Day 8 & 9

Day 8

We woke up to something that we have never seen before - a bright, sunny, blue-skied Costa Rican day!! We were off to the pool to soak up the rays for the better half of our day. Around 12:30, Jason, Chris, Mike and Bob arrive at our pool. The beer started flowing immediately. Yay amigos! The girls and I were off to a Mangrove kayak tour. 

The tour was …interesante. Our guide sounded like a recording and didn't really interact or show us much. The highlight of the tour was seeing monkeys jumping on Liz and Susan's kayak. And then returning and peeing in the river (in protest against the bathroom usage fee). 

Oh well, it was fun to kayak around in pairs. I just wish got to see more cool animals…or maybe even a crocodile. After the tour, we took a quick shower and then Jason picked us up in his sweet whip and whisked us away to their private bungalow on the cliff. We played some good old fashion American drinking games while we pounded beers. So fun!

Day 9
Today were were off early for an all-day horseback riding excursion. We were picked up late because our van broke down on the way to get us. A 35 minute ride down a dirt/gravel road listening to the best of the 80's like "total eclipse of the heart" and "that's what friends are for"  and we made it! 

 

We saddle up and head on out. I ask one of the cowboys what my horse's name is and he tells me with a straight face "diablito". I start laughing and ask, no, what really is his name? "Diablito". For those of you that don't know "diablito" translates to little devil. Apparently, my little devil likes to bite other horses when they're in his way - I learned that pretty quickly! 

haha 90 minutes out over the river and through the jungle on horse back until we reach a swimming hole that is filled with water from the biggest waterfall that I've ever seen in real life. It was super fun!! 

We trotted back and had lunch waiting for us. 35 minute ride back on gravel road, as we pull up to our glorious hotel plinio, the van breaks down. Somebody must have been looking out for us today because it seems that our luck is changing! 2 sunny days in a row -- I don't want to jinx it. Toque madera.
Some of our most favorite sayings from the trip thus far:
1) Are these horses donkeys?
2) Check for leaches between your toes.
3) Sometimes even Chelsea Clinton looks cute.
4) No Dora.

Dora - the resident dog at our old apartment

Day 7

Surfing lesson early in the morning! We were picked up in a super awesome van with surfboards strapped to the roof - something straight out of blue crush. 

We drove 30 minutes outside of Quepos to a beach called Matapalo. When we arrived to the beach it was completely deserted and super ancho (wide). We all got a 90 second surf lesson and then we were off, into the water. Kim and I were little more than a little nerviosa. 

We all took our first waves with more crashes and wipe outs  than blind man. I casi drowned and ate/swallowed a ton of water and my sinuses were immediately all kinds of messed up because of the influx of ocean agua. After a short bit, Kim and I decided that we'd be better suited laying out on the surfboards on the beach than actually surfing in the water. It was sunny - FINALLY! As we were laying out 1,000s of crabs emerged and danced sweetly on the beach around Kim and I. The girls had lots of fun, luck and 0 injuries which is always something to celebrate. :) 

We were dropped off at noon at our hotel and miraculously it wasn't raining! We laid out by the pool, enjoyed some daiquiris and even took some naps! It was the first time we had some Costa Rican sun toasting our hot bods. We showered and took a taxi to el avion -  a bar in Manuel Antonio that is constructed around a plane used in Nixon's era. 

blurry - but you get the jist

After dinner as we were waiting at the bus stop, numerous taxis came by as Liz and I were scrounging for change to take the bus (we should have gone to the ATM days ago because we were out of money but managed to make it). Some young dude comes out of nowhere and starts sprinting to the parking lot next to us. Me, being an asshole, yells "?a donde vas?" (where are you going?). He yells back BAMBU JAM, which happens to be the bar located directly next to us. It takes a second to sink in and I then start sprinting as he's reversing his huge van -- "ESPERANOS" (wait for us). We ask if he'll take us to Bambu Jam on his way there. (lo siento, mom). He says that we need to hurry because he's late to meet his GF. We climb in the van and notice it is filled with cases of beer…he young man tells us to take some if we'd like, so we do (sorry again, mom) and leave it at our hotel bar for tomorrow. Today was a good day. We had great surf lessons, great (fleeting) sunshine and some great tican hospitality. Pura Vida!

ummm where did my tan go??

