Dear Costa Rica,
It’s gonna be sad to say goodbye but we knew this wouldn’t last forever. At least we had enough time to get to know each other pretty well. I hope we can still be friends even after we part.
I was a little overwhelmed in the beginning. It had been awhile, things were foreign to me. I’ll admit, at first I didn’t think we were gonna work. After a few days, I was ready to leave. You were way too hot and our relationship required way more work than I expected. We barely understood each other. I’m glad we worked it out though. After a few adjustments, we figured it out and got used to each other.
It annoyed me at first but now I like that you’re the no frills type. You could care less if you keep up with the newest technology or latest trends. You’re simple and don’t see the need for extravagance. That was kind of a nice change - except for the times I just wanted to check my email and you wouldn’t let me.
Anyone who has been lucky enough to spend time with you thinks you’re amazing and beautiful. They’re right, you are. There’s more to you than just your looks – you’re cultured, you value your traditions and family’s important to you. You have every reason to flaunt yourself. I spent a lot of time just looking at you.
There are some things you could work on though. You could take better care of yourself in some areas. And you’re a little bit dangerous sometimes…kind of unpredictable. We went down a fair share of bumpy roads and only got real shaky once. You only got really destructive during your most intense outburst. But you made up for it with some warm embraces afterwards. You kept me from being bored, that’s for sure. I never knew what I was gonna wake up to or what little present I might find. Other than being a little loud sometimes, I was pretty relaxed when we were together. Even if you wouldn’t let me sleep in, at least you know how to make a great cup of coffee and stellar breakfast.
I’m glad we got to know each other. I was tired of the same old and was looking for something different and you most definitely came through. I’m sorry I got a little heated sometimes and a little frustrated when I found myself in some sticky situations. For the most part, I’d cool off after a bit. Our moments were exhilarating, breathtaking, and relaxing. I liked that I could be lazy with you and just lounge around for as long as I wanted, just getting lost at times.
There was a warmth about you, Costa Rica, that I have a feeling I’m really gonna miss…
Pura Vida,
Nicole
I woke up last night to the sound of wings flapping. I woke Mike up, but since this is the fifty third time I’ve done that since we landed here almost three months ago, he grumbled something and rolled over. I wasn’t too adamant about waking him up since the sound was under us and our door was closed - we were safe.
When I woke up, I tiptoed into the kitchen but realized it would make more sense to bang around pots and pans and scare the thing into staying put. I’d rather it rot in the cabinet than fly around our house again. Throughout the day each room got a full inspection before I’d enter. Mike convinced me it must have crept out through a hole someplace…maybe the same way it came in.
He was wrong.
As I was peacefully sitting cross-legged on the couch with the coffee table pulled all the way to the edge so I could use it as a desk while writing, my peripheral vision noticed a flying shadow. I barely had time to look up before it was a foot from my face, blindly headed for my head (really it was interested in the window behind me but my head was in its direct path). In a matter of a split second, I crawled over the coffee table, knocked over a full mug of hot tea during the crawl, and locked myself upstairs in the bedroom. Mike stayed with it while it flew from window to window trying to escape until it finally made it out the door.
I came out of hiding when it was gone, cleaned up my mess and refilled my mug with wine.
We woke up to something that sounded very similar to gravel crunching around our roof. For about two seconds, I thought we were mid landslide and rocks were dumping on us until the sound was followed by squealing. After two more seconds of sleepy reasoning, I erased the natural disaster that was playing out in my mind and replaced it with a wheelbarrow. Why was the pool guy working so early? It wasn’t even light out yet. It was….(roll over and get my cell phone) 2:38am.
After listening for a few more seconds, we realized the pool guy hadn’t been overly ambitious and some creatures were throwing a party somewhere between the roof and our bedroom ceiling. Iguanas? Maybe. But after the third bat entered our living room tonight, I’m thinking they’re the late night party animals.
Mike attempted to scare them by turning on the lights but it didn’t work. He went outside on the balcony and stared but that didn’t do it either. So he took the first thing his groggy eyes could find - my change purse filled with American coins - and threw it at the ceiling. I guess you could say it worked. We didn’t hear the noise for the few seconds it took all the change to clang on the wood floor - which also happened to be loud enough to startle the yipper into doing what it does best.
