TravelStream™ news feed for member adivine3 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/adivine3 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 14 Mar 2009 10:05:57 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/adivine3/1/1236703080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/adivine3/1/1236703080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/adivine3/1/1236703080/tpod.html Sat, 14 Mar 2009 10:05:57 -0400 A journey...

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Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Hola!I rented a surfboard yesterday to give it a try on my own.  Went to this little shop where the girl not only let me borrow her bike (which had flat tires and the chain fell off of on the way back!) to go back for my ID at the hostel, but also stored my stuff and rented me a surfboard and rush guard (surf shirt) for less then $4 for the hour.  It was an adventure out there on the water!  I spent a lot of time just trying to balance on the board as I waited for waves.  Which usually went well for 30 seconds or so and then I would tip right in.  hehee.  I have not observed this as a normal occurrence for experienced boarders. :)  I looked like a complete baffoon on my first attempts at timing the waves and standing up.  One that I thought for sure was going to be good resulted in me getting whacked on the side of my head by the wave....that really should not happen if you are positioned correctly!  It was a good reminder that the water is powerful and to be respected.  After finally remembering again to keep my eyes open, I got right up on the board!  Love it, Rachel, that you do the same thing!!  At least I am not alone in this.  lol.  I did manage to get up on the board 3-4 times, never long, but was so happy with my time!!  I will try again in a few days.Only a dozen or so mosquito bites so far.  They look ominous but thankfully have not been itching!  More freckles are popping out from the sun, as well. :)Went out last night with my new Danish (Josephine-20 & Nana-21) and Finnish (Mali-26) friends from the hostel.  The younger girls were shocked to know I was 30 (so then I had to add to the disbelief by mentioning the 9-yr marriage!) and that started a trend for the evening.  Unfortunately, the only happening place last night was Agua, which much to all of our dismay, is an American bar.  And that is what it was filled with, primarily spring break Americans.  Yuck.  I had a couple of them come up to me and would figure out I was not in school, then the age game came in to play.  It got old quickly as they kept saying, no way!.  Yes.  Yes, I am 30.  I love that younger English guys do not react this way.  A little surprise but nothing more and they move past it quickly. The you do not look like an America game continues, as well, as people think I am English, Austrian or Swiss, Irish.  I do like that game. :)Does not sound like I will meet my bossæs friend but he did get me the locals rate for the sunset sail and snorkel that I was wanting to go on.  Thats my plan for this evening.  I have caught the sunset the last 3 nights and continue to be in awe that I am here and can experience it.  Keep thinking of my humble small town roots and how blessed I am to travel the world.Off to pack up now.  I am heading about 30 minutes north to Playas Brasilito and Conchal tomorrow for 2 days, then will go south to Playas Avellenos and Negra for couple of days before heading over to Monteverde where I will meet up with Stacie by Mon or Tues.  Thats when the beach life trades in for forest adventure!xo from Costa Rica,A
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/adivine3/1/1236904980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/adivine3/1/1236904980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/adivine3/1/1236904980/tpod.html Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:53:17 -0400 A journey...