Day 6

It rained all night on the tin roof of our treehouse bungalow.

View from our balcony

It was surprisingly FREEZING last night despite the fact that we are 1- in Costa Rica, 2-in July and 3- had no air conditioning. We woke up for our last day of classes! Yay! We all came down for breakfast at Jefe's. We were so entusiasmadas to be done with clases. We graduated! 

After class we came back to grab some smoothies and our bathing suits to head up to the National Park in Manuel Antonio. The park was incredible! We saw sloths, several kinds of monkeys, iguanas and lots of other plants/animals. The monkeys were so close!! We even saw some with their little babies on the back. Tons of pictures are a'coming - get prepared! 

We hiked in the park to try to find a beach where we could sun but we were a little disappointed because we couldn't find a place with a beach wide enough to sunbathe. Halfway through our hike, it started to rain. Whomp whomp. We should be used to it by now…but we still are sad. Dedos cruzados that the weather takes a turn for the better!

So close!!!

Sloths scratching his armpit haha

We booked lots of things for this next week since we no longer have school sucking the life out of us. Tomorrow- full day of surfing lessons, Sunday -Mangrove Kayak Tours, Monday - Horseback riding in one wildlife preserve / bar crawl and Tuesday we head to Jaco! Some of my friends from home are going to be visiting Manuel Antonio area from Sunday-Tuesday, and then we're all going to Jaco together! Should be a good time. We're excited for a boozy, hopefully sunny week with amigos new and old.
Disclaimer: I know I have been complaining and writing about all the silly and frustrating things that have been happening but we are having a GREAT time. We've been laughing it all off and venting via the blog is SUPER helpful as well. :)

Day 5

Last night was rough, when we got back to our apartment we found ants crawling and swimming in our toilet. Sick!!
This morning, I wake up and the sun isn't up yet but I feel Kim flailing around due to insects being creepy and crawly. Holy balls what is crawling in my hair…I reach up and pull out some meaty insect out of my hair. This was the straw that broke this camel's back. In Spanish, you'd say "la gota que derramo el vaso" (the drop that made the glass overflow - the first thing I've learned in class all week). Kim and I went over to the Hotel Plinio to check out the prices at 6:45 in the morning. After the toilet ants and the bug in my hair, we knew we couldn't stay there another night. The office wasn't open yet (not surprised) so Kim, Liz and I returned on our way to class for some breakfast and to see what our options were. We checked out one of their 3 story suites which literally looks like swiss family robinson tree house and is absolutely what we were picturing for our Costa Rican apartment - immediately we booked the suite. Heaven! PS - did I mention it's the hotel that's connected to our favorite tree-house bar Jefe's? It's Perfect!! Be sure to check out the links, and i'll take some pics later.

 Class was better today for all of us. iiiLOS MONOS VINIERON!!! The Monkeys came right up to our "classroom" in the jungle. We fed them some mangos we brought and are hoping they come back tomorrow, too! Maybe class went by so fast/well since we spent a good 20 minutes feeding the monkeys? Quizas. After class, we all grabbed our bags and crossed to the good side of the street to Hotel Plinio (who ever said the grass isn't always greener on the other side is a bloody liar!). As for the rest of today, we just finished a leisurely lunch and will spend the afternoon lounging at the pool next to our beautiful picturesque Costa Rican treehouse apartment.
PURA VIDA - por fin.

Day 4 - a day later

Day 4

Last night at Bambu Jam there was an incredible latin band blaring music which made the dance floor as hot and sweaty as the jungle around Manuel Antonio National Park. It was so loud we had to mime to communicate -- we quickly learned the proper pantomime to order mas cervezas. Early morning alarm for class. On our way, we ran into Vladimir and all walked to class together. MK, Kim, Kaiti and Susan had a great day and have a video to share with you, our captive audience. Liz and I were more bored than we've been in class. Gag. After school, we high-tailed it to Quepos because today was the day for our first surfing lesson. We went back to cafe Bohemia because our mouths were still salivating from the sweet pineapple and coconut sauce. mmmm…it did not disappoint! Vladdy joined us for lunch :). 

