Our weekend in the rain forest

A view of the rain forest from the aerial tram.

Our tour in the rain forest didn't leave San Pedro until 10:30, which was very nice for a relaxing morning. Our guide in the bus told us all kinds of interesting information about the history of Costa Rica. After stopping for lunch, we got to the Arial Tram in the rain forest. Katherine and I left our bags in the cabin and then saw a video about the rainforest and how it is being endangered and then took the arial tram. Our guide was very interesting and pointed out lots of plants, trees, and flowers. Afterwards. we had a private walking tour with our guide, Leo. He was one of the most knowledgable people I've met. He seemed to know the names of every plant we saw! We saw a sloth, toucans, and a bird somewhat similar to a wild turkey, as well as wicker growing down from the trees, and tons of ferns and other plants. Below is the "hot lips" flower.

The picture below is of a tree with giant buttresses. Because the trees don't put down deep roots, this is one way for the tree to anchor itself. There are many types of trees that do this - very interesting to see!

After dinner we also went on a night walk, which was nice for seeing the stars, listening to the cicadas and owls, and even seeing a whole line of army ants making their way back home. One very interesting thing was that the night was pitch black! You couldn't even see your hand in front of your face. And at 9:00, the generator shut down and all the lights went out! The next day Leo took us on the tram again and we got off halfway through for a short hike. We saw a great view of the area, more toucans and a beautiful blue trogon, which is not spotted very often in that area. We also heard a macaw, but didn't see it. After the arial tram, Katherine and I got brave and did the canopy zip line!! Yes, we really did zip through the canopy strapped to a cable! It was a lot of fun, once I got over my initial fear. What a fantastic weekend!

Symphony in San Jose

First the rain. Yikes! Friday afternoon it POURED down rain! My friend Katherine and I had planned to go the the National Theater of Costa Rica for a performance, but first we went home after school to drop off our books. By the time we got to our homes we were both drenched. I changed, but I couldn't leave the house again because there was about a foot of water coming up into the open garage area (it is a fenced-in area in front of the house where they park the cars) as well as pouring down the street like a river. Finally the rain let up and our comedy of errors continued. Katherine called a cab and they came to pick me up. Unfortunately, in Costa Rica there are no house numbers. So my address is: "from the Supermercado Si-Mart, go one block east, then one block north - it's the house with the brick columns". Well, Katherine didn't know exactly where my house was and the poor "taxista" couldn't find it. They just kept driving around in circles until finally she just had him take her back home. Fortunately, about that time, the son of my family said he was going into San Jose and would be glad to take us there. We got directions to Katherine's house and the same thing happened! Jose couldn't find the house! But we were in luck because he had a cell phone and called. Finally, about 5:00 we made it to San Jose. We bought tickets to the National Symphony performance and then walked to the Parque Central and to the National Cathedral. We then had a very nice, relaxing dinner in the cafe of the National Theater. The performance was first-class, with the Symphony as well as several guest singers. At one point, there was even a dancer with the beautiful native dress - white with brightly colored flowers. I enjoyed it tremendously!

Another "vaca" named "Cafe con Leche"

- it is totally covered with coffee beans!

4-in-1 tour

Pretty interesting, huh?? This is one of MANY vacas (cows) in the middle of San Jose! There is an exposition going on right now and they are all over the downtown area. Katherine and I spent the day Saturday in San Jose. Apparently the cows will be there for 3 months total and then there will be an auction and probably some of the hotels, etc. will buy them. The artists have donated them to the city, if I understand correctly. The thing I enjoyed most about visiting San Jose was simply the hustle and bustle of all the people. There is an "Avenido Central" that is closed to traffic where there are lots of people, and as you can see from the picture below, plenty of street vendors selling various articles. There were also people singing, preaching, playing musical instruments, etc. We went to the Gold museum and also to a small museum of Costa Rican money. We had lunch at a fabulous restaurant in the Grand Hotel, which has an outside patio which is great for watching the people. We also went inside the National Theater, which is very beautiful. The other main activity was shopping at the Mercado Central. It was quite amazing! There were LOTS of different kinds of shops selling souvenirs, meat, chicken, fish, leather goods, herbs, spices, etc. You name it - you could probably find it there! We got lost a couple times, it is so big!

Sunday we went on a "4 in 1 tour" which included a coffee plantation, Poas Volcano, La Paz waterfalls, and a trip on the Sarapiqui river. I really enjoyed the coffee plantation. It was so interesting seeing the "cherries" and the whole process by which they produce coffee. Below is a picture of the cherries. They pick them by hand when red and then wash them and process them. If I remember correctly, they go through about 4 different times and pick them because they ripen at different times. Different types (European roast, French roast, etc.) are roasted for different amounts of time. All of the coffee produced in Costa Rica is Arabic, which is the highest quality. They don't have as much land as many other countries, so they make it up by having the best instead of the most!

