Honeymoon Pictures

Goodbye Roatan, Hello Married Life

Last we left off, we were entering another day in the "political unrest" and "coup filled" Roatan - hardly. The Bay Islands have seen almost zero effects from the ex-President situation and the people of Roatan could really benefit from a less dramatic US media. Luckily, we ignored all US State Dept warnings and trusted in Thorntree and local island advice. I digress...

Our travels abroad never separate us from one of our true loves - MLB playoffs. It was time for the Yankees-Twins series, so we sought out a good sports bar. The first place we tried didn't have a TV, we quickly realized this might be more difficult than we planned. Luckily, we ran into a Texan who opened up a bar down here and loved US sports. We had great guacamole (its funny what you miss from home) and enjoyed watching a Yankee win! I should insert a funny story about the local currency, the lempira. The first time we went to an ATM it asked us if we wanted to withdraw 200, 1000, or 2000 lempiras...since we hadn't had a chance to do any research on our new locale, we had no idea what the dollar exchange rate was. Weary of picking a big number, we got out 200 lemps - only to find out we had just paid $3 for an international ATM transaction to get out $10. Lesson learned :)

So day 4 started off like all the rest, headed into town for another morning of world-class diving. To finish his certification Brian had to master a drift dive and peak performance bouyancy. So we cruised over to the Blue Channel, another famous dive site down here. The current is so strong that you drop in at one point on the channel, and you just drift down the wall to get picked up at another spot. The wall is an end of the reef - so in one direction you have beautiful coral formations and in another the big blue open! A drift dive is also nice because you don't have to swim and kick as hard, you just relax and let the current take you on a gorgeous ride. Again, the formations and swimthroughs really add another level to the diving here. We saw lobster, an octopus, tons of fish, and a moray eel. A fabulous trip! Our second dive had Brian going through hoops - literally. But he mastered his bouyancy and officially completed his course. Way to go B!

On our last afternoon we enjoyed our fabulous infinity pool and just took in the view. We were so spoiled by the calm ocean waters of the Caribbean - and the constant breeze made everything even more perfect. We met another couple on their honeymoon and we enjoyed talking to some ex-pats at the beach bar. Funny enough, on our last night in Roatan, we simply got a bottle of wine from a local minisuper and ordered food to go from the kitchen. Watching a funny movie and spending time together on the couch is something we haven't had much for in the past few months. As an astute reader noted, while the vacation part of the honeymoon was nearing an end, our excitement about finally being married is not waning in the least.

Now begins the part of the trip where the realities of travel abroad kick in. After our flight cancellation, coming onto the island, we had to deal with convincing Taca to get us back to the mainland. So we woke up at 5am thinking our Taca flight might get cancelled once again, and that we'd have to jump onto the 6am Sosa flight. We were in "luck" and our Taca flight was on time, 3 hours later. We got to San Pedro Sula and had about 4 hours until our flight to Miami, or so we thought. We went through security on the recommendation that internet was available inside. Negative. No TV, no internet, no ATM, no stores, literally no nothing. We both read about 300 pages in our books and enjoyed the only thing we could afford - airport nachos. Then we found out the only flight in (or out) to the States would be 2.5 hours delayed. Fabulous, our vacation moods were dwindling. But we scrounged up 35 lemps, got a Barena (local beer) and played monopoly on our iphone. We got to Miami in one piece and couldn't let our 16 hour travel day get us down.

We checked into our Best Western (for about the same price as our resort - oh America) and we headed out to South Beach Miami. We had $10 to our name and told the cab driver to take us as far as he could get us. We lucked out and found a fabulous street with lots of outdoor restaurants. We ordered the special for 2 and took in the nightlife. After walking through South Beach, we took in the scene of Ocean Avenue and even A1A (Beach Front Avenue for the Vanilla Ice fans). The trip home provided another American Airlines delay on the way to Dallas, picking up the German Bubs from Mom, and a 5 hour drive home to SA.

On second thought, planning 3 full days of travelling on our relaxing honeymoon wasn't the best idea - but we were glad we got to enjoy what we did! Back home in the Mazzarella household, my fabulous husband has put to use our sushi combo wedding gift and made us tuna sashimi, spicy tuna rolls, and tempura avocado rolls for dinner. And once again we're watching the Yankees! Sammy cat missed us so much and Oscar is happy to have the family home. We're so excited to start our married lives together and it couldn't have begun with a better week!

The Honeymoon Continues

The beautiful weather never ceases to amaze us in Roatan. The rainy season is a few weeks late and the sky is free of a single cloud. The island is also free of a single tourist. Well almost. While the nightlife takes a hit with the low numbers, ultimately we love having the island to ourselves. As I previously explained, the town is nothing to write home about, but its small size (and our friendly personalities) have created a bit of celebrity-status for us. We know most of the taxi drivers in town, and we have our own personal one, Miguel, who will wait outside our dinner spot in order to take us home. The fishermen say hi to us when we walk past, and our favorite bartender at the pool, Carlos, knows we love the Monkey La Las - Roatan's drink of choice. We're almost always the only ones at the pool or in a restaurant for dinner - so luckily we enjoy each other's company the best.

So not to rub it in, but we have had lobster every day down here. The best thing about the Caribbean in Central America is the incredibly cheap seafood. Our favorite lunch spot, The Beach House, where we watch the local kids play soccer along the beach and the chef knows us by name, never disappoints. We simply walk up, tell Douglas we want to spend $10 and we get 3 lobster tails and fish and shrimp for 2. Heaven! Since we have our own kitchen, we make most of our breakfasts and eat out on our balcony patio. Beers are no more than a $1.50, but Coke is a whopping $3. Guess which one we drink more of :)

The third day on the island got Brian another step closer to his Advanced Diver Certification. To complete the course he had to take on a wreck dive. One of Roatan's most famous dive sites is El Aguila and looks like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean. Brian, and the dive masters Peter, Kevin and Monte, dove down to 110 feet to visit this sunken treasure. As they swam through the hull, Brian could only laugh as Peter (leading the way) was startled by coming face to face with an ominous moray eel. This however only served to distract Brian from swimming right into a giant grouper. I think its clear Brian loved diving Aguila! On his next dive, Brian had to complete a navigation dive - meaning direct the group via compass then via visual landmarks. [insert joke about men and directions] But once again, Brian passed with flying colors. Diving here shows a different kind of ocean beauty, the coral and rock formations and the ability to dive in caves and through deep channels are unlike anywhere else. While not overly abundant in sea life, the size and structure of the reef system here is breathtaking.

So upon returning home to the resort, we quickly realized our peaceful, secluded beach was now completely overrun with Carnvial Cruise-shippers. Literally, upwards of 400 people were now side by side "enjoying" Roatan. This in turn brought out all the beach vendors and the scene became a mix of drunken vacationers and lazy Americans. Granted being dropped in a foreign place for 8 hours to take in the culture isn't ever what Brian and I plan to do on our vacations, but now we cemented our belief that cruises are not our thing. Luckily it came time for their all you can eat buffet and the cruise-shippers finally left our island, and quiet finally returned. We headed into town for another fabulous dinner at our favorite place, The Lighthouse.

