Party in the USA

This morning, I woke up feeling brand new and I jumped up feeling my highs, and my lows...ok, enough of old Talib Kweli songs. But I really did have one of those mornings! I have to first say, I love-love-loved Costa Rica, but I am 100% over-the-moon happy to be home. It made me start thinking of why I love the USA, so I wanted to write it down all the things that got me super excited to be home before I start taking it for granted again. :)

1.) My puppy! My glorious, purebred, groomed, well-fed, spayed and not stray dog (the dogs in Costa Rica were the mangiest of things)

2.) MY JEEP that I drive on paved roads, but can offroad if need be (the roads in CR were dirt & had crater-sized potholes)

3.) My IPHONE & 3G service (wifi was readily available at 90% of the places, but it wasn't the same)

4.) Down pillows, comforters, pillow-top mattresses, Egyptian cotton sheets...etc. (the linens in CR weren't the same...)

5.) Not having the need to put barbed wire around my house (which was around everything in CR. Apparently, if it's not bolted down or outlined in barbed wire, it's stolen.)

7.) Days like today where you can drive around blasting B.Spears, sunroof open & huge designer sunglasses on (the 20c bus was clean & easy to use but it's just not the same)

8.) mani/pedis 

God bless the USA!

Day 23

The.Last.Day. Sad. Depremida. Bienvenidos a Depressionville. 5:30 wake up, 6:15 taxi, 7:10 flight to San Jose. 9:00 shuttle to International airport in San Jose. MK departs on a different flight. Liz & her bf arrive. 12:10 flight to Miami, 2 hours going thru customs/border control & an hour to spare before our 9pm flight to IAD, whew. Arrival 11:20. Liz scurries into a cab, Susan's mom and sister scoop her as soon as we leave the terminal while Kim and I wait for Brett. It's funny that we left in the order that we arrived. First, it was just me. Then Kim, then Susan, then Liz, then MK & Kaiti.
16 hours of travel. & it all comes full-circle. 

tin roofs in San Juan

only security we've seen & this happened AFTER the flight

Last photo in CR :(

Day 22

Welp, it's over. It's fitting that today, things ended how it all started: raining. I like to think of it as, Costa Rica's inner mood being reflected in terms of weather (because we're leaving). We had a few brief hours of non-rain, which by no means meant there was sun. We've grown to think that the absence of rain is a home-run & when the sun is present, it's a grand-slam! Today was neither. We stayed out through the rain as long as we could…but it seemed to be a lost cause. We spent the afternoon watching movies or at the gym. 

loving our robes & slippers

Tonight, we went out for the official last supper. We had lots of wine, laughs, some almost-tears and lots of love for Costa Rica. 

what you can't really see is me trying to take MK out with my thick wood menu

Tomorrow we leave the Marriott at 6:15 to catch our 7:10 tin-can flight to San Jose, then a 9am shuttle to the international airport. We will reconnect with Liz and her beau to fly into MIA, all minus MK. We are so sad that MK is not continuing with us into the home-stretch. So so triste.  Costa Rica - you were great. All I have to say to you is -- "Pura vida, no pass nada…adios…"

isalud!

I'd rather say, "hasta luegs" - because I know I'll be back.

Day 16

Up early because we were too excited to sleep. Today was the day we had been waiting for - fly to Guanacaste, CR. We said "hasta luegs" to Liz and headed for the airport.

Bags and bodies on the scale first, then we were waiting for the puddle jumper to arrive. We were nervous because a cow had wandered on the runway. A man shimmied out and shooed it away so our plane could land. I guess nobody wanted ground-beef. har har har.

This quick 20 minute flight to San Jose was so much better than our other flight, but still more than just a little nerve-wracking. We only had 10 minutes in between flights - a quick run to the bano and grab some peanuts to up the blood sugar & we were off again. A 45 minute flight to Tamarindo, culminating with the most gorgeous view of the beach while approaching the landing strip. The moment we've been anticipating has arrived - JW Marriott/Playa Mansita time!!