The next stop was Poas Volcano. It is up in the mountains and was freezing cold! Unfortunately, we couldn't see anything because of all the clouds that rolled in. Oh well - such is life. Next we visited La Paz. There were areas with exotic birds and monkeys, a butterfly garden, and a hummingbird sanctuary. I really enjoyed sitting and watching the hummingbirds (colibris) and could have spent a lot more time there. After a good buffet lunch, we walked to the spectacular waterfalls. They really were quite beautiful. Finally, we drove to the River Sarapiqui where we got on a boat to view the wildlife. We didn't see a lot, but we did see a large black iguana, a caiman, some howler monkeys, and an anhinga. I've now seen (in the wild) two of the three kinds of monkeys Costa Rica has.

Templo Waterfall - 85 feet

I apparently have some kind of stomach virus, which is not much fun, but fortunately it doesn't seem to be too bad. It could be from some food we ate, but there are a couple others at the school who seem to have something as well, so we are surmising that it is a virus. Hopefully it will run it's course and I will be well very soon! Classes this week are good, with just two of us with one teacher and then in the afternoon I have private tutoring. In the afternoon we've been going over my diary. I've been writing it in Spanish - very good practice, but it sure takes a lot of time. It has provided some very good examples for my professor to correct me and help me understand the grammar!

Manuel Antonio National Park

This last weekend (el fin de semana pasada), I visited Manuel Antonio Park with a new friend I met at ILISA. Her name is Sandy and she is 23. We had a great time and got to see many animals! Manuel Antonio is on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, a little more than halfway down the coast. We took the public bus from San Jose about 2:30 in the afternoon on Friday and I got to see all the pictures Sandy took. She was in Costa Rica and Panama before coming to the school and she will also be visiting Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru afterwards! The ride was mostly uneventful, but there were a couple of VERY narrow bridges we went across and we tried not to look! We stayed in a hostel in Quepos, which is about a 20 minute bus ride from Manuel Antonio. In the morning we hired a guide for the park, which was well worth it, since he was able to find and point out WAY more animals than we would have seen on our own. We saw lots and lots of sloths:
I even got a GREAT video of one climbing up the tree! The black iguanas were all over, including on the beach. We had to shoo them away by throwing sand! Once, when we were laying on the beach, one went between our towels and then scampered across my foot - boy, was I surprised!! We also saw white-faced monkeys, very colorful insects, honeymoon bats (so-named because they are always found in couples), Jesus Christ lizards (because they can walk on water), and a red-eyed tree frog. Very interesting!
After the tour of the park, we visited the beach and swam in the ocean. We had GREAT weather the whole weekend, with lots of sun, which is a little uncommon at this time of year. The view was beautiful. And there were many venders outside the park selling beautiful sarongs and towels of every color and tropical animal imaginable. Beautiful! The next day we went back to the public beach and bought some fresh coconuts, which was fun and delicious besides. We took a bus back in the afternoon and then took a taxi back to our homes. All in all, a very good weekend!

My second week at ILISA

Above is a picture taken from the cafeteria area at ILISA. It's a beautiful view of the mountains and area around San Pedro. I just love sitting here and looking out. It's a great place to have classes. We have the opportunity of taking optional classes and excursions in the afternoons. Mondays are "reunion" days - Happy Hour at a nearby restaurant and the school pays for the first "cerveza" and some appetizers. It's a great way to get to know the students a little better and practice Spanish as well. On Tuesdays it's a dance class. I went the first time, but not this week. I just didn't seem to have the knack for it - maybe I'll go again next week, we'll see. On Wednesdays there is some kind of class at the school. The first week it was a cooking class - this week it was a lecture on Latin American body language and gestures. It was all in Spanish and the amazing thing was that I understood nearly all of it! It was very, very interesting. Did you know that in Latin America if you touch one hand to the other elbow (while nodding your head a little toward another person), you are saying that the other person is a cheapskate?? On Thursdays there is usually an outing. Last week it was to a "mercado" where there are a bunch of shops, mostly full of things tourists like to buy. I bought a gift for my "mama tica", since it was her birthday that day. This week was to the famous church "La Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles", which is the second picture. The story goes that there was a young girl who went to the river to get water (or forest to get firewood, depending on the version) and found a statuette. She took it home and put it in a container. The next day she went again to the river and found another statuette. When she got home, the first one was gone, so this time she locked it up. The third day, it happened again, so she took it to the priest. The next day it was missing from his home, so he went to the original spot and it was there. Then they decided to build a church at that spot. Very interesting, don't you think? Anyway, on August 1, people from all over the country walk to the church to pay their respects. My host family walks for about 3 1/2 or 4 hours to get there, but many walk much further. Often they pray for healing, etc. at their homes and then come on August 1 to say thank you and there is a place they can put a symbol of their thanks (a small metal symbol of an arm, leg, or other part of the body, etc.). On August 2, there is a huge day of celebrations. I think it would be great to see it all, but I'll be back home by then.

This weekend I'll be going to the beach (playa) Manuel Antonio, which is said to be very beautiful. I'm praying for nice weather and will post pictures sometime after I get back!