Walking along the beach (even in town) provides a fabulous view of the night sky. It was astounding to us that we could see the Milky Way! Its so unbelievably beautiful to look up and see the galaxy, for a moment we felt truly connected to our planet. Between the reef system here and clear night sky, Roatan is a real escape from the bustling, polluting modern world. As with every other night so far, we once again don't want to go home.

Hola from Roatan!

After the monsoon-soaked wedding, we were really hoping for some good weather on our honeymoon. We started at 3:45am in Kyle in, once again, the pouring rain. This lead to us barely making our flight out of San Antonio, only to sit on the runway for an hour and a half. Our day of luck continued and we were still able to make our connection from Dallas to Miami. No problems in Miami and we land in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. After going through customs, we walk over to the Taca flight desk to get on our connection to the island. Or so we thought. Taca cancelled the flight and we were going to be stuck on the mainland for the rest of the night. In a moment of brilliance and orchestrated teamwork, Brian runs over to another counter and gets us on a Sosa flight leaving in 5 minutes. We run to an ATM (who knew airlines took cash only) and I attempt to get a refund from Taca. We hurry to the runway and we were off!

We ran into some more luck by meeting a nice American flying into Roatan who was able to call our hotel and arrange transportation (since our flight was now coming in at a different time). We arrived at our resort and we were instantly in heaven! Honduras is so cheap that we were able to get a condo, complete with kitchen, living room, balcony, and 2 bathrooms overlooking the ocean and the pool for less than a tiny, motel room in the states. We were so tired and hungry after our crazy day, we went downstairs to get some food and immediately fell asleep.

The next day, our first official day on Roatan, was a typical adventurous day in the life of Brian and Liz. We woke up and headed into town (we're staying on the beach in West Bay and the town, West End, is about a 10 minute taxi ride away). Trusting in our Lonely Planet guidebook, we picked a place for breakfast. The "town" is not at all what we thought this booming tourist mecca would be. Its a narrow one-lane dirt road with maybe two-handfulls of stores or restaurants. But we found a gem. We had a fantastic breakfast overlooking the bay and out onto the ocean. The weather here is gorgeous!! Always a breeze and never a cloud in the sky.

So then we went looking for a dive shop - it was afterall the reason we came here. We went to 5 or 6 dive shops, comparing packages and people. We settled on Coconut Tree Divers and wow did we pick right! Upon signing up, we immediately took a refresher course out in the bay with my new best friend Jose. After a fantastic lunch at our same breakfast spot (its slim pickin's down here) we were on the boat for our first dive! This dive shop is great because they are training about a dozen Dive Master trainees. And since its low season (and everyone in the states is worried about the political situation) we are the only "regular" clients! So put that together and we got 3 dive masters each! The water is perfectly calm here and the reef system is exquisite. We saw a big green back turtle gliding along and then watched him eat off the coral! He was amazing!

Our day was a success, we stopped at a minisuper to get some cooking supplies and were lucky enough to flag down our taxi driver from earlier that day. Its really crazy to be the only toursists on the island. Its great and also difficult at the same time. Now it was time for Monday Night Football and dinner. We ate our our hotel bar and talked to some Americans who now live here fulltime. Day 1 was so wonderful, its hard to believe Day 2 would be even better.

On Tuesday morning we were picked up by our dive shop friend and suited up for another morning on the boat. The thing about diving on Roatan is the best dive sites are almost all "deep dives." So you have to be certified beyond Open Water (which is all we are). So Brian decided to go for his Advanced Diver Certification. The previous night he read the book and did his homework questions (we can't get away from studying no matter where we go!). So Brian was going out to "Hole in the Wall" - a famous dive site that bottoms out around 130 feet. Jose made Brian do math problems and write sentences backwards while he was down there to ensure that he wasn't have narc problems. He said the dive was awesome - they dove in caves and swim-throughs. My dive was also great, I stayed at about 45 feet. Again, because we're the only people here, we get super personalized treatment. My DMTs Natasha and Kevin were great. We rested during our surface interval (to make sure we don't get the bends - this diveshop is very safety conscious) and then it was back for a shallow dive. We dove the Aquarium and stayed at about 35 feet. We saw lobster and grouper and all kinds of colorful fish and coral.

We took the afternoon off to sit by our incredible pool and just read our books. This quickly turned into an afternoon nap in the shade. We got showered up for a great night. We took the water taxi into town and ate at the hidden secret - The Lighthouse. Our meal was incredible!! We love it here! More updates to come!

Accommodation Suggestions & Discounts

Airline Discounts: Guests should fly into Austin-Bergstrom International Airport which is approximately 45 minutes from The Winfield and 20 minutes from downtown Austin.

National airline recommendation: American Airlines
- When booking, please use the group discount code: A7599AA

Regional airline recommendation: Southwest Airlines

Car Rental Discount:
Avis Rent-A-Car Award Code: (AWD) D003737 (that's D, then zero zero 3737)

Accommodation Options: Kyle, Texas is located 30 minutes South of Austin off of I-35. Guests can choose from three general areas:

(1) Downtown Austin Hotels:** (for guests who want to enjoy all that Austin has to offer! however, the Austin City Limits festival is the same weekend so you will need to book early!)

- Marriott Austin South
4415 South IH-35
Austin, TX 78744 (512) 441-7899
$209/night (under Austin-Mazzarella wedding - price only guaranteed until Sept 10, 2009 - the "party bus," see below, will drop-off and pick-up from this location)

- Marriott SpringHill Suites Austin South
4501 South IH-35 Austin, TX 78744 (512) 441-8270
$159/night (under Austin-Mazzarella wedding - price only guaranteed until Sept 10, 2009 - this hotel is right next to the Marriott listed above for "party bus" riders just walk across the lot)

- Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel
701 Congress Avenue Austin, TX 78701 (512) 457-8800
Rates approx. $275/night

** Guests staying in Austin are encouraged to use the "Party Bus" transportation to and from the wedding to ensure everyone has a fun and safe time at the reception! More details to come!

(2) Wimberley and Buda Bed & Breakfasts: (great idea for families to all stay near each other and near the wedding! although some require two night stays)

- The Inn Above Onion Creek
4444 Highway 150 W Kyle, TX 78640 (512) 268-1617
Closest hotel to The Winfield - has 10 rooms with kitchens from $200/night

- Exotic Sunset Accommodations
Wimberley, TX 78676 (512) 847-3909
Has 2 private cottages with kitchens from $175/night

- Blair House Inn
100 W Spoke Hill Drive Wimberley, TX 78676 (512) 847-1111
Has 12 rooms without kitchens from $150/night

(3) Kyle Area Hotels: (very close - and cheap!)

- Best Western Southgate Inn & Suites
18658 South I-35 Buda, TX 78610 (512) 295-4559
Approx. rates $99/night

- La Quinta Kyle
18869 IH-35 N Kyle, TX 78640 (512) 295-5599
Approx. rates $99/night (brand new hotel - opened Jan. 09)

Our Registries

For your convenience we are registered at the follow stores:



http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/regGiftRegistry.asp?order_num=-1&wrn=%2D1153387210&




http://www.crateandbarrel.com/Gift-Registry/Guest/ViewRegistry.aspx?grid=3895521



http://www.potterybarn.com/registry/registrylist.cfm




http://www.williams-sonoma.com/registry/registrylist.cfm



http://macys-registry.weddingchannel.com/registry/registry_list_ga.asp?retailer_registry_uid=311140335

http://www.target.com/registry/wedding/2EPYOQ6BYCWXN

Meet the Wedding Party!

