Costa Rica...Day One

Okay, so I realize that it's been a month since I got back from Costa Rica, but you have to understand that a lot, and I mean a lot, has happened since then. The biggest divider of my time has been moving. Two weeks after we got back, Katie and I had to move out of our apartment...the only problem was that we didn't have a place to live yet...and then...well, I'll save that story for another post when I finally put pics of the new house up. Suffice it to say, life has been a little crazy, a good crazy, but crazy nonetheless. So for your enjoyment, let us begin on our journey through the tropical land of Costa Rica.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009.

The 6 girls, Katie, Tami, Esther, Rachel, Wendy, and I leave embark on our journey...


Yes, this is all I took with me. 7 days, one backpack, impressive, I know.


Rachel and me

That evening...we finally arrive in San Jose, Costa Rica. First thing we do, go to the bathroom. First thing I notice, a garbage can next to the toilet with wads of toilet paper. Due to bad sewers you cannot flush any paper down the toilet. That took a little bit to get use to.

Our next stop, Antonietta's house. Antonietta is a family friend of Tami's who graciously invited us to stay our first night at her house. We were welcomed with this...


Antonietta had decorated the room with a "Welcome Tamara and friends" sign along with a sign that said "Esta tambien es tu casa" meaning this is your home also. Antonietta went out of her way to help us. She cooked an AMAZING breakfast of rice and beans with fresh pineapple, papaya, and guava, plus fresh bread from the nearby bakery. She also hooked us up with our driver, Roman, who drove us around the entire country. Just him with 6 American girls crammed into one van. Lucky man.


The girls with Antonietta.

Perhaps one of the highlights of our first night in Costa Rica, okay, I'll give you 2 highlights. 1) I understood a lot more Spanish that I thought I would. I couldn't speak back, but I think I followed about 85% of the conversations. 2) Antonietta's place was a little small to accommodate 6 girls for the night. So we had 2 twin beds and one queen blow-up mattress. Yes, that meant 2 girls on each twin and 3 on the queen. It's a good thing that Katie and I are so close.