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Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!!  Not since my first time on the beach here have the jellyfish been so numerous as today!  And I had already lugged a heavy surfboard to the beach so you know I was going in.  Just another fear to overcome, right??  gulp.  I was on my board so quick!  Probably within barely 2 feet of being in the water.  Skated along for a little while and then, bam, finger grazes one!!!!  Ok, ok, breathing, breathing.  Chanting to myself, you are ok, you can do this.  And then it happens again!  I yank my hand out of the water, totally freaked.  It does not feel that bad, just squishy but I know what it is!!  Then I cupped one as I waspaddling!!  ugh ugh ugh!!  Thankfully, there are respites when I do not touch any, otherwise, I would have called it quits even sooner.  Caught a few waves and did alright -nothing spectacular but keeping the eyes open and my first try of the day was a big success so I was happy.  Oh, and I later find out that most of the jellyfish that were out there do not sting.  doh.  Who knew?p.s. I did have a sexy man named Felix start talking to me as we were waiting for some waves.  He said he still reacts when he touches a jellyfish as well.   He also said I looked comfortable on the board, not wobbling around.  :)  It is amazing what just a lil practice can do!!  And maybe my luck (no actual stings) will continue tonight and Felix will be at reggae night. ;)
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Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Eeeheheehee, such an Andrea moment.  I have a large knot on the top left of my forehead.  And it is definitely not a cool surfboard injury.  I smacked myself into a glass pane yesterday trying to get into a bank.  Classic.  I am sure I had a wonderfully bewildered face about it, too!  Later as I was showering, I felt something on my forehead and was thinking, hmm, did I get another squito bite???  Once I applied pressure and felt some pain, it all came back to me! :)The snorkel/sunset sail was...interesting.  It is so Spring Break times so my fear was a bunch of obnoxious American college boys.  The end result was drunk, obnoxious, making out older people from my hostel, some of which are definitely over 35?!  I made friends with a family from near Vancouver and with a couple that lives near Edmonton.  As I may have mentioned before, where as sky-diving did not give me a thrill at all, just jumping off the back of a boat into water makes me nervous!  I could have walked down the steps in the front of the boat but what kind of challenge is that?!  Plus, I plan on jumping off some cliffs into water pools on this trip so I better take my baby steps when I can.  The snorkeling did not compare at all to Fiji but I still enjoyed it.  As I got near the boat, I felt a sharp pain in my left boob.  WTF!?!  I am holding my boob, peaking in my swimsuit and trying to determine what just happened when I notice the 10-year-old on the boat peering over...that must have been a sight for him!!  (It must have been jellyfish as I was having similar responses on a couple other parts of my body a little later.  Freaky feeling.)  Now not only am I alone and need to navigate around the boat to the steps, with my flippers, snorkel mask and funoodle (yep, snorkeling with funoodles!!  Trina, babe, do you remember the days of us running around wal-mart with those things!?) but I also have the pain in my boob.  Ay carumba!Anyhoo, hung out with the Canadian couple some more and found out they were going north to the beaches I was planning on checking out next so they offered to take me with them the next morning in their jeep.  I also ended up having dinner with them that evening in Tamarindo and had a great time checking out Playa Conchal.  Plus, just getting to bounce along in the jeep was an experience to be had.I rented another surfboard for an hour.  My first hard board with wax (vs. softboard sans wax) and I seemed to stay on it better.  I would like to think that has to do with gaining some balance but it was probably just stickier. :)  Not too many waves and then I kept missing the right time to stand up but good trial and error.  I did manage a couple of barely standing up moments and left satisfied.Two guys from Atlanta arrived at the hostel yesterday and we chatted for awhile last night.  Christians, so that made for some interesting conversation.  The one is cute, 25, tall, seems intelligent, loves traveling, did a 6 month engineering mission trip here before...he would be so perfect for some of my girlfriends!!Plan today is to walk 25 minutes to Playa Longosta, likely meet up with my connection here for lunch, surf lesson at 1 and then reggae night with my Danish friends. hugs from your slightly tanned and mosquito-bitten friend!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/adivine3/1/1236540180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/adivine3/1/1236540180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/adivine3/1/1236540180/tpod.html Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:38:19 -0400 A journey...

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Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica

First night out in Costa Rica.  Good time.  Cute bearded NewZealander-born, Aussie-raised, UK now in France-living surfer helpedmake it a fun night.  Too bad Michael has a gf back in Denmark (and youguys think you cant keep up with me!!?!) but it was an enjoyable nightof flirting and dancing.  Saw him twice today and just chatted away. Like that kind of interaction because of the hostels.  I can do withoutthe constant rehash of where everyone is from, how long they aretraveling, where they have been...over and over and over and overagain.  I couldnt do that for long!  Course irony comes along as Irealize I would rather be by myself. ;)  ...except it did lead to somegood chats with Michael and my Finnish roommate, Molly.Looking to head along the coast to another beach or two.  Time to move on from Tamarindo!
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Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Ok, I am in a groove now.  Thank you all for your words.  I was more relaxed last night about simply reading my book, basking at the beach and enjoying the downtime.  It was also an ideal afternoon weather-wise so that did not hurt!  After a nice cold shower (hot water is not even an option), I layed in the hammock under a few big tropical trees, breeze keeping me cool and drying my hair.  Occasionally reading, sometimes simply daydreaming and light sleeping.  I motivated myself to get back to the beach for sunset and was not disappointed.  I spent 2 hours walking along the water, snapping pictures, offering up praise and simply breathing it in.  I also had new roommates (from Oregon, Japan and Italy) at the hostellast night and they were chill, speak English and were up for gettingto know one another.There are problems with the water across the island so we could notshower or use the restrooms this morning.  Ironically, I have gottenuse to this situation from living on a tour bus!Took my first surf lesson this a.m.  Loved it.  I was awful but was laughing the entire time.  And no jellyfish out today in the area we were in.  Whew!  So, I have realized this little thing about myself when playing sports...again, likely because I did not participate in any when I was younger...but I close my eyes right when they should most definitely be OPEN!!!!  For instance, in softball, I am not sure if I actually close my eyes but I defnitely stop watching the ball when it is close.  And it was after 4 or 5 attempts on the surfboard today, that I realized I was totally shutting my eyes as soon as I went to stand up.  Helloooo?!?!?  What a silly girl I am. :)  Next time, maybe even tomorrow, I think I will rent a board for couple of hours and give it a go on my own.  I learn well that way once I know some basics as I do not feel pressure from the instructor.  Oooh, instructor was surprised to hear I was American.  He was sure European.  I know, I know, my ancestors are from there but I wonder what other Americans look like that makes them stand out?Just sent a text via skype to Jeff.s friend so hopefully I hear something back from him so I can make my next few days of plans!  No point in paying for sail trips and snorkeling if there is a hook-up. :)  I now have a good idea of what Stacie and I will be doing on the adventure side and it has me very excited!!Adios,Andrea xoxo
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Tamarindo, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Hola!  After a 5 hour flight and a 5+ hour bus ride, I am in Tamarindo on the Pacific coast.  It is lovely, warm and sunny.  Dirt\gravel roads so also quite dusty.I made my way to the beach this morning - think I am already a lil sunburnt.  Watched the surfers, found my 1st sand dollar (yay!) and received my first stings from a jelly fish (boo!).  I was a bit panicked as I am not sure what can happen when you are stung.  I finally starting asking people on the beach and was re-assured in broken english that I would be ok. :)  It hurt for only 10 minutes or so but it definitely stung!I really wish I knew some more espanol!!!  I am often at a loss and cannot communicate.  THANK goodness I at least did a few primer lessons this Jan.  As you can imagine, I am more motivated now to learn!  It is a good lesson regardless, though, of how it feels to not be understood and not be able to ask.Signed up for my first surf lesson tomorrow morning - wish me luck!!  And please email me, comment, etc as I am missing friends and familiarity.hugs,Andrea
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Chicago, Illinois, United States

'It's gonna happen...the way it's supposed to happen.'  That's Jordin singing to me in Laura's cute Chicago home.  What a blessing to end the tour with a visit with an old friend!!My heart is sad yet full.  I am again blessed with great experiences and meeting some wonderful people on this last tour.  Of course, it had more than its share of low times, as well, many of which I have shared, but that's life right.  And I'm thankful for the experience - all of it.  That's what makes us, right?  We grow and stretch, shrink back a bit and try to just take each day at a time.  I saw one of my favorite quotes yesterday.Live fully. Laugh often. Love always.  I did a lot of this these past 11 weeks and am glad for it.Not sure what's next job-wise.  There's a chance Celtic will go back out in the spring and a chance that I'll be on it again.  I also have a lead with our R&B division out of Atlanta for a Feb/Mar tour so we'll see!  In the meantime, I'll be hanging in Chicago through the weekend - visiting Laura, enjoying the sights and sounds of Christmas with Trina and Karen - then it's off to Seymour to create some holiday memories with my sister and her family.  I'll fly back to Denver C'mas day to have dinner with my bro.  I now have two new temporary homes in Colorado!  One just a few blocks from Scott's place - 2-3 bedroom condo with a roommate.  And a ski share with 11 others in Silverthorne, though most of them will be there on the weekends so it'll be quieter when I'm up there Mon-Thurs.   Woo-hoo!!  It'll be nice to settle in to a home in Denver, as well as, in the mtns as I'll be splitting my time between two.  It's been wonderful to have offers from friends to stay with them on weekends, etc, but it'll be good to have 'my' place - something that the road definitely does not allow!  Which isn't bad overall, as you know for me.  I am loving the road and living on a tour bus just fine!  Don't want to be too settled at this point in my life. :)  (side note:  apparently I say 'at this point' a lot.  After some thought, I believe it has to do with my fear of commitment.  Will have to tackle that again one day!)Well, Laura and I are about to head out to Lizards for some tacos and margs.xoAndrea
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San Jose, California, United States