The Girls:

Maid of Honor: Kate Mazzarella, Sister of the Groom

Kate and I became close friends when Kate moved to Dallas, and its been wonderful to endure med school and law school together. We share a common love for American Idol, our dogs, Oishii, and Brian. Spending nights studying or sharing a glass of wine will be missed. I'm so lucky to have a sister-in-law like Kate! I can't wait to have her by our side on our wedding day!

Bridesmaid: Nevin Karkoutly, College Friend of the Bride

Nevin and I have been close friends since becoming DG sorority sisters freshman year at Texas. I've missed Nevin since she moved to Arizona to foster a career in Dentistry, but I'm so proud of her. I've been so lucky that we've stayed in touch and remained the best of friends. I am so excited to have her with us to celebrate and dance the night away!

Bridesmaid: Haley Burns Reed, College Friend of the Bride

Haley and I were roommates at the DG house, and we have shared many nights of unforgettable fun! I love that Haley and Elliot's passion for Texas football and basketball matches that of Brian and I. After sharing Haley's wedding day with her, I'm so looking forward to having her with us on our big day

Bridesmaid: Sarah MarDock, Law School Friend of the Bride

Sarah and I became friends right away in law school - too bad we were a year apart at Texas. Luckily the Longhorn love brought us together eventually. We've shared many fond memories from karaoke wild nights, to moot court craziness, and all things in between. Like the other girls, Sarah has been with me in good times and bad, I couldn't picture the big day without her!

Bridesmaid: Katie Elliott, Law School Friend of the Bride

Katie and I became fast friends at SMU, where we took full advantage of nights away from the law books. I am so grateful for Katie's unending support during the years of long distance with Brian and her willingness to distract me with margaritas at a moment's notice. She is so much fun to be with, and I can't wait to spend the night celebrating with Katie by our side!

Bridesmaid: Kellie Johnson, Law School Friend of the Bride

Kellie and I have bonded over many a girls night, lake party, and the occasional stint at the library. I love that Kellie enjoys life the fullest and is always ready to have a good time - its such a breath of fresh air. I am so excited to have her with us for a weekend of celebrating - it wouldn't be the same without our good friends there with us!

House Party: Michael McKnight, Medical School Friend of the Groom

Mikey and I met after Brian and her endured hours of formaldehyde and scalpals in anatomy lab. Her love for Texas, and her kind welcoming of me into the med school family, has left us all close friends. Mikey's support of us means so much and I can't wait to have her with us in Austin!

House Party: Larissa Chock, Step-sister of the Groom

Larissa and Brian have enjoyed many a family road trip and (Sasha created) chore challenge. I have been so lucky to see her lots over the years of holidays together. Since Brian proposed in New York City, it ensures we will continue to visit her stomping ground every year. We're both looking forward to having her with us and the family on the big day!

The Guys:

Best Man: Bryson Santaguida, College Friend of the Groom

Bryson and Brian share a love for sports, adventure, a friendly debate (and occasional agreement), and a six-pack of beer. Despite moving out of Texas, nothing could come between their friendship that so easily started from their first days together in government. Bryson went on to become a lawyer, and Brian will marry a lawyer - close enough. Brian and I can't wait to share our wedding day with Bryson and Anne, true life long friends!

Groomsman: Chris Lanshe, High School Friend of the Groom

Chris and Brian have enjoyed years of friendship fostered mostly via soccer matches, fooseball tables, video games, and mormon basketball. The years away from Texas haven't changed anything, and I know we'll always have Chris with us to support our marriage. We're so excited to have Chris and Kristen with us in Austin to dance the night away!

Groomsman: Grant Staples, Medical School Friend of the Groom

Grant and Brian started off enjoying each other's company during rounds of golf or college football games, but the friendship was cemented during their 37 mile hike on Big Bend's Outer Mountain Loop. No blisters can come between these two. Sarah and Grant have made my transition to San Antonio so easy, and we can't imagine spending our big day without them - even if it means we might have a bear fight!

Groomsman: Joe Kim, Medical School Friend of the Groom

Joe and Brian, as fellow New Yorkers, share a love for the Giants, the Yankees, and good food. There's never a dull moment or empty stomach with these roommates, and they've become good friends through nights of Wipeout and Burn Notice, not mention Grind and Saucer. I can't wait to see Joe's musicality on the dance floor!

Groomsman: Brian Fishero, Medical School Friend of the Groom

Luckily Fishero enjoys golf as much as Brian and through many rounds they have become great friends. Whether its going to Texas games together or tolerating mud soaked gear on the Rio Grande, Fishero made life as a med student much less miserable for Brian. Having Abby in San Antonio now makes everything even better, and we're really looking forward to sharing our wedding day with them!

Groomsman: Tyler Confrey-Maloney, Brother of the Groom

Tyler and Brian have a pretty typical brotherly relationship - they compete in back flip contests off the dock, enjoy beating each other in Canasta, and are always measuring who is taller. Even though Tyler lives far away, he continues to make his big brother proud. I'm so thankful the family has welcomed me with open arms and we're counting the days until its official!

Usher: Jon Dorsey, College Friend of the Groom

Jon and Brian have shared many memories usually starting out at Phi Psi house and ending with Jon sleeping on our couch. We both enjoyed being with Jon and Molly at their wedding and we're excited to have Jon show off his dance moves with us in Austin!

Usher: David Murphy, Law School Friend of the Bride

David and I have become good friends, as many before us have, bonding over the miseries of being a law student. Luckily we've also had plenty of time to forget our worries and just have a good time. Brian and I both appreciate David's support of our marriage, and I know David will have his party pants on ready to celebrate the big day!

Usher: Sasha Costanza-Chock, Step-brother of the Groom

Sasha's creativity in making up games out of everyday situations, has been successfully passed on to Brian (as anyone who has participated in "floaty ball" or "submariner" could attest to). We're really looking forward to having Sasha and Chris with us in Austin!

Usher: Mark Tindall, Like family to the Bride and Groom

Mark is the lucky boyfriend of Brian's sister Kate. Since Mark is in law school and dating a future doctor, the bond between him and Liz exists on multiple levels. Spending holidays with Mark and Kate are our favorite thing, and we're looking forward to spending many more together! We can't wait to celebrate with Mark and the whole family in Austin!

We can't wait to be with all of you next October!

Save the Date!

Save the Date of October 3, 2009 for our wedding celebration in Austin, Texas!

Details:
All family members and wedding party attendants will be needed at the rehearsal Friday, October 2nd at 5:00 p.m. at The Winfield. The Winfield is located at 900 Scott Street in Kyle, Texas. The rehearsal dinner will immediately follow, location TBD. All family members are invited to share in this private dinner to reflect on our time together and offer blessings for the coming years. Please mark your calendar to join us for this special family affair to prepare us for the big day!

The wedding ceremony will take place at sunset on Saturday, October 3rd at The Winfield. Please stay for dinner and dancing under the pavilion!

More details to come, check back for updates!

Our Engagement in NYC!

Brian proposed!

I want to share the great story with everyone. We were going to celebrate our Christmas with eachother before we left, but Brian said he hadn't finished his Christmas shopping (a little white lie). I got him the sharp looking camel hair blazer in the picture to wear out in the City.

