Day 5 (continued...)

Yesterday’s trip to Jaco was the dose of familiarity we needed. Today’s trip to Dominical was the dose of Costa Rica we needed. Since most people who have had the opportunity to visit Costa Rica have described it as “amazing” we were starting to wonder if they define that word differently than we do. Jaco was nice but amazing…hmm, probably not the adjective we’d choose. So, even though it seemed like Costa Rica was crapping on us for a few days, we didn’t give up on her. We knew that “amazing” was out there somewhere, we just had to find it while we had our wheels. So we headed to Dominical - which could very well be where the definition of amazing originated.

Borrowing again from the movie The Beach, this was “a beach resort for people who don’t like beach resorts.” It’s a very welcoming, laid back surf village with the comforts of home in a foreign package. The majority of the town, with some exceptions, would be considered by our standards as rundown. The stores, homes, restaurants and hotels are not like ours. But they have a charm that humbles you into wanting to join its relaxed vibe. It’s got the beach bum essentials we like: stacks of surfboards, palm leaf roofs, handmade jewelry, funky signs, fresh fruit stands and the all important reggae bar - which we obviously paid a visit to. And it's all located within steps of crystal blue waters (I would use "walking distance" but we learned that term can be deceptive). While it probably doesn’t have all the comforts we miss, it’s got its fair share: hot water, internet, and cell service. And some tasty ceviche pescado. This could possibly be our next home. Don’t get excited, we’ve only briefly thought about it – there’s still way too much to see before we make that decision.

We took a break from Dominical to see if we could find some more amazement. We have a car, so we’re racking up the mileage. Walk around a little more? Heck no, we’re driving someplace else. We headed deeper into the mountains of tiny rural villages that reminded us of Maui. I know it sounds weird but we’re kind of lucky to be here during the rainy season. There are intense shades of green everywhere. The pic of Rio Zapote shows a few of them but it doesn’t compare to seeing it in person. The rainy season really doesn’t put a damper on our activities either. It typically rains after 5pm and at that point we welcome the drop in temperature.

Tomorrow’s destination is Manuel Antonio National Park. As for how home life is going…we’ve gotten use to the aroma of bug spray and have been termite and crab free. We've also loaded each room with cucaracha traps. At first Mike kept the dead ones around so I could see the traps were working. I asked he didn't. I still don't like looking at them, upside down or not.

I keep busy at night by writing and Mike has been designing graphics, downloading his daily photos (I’m pretty sure he snaps a pic with each footstep), and is dabbling in a video editing program we didn’t know was installed on the laptop. We’ve also realized we can play videos on the computer from his iPod. Too bad our options are limited but it’s something and we’re in no place to be picky. And when all else fails, our trusty deck of cards rescues us from boredom.

Coming soon: Our own videos. We’ll try to capture what pics can’t and post them on the blog. Also, we have a ton more pictures (98% courtesy of Mike) that we’ll probably post on a Flickr or Kodak Gallery if your interested. Not sure when but as soon as possible. In the meantime, hope the few photos we have attached are helping illustrate our journey for you.