Week 4: Field trips, Birthday parties and Sunsets

This week was John’s turn to go on his field trip on the “Marlin del Rey” catamaran. Mark was supposed to go with him as a chaperone, but ended up getting a bad head cold with body aches, etc. so he was unable to go. John was bummed, but then I could go! -Janet

It was really fun. We went to an island and we could snokel and swim to the beach, but we had to have a noodle with us (a floating noodle). I like all of the free 7up. We saw a small shark’s head washed up on the beach. It took 45 minutes to sail out to the beach. We also got to jump off the boat and do flips and cannonballs. -John

First birthday party…

Ray got an invite to his friend Julian’s birthday party which was last Sunday. Because it was about 45 minutes away, the whole family was invited to stay. Julian’s family owns a hotel and restaurant on a beach in Playa Negra. Julian’s father built the “huts” for the hotel with his father over 25 years ago. It is a beautiful location and a surfing hotspot. At some point we will definitely return to stay overnight.

John was also able to try surfing! He got a pretty good start and is learning how to balance himself on the board. This board looks big, but was best for a “beginner” as it is made of foam and it won’t hurt as much when you fall.

Sunsets…

Obviously, sunsets on the Pacific are lovely. We find ourselves racing to the coast to catch them. Keep in mind, the sunsets here occur about 5:50 p.m. so it is definitely earlier than we are used to! It seems that people literally stop in the middle of the road to catch a glimpse. We were lucky to catch a few beauties in the last week.

*Look for the heads of people farther out in this picture. They are fishermen that wade in the water up to their necks to cast out their lines to catch fish. It seems to prove to be a successful method!

Other interesting notes:

• Of course, Walmart exists in Costa Rica! Our closest Walmart is an hour away, and we find that we have to make the trip there every week or so just to get things we need. Note that a case of water costs 4,500 Colones or nearly $9.00! Walmart here has much less than what we have in the U.S., but has appliances like refrigerators, washers and dryers, etc.

• The term, “Pura Vida” or “the pure life” is used as a greeting in Costa Rica. My friend and coworker Michelle Lopez (who is married to a Costa Rican) sent me this:
• 

• Anything goes on the roads in Costa Rica! You can pass whenever you want, park wherever you want, and drive pretty much as fast as you want. Police seem to stop people randomly; it has nothing to do with how you are driving. It takes some getting used to!

Until next week-Pura Vida!