We were flying up to New York City for a few days before heading up to Ithaca for Christmas. I thought we were staying with Larissa, Brian's sister. But Brian surprised me with a beautiful room at the Waldorf Astoria!!

For Brian's birthday I had bought him tickets to Wicked on Broadway. So we were getting ready for our big night and he kept rushing me. I knew we didn't have dinner reservations until 6, so I couldn't understand why we were in a rush.

He said he wanted me to see Rockefeller Center at Christmas since I had never seen the tree. It was beautiful!! We were watching the skaters and listening to the Christmas music...and I kept wondering why we weren't going to dinner. It was cold and we just kept watching the skaters...and apparently Brian was working up the courage :-)

He said he had one more surprise for me and reached into his jacket pocket. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him holding a beautiful ring! It felt like no one was around, but we did attract a little round of applause.

The best part of the whole night was hearing the story behind it all. We went to dinner at Aqua Pazza, a modern italian restaurant near the theatre. Over a fabulous meal, Brian told me the history starting a year earlier. Apparently last Christmas was the first time Brian decided it was time to make the ultimate commitment. He wisely waited through time apart for grad school. We both enjoyed our first semesters in Dallas (SMU Law) and San Antonio (UT Med), and our relationship only grew stronger over the distance.

Building up to the big question Brian pondered over rings, which diamonds, settings, etc at a local Austin jeweler. As usual he did a great job! He coordinated the surprise with the parents and everyone kept the secret safe. Boy was I out of the loop!

Now we're excited to spread the good news! The wedding will wait until after graduation, so we have plenty of time to ponder and plan the big day. For now we're just enjoying the new phase in our relationship. Thanks to all our friends and family for their support in helping us get this far! We'll try to be better at posting periodic updates, so check back for more to come!

Manuel Antonio

I've noticed some repitition in these blogs; each one starts with a long, almost horrible bus ride. Well this post shall not differ from the last; making our way from Tamarindo on the Pacific Coast of the Nicoya Peninsula down to Quepos/Manuel Antonio down south was another adventure in public travel. We started at 5:30 am and were told just to flag down a bus on the main street going our way...I hate uncertainty! Well no buses came by for Liberia, so we boarded one for San Jose and figured we could get off at a junction somewhere. It all worked out fine and we got on our connecting bus to Puntarenas, a nondescript port town, that reminded us a lot of Puerto Limon. We were able to stop at a Soda (basically CR's version of fast food) for a casado (the meal of the day) and then head to our bus for Quepos. It was really hot this day, so we had the windows wide open.

Riding throughout the entire country by bus allows you to see a lot of the places without even stopping. Costa Rica is a stunning country; a scenic drive is a miserable understatement. The ranching land that has been cut of trees, although it chops up a beautiful mountain side, still is quite beautiful. Cows, bulls, goats, and horses graze on land that will be priceless in less than 50 years. It is definitely true that Costa Rica is still developing and has hit an unbelievable growth spurt over the last 20 years that it is still catching up to. The miles and miles of banana farms show how the country used to make its living, before resorts and canopy tours led the force of tourism. The coffee fincas roam for miles and create literally the world´s best.

Poor is also a relative term here. There are plenty of people who live in true shacks made of different rust-stained colored tin pieces and yet keep their front porch swept clean everyday. There is always an attractive and superbly kept flower garden surrounding the houses; maybe its because the most precious flowers in America grow here like weeds. The colors here are unlike any I've ever seen. On another topic, violent crime is little to unheard of in the towns that smatter the countryside; in fact as we ride past we often see front doors left wide open inviting in neighbors and cool breezes alike. One of my favorite things to observe about the Tico culture is the maturity of the young boys and girls. Since it is safe to run to the store at the age of seven or walk yourself to school for quite a distance, they seem to develop into stronger, respectable citizens a lot earlier than the catered to children in the States.

Back to our busride...we were entering our 10th hour on the bumpy roads as we passed through Jaco, a surfer town north of Quepos. Our bus driver turned up the radio, and the wind through our hair, as we stared out at the coastline, allowed us to forget how bad our butts were hurting at this point. We finally checked into our hotel for our last week in Costa Rica and we weren't going to waste a minute of it.

The next morning we moved into a cheaper hotel and then went into Quepos to begin to learn the city. We met up with Diego and his friends (one of Tyler's soccer buddies from when the family lived here) at Quepoa, a great local restaurant. We watched Italy score 2 goals in the remaining minutes of double overtime to move on to the World Cup finals. After another delicious pizza (I say this because Costa Rica has better pizza than Austin we've found out!), we headed to Playa Manuel Antonio. Diego, Brian, and the other boys played beach soccer while I sat and photographed the action. It was great to watch corner kicks and waves all at the same time! The beach proved how touristy this area has become though with its smatterings of lounge chairs, ex-pat owned bars, and people everywhere selling silly souvenirs. But it was great, we sat in the sun as it set over the cliffside and enjoyed the sounds of the Pacific.

The following day we woke up early to head into the National Park that brings so much attention to the area. It is the second smallest park in the CR system and the most frequented. It was created in 1980, not a moment too soon, as developers were picking prime jungle spots with ocean views to sell to the rich and famous. You have to hike across the river mouth to get into the entrance of the park (or a nice man will pull you across in his canoe). We lucked out on the sunshine this day; its gorgeous to see coming through the trees. Manuel Antonio is a great park that was full of wildlife even to our surprise. Within minutes we saw two raccoons scourging the grounds with their black, bandit bandanas over their eyes (since raccoons aren't a problem in Texas, we probably think they are cuter than other people). Then along the trail was a decently large, male coati; in the raccoon family with a long tail and cute white snout. We hiked further and saw a group of white faced monkeys putting on a show for camera-clicking tourists. They are hilarious, and here, are very used to humans. The beaches along the trails are exquisite and full of large iguanas fighting for territory. Then on our way to the mirador, we passed a little agoute, we looked up and saw a sloth laying, lazily of course, in the tree. We watched for a bit and he put on a show; the pictures turned out great. The lookout was beautiful over the ocean and we even met another med student. Costa Rica is infested with them! Take pride that our doctors are well cultured...I haven´t met a law student yet!

It gets hot here fast, so we were quickly ready for some water. We headed to the beach and Brian even tried his hand at surfing again. He did great but boy is it tiring, so we called it a day. I should note that although I keep mentioning beach time, we put on so much sunblock (being here at the equator) that neither of us have much tan! For being in a tropical country for 6 weeks, we really shouldn´t be this pale! Anyway, that night we enjoyed a great sunset and another whole fish dinner! Its so cheap and you get the whole fish (so both filets!); I even sucked it up and order one ¨sin cabeza¨...I just can´t handle the eyes looking at me.

The rest of the days in Manuel Antonio/Quepos were spent wandering around town, hanging out, and being lazy. The last part of our trip was a little uneventful, but definitely restful. Our last dinner at El Gato Negro turned out to be one of our favorites. The last day we had planned on going to the beach one last time, but the usual rain thwarted our sun. It turned out great though, we watched movies and layed around all day. Not too bad for vacation. We´ve had a blast and we´ve realized this trip has only spoiled us. It´s been great to share these adventures together, but slowly, I think reality has begun to set it. The impending move is never far from our minds, and while it has made the trip so bittersweet, we´re not ready to leave Austin.