The only way we survived the four long nights at the Cabinas Pedro Miguel was anticipating the moment of arriving at the JW. It's bittersweet that our last stop on our incredible 3 week vacay is here. We wandered around the grounds and ended up having dunch (or linner, if you will) at the azul grill overlooking the beach/pools. At dunch/linner, Kim, Susan, MK & I all had some reflection and share time about our favorite and least favorite days of the trip so far. One of our favorite/funny story that we haven't shared yet is when a cow charged our taxi-van, relampagos & the 3 sizes of Jose's - pequeno, mediano, & grande. So many vacas all around. It seems like we've been here so long but it's gone so fast. All I know is, I could get used to a permanent vacation & I definitely do not want to go back to school/work.

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 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

Your International Trip Is Now Eligible For Check-In

What a nice thing to wake up to! My heart started pounding at the sight of that email subject line. Good thing I stayed up all night packing/beboping around my room in anticipation...
Packing. Packing!? PACKING!! Oh crap. I already think I put out too much to pack. Here's the breakdown-

1 samsonite lift ulta-light 21" expandable bag (in purple) 

 +1 north face jester backpack (in pink) 

= (I have) 2 much stuff 

12 dresses, 2 pairs of jean shorts, 7 tops, 2 pair of board shorts, 2 pairs lululemon groove short/1pair lululemon wunder under cropped pant, a bajillion bathing suits, 1 snorkle & mask, 5 bottles of sunscreen, 2 bottles of Deet bug spray, 1 pair running shoes,1 pair rainbow sandals, 1 pair havianna sandals, 1 towel wrap, 1 beach towel + bathroom products. Whew! I hope it fits or else I will have to do some major editing... :)

To Deet or Not to Deet?

In this crucial time before departure, I am feeling a little frazzled (despite the fact that I'm a seasoned traveler). I am driving home from OBX tonight to "throw shit in a bag" for Costa Rica. FYI "Throw shit in a bag" is mine and my sister's preferred method of packing. With a rainy day at the beach, I found myself perusing the aisles of the OBX Walmart. Mysteriously I ended up in the camping section, which could be referred to as the redneck section, but that's another blog...Needless to say, it was my first time over there. :) I encountered two kinds of bug spray - 1) some lovely "green" deet-free, all natural stuff and 2) outdoorsman max repel with 40% deet. Normally, I'd be for the all-natural-hippie-love-and-no-chemicals kind HOWEVER, when we're talking bugs...I had to go to the potent-may-cause-rashes-or-even-worse-cancer kind. Hasta Luego, insectos!!

In addition to the bug spray, I picked up my last minute travel essentails for my trip: sunscreen, antibacterial hand sanitizer, crystal light water bottle packets, face wash & other body products. Another thing I found was a mini fabreze to go bottle - a must have when you're not sure when you are going to be able to wash your clothes. However, I'm guilty of using the 'fabreze trick' when I haven't done laundry and my favorite dress has been sitting in the dirty-clothes hamper for weeks &I want to wear it anyways. Shhh..don't tell! Man, this is going to be tough packing one bag for a 3 week trip! Costa Rican airline's allow checked bags weighing 40lbs & carry ons weighing 10lbs on flights. Crap! This high-maintenence girl is about to have some packing issues...

So, here we are.

A little bit about me and a little bit about this blog...
I am 24 year old teacher with a major addiction to fashion, the beach, traveling and a passion for everything Spanish. I love Spanish music, food (mmm shrimp fajitas & guacamole), language and dance! While in college, I studied abroad in Spain for 6 months and played with the idea of writing a blog, but never got around to it...I have a bunch of emails I sent while in Spain that I added to a scrapbook, but that seems a little behind the times now. So, this blog is inspired by my super-awesome trip to Costa Rica for the Summer of 2011. I'm sure lots of fun times & hilarity will ensue...stay tuned!