Monte Escondido Alajuela

... simply taking turn putting cards in a pile. They thought they were playing rummy and were so happy! We also turned my rubber stamps on to the wood sides and used them as building blocks. We were making do with what I brought to use with them. Entertaining two young boys for 4 1/2 hours is an exhausting job!!
At lunch, I fed a baby his lunch. The tias got him out of his crib, I fed him and they put him back in his crib ...

... least on teh ground they were in no danger of "littering" from above!

The next 4 hours I walked map in hand around the City. Every corner held a different sight, homeless Tico's laid in doorways, piles of week old rubbish festering in the 30 degree heat, and then as if to say "ahhh but look at this.." the City would throw beautiful bright coloured wall murals and serene pretty parks filled ...

... trust. Which is exactly what I did in Orosi. I take this as a lesson in the exercise of caution. And, as always, it could have been worse. Most of my irreplaceable things, like my laptop, bank cards and passport were either with me in the room or in the security trunk of my car. And by the way, that security trunk worked very well. The ladrones did not even try to get in there.
For more of my Vida Nueva Travel Journals: http://www.travelexperiencecostarica.co m

... airport is small, we were off the plane and through immigration and customs in a matter of 30 minutes. I now have a new stamp in my passport, "Republica De Costa Rica" ... however they stamped the arrival date 05/01/2008. I guess they forgot to change the year in January on that particular stamper? We went immediately to Avis Car Rental, the counter located right beyond customs. The agent located my reservation but ...

... fun to bring that stuff back with me. After that, we took a 45 minute bus ride to la serpenteria, where they produce the antivenoms that saves people's lives in Costa Rica. We listened to a lecture for two and a half hours about the snakes of Costa Rica, and how they produce the antivenom, before heading over to where they kept the snakes. There were a bunch of rooms where they kept snakes from different ecosystems, which was pretty cool. Our guide took a bunch of the ...

... was beyond any I have yet seen. Keep in mind that one of my (Annette's) projects in Costa Rica was to collect pictures of the hundreds of exquisite nativity scenes. Of any nativity scene I have ever beheld, for some reason, this one held a special place in my heart. The baby had such a sweet, compelling face. As we left the church I was surprised that there seemed to be a crowd of people coming in the back of the church. "Hmmm," I thought, "Maybe ...

... not so big here. Anyway i'm still a hero, didnt even got out of bed. On the downside i have the WORST WORST flu. I think i got it on the plane on the way here. I would highly suggest anyone traveling OS pack cold and flu tablets. they dont have them here and the stuff they gave me instead (which is supposed to be really good cos you dont need to see a Dr here to get prescription medicine, just a Pharmacist, which i did) has ...

... højde, og der er en del morgenfriske aber, der godt kan lide at larme og kaste med frugt, så det skal man lige vænne sig til :) Jeg har det godt, men synes de første dage har været hårde både pga. træthed men også fordi at de fleste andre ankom 5-7 dage tidligere end mig. Så der er allerede en del der har fundet sammen i "grupper", og det kræver jo lige lidt ekstra at man skal prøve at blive en del af det hele. Slut herfra for denne gang. Håber I alle sammen har det godt derhjemme. PS: Husk at sende mails :)

... this time it's not coffee that I didn't like, it was just BAD coffee that was the problem!! This local organic coffee, which sells at $11 a bag, was just fine!! After breakfast, we enjoyed a relaxing tour on the farm, including a demonstration of how coffee is grown and roasted. We learned that the coffee flavor is determined by the length of time that the beans are roasted. Did you know that the only ...

Hello Everyone! We arrived safely without even as much as a little turbulance in the skies. HOWEVER, as some of you know, I hurt my left foot prior to departure. By the time we got to LAX, I was limping badly enough that the group felt I needed a wheelchair. Well this is how I got on the aircraft (actually with a dolly!), and this is how I had to be taken off the aircraft upon arrival in Costa Rica ...