Tamarindo

Getting around Costa Rica without a car leaves one at the whims of the public bus system. We were delayed in leaving Monteverde because of a small disaster...we lost the camera. I immediately freaked and of course started crying; you know how much my pictures mean to me. We had only been on the canopy tour that day, so we knew the our only shot was there. Lady luck was watching over us and a nice lady had turned in my camera! It meant we couldn't take the early morning bus out, instead we took the 2:30 out of Santa Elena.

So this bus was headed for San Jose and we needed Liberia; the bus driver said to get off when we get to the highway. And on that note...I've mentioned before how absolutely horrible the roads are here. It took us 2 hours to go 30 miles; that's right, 15 mph over horrendously bumpy roads. So we finally get to the only real highway in Costa Rica and we get off the bus...in the middle of nowhere. We see a sign that says Liberia 75km the other direction, thats a start, now we wait. The climate here is much different than the cloud forests; we're in cattle country and man is it hot! Standing at what we think is a bus stop, we've got a few Ticos around us and while we felt perfectly safe, we definitely stood out. I wish we had an invisibility cloak to cover our packs; sometimes I feel like an idiot with this huge thing on my back. I digress... So we see a few buses pass but none to Liberia. Finally one comes by and a Tico runs up to it, we follow, they allow him on the bus, and then it speeds away...we're thinking 'what the..?!' So we wait longer, in the sun, and yes another bus did finally come, and more importantly, they let us on.

Liberia is a big town with no reason for a tourist to really go there, but we needed to get to Tamarindo early the next morning to catch the Quarterfinals games. So we got a halfway decent hotel that looked safe and ate at the Burger King across the street. On the fast food topic, its hilarious how the American food chains have adapted to Tico food. For example, McDonalds has the McPinto breakfast that has eggs with gallo pinto (the common breakfast dish) and Taco Bell serves french fries with their tacos because Ticos eat french fries with everything! Its too funny. Anyway, we get up at 4:30 the next morning and catch another slow, bumpy bus to Tamarindo.

Tamarindo turned out to be great! We had 3 days of no rain!!! A first for our trip. The sun was great, the water was beautiful, and we ran into fun people. Lonely Planet recommended a great hotel that we never would have found otherwise. It was right in the middle of a bunch of construction (nothing surprising for here, its booming), but that allowed us a discount on the rooms because of the noise. Our hotel recommended a good place to watch the games and at 9am we headed out. This restaurant was owned by Frenchmen and was obviously the local place to watch futbol. We had a great time and met a nice English girl that was staying at our hotel until her spanish school started. We all headed back and swam in our pool, it was heaven! Nothing fancy, but man the water felt great.

After the second game we walked along the beach and found the famous Witch's Rock Surf Camp (its a restaurant named after the famous place for killer waves). They have 2-for-1 happy hour and nachos 'as big as your ass'- sounds good to us! We had a great time with good conversation with our English friend Vicky, a recent law graduate from Oxford. We are learning alot about the differences in European and American graduate schools, not only in price, but also in time required to get a MD or JD. Americans get ripped in both ways.

So the next day was another futbol filled day and it was great! Our poor English friend was bummed about Inglaterra's loss and no one foresaw Francia upsetting Brasil! Our Frenchmen friends were going nuts!! It was hilarious. Again, we headed for some beach time and pool time...life is pretty chill here. Vicky joined us for dinner and we decided we weren't ready to go home yet. Pretty much the whole time here we have been in bed before 10pm (sad I know) but we usually have an early hike or bus to catch, plus the sun sets at 6:30 and rises before 6am. But not this night, we headed to the local place to be on a Saturday night. It was great; we never set foot on the dance floor, but we were entertained the whole night with watching idiot tourists make fools of themselves!

Today Brian and I signed up for the quintessential surfing lesson! It was time for me to conquer the waves and let me tell you...we did great!! The beach here is a perfect beginner beach; the waves aren't too huge, so they are great to learn on. When we first started I was catching great waves and had stood up on only my 3rd try! Brian seemed jealous :) Then we realized the instructor had given me a beginner board, and him the professional one...we traded and suddenly perfecto! Brian did great too! I tried and tried but I couldn't get up on the pro board, it was really hard. We traded back and Brian even did it on the harder board. It was a blast! We could definitely say we had a day of surfing (not just crashing). We were very tired and a little battered when we finished, so we cooled off with a dip in the pool.

So truly we are sad to leave here. Maybe its the lack of rain and beautiful sun that keeps us wanting more, or maybe just the relaxed atmosphere of having nothing to do but sit on the beach all day. Either way, we must move on. We're headed to Quepos in time to watch the Semis and see some old family friends. We're sad to miss the 4th of July weekend festivities, everyone watch some fireworks for us!

Monteverde

The beauty never ceases here in Costa Rica; just when you thought you had seen the most beautiful place, another one is just around the corner. Monteverde was another favorite area for us. We are actually staying in Santa Elena, a triangular shaped, cute little town. Our hostel is full of travelers we have seen in other cities; the backpacker world is very small. Our first night here we decided, after a month of hanging with other people or cooking in hostel kitchens, it was time for a decent night out. So we headed out for our date to Morpho's Restaurant (named for the beautiful butterfly found here). It was great! The fish was delicious and the atmosphere was perfect. We met up with some friends afterwards and then called it a night.

We woke up early and caught a shuttle to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. And wow, the forest is accurately named! It was so cool; the trees were filled with an intense cloud layer that made for a damp, serene feeling. It was so quiet in the forest; it had a very majestic feel. We kept taking pictures, but they can't capture the vastness of it all. The weather here is also very different; we were in long sleeve shirts and pants, finally a cold breeze! And we did luck out with a completely sunny morning.

We hiked to a point at the top of the reserve that should overlook the valley all the way to Lake Arenal...the clouds were of course in the way. But this point was right on the continental divide, so it was definitely cool. It was so windy at the top and the clouds were going so fast; we totally enjoyed "the view." Who knew there could be so many shades of green? The wildlife is different in Monteverde, this was much more of a birding area. The resplendent quetzal remains unseen, but we may have better luck elsewhere. (that is the real name of the gorgeous bird that is difficult to spot in Costa Rica)

We were craving some mexican food and we were finally at a hostel with a decent kitchen (ie: it had a toaster oven) so we went to the store for dinner makings. We decided to feast on deluxe nachos; its amazing what you miss from home. We played cards and tried to avoid the ever-present psuedo-hippies. But seriously on that note, we love hostel-life, but slowing banging on the conga drum for hours and hours just isn't that cool, no matter how long your dreads are. I mention this only because we were kept awake for many hours last night :)

So this morning was our big day at Selvatura Park and the Canopy Tour! At first I was a little nervous...zipping high above the canopy at 45 mph with nothing to slow you down...but wow is it fun! Again we had a girl get all suited up and then refuse to do the runs; boy did she miss out! We ran through 15 ziplines all through and over a great jungle. In typical CR fashion, it was pouring rain! It added to the 'I think I might die' mentality and gave us a complete drenching. In the middle of the tour was the Tarzan Swing, which was like bungee jumping in a swing...you free fall then catch your line tight after a few seconds. There was NO way I was about to do that, my heart was pumping enough, but Brian said was game. It was hilarious! As soon as he jumped, we heard a brief explicative and then I think he realized he was enjoying it. I got some great shots of our Tarzan. The last ziplines were a lot of fun; they were so high we were flying into clouds and had no idea what was on the other side...way cool!

