Hotel Mango Alajuela

... kids were in school and some were at appointments. I fed the baby his breakfast. He had a tortilla with sour cream on it. I played with him and the 4 year old until other children arrived. <br> I took large sheets of paper to trace their bodies on so they could color them in but this activity was not as good as when we used sidewalk chalk and drew on the cement. The kids did seem to enjoy having large sheets of paper ...

... and then there it was: the big, long and really really upwards mountain. Aehm.. bueno... so I decidet to try to hitch hyke those crazy 5 km( !!!! who the **** builds such a streets, and who recommends it for biking???). <br>Lucky me there didn´t come any pick up who´d have space for me and the ( by now) bloody bike. So I started to push my bike all the way up. After 100m there was a crowd at the street... staring down the canyon. With a little worried feeling in my ...

... via cab to Hotel Hortensia. I did not take my camera with me (ugg) to the mall. The last night in Costa Rica has arrived. Who would know time can so so quickly yet seem to stand still in such a tropical environment? Costa Rica is a beautiful country, one respected and one that was easily fallen in love with. I say goodnight and know it won't be the last time the beauty of this marvelous country is enjoyed.

... but with all the tall gates and roll top shutter doors, it is apparent that property crime is a bit too common. You won't find a single door or window in this neighborhood without bars or a roll down shutter. We have our Caravan meeting at 6pm tonight to introduce us to the group and have some dinner afterwards. Enjoy the photos. UPDATE: We had a 6pm meeting with the Caravan tour group and it appears to be a real mix of ages. There are a ...

... travel and booking arrangements. We spent yesterday exploring down-town San Jose. They have nice museums and theatres but, as I mentioned before, it's just a city. It was an adventure to interact with people without knowing the language (note to self: learn at least some of the language before travelling. Pantomime, while effective, looks silly). Ordering food and ...

... many first-world refugees, found her calling and has been here ever since. There were intricately woven baskets, some of which had taken years to make; animal figurines and jewelry carved out of vegetable ivory, a type of palm nut; drums, stamps, paintings, purses, and the usual array of knick-knacks. The masks in particular dazzled me; if I had two hundred dollars and three square feet of wall space to spare, I would have bought one. (If I had two thousand ...

... are upsides and downsides to it. But they arent what people think, at least in my experience. I do well being alone. Maybe too well at times. It gets to be a problem when I want to do something and it is just lame to do it alone, dangerous or expensive. I also really dont want to end up a socially awkward hermit at the age of 33. So the brits and the scots were good for me. And helped me to remember how much I really like hanging out with people and telling stories with them. I ...

... started to get bumpy. I just kept looking out the window enjoying the view and trying to keep my mind on something other than turbulence. I arrived in San Jose without incident. The plane door opened and I went down the stairs and along the tarmac to get into the terminal. Once inside I knew I was going to need to find a cab to take me to the international airport. I quickly found a cab, hopped in and headed to the airport ...

... with Tara on her reforestation experiments. Friday we will have off again, and our rafting group plans to head to the Caribbean coast for a day of reggae and beach fun. Saturday and Sunday, more work at Tirambina, and then we head back to San Jose Sunday night, and stay over one night. Then the expedition part of the trip officially ends. Two of the married women are meeting up with their hubbies for independent travel, the boys and most of the single girls go home, and Pauline ...

... I did forget something. Hummingbirds that you could stand just inches from as they feed from the feeders. Several species were well represented. Oh yes, and very cool waterfall that had a trail that went behind the waterfall. Can you tell that I´m thinking as I type? Tomorrow I fly to Tamarindo where I will meet up with the Earthwatch crew and the leatherback turtles. Okay, time to find some dinner. Adios amigos!