Saturday, June 6, 2009

Some things I have noticed that are different in Costa Rica :

Food here is all fresh.  They have fruits and vegetable I have never heard of down here and eat them all the time.  Also, cows are not naturally fat like they are in the States, here most are extremely skinny with like a foot of kin hanging everywhere

Security guard is probably the most popular profession.  We ate at a fast food restaurant probably as nice as a steak and shake, and there was a armed guard at the door.  They're everywhere, at just about every parking lot.

Families are extremely close.  Mine here eats 3 meals a day together, all 3 kids work with the mom, and all live at home until they get married.  It is neat.

People are very hospitable when entertaining you at their home.  I had a cool time doing karokee at one house last week, not joking.  MArk and I sang a Michael Jackson song. 

I actually wrote down a lot more things but I forgot the list at home. 


Last week I heard from Mike Hinds and Mason Kirksey who had been planning on making it to Cartago on thier month long trip through Central America.  They were headed for Monte Verde, Costa rica before heading to Cartago.  When I told Mrs. Blanco this, she suggested that I go meet them there! -  just an example of how cool she is.  So, that night I made plans and figured out how to get there by bus.  I was able to get of work too which was great. 

That night,  I was told of dangerous San Jose is and several stories of people they knew who had gotten "harassed" there, to say the least.  After all those stories and realizing that I had no idea where I was going, I was getting pretty nervous.  I was thinking how my spanish was not good enough probably to explain to a bus driver that I was lost and needed help to get home.  I also realized that I had never been to the bus stop in Cartago either, much less the one in huge San Jose.  I almost chickened out going and didn't get much sleep!

Wednesday morning at 4:30 am I got up and headed for the bus stop in Cartago.  I ended up just having a taxi take me there because I didn't have a clue where it was.    I got there and got on the hour bus ride to San Jose.  Once in San jose, I grabbed the first taxi I found and told them I needed to go to the " Parada a Monte Verde".  They knew where it was luckily and I got there in a few minutes.  I bought the ticket for the 5 hour ride to Monte Verde for less than 5 bucks.  The ride there was beautiful and I had no problems.  -- On the bus, I met two girls from Canada who spoke french and talked with them for a while.  I played a song by a group called flight of the concords that is in French and is really stupid.  They thought it was hilarious.  Robert, I thought of you when this happened and I wanted to tell you about it! 

I arrived in Monte Verde about 15 min before Mike and Mason and we met without any problems.  We got a hostel for only 10 bucks a night that was pretty nice actually.  Monte Verde is a beautiful city in the mountains famous for its Cloud forest. It is clean and safe, pretty much exclusively for tourists.  The first night we walked around for a while and got coffee and desert at this little place that had an amazing view of a sunset out over the mountains. 

The next day we got up early and did a canopy, zipline, tour.  It was 16 lines and last about 3 hours.  The longest was 1 kilometer long and you rode it for about a minute!  It had amazing views of the mountains and the ocean off in the distance, we were so high you could see  the coast.  It was a great time but a little scary because of the lack of stress put on safety considering what we were doing.  For example, you swing on the line and hold on to the back of the line wearing leather gloves the entire way.  You are in charge of slowing yourself down at the end of the line!  If you let go, you would start spinning around and if that happened we were instructed to grab THE BACK OF THE LINE to stop us, but to be careful to not grab the front as this would most definitely cut your fingers off from the pulley.  I can only imagine spinning around in the middle of the air and trying to grab only the back of the line, hanging hundreds of feet in the air.  It was a rush! 

The next day Mike and I went to the Nuboso Forest, or cloud forest.  It is a rainforest/ jungle that is partially covered in clouds as you get higher.  It was really neat to look out and not be able to see anything more than 10 feet in front of you.  The continental divide ran through it and we hiked up to it.  They plant life was more than anything I had ever seen by about 10 times.  It was so extremely think with plants on top of plants on top of trees, covered by moss, with flowers on the moss... 

We made it back to Cartago yesterday with no problems.  Mike and Mason got to talking and invited me to continue on their trip with them to Panama city.  They have one week left before going back to the U.S.  I thought about it and asked Mrs. Blanco what she thought and it is working out for me to get off work again to go!  So, on Monday we leave for Bocata (spelling) Panama and then to Panama city to see the Panama Canal.  I am pumped!  I will get a 20 hour bus ride from Panama City by myself to San Jose.  
 
Last night Mike, Mason, Ingrid (Mrs. Blancos niece who lives with us)  all went to see Terminator last night at the mall.  IT was fun and I got to drive!  Ingrid is extremely nice and cool, I am looking forward to getting to know here more on while I am here.  My family here is pretty much perfect and I couldn't ask for anything else from them.  I am really really appreciative of all that they are doing for me.  

Spanish is going good and I am really learning a lot.  My conversation is improving the most.  Last night I had the most comfortable conversation with Karla who lives next door.  It was the first conversation I had that I was not really thinking about what I was going to say before saying it.  It was by no means fluid, but a lot closer than ever before.  

I will write more when I get back from Panama 

Shout out to Seth, I "drove" by Powderhorn Colorado and Gunnison at work the otherday and I thought of how you are there!  

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