After our soaking we needed a hot shower and some clean laundry, so we headed back to the hostel. We avoided our Stage 5 Clinger by resting most of the afternoon and enjoying our books. That night we went to the Monteverde Frog Pond and with our admission received a guided tour. The whole thing was pitch black, but our guide could spot anything with his light. We saw all kinds of toads and frogs; 3 pairs were mating. The female has to carry the male on her back for weeks before they fertilize the eggs in either the water or on land. We saw the poison dart frogs, blue jeans, green and black, etc. Way cool! We could see them calling to eachother and their vocal sacks inflating. We saw the Gaudy Frog's eggs on the leaf of a plant and the tadpoles in the water below. They were putting on quite a show. We're going to go back tomorrow and take pictures in the daylight, it was so cool.

We love the pura vida life style here and definitely needed a break! We're not ready to go back yet, luckily we have 2 more weeks!

Rio Toro

As you might have noticed from previous posts, Brian and I (emphasis on Brian) loved our white water rafting trip down the Rio Pacuare. One just wasn't enough from the white water capital of the world. We wanted more rapids and more excitement, so we headed for the Rio Toro! It was a class IV river with 25 consectuive rapids (much different than the Pacuare that had about 5 minutes rest in between the rapids). During the safety talk one lady got so scared she cried and refused to go on the river...not us, we were ready! Brian earned the top spot at the front of the boat again, and I moved up to middle. We had so much fun hitting the rapids! This river is dam controlled and today they only let out about half the power that is allowable to raft on, so it was a little low, but good nonetheless. There were many boulders that would come out of nowhere and many times we had to maneuver our boat around them. One of the guys was the first casualty of the river...our first man-overboard experience. We grabbed his jacket and hauled him back in the boat...no harm done. About an hour later we were right in the middle of a set of class IV rapids when we slammed into a huge rock and I was catapulted into the river! It all happened so fast...the boat went one way down the rapids and I went another! My life jacket and helmet had me safe and sound through the rapids and the safety kayaker came over so I could crab on to his boat. He towed me forward to our boat and Brian pulled me back in. My swim was no problem, just proves how rough this river was. When it was all over we had lost another girl in the river, again rescued without issue. The river was great, a definite adrenaline experience; just what we wanted!

Pura Vida!

Wow! We have had quite a time here in La Fortuna; definitely one of the best parts of the trip. La Fortuna is the town at the base of Volcan Arenal, the most active volcano in Central America. We arrived Friday afternoon and found a quaint, little hostel called Gringo Pete's. Its great, $4pp, what a deal. We had to ask a Tico where the volcano was because it was raining and we couldn't see anything through the clouds. But we thought, what the heck, if we're here, we're going to try every night to see an eruption. That night we went with some other hostel-folks to go see the lava flows (its best to view at night). Our guide told us some history of the volcano that was pretty interesting: before 1968 it was a dormant volcano with a conical shape and the crater on the top. When it erupted it actually erupted from a smaller crater down on the side and over the years has built up itself, to where now that crater is higher than the original one. Anyway, we were not so lucky this night...let's just say that after an hour and a half of staring at clouds in the night sky, we had to give up. Our guide told us we could come back for free the next night for another chance.

So Saturday we woke up and took the bus to Arenal National Park. We hiked through the jungle around the volcano and came to the old lava fields. It was so cool! Arenal's lava flows aren't exactly like Hawaii, it spits large boulders. It was great to climb all over them, good thing they were nice and cool by now! We were also able to climb to an overlook of Lake Arenal; it was beautiful. We were so lucky that it wasn't raining (for once)! We continued hiking to a river and then continued to the mirador...where you're supposed to be able to take great pictures of the volcano. We were able to see more of the cone than we had ever seen before, but those pesky clouds just wouldn't move from the crater.

We continued our volcano day with an afternoon in the Baldi Thermae (hot springs!) It was great, the water was so warm and relaxing. It was hard to believe the volcano had created all the warmth. We chilled out all afternoon, read our books, and played in the waterfalls. That night was our return trip to attempt to see lava. Our guide had told us about this great restuarant right by the lava lookout. So we figured, at least we'll get a good meal even if we miss out on the flows. Well that was an understatement! We both got steaks as big as plates and covered in mushrooms for $8! The white plastic chairs were definitely a disguise for this gem of a place. Finally Costa Rica has come through with a good meal. Little did we know the best part of the night was yet to come...

I guess we had just ordered when I heard a bunch of yells...suddenly Arenal had come alive! The restaurant went black and we hurried out to get a better look. The whole top was blowing red hot lava! My words will not be able to describe the feeling of watching a volcano erupt just kilometers away, it was amazing! The lava rocks would tumble down the side and burst with more sparks into smaller rocks. Imagine one of those fireworks that bursts, floats, and then the smaller parts burst again. Our guide said this one of the best eruptions they had had in a while, we felt so lucky to have seen it. The best part was...Arenal wasn't finished. The volcano kept spitting lava all night. What a beautiful sight! And all of this over the best steak dinner we've had in weeks. Our volcano day couldn't have ended on a better note.

Tortuguero

Tortuguero here we come! We were so excited to go up to the land without cars. Everyone has raved about the park and we definitely weren´t going to miss out on the turtles. When we arrived back in Limon from Cahuita we filled up on cash and again manuevered to find our bus to Moin. We got a group together to take a boat to Tortuguero and we were actually pretty lucky we got it. It was 1 in the afternoon and most of the boats were already gone...we learned. Our group was 2 other med students from Ohio State and a German couple; we gave our money to the captain and he said we had to wait an hour to leave. We rested and got some water (man our packs are heavy!) and then started to realize what we had just done. Six of us had just given $25 each to a man with no official uniform (unless you count his marijuana hat) and he told us to come back later for a supposed ride up the canals. Well lady luck was on our side and the man was good to his word...we left at 2.

The canals were amazing! I imagine the Amazon river to be similar...lined with trees and full of wildlife. Our captain stopped off for gas and the boys on the boat stopped for beers...it would be a long boat ride, might as well make it fun. Captain Ganja (as we named him) grabbed one for himself as well. So you´re getting the picture...pura vida right? We did see another sloth in the trees, more howler monkeys, and lots of beautiful birds. The 3 hour ride turned into 4 (our boat was being passed like we were there for a nature tour) and we arrived in Tortuguero village at sunset. So to orient you, most of the wealthy folks stay at a fancy, all-inclusive lodge somewhere up the canal...and the village is more for backpackers...just our style. We had a little trouble finding a cheap yet not horrible place to stay, but finally found a place to take off our packs. The 2 med students wanted to go in on a set of tours for the next day, so we secured our plans for the park and headed off to eat.

Everyone had recommended Miss Miriam´s as, again, some of the best creole in town. We were served family style, jerk chicken, rice, black beans, cabbage salad and fried plantains...yum! We headed back to a cool place with a big screen TV and pool tables...and right on the canal. It was great to watch the boats go back and forth. Oh and nothing here is allowed to be on the beach, the lights disturb the turtles. Thank goodness they made it a national park, you know us humans would immediately tear down the trees and put up big hotels (sorry thats just the tree hugger in me). But really, this place was so "tranquilo"...clean air and lush green rainforest cut through with tons of canals and rivers...it was breathtaking.