Hello!  It's been awhile, I know, but for now, I'm just going to jump to today.  I may get motivated and go back and add some entries at some point...I shadowed Paddy this morning to learn more about audio and it was good.  Lots of lots of technical terms that my brain could not process in one half day lesson.  With each mini-session I get, though, more of the picture comes together so I'll keep at it!  I've realized I need to do a self-study or something on sound because frequencies, subs, decibels, processors, amplifiers, dispersion are somewhat starting to have meaning in my head but my brain could use a lot of help!!  And I knew Paddy was intelligent but was even more impressed today.Another surprise lesson that came of me being out on the floor was the head rigger volunteering some time for me later in the day.  It was a lady and I can't help but believe she wanted to help a fellow chica. :)  I made sure to find her and we went up into the catwalk (something I surprisingly never did at Pepsi Center) - 95 ft to the ground.  Sweet.  Barely a flutter but I'm pretty sure I'd have some butterflies out on a beam!  She also showed me a couple of crucial knots.  Think I have them down...which could also be very helpful if I decide to do some rock-climbing. :)  Rigging might hold some interest for me.As I've said before, I can't imagine going back to an accounting office job and it's good to have a chance to delve a bit into some production areas and see what's out there!I returned to my office after dinner to find that my young friend from merch, Alex, added some barricade in my office around my desk.  It made getting to the desk challenging and created a comical situation when people came in for payment and later for settlement.  He's been good fun these past few days, as has my new (and final) promoter prod rep.  They changed my Irish beanie bear into a super-hero yesterday with a bit of crushed red velvet becoming a cape and boots and a black waistband. :)And I still managed to sneak in a great run with Richie and Ryan.  Weather here in San Jose - crisp, fall evening glory!lots o' loveAndrea
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Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Hello friends,I'm celebrating no desserts or candy for a full week!  And can't quitedecide if I want to partake quite yet.  Desserts at lunch time werestore-bought generics so it was easy enough to pass on those.  It has actually been easier than I anticipated to give it all up.  I'mfeeling great today from another 3.5 mile run this a.m. (morning runsare getting easier at this point, too!!).  Can't complain at all aboutheading south and chasing the warm weather as it will make it that mucheasier to get out there and run.Tom, my current prod rep, noted that I seemed to be brooding (he knows the story).  I knew I wasn't cheerful today but grumpy didn't quite decide me either.  Just down.  I'm trying my best to not be and see all the positives in my life but it just doesn't seem to be working.  The tour dating and then not dating is a bit too intense when you have to be in such close contact with the person.  Getting plenty of chances to work on another dark side of mine - jealousy. :PReady for this day to be over.
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Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States

With friends that I can reach out to.  With a sister and brother thatI'm so close to.  With new experiences each day - getting to meet greatpeople and see different cities.  With wonderful health.  With a jobthat more than pays the bills and allows me to give back.  With a greatmind.  Counting my blessings as my heart remains heavy over my recent decision...It's Ryan's b'day today - he's a very sweet (and I discovered later, quite funny) guy.  Zoe and I got him a pint glass from theUgly Oyster and marked his card for 'Triple 1' Kelly after our round ofdarts.  My ex's b'day was yesterday.  Still weird to not contact him on his b'day.  Letting go is so hard.  Someone chose James Taylor's Fire and Rain during the sing-along couple nights ago and when the line "but I always thought that I'd see you again" was sang, it hit me hard as I thought of my ex and after 11 years together, I'm still letting go and I may not see him again.  Very aware that I made that choice, but it doesn't make it painless.
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