The Joy of Visitors!!!

Well, my vacation Stateside was a short one this year due to the fact my ladies had booked a flight to come visit!!! I had given Kelly and Al strict instructions about finding the legit orange airport cabs and how to get to my place (in both Spanish and English.) So 10:30 roles around and my cell rings...it's the cabbie calling because he's lost. After many instructions, the girls finally pull up...in an unmarked blue van. Go figure. Some rando on the plane told them to find a pirata taxi (the illegals) cause they're a better deal. So, instead of listening to their wise friend, they took the rando's advice! But, they finally arrived and were in one piece! Apparently Kelly was too nervous to let them know she didn't speak Spanish, so instead she pretended to be deaf...(insert head shake here.)

Repelling

So the next morning we headed to pick up our car and embark on our journey. First stop: La Fortuna to see Volcan Arenal. The arrival went smoothly and we set off to see the waterfall. The next morning we had signed up to go Canyoning. This consisted of repelling down 5 waterfalls; the highest being 220 feet.  Our guides were charming and cute and I'm sure they appreciated us three ladies and all of our inappropriateness we brought with us! For example, one the guides taught me a new slang word for 'dude.' When Kelly was getting detached from a harness I was quietly telling her to use the new word with him. Somehow she interpreted "Say mop" as "Slap his ass." The guide next to me found this quite entertaining!

Pushing Bessie

The next morning we set off to find Rio Celeste. Now, if you are an avid blog reader, you may already know I attempted to see this celestial blue river last year. However, due to the torrential downpour, the river was a beautiful brown. This time, I was sure we'd see it blue! One fact I was aware of but chose to keep from my passengers was that an SUV is recommended. When we got to the "Unpaved Road" as our GPS told us, I said, "Alright ladies, if at any time any of you think we should turn around, say so!" And we set off! About 10 minutes into our journey, we are stopped by a giant truck just chillin in the road. So we sat and watched the guy on the side of the road finish his apple before he finally got into his truck. We drove for about one minute and then got to the contraction site with even bigger trucks blocking the road! 5 minutes later we were on the road again! What do we encounter this time? A tree in the road...complete with a machete man! He finally chopped and moved the pieces and we were free again! This time, we the only obstacles we encountered were steep hills, boulders that came out of nowhere, and mud. We only got stuck two times! Luckily Kelly and Al are amazing pushers and we got up those beasty hills! After each terrifying scraping sound, Kelly would look behind us and say, "Nothing fell off!" I had Al hyperventilating in the front seat and Kelly choking back laughter in the back, but,  we FINALLY got to the river station thingy and looked around. The parking lot was full of SUVs, and our sedan! A man came out and immediately said, "Did you have to push?" "Oh, just a few times!" We hiked to the river and it was blue!!!

After our less than relaxing drive to Rio Celeste, we headed to Tamarindo, the beach. We enjoyed laying on the beach, taking it a little sun, and taking in even more cervezas! Luckily, Kelly had regained her ability to speak and was no longer deaf so we made lots of new friends! On our trip back to Escazu, I had noticed Bessie, our car, was being a little louder then our trip up. Worried that she may have punctured something, though I couldn't imagine how, we pulled into our rental place in Liberia. As soon as the maintenance man got in to try it out, she was quite again! Go figure! I think Bessie just wanted to feel respected and cared for and getting her checked out was just what she needed to buck up! We got back to Escazu in great time, thanks slightly to my lead foot. I think it's safe to say that we all had an amazing time!

Home For the Holidays!

Well Winter Break came before I knew it and my girls and I were off to Drake Bay. It's in the southern part of Costa Rica and is supposed to hold a whole lot of wildlife and such. Well the start was a little, shall we say, shaky...we arrived at the airport and all was good. We checked in and then the dude made ME step on the scale! You know you're riding in a small plane when they also have to weigh the passengers! So we go to actually get on the plane and they recheck our passports and such and then we're put into the "waiting area." Well, three of us got through fine and then I noticed the fourth wasn't coming. "Maybe she went to the bathroom???" So I peaked my head out of the area and looked around. Nadie. Then, my phone rings. I pick up to hear nothing but hysterics...I go back out to the main room and immediately this large dude goes, "You need to go get on the plane. I will not have it wait any longer." And I'm like, "Chill out dude, no one has even boarded yet. By the way, nice to meet you too." Through a lot screaming and tears, I finally realize that they are saying she is in the country illegally. You are only allowed to be in CR for 3 months and then you need to leave. I have a work Visa so I'm fine. My friend is new this year and had yet to receive her Visa...I try to explain what's going on when the man takes my passport and tries to find something wrong with it. He finds and old stamp and I hear him say something along the lines of, "She's illegal too." To which I, slightly snottily, respond, "Yeah, but if you look at my VISA, you'll see I'm legal!" So, long story short, they assured me my friend would be able to get on the 11:00 flight and I HAD to get on the plane. Me and the other 2 girls arrive in Drake Bay and I check my phone. I received texts such as: "I hate this Fing country. I wish they would have just deported me." And "I almost got arrested." Apparently being snotty to the immigration people isn't the best idea...BUT, she arrived and we were reunited once again!

We took a day tour snorkeling and Joanne went scuba diving. I got to snorkel with sharks! There were two white tips chillin at the bottom of the ocean right above us. Twas very cool...not as scary as I thought it would be. The next day we were planning on going to Corcovado National Park. We awoke to rain, lots of rain. "Do we still go?" "Ummm, why not!?" So we got into the boat and set off. It was an amazing hour long boat ride filled with giant rain drops pelting us in our faces. So the hike was, shall we say, slightly muddy and very wet. We did get to see a tapir though! I was about 3 feet away from her while she was taking a nap. She woke up and looked at me. Then I thought, "Hmm, if she gets up and charges, I'm toast." Luckily, the rain let up and our boat ride back was much more tranquilo.

After our lovely vacay, it was time to pack up for the States. For once, my trip home went as planned and I arrived in NoDak at the butt crack of dawn on Christmas Eve. I got to chill with the fam for Christmas and then head to MN to see my friends for New Years. Now,  it wouldn't be a true trip back for me without any problems. I was planning on driving back to ND on New Years Day to catch my flight the following day...enter the snow. The highway was closed. Go figure. After many, many calls and trying to figure out all my possibilities, I ended up book and emergency flight to Bismarck. Meaning, my mother's car was left in Minneapolis. Nothing like adding a little extra adventure to an otherwise smooth vacation! Luckily, in the end, it all worked out! Pura Vida!!!