So you might be seeing a pattern here...we woke up the next morning for our wildlife searching canoe trip...and yes it started to rain. In a moment of brillance, we all had left our raincoats at the cabina...and we got poured on! Our guide wasn´t about to turn back and possibly loose out on his pay, so we proceeded to get drenched for 2 1/2 hours. The wildlife were probably laughing at us, but they definitely were no where to be seen. The rich folk in their fancy lodge powered boats were given complimentary ponchos...they too were laughing at us. Brian and I huddled together for warmth and sang ¨every little thing´s gonna be alright¨ in honor of the local hero. We were able to see 2 Caiman´s hiding under some mangroves, very cool.

Our turtle hike was set to begin at 10pm with our same guide. The park does not allow people on the beach without guides and only allows 200 people a night...a great idea. Well as the deal drift continued here in CR...we were greeted by our ¨guides¨- his cousin and her wife. They didn´t speak any english, which was fine because we were able to understand them...but wasn´t exactly the experience guide we were expecting, oh well. The moon was completely covered by the clouds and the beach was rouring loud. The hike was really cool, our guides are only allowed red flashlights to be turned on occasionally, so it was really dark.

They found some tracks headed up towards land, obviously a turtle had come up from sea. The tracks look like a huge tractor had come through, they were a lot bigger than I expected. You could tell the sweet girl had used her flippers to make her way ashore and left quite a path. You cannot disturb the turtles while they are preparing the nest, they will go back to sea. However, once they start laying, they enter a trance and you can go behind them and watch. For us, this turtle´s job was complete and she already returned to sea. We walked on. Luckily we found another set of tracks, we waited for the digging of the nest to be complete and our guides signalled it was time to come take a look. The turtle was huge! She looked beautiful in the whole in the sand and she definitely had worked hard on her nest. She went on to lay over 45 eggs (volunteers were on hand to make sure no one disturbed her). The whole process was amazingly natural and almost moving. We felt so fortunate to be in her presence, it was one of the coolest things we´ve ever seen.

So it turns out we had a good showing that night. We passed another turtle finishing her camoflauging of her nest, so we saw 2 turtles in the end. During peak season, our guide told us that 3,000 turtles come ashore in a night in a 3 km distance...thats one per meter! What a sight it must be! However, we felt lucky enough to had seen 2 of the only 3 turtles that laid that night. I would definitely recommend this experience to anyone!

The next morning we decided we didn´t want to leave yet, so we rented a double kayak and headed back to see the nature around us. Brian was a pro paddler despite the not so great kayak. We were able to get into the little creeks and had trees surrounding us, the light was coming through in little cracks, it was fantastic. We headed back and realized it was Wednesday (its really hard to keep track of days much less dates) and that the US game and the Italy game were tomorrow. We had to get somewhere where we could watch it. We hurdily packed up our stuff and got a 3pm boat through Cariari...or so we thought. The shadyness about deals continued, no matter how many questions you ask, I swear you don´t find out you didn´t get a full answer until later.

We got on this boat and spead through the rivers, Brian loved every minute of it. But then only about 45 minutes into what we knew was a 3 hour journey, the captain said, get off here. We sat around for another half hour and figured out a bus was going to come. It finally did, and then the driver asked us for our tickets...well we had given them to the captain of the boat. After a few times of coming back and forth, and us thinking we were just going to have to pay again, it was worked out. So this made us realize that we were in the middle of NO-where and we were obviously somewhat well-off tourists with huge packs and probably cash. There were many times when we thought they might rob us, leave us, or at least hassle us...but luckily not. So I say this not to make anyone think that Ticos are out to get you or that it is unsafe here, but rather to give you a more honest version of what is really happening on our travels.

So we make it through the very bumpy back roads to Cariari and realize we have just missed the last bus to San Jose. So we board a bus for Guapiles and hope that there is a bus still going to San Jose. We jumped off at 7:02 in Guapiles and ran up to a bus; it was the 7:00 bound for San Jose. They hassled us but let us on the bus. Brian had to sit next to a crazy man who kept talking about his veins and was probably an IV drug user. We were both starving and it was definitely dark. So when we arrived at the bus station in San Jose, as is typical, you get swarmed by people asking you if you need a taxi. We knew enough that there are official and definitely not-so-official taxis here, and lucked into getting a nice driver from the real taxi service. He brought us to our hostel and it was like a home away from home. Free internet, free coffee, and a caesar salad on the menu! I almost cried :) We slept great, got some laundry done, and now we´re ready for more adventure.

Cahuita

Well the Caribbean side of Costa Rica was definitely beautiful...but the beaches were different than we were expecting. No margaritas on a big, sandy beach, but nonetheless we´re definitely glad we didn´t pass up the place. Our spanish teachers told us that going to the Caribbean would be like going to a different country; this we knew and was originally why we left it off our list. When we left Orosi, we took a bus to Cartago, from Cartago to San Jose, and then caught a bus to Limon. Only certain bus routes originate in a station, so finding your bus stop can be tricky. We immediately were glad we had spent 2 weeks brushing up on our spanish. Limon is a dirty, port town, but sufficed for our afternoon of World Cup watching. The US played really hard, but unfortunately the Italians were fouling harder. After 2 red cards, we were doomed. FIFA and the rest of the futbol community world wide probably don´t want the US to advance; so they made sure we couldn´t.

So we boarded a bus for Cahuita and enjoyed the sea breeze the whole way. We arrived in a 2-street by 1-street town where Bob Marley is God. Literally. We heard about the Jamaican atmosphere of the Caribbean...but wow. Everyone wore red, yellow and green and you couldn´t walk a foot without seeing a Bob Marley shirt or painting. We walked around and attempted to bargain for a good room. No one here is Tico as we know it, the population is mostly black. We immediately got the vibe that tourists weren´t as embraced here as other parts of Costa Rica. That night we quickly realized we didn´t feel as comfortable there. There were lots of street poeple, strung out on drugs and begging for money. However, that night, while sitting and enjoying our Pilsen´s, a nice Australian/New Zealand couple asked if they could join us. We love meeting other travelers and hearing about their experiences. They had both lived for a few years in London and had travelled quite a bit. We ate at Miss Edith´s, supposed to be the best Creole food in town...it wasn´t bad. Again our search for decent food in CR remains incomplete.

We decided to meet up with them for our day in Cahuita National Park the next morning. Lonely Planet had recommended a cafe for the best breakfast in town, and wow they weren´t kidding. The fruit stuffed crepes were enough to send a person to heaven...eating healthy in CR can be difficult to say the least. We rummaged through a Super to find anything that could be brought for lunch; some nuts and pringles would have to do...no pre-packaged food here. Our hike paid off immediately though; sitting in the trees were 5 howler monkeys! We pushed on, for we had an 8km hike ahead of us to get to the beach. The forest was beautiful! We were on a hunt for the hard to spot, because of their lack of movement, sloth! As we trucked along I was scanning the trees for any inconsistencies, and I won the prize! A sloth was curled up for a nap in the crux of a huge tree! We kept hiking further and our friends must have never seen lizards before because man were they fascinated with the little guys. Later we came across a whole pack of white faced monkeys and were able to get some great shots! One was not happy with us loitering around and through a coconut at Brian! Another wanted to see if we had any food (a clear sign that this park is heavily travelled by people, unlike Corcovado) and was stalking us. Later we were blessed with another sloth sighting!

