic with parents, siblings and friends that is most certainly filled with laughter and good spirits.