Back in San Jose

I arrived back yesterday evening...here is my attempt to recap the fabulous weekend!

We had to get up really early on Saturday so I packed my bag the night before. Gert and I had been invited out for a birthday celebration but we had to decline. We needed to be at the bus pick up at 6 am. As I was packing up I realized that I need to buy a carry on bag. My back pack isn't going to cut it for weekend excursions. It was OVERFLOWING! AND since on an airline you can have 2 carry ons, as long as one will fit under the seat, I will go buy one this week. Isabel told me there is a place where you can get them for cheap 10,000 colones (about 20 bucks!) Anyway...

We arrived at the bus stop a little early and the bus showed up around 6:15am. The way this excursion worked was really nice. The bus picked up everyone that was going to Tortuguero and we all stay together the whole time. We eat all our meals together and take all our excursions together. So it is nice, especially if you are traveling alone. Which I wasn't...but will be in the future. The person that picks you up is your personal tour guide. He stayed with us the entire time. So it made me feel a lot more secure.

Now for the actual trip...the drive was really nice. We went out of San Jose, up through the mountains then back down to the coast. I was so excited because this was the part of Costa Rica that I had really wanted to see. Little houses, small towns, friendly people...not like the pollution and buses in San Jose. It was wonderful! We saw a lot of animals. In fact here are some cows just running along the road. No cowboy there with them. They were just chillin', out for a little run!




On our way we also passed MASSIVE banana plantations! We also passed the processing "plant" for one of my favorite fruit companies...Del Monte! (It is so much better than Dole!) Well this is where Del Monte bananas come from! They had this assembly line going for deciding which bananas were good enough for snobby Americans and Europeans and which ones would just go to the local market. Here is a picture below of a man chopping apart the bananas.



At this same location there was a man selling coconuts. He would cut a whole out and give you a straw to drink the milk. Once you were done he would chop open the coconut so you could eat the pulp. He also had this enormous bug with him. And of course I couldn't help but have my picture taken with the bug.



Oh and real quick about the cost. All of our food was included in the price. As were the excursions and transportation to and from San Jose. We stayed 3 days and 2 nights, 3 meals a day, 4 separate excursions...for about $220! It was a great deal, especially since the meals were great (and HUGE), the rooms clean and the excursions really interesting!

Okay...now back to the trip. Our hotel (or resort) was located between a Canal or Channel and the Carribean Sea! How nice! You have to take a boat to get to the location. We were on a sort of long strip island with 1 other resort and the little town of Tortuguero. And when I say little town I mean LITTLE! Less than a mile long. So we got off the boat at our resort and could walk straight across to the ocean! The resort had everything you needed...except AC! And it was HOT and even more so...HUMID! I had to change clothes about 3 times a day...but it was still no less paradise! I really wish you all could have seen the views! It was like a jungle or tropical forest surrounded by water! The views were amazing! I don't think I took one picture that truly does this place justice!

Our excursions included 1 trip to the town. You could walk down the beach or take a boat. We also had 2 trips through the canals. On these we searched for monkeys and toucans and all sorts of animals! They were a lot of fun! We also had a trip through the jungle! Only six of us were brave enough for this one! It was so much fun! Just like MAN VS. WILD!!!!! I totally made it back to civilization! But...when I say it was like Man vs. Wild...I really mean it had handy boards above the jungle floor for us to walk on! :-) See the picture below to see the boards! I had you fooled for a second huh?!?


It wasn't all on boards I promise! They even gave us rubber boots so we could navigate the mud! There was a lot of it!


All in all it was an AMAZING trip and I would go back in a heartbeat! The longer I stayed the more I didn't want to leave! I also made friends with the guys that work there...imagine that! These guys had the life! Half of them didn't even wear shoes! They live at the resort, wake up everyday on the beach, play nice to the tourists and it doesn't cost them anything! All they need is included! Their rooms...their food...Thats the life! I wish I were brave enough to just up leave my comforts for a life like that! But alas...I am a spoiled little American girl! :-)

I definitely did not want to come back to San Jose! I don't like it here very much. It's by no means bad but it is extremely polluted! I hate walking on the streets, but taking the bus is worse! Then you are just riding around in a big ball of pollution! It really is bad! However it is often raining (or is about to rain) when I go home so the bus is a nice cover. And it never costs more than 38 cents to ride! (200 colones) I haven't found a bus yet that costs more than that! 38 cents is one of the expensive ones!

Well I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures! I apologize that this post is so extremely scattered. I had a lot to say and not that much time to do it in!

If you want to know more about my trip or see if I have a specific picture just send me an email!



Here is picture specifically for my sister! Katie, here is a picture of the iguana you saw at granddaddy's pond! I asked him if he had ever been in North Carolina before and he said yes...that he loved the Christian Light area and stayed there for a short while! So here you go! You finally have proof! Love you Sissy!!!