We finally got around the point to the sandy, black beach side...but like I said it wasn´t quite like we expected. No one was there, which was fine, but there wasn´t much sand to make room for any towels. We picked a decent spot and had our lunch. Brian and Adam played out in the surf and convinced me it would be fun...I tried my best to hang with the waves but a huge one got the best of me. Brian picked me up and carried me to shore...I was done with the crazy surf for now. We hiked out of the park and caught a bus back into town.

So that night we met up with our friends again, grabbed a bite to eat, and went to the local bar for more story swapping. Again we realized ¨we weren´t in Kansas anymore¨... it was only 7pm but the sun had set an hour before and the night people were out again. There was a lady cooking fresh, steak shish kabobs on the corner and we wanted to see if they were any good. After being swarmed by people asking us to by them some, we finally got one, and it was pretty good. After talking with Adam and Stevie we decided that we wanted to go snorkeling in the morning...lets see what the Caribbean has to offer.

Well as luck would have it in the rainy season...we woke up to rain. We went anyway and were able to see some pretty good schools of fish. We even saw a shark as soon as we jumped in the water! The visibility wasn´t great however, and our guides decided to stop guiding. We called it a day after an hour and a half and headed back to pack up.

So Cahuita was an interesting experience (and as we heard, Puerto Viejo is just the same). I´m glad we went to the Caribbean even though it was like being in a different world. It would be like going to Texas and not visiting Austin because it was so different.

Moving On

Our final week at spanish school has now come to an end. We´ve learned a lot about spanish and the Tico culture. Orosi was a great little town for our time at school, but we´re very excited about travelling to more beautiful places. This week was the traditional students vs. teachers soccer game and it was a blast! It was 5 on 5 indoor soccer and Brian was definitely the star! I wasn´t too bad myself; our team won 13-7. One of our class days we had a field trip, so to speak. We went with our other fellow students and teachers to a local coffee manufacturing plant. We donned helmets and received the full tour. That night we ate at the best seafood place in a 30km radius. They catch the fish out of the river behind the place, grill it up, and literally serve you the whole thing. On weekends there is a line of people who come as far away as San Jose for the fish. All of this for $3, we love it here.

Another day, after talking to fellow hostelers, we decided to hike Tapanti National Park, only 20 minutes away. Tapanti has beautiful cliffs, mountains, rivers and forests. It was gorgeous! The air is so clean here, its amazing. We only had until 1:00 before we had to get back for school, so we were hikers on a mission. Brian thought we could cover every trail in that amount of time. To make a long story short...we did! We did however make an absolutely fatal mistake; we forgot our insect repellant. We were swarmed with mosquitos on each trail which meant we couldn´t stop walking; if we stopped we would get bit. So we truly hiked the park in record time. Our only moment of peace was in the middle of the river on a huge rock with our feet in the very cold water and no mosquitos to be found! It was great, we will probably never forget that place. In the end we covered 13km in 3 1/2 hours...and that isn´t on flat ground. The waterfalls, flowers and the expanse of the wilderness made it all worth it.

Locos!

This past weekend was a great diversity of adventure. On Saturday we had to venture into Cartago to find an ATM that would let us access our money (mucho importante!). The ¨big¨ city was interesting, lots of stores...but not like in the U.S. There were people everywhere, it was a little chaotic. I got a Tico Futbol shirt to adorn during the rest of the Cup. We couldn´t for the life of us find a restaurant, so back to little Orosi where you can see your options standing in one spot :) That night some new hostelers arrived...these were 2 boys from Belgium. They were very nice and joined us for dinner. Its been so interesting to hear about peoples lives who take so much time off to travel. One guy had been away since January and is thinking of moving to Argentina now. We quickly learned that speaking politics to Europeans is not a good idea-bottom line-they hate Americans. We attempted to calm their emotions and explain some things but in the end there´s no use. They were very amiable despite their views of our country; the learning experiences never cease here.

Sunday we took a 2 hour bus ride to Turrialba-the unofficial white water capitol of Costa Rica! We were set to run the Pacuare with Locos Tours! We have been so excited about this trip-the Pacuare is the most talked about River in Costa Rica...and now we know why! In our raft were 6 people and a definitely Loco Guide! The river has NO buildings, homes, etc built up on it. The whole time we were rafting through a virgin canyon, it was breathtaking! We dropped 1,000 feet during our 4 hour trip down the river...meaning the rapids were flowing! Brian received the honor of the front seat (because of his strength) and I was assigned the back of the boat (because of my weight, or lack there of). Brian would hit the rapids head on and receive a wall of water in the face! We all got soaked but luckily no one went over board! Our guide was great, he would take the ¨hard line¨on the rapids so we could get the extra exciting part. We are soooo sore today though! Our bodies got knocked around and of course the paddling was strenuous. We loved every minute of it though and we really want to find the money to run another one of the great rivers of Costa Rica!

La Primera Semana En Orosi

Well so far we have completed our first week of spanish school at the Montaña Linda Escuela de Lenguajes in Orosi (outside Cartago). We spend 3 hours a day with our own private tudor and then we have homework each night; both of us have been impressed with the teachers. We are staying at the hostel and meeting lots of interesting people. It rains pretty much every afternoon (sometimes it holds off until evening) and into the night. We are awoken each morning my an incessant rooster that apparently thinks we should be up too. Orosi has one main street, the town is really small. Every town in Costa Rica centers around the soccer field and Orosi is no exception! Pretty much no tourists come here, so there are few restaurants. We cook in the hostel some and eat out some; we have many ´friends´who know us in town now and we´re learning how many things you can cook in a pot on the stove (our only device available). And it goes without saying that the best thing about Costa Rica just might be the freshness of the coffee! Starbucks just can´t compare!

One day last week we took a hike to a beautiful set of waterfalls that are actually on a man´s private property. For a (very) small fee, he lets you hike up to them...it was gorgeous! Whats unbelievable about Costa Rica is that places, like this area of falls, would be national parks in the U.S., but here there are so many, its just some mans property :) This particular man is named Nano and he´s quite an interesting character. He lives in a shack basically and has a small coffee farm. He showed us all of his future plans for his house, tried to sell us some 4 week old kittens, and then took us to an overlook of Orosi. Ticos truly are the nicest people we´ve ever met! Another day we went with some other students from the school to some botanical gardens outside Paraiso...learning the bus system (or lack there of) has been interesting too.

The big story of last week was the opening match in the World Cup! Costa Rica vs. Germany (the home country for you non-soccer fans)...Costa Rica was insane! The whole country had off work and school! The bank had a sign on it that said closed until 12:30! We met some friends at the only local bar with TVs and enjoyed the experience of a country truly obsessed with the sport. Whenever the Ticos would score, the bar would erupt with commotion and dancing and the bartender would put the national anthem on the stereo full blast! Oe oe oe oe Tiiiicccoos Tiiicccooos!! It was so much fun...despite the loss.