We showed up 30 minutes late for our lesson (tico time) and they said since we had bad storms earlier in the day, that surfing in the close beaches would be SUPER difficult. The surf dude said that the currents are no joke and it would be impossible to surf today. We set up our lessons for Friday and Saturday  --- he is planning on taking us to Matapalo which is about 30 minutes away and for surf for beginners. Not going to lie, we were a little peeved because the sun came out finally while we were eating lunch. We really would have rather gotten some sun in Manuel Antonio than return to ghetto Quepos… We hoof up the hill and luckily flag down a bus to take us to Manuel Antonio. As soon as we arrive on the beach, it starts drizzling but we stay and try to get some sun. While we were lounging on the beach (in the sunny/rainy weather we've grown to love/hate), two Englishmen come up and ask us to watch their stuff. We asked why they thought they could trust us…they said because we looked like funny americans. After they got out of the water, they plopped next to us and started rolling a joint. Plenty for everyone, but no gracias. (Abrazos, no drogas!) Vladdy met us a little later. 

We hop on the bus, zone out and completely miss our stop. We FLEW passed our stop at bambu jam. MK yells "STOP"  and starts hitting Kaiti, Kim flies out of her seat to push the doorbell stop button which is on the ceiling of the bus, almost crashing to the floor. Whew. We sit down to write the blog as the little PLC/CLT team that we are. What happened today? Nada? What can we write about? All of the sudden, the lights shut off everywhere from here to San Jose. Talk about a blackout! MK had just stepped out of the shower. BTW - there are no surrounding lights/moonlight. It was dark as our outlook the first day in CR. Jose grande (there are 3--will write more about them later) came with 2 candles for us (like the kind you'd get in church - no holders, no wax-catchers, nada). Kaiti holds the candle like lady liberty so MK can change. We trek over to our fav tree house bar, Jefe's, which doesn't have power but lots of candles and beer. 3 hours later, the lights come on and we continue drinking. The girls did their homework by candle light - so dedicadas. 

Chiwilly shots on the house. We talked to a family that lives in Wilmington, NC - small world. After a pilsen fueled conversation with our fav bartender, he informed us of 2 very important things: 1) that a tropical storm is a-comin' and to prepare to hunker down with even more rain, and 2) that they had a suite with our name on it and they'd be willing to discount it to help us get the hell out of our physco-apartment where serial killers lurk.  We are in the works of trying to get a refund for many reasons - including but not limited to: the cloudy pool. sammy the fat milipede who lives in our shower, luke the lizard who stares at us naked in the ice-cold shower, the dead worm Liz found in her sheets, the ants on/in the toilet & Kim's and my bed, the non flushing toilet, the fully equipped kitchen with 2 forks, a spoon & machete, and the years of therapy that it will take to heal these wounds.
Here are some photos of the apartment.

Day 1 & 2

3:45 wake up call. Kim and I walk like zombies through the airport. "Hey Kim- that girl has your back pack!" Enter Susan. We finally get to the gate and meet up with Liz who is wearing a backpack that is wider, taller & much heavier than she is, Damn, this girl can pack light! IDA to MIA, then MIA to SJO. We arrive in San Jose, Costa Rica at 11:00am (CR time). We saunter through security, grab our bags and pull out 800,000 colones - Baller! Not so much, but we felt like it. 

In the airport

We walk out with our giant bags to a crowd of screaming taxistas and chauffeurs…not sure what to do at that point. The crowd parted and Liz caught a glipmse of a sign that read "Kelly Goowin". 

goowin?