As for the third bat, he drunkenly swooped into the living room, dove into the ceiling and crash landed on the floor with a thud that sounded fatal. He was either knocked unconscious or did a really good job at faking it since he didn’t move when we shined the flashlight on him or walked over to him. Let me rephrase that, Mike walked over to him. I assumed position in the bathroom.
It came to and started crawling in the opposite direction of our front door so Mike decided to let it out the back. It creeped down the short hallway, into the middle of the kitchen, where Mike left it for all of three seconds to shut the front door before another decided to visit. When he returned, it was gone and he couldn’t find it. Knowing Mike’s not the best at finding things because he’s a guy (I’m sorry but I don’t even blame you guys, I don’t think you can help it), I bravely joined the search.
This thing is seriously good at hide and seek. We spent ten minutes checking every crevice of our kitchen. Apparently it found home base. And we have no idea where that might be.
Lots of highs amid the annoyances of the lows:
Parrita’s beach, moving to Dominical, ziplining in Monteverde, reuniting with TV and a washing machine, La Fortuna’s hot springs all to ourselves, Matt’s visit, iguanas outside of our house, pastel sunsets, the first ten minute walk to town after a month of two hour walks, every sunny day, no more than 15 people on the beach at one time, a peek at Volcano Arenal, paved roads, scenic landscapes, fried plantains, mountains and valleys, free samples on our coffee tour, beach monkeys searching backpacks, street signs pointed in the right direction, the view of Tamarindo from our upgraded suite, gallo pinto, our regular spots: Café Milagro, Maracatu, Café Delicias, a new favorite: Dominical Sushi, lounging on hammocks, our first rental car, every book I finished reading (well most of them), every page I finished writing, and every day we had to ourselves to do whatever we wanted.
And Mike’s beard (guess who added that one).
We'll start with the lows and leave with the highs. Here's what came to mind:
Bugs, bats, bullfrogs (although they brought a bit of entertainment), crabs of all sizes, earthquakes, rainy days, two hour walks to town, broken bicycles, bruised butts, gallons of sweat, iguanas in our ceiling, getting caught in torrential downpours, losing Matt for five hours, unpaved roads, amputating the gecko’s tail, power outages, the flood, landslides, crowded buses, the Jimny Cricket rental car, hand washing clothes, sliding on mud, getting lost on 95% of our road trips, knowing every day we’re a little bit closer to wind chills and freezing temps.
And Mike’s beard :)
Matt’s departure made room for another houseguest. I invited Bat #2 in by leaving our bedroom balcony door wide open (we get a good breeze and no one believes in the power of door screens here). We heard rustling but since we live in the jungle amid lots of leaves and animals, rustling is normal, even when we heard it the second time. But when the third time was accompanied by a flying shadow, I ran to the bathroom and shut the door.
Mike wasn’t happy about having to shoosh another bat out of the house but they don’t put up much of a fight. He landed at the doorway and sat there until Mike nudged him a few times with the broom. He walked on his own out the door. And then I opened the bathroom door.
Even though Mike feels like an old pro, I can assure you that neither of us will miss the bats.
Each day we get closer to coming home, we think of something else we’re looking forward to (aside from family and friends and our Marley). Today, Mike mentioned how glad he’ll be to no longer have lint on all his clothes. It’s the little things.
He also admitted, surprisingly, that he was more disappointed about leaving Japan than Costa Rica. I agreed even though I was blinded by my excitement to come home after eight months on the other side of the world. We felt a little unfinished with the country and have seriously thought about another visit.
Instead we opted for its complete opposite. We went from Japan’s advanced technology to Costa Rica’s lack of electricity. From roads so clean I’d eat off them, to some tables I refuse to put my plate on. Transportation in Japan was like walking out the school doors and seeing your mom waiting for you, on time and ready to go. Here, it’s like waiting around for your stoner brother for a half hour before you give up and start walking. Most importantly, in Japan, I would walk to and from train stations, work and home, even in the dark, and never had a hint of worry about my safety or my bags or my keys or any of my belongings. Everything was well lit and well traveled and well…mannered. In Costa Rica, The Lonely Planet guide offers this routine warning for each of the towns we travel through: Take your sh*t with you or it’ll be gone when you get back. Locals have tried to soften the thievery by saying it’s just a misunderstanding. If you leave it behind, it must mean you don’t want it. They’re just helping you get rid of it. Riiiiight