every good gift Part 2--The Adventures

Well, after a very rough night and day I am feeling well enough to sit up, which is good, because I felt like I wasted an entire day.

So, to pick up where we left off.  I got myself ready to go white water rafting, and then I waited...at about 8:15 I began to get more than nervous.  There is Tico time...and then there is Tico time.  I asked the front desk what I should do, and they called Iguana Tours for me.  Sure enough, worst fear realized:  they didn't have a reservation for me.  My heart sunk.  The tour ends at 3, and I had to check out of my room tomorrow at 11, so there was no way I could just go tomorrow.  I expressed this to the front desk, and here is an amazingly good gift:  she said that she could keep my bags behind the front desk for me and then open up a room for me to shower and change tomorrow.  Not only that, but she called them personally and made a reservation for me.  She really didn't have to do that for me, but she did, and I was exceedingly grateful.  Beyond that she said I really should go see the national park and so she called a taxi for me.

Yes, it was extremely hot and we were quite sweaty.

The taxi cost $10, as did a ticket into the national park.  All of my money.  Oh dear, there goes my plan of buying cheap food in town.  Oh well.  In the national park I ran into the couple from Spain!  I can't believe the timing of that.  They asked me if I would walk around with them!  So I spent the whole day with them, speaking Spanish and NOT being alone.  So kind.


Their names are Maria Angelina (Angie) and Marcos.  I really can't believe that they wanted me to spend all day with them, but I'm not going to knock it.  The national park had some lovely beaches in it.  If I hadn't been dressed to go white water rafting I wouldn't have been wearing my bathing suite.  Another little kindness.

 
Every once and a while I have to pinch myself....I'm actually here, in Costa Rica, and it can be so exotic.  I mean, look at this punk tree, looks like its wearing a bunch of spiky bracelets.

 There were places that made me feel like I was stepping into the lives of the Swiss Family Robinson.

 We went on a long trail hike, and there were look out points every so often.  Isn't this just enchanting?

 Look!  A sloth!  It had a baby on its tummy, but I never got a good picture of that.

This beach made me feel like I should be hiding my vast treasure.  Arg matey.

The next day adventure was the white water rafting.  I don't have any pictures of that, because as cool as it was I wasn't willing to pay $40 dollars for the CD of pictures.  Our guide Juan Jose was fabulous.  He really knew what he was doing and he made the trip really fun for us :)  I was with a couple from Miami, he was as Italian as they come and she was sweet and quite.  I had a lot of fun with them.  I was the only non couple out of all of the three boats that were with our group...if I had a dime for every time during this entire vacation that someone asked me where my husband was I could have paid for the whole trip.

When I got back to the hotel I rushed around to get ready because Juan Jose very kindly was waiting with the car for me (I didn't have enough money to pay for a taxi!).  Yet another kindness.  He took me all the way to the bus station for free.  After waiting for 2 hours for the bus to leave and then riding 4 hours I was ready to be home.  As soon as I got off the bus in Puntarenas it started pouring down rain.  By the time I walked the 2 miles from the station to my house I was soaked.  A nice looking man pulled his car over and asked if I wanted a ride....of COURSE I wanted a ride.  I was exhausted and wet, but he was a stranger, and I dont get into cars with strangers.  My bedroom was such a welcomed site...until I saw the cockroach on my pillow.  A far cry from the 5 star hotel I had just left.  Learning to be content.