Pedro, our chauffeur, helps load our bags into a giant (rapist looking) van that could transport the Kate Gosslin's family. We have 2 hours to kill before MaryKate and Kaiti's flight land. Pedro suggest that we grab some lunch while we wait…PS-Pedro no speak-a the English. AT ALL. Gracias a Dios that Liz and I are profesoras de espanol. Any who, we tell Pedro that we want "comida tipica de Costa Rica". Pedro takes us to a "Mall Internacional" very close to the airport. We walk in to a food court with: KFC, Subway, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell & Quiznos. uh..awkward. 

Quiznos at the food court - epic fail

After a delicious typical "tico" meal, aka Quiznos from a food court, we head back to the aeropuerto and pick up Kaiti and MaryKate. We pile in our van and head South to Quepos on a road that has more curves than Anna Nicole Smith. Before leaving San Jose, we stopped and picked up a couple of 6 packs of Imperial Light to enjoy on the car ride. 

Imperial Light

On our way Pedro stopped many times to show us some of the beauty of Costa Rica -- on the first stop (by stop I mean he turned on his flashers at the side of a hair pin turn), took out his compact Machete that upon one flick of the wrist turned out to be at least 3 feet in length. Pedro starts chucking his machete in the air above his head, and subsequently our van to cut down mangos fresh off the branch. We also stopped to try various fruit and vegetables that he cut off the vine for us. iDelicioso! 

trying some weird fruit - Liz was the Guinea pig

Por fin, we arrive at our luxurious cabina in the rainforest. Ever seen the movie Physco? Picture that, plugs bugs, frogs and lizards lurking about. We knew that we couldn't knowingly sleep there sober and luckily, there is a tree-house bar across the street from our cabins. With the help of Imperial Light Cervezas & the exhaustion from 18 hours of traveling, we were able to fall asleep. It's safe to say that all of us slept with our beach towels as blankets because we didn't want to touch the baby pink satin, ruffled comforter from the 70's. 

caminado a la clase

6:45 wake up to shower (without hot water) before our first day of classes! We found our school which is also in a tree  house (swiss family robinson style) and were immediately pulled aside for our entrance interview exams. Kaiti, MK, Susan & Kim were placed in the medium level class with Vladamir (a 21 year Russian, Spanish-speaking phe-nom who'd been studying for only 3 weeks). Liz and I were placed in the "avanzada" class with one other lady. 4 hours of class (and with 6 hurting brains later) it was time to explore the town of Quepos & grab some almuerzo. We trekked down the mountain and found ourselves sitting in an adorable soda (Soda Bohemia) where we had the most delicious lunch ever - fresh mahi mahi with a pineapple & coconut salsa served with rice and grilled veggies. MMMM…heaven! 

 We walked around Quepos and decided it was a place that we didn't want to return necessarily, especially after dark if you know what I mean. We're excited to explore the more touristy Manuel Antonio beaches tomorrow. Tomorrow - we have our second day of Spanish classes and our first surfing lessons. As for tonight, we're at the tree-house bar "Jefe's" drinking some margaritas. iPura Vida!

Quepos

Itinerary or should I say itinerario?

Kim, Liz, Susan, MaryKate, Kaiti & I leave at 6am tomorrow! Wahoo! 
Here's the itinerary -- 

July 10-17 We will be in our apartment in Manuel Antonio for surfing lessons & class. :)

July 17-19 Friends from LHS who will also be in CR will visit us MA - snorkeling, hiking, MA National Park, zip lining, paddle boarding, etc. 

July 19-21 Jaco Beach, boat to malpais and santa teresa

July 23 - we fly to arenal, la fortuna and go check out the volcano & hot springs! Day trip to Monteverde (there are several options on how to get there - one being by bus/boat)??

July 26 - we fly from arenal to tamarindo 

July 26-Aug 1 we stay at JW Marriott Guanacaste  - prob broke by then and want to relax oceanfront with fruity umbrella drinks :) but need to investigate about the area more...

Aug 1 7:10am flight- from tamarindo to San Jose-Pavas; 9:00am Shuttle to SJO 
Aug 1 SJO to IAD departs 12:10pm 

Beach in Manuel Antonio National Park

Playa Espadilla