One Last Adventure

Today, Kate and I put on our tourist hats for the last time in Costa Rica and went snorkeling.  Ok, I guess they’re not tourist hats so much as tourist outfits (bathing suit, t-shirt, flip flops), which are actually identical to the typical tico outfit, minus the fact that Kate doesn’t wear her clothes 2 sizes too small.

After a bit of difficulty, we hooked up with Seabird Sailing in Playa Flamingo, and they provided us with a perfect snorkeling trip.  We set off for the Catalina Islands, along with a group of high school students, on Seabird’s catamaran.  On the trip over Kate and I were served snacks while we laid out on the boat’s hammock-like bow netting.  We were even treated with a front row viewing of 2 turtles mating.  Once we arrived, we geared up and started snorkeling.

Despite her illustrious career as a swimmer and swim coach, Kate is notoriously a ‘pool only’ swimmer.  She doesn’t particularly like lakes or oceans, as “you can’t see what’s underneath you!”  Nonetheless, she braved the open water, did a bit of diving, and ultimately declared snorkeling to be fun.  Though I hated competitive swimming as a kid, I’ve taken quite a liking to water sports over the years, and since learning to scuba dive a few years back, I’ve discovered that Sebastian was right: “It’s always better, down where it’s wetter.”

We had a great guide who found a lot of life for us to interact with: an octopus (don’t mess with the tentacles – they’re harmless but tough to get off you), a few blowfish (quite slippery), a sleeping turtle (it didn’t like our presence much once it woke up), a starfish, a few oysters (which I ate once we got back onto the boat), and a few scallops (which I also ate raw – while snorkeling).

The guide provided a real treat when he cracked open a scallop with his knife, and put it on the ocean floor — starting an absolute feeding frenzy.  There were easily 100 fish swimming around us pecking and diving at the scallop.  It was great to watch.

Once back on the boat we headed for home while they served us lunch.  An unexpected bonus to cap a great final tourist adventure.  Hopefully the pictures below will show how much we enjoyed this.

On Things Missed

Our time in Costa Rica is drawing to a close, and I’m starting to look forward to returning to the U.S.

Here are a few thoughts on what I have and haven’t missed about the U.S., and what I will and won’t miss about Costa Rica.

What I’ve missed about the U.S.:

All things food: I miss having a grill and fully functional kitchen, including a toaster.  Everyone here has toaster ovens that only sort of work (which is true about all appliances here).  I’m ready to be done with them.  I miss American grocery stores with their higher standards for what constitutes “fresh” produce, and while I’ve come to appreciate the value of eating seasonally/locally, sometimes I just really want asparagus or avocado, and am willing to live with the fact that it traveled a long way before winding up on my plate.

Functional technology:  2 weeks into our trip the keyboard on my laptop finally broke.  It took another 2 weeks before I was able to get any type of temporary replacement (thanks,Mom!).  I’ve missed the ease of communication in the U.S. that comes from having a cell phone (mostly for sending text messages) and a reliable internet connection.  Oh, and it’s been 2 months since I watched even an inning of a Tigers game.

Friends and Family:  I love Kate.  I love her more today than I did when we got here, and cannot say enough about how much better this experience has been as a result of her being here with me.  With that said, I miss my friends and family.  I don’t like that I have to schedule phone calls with my parents.  I don’t like that I’ve missed a number of weddings, parties, events, get togethers, and celebrations (both big and small).  I’ll be happy to feel connected to more than one person when we get home.

What I have not missed about the U.S.:

Americans:  Frankly, we are a really annoying people when you take a step back.  In large part we are greedy, demanding, needy, and oblivious.  Down here, most of the Americans are people who couldn’t cut it in the U.S., so they came down here to be a gringo.  For a prime example, please see the following Craigslist ad:

El Cap

What I will miss about Costa Rica:

Guanacaste: We’ve spent the majority of our time in the western portion of Costa Rica known as Guanacaste.  It is full of incredibly friendly people, has wonderful beaches, and is sunny 80% of the time.  This is a great part of the world, and I’m already looking forward to coming back some day.

The Kids at Abriendo Mentes:  After 5+ weeks of working with the same group of ~20 kids, I feel a strong connection to both the program and the kids.  I really want to know what happens to these kids in 5 years, 10 years, etc.  I’m excited to hear about how this program changed their lives.  Also, I’m really going to miss the consistency these kids bring to class every day, and the ability to joke (in English) about the kids with Kate, Drew, and Meradith.  I love that every day 2 of the little boys respond to the question “How do you feel today?” by saying “I feel estrong” while flexing their biceps.  It is hard to leave knowing that we’ll likely never hear that response from those kids again.

What I will not miss about Costa Rica:

The fact that nothing works here:  Meradith and Drew have a bumper sticker that says “Costa Rica – We make easy hard.”  Truer words have never been spoken.  The power goes out a lot.  The showers are mostly cold.  No one has a dryer, and the washing machines are sketchy at best.  You have to get by with what you have because no one ever has the tool you really need to do something properly (like make toast).  There are no street signs.  You’re as likely to see a “Burger King – 8 km ahead” sign as you are to see a “Liberia – 8 km ahead” sign.  Nothing happens on time.  Things are often closed for no apparent reason.  If you’re not operating on a very calm and relaxed level, this country can be maddening.

Sweating;  It is ALWAYS hot, and we have lived in a state of perpetual state of perspiration for long enough.

Travelling:  I will not miss living out of a suitcase, constantly being only semi-sure of where we are going, or Costa Rica’s awful, awful roads.

We are 10 days away from coming home, and I can’t really believe it — but thankfully, I feel ready.

Our Trip to Playa Potrero

Our trip to Playa Potrero from San Jose started with a bit of a false start when I woke us up an hour early (at 3:30 a.m. no less) after not setting my clock properly.  Upon arriving at the airport, we got a quick lesson in why Nature Air [http://www.natureair.com/] is the greenest airline on earth.

While checking in, Kate and I were told that we were limited to one checked bag and one carry-on.  After a bit of luggage juggling, we made this work.  Though still not entirely clear what their policies were, before paying for our trip, Kate and I were each placed on the scale, and eventually told that our luggage (and our bodies?) was 50 pounds too heavy, thus subjecting us to a fine.  One fog-related flight delay later, we met our aircraft, and as soon as we were up in the air, my annoyance with Nature Air was immediately gone.

Bird in Flight

As you can see in the photos, Nature Air’s 30-seat planes are covered with windows.  For the next 40 minutes, we were treated to a panoramic view of most of Costa Rica.  From our altitude, small white clouds dotted hundreds of acres of grass-stain green farms and jungle so thick, it looked like a mile long head of broccoli.

View from Above

The flight was spectacular, and I was legitimately disappointed when the flight ended.  You forget the amount of skill that flying takes until you sit in a plane so small that you can watch the pilots at work.

Our Fearless Leaders