My first weekend - Arenal Volcano

Arenal Volcano

Well, my first weekend adventure was a complete success!!! Katherine, Toby and I booked a trip to Arenal Volcano. We rode a very nice tour bus, which stopped in a town known for it's shopping (really just a souvenir stop) where of course I had to buy something. I bought an oxcart, which is very famous here in Costa Rica. Don't worry, George - it's just a little one! Then we went up to the volcano area where we went to Tabacon Hot Springs. Ahhhhh. It was so relaxing. We sat under the hot waterfalls, walked through the grounds admiring the beautiful plants and flowers, and just relaxed. Then in the evening, we went to a place to view the volcano. Even though there were lots of clouds, we were able to see the lava coming down the mountain. It was awesome! I felt so lucky to see it, because I know lots of times people can't see it at all. After viewing the volcano, we went to eat at an incredible buffet. Then we went to our hotel, which was very nice. I woke up early (we're talking 4:30 in the morning) because of the birds. So Katherine and I got up and took a walk behind our room around 6. She is a birdwatcher also. We saw lots of birds, including several very colorful ones that I was able to identify. Then we saw the volcano, which was right in front of the hotel. First thing in the morning it was clouded over, but then it cleared and was magnificent! We could even see the smoke coming out of the top. Afterwards we met Toby and took a tour of the rainforest using hanging bridges. That was cool!!! We saw white-faced monkeys, lizards, birds, ants, etc. One of my favorites was the leaf-cutting ant. It was quite amazing to watch them in a line carrying leaves which were many times their size and seeing their huge mound. At Tabacon I bought a sloth necklace and earrings, figuring that by the end of my six weeks I would have a chance to see one. On the way back to the hotel from the rainforest tour, the bus driver spied one (in Spanish, an 'oso perezoso') and we got to stop to take pictures. Unlike the image I had in my mind, the sloth was really quite ugly - dirty and gray. Oh well. I still like my necklace and I feel very lucky to have seen a real sloth! All in all, if I don't get to see anything else during my trip to Costa Rica, I will be content - it was just amazing.

Tabacon Hot Springs

Leaf-cutting ants

Here is the family that I'm staying with in Costa Rica. In the back is my 'papa tico': Fernando, then my 'mama tica': Maria, then the oldest daughter: Jackeline, the youngest child: Laura, and the son, Jose, is in the front.

First days at school

Well, the morning of my first day didn't go all so well. I didn't sleep well (new bed, etc) and I hadn't slept well Saturday night either, just because I kept thinking of other things I had to pack. :-) So by Monday morning I was rather tired. My "mama tica" (tico/tica is the name they use here for native Costa Ricans) took me on the bus the first day to show me how to get to school. She was showing me the way I would need to get back and I just lost it - started crying, of all things! She was so nice! She said she would come back and get me in the afternoon. I guess I was tired and overwhelmed with everything. I trust that I am now over the worst of things to happen to me! :-) The rest of the day was good. My teachers are wonderful. They speak only in Spanish, but it is nice and slow and I am surprised at how much I understand. I haven't had much homework yet, but it's only been two days. I expect I'll have more as the weeks go by. Yesterday I was planning to go to lunch with two friends I have made here, but they went somewhere with their teacher, so I went "sola" to the nearby restaurant. It was a little nervewracking, since I couldn't understand the menu, but I did it and it was great food and I made it back in time for my afternoon class. Yesterday we had a free optional class for salsa dancing. I went and it was fun, but I must say I wasn't very good at it! Oh well. Then I took the bus home, also "sola" and did just fine. (Fortunately the other woman staying at the house had shown me exactly what landmarks to look for, or I probably would have gotten lost!) Last night my "papa tico" showed us some things about the money and our mama tica gave us a $5 colones bill that is no longer in use, but it's beautiful. I've seen parakeets flying around here - they are so beautiful - bright green. The bell just rang for my third day of classes. Adios for now!

I've arrived in Costa Rica!

I don't have time to write a lot, but wanted to let everyone know I did actually arrive here safe and sound! After getting here, I met another lady who was going to the same language school. It was amazing to find out how much we had in common! She is married, but came here by herself, like me, we both homeschooled our children and now that the kids are gone have time to do an adventure such as this, both know some Spanish, etc. She lives in Greenville, South Carolina - I have a feeling we will get to be good friends and pen pals. Anyway, the day we got here the "home team" had just won a futbol (soccer) game and there were cars all over the place waving flags.

My host family is wonderful. My "mama tica"s name is Luisa. She speaks very slowly and re-words things so I can understand and helps me with words. The three children live at home - the two oldest work at Hewlett Packard and go to school at night, while the youngest goes to the University during the day. The father is an accountant for the Social Security department. I had arroz con pollo (rice with chicken) and frijoles (beans) for dinner that were very good. There are two other students staying at the home right now. One is a 19 year old young man from Missouri who has been here about 10 days and will be leaving in 4 days. The other is another woman who, amazingly enough ALSO homeschooled her children and is from Arkansas.

Well, I need to stop because I am going to a "Happy Hour" with the school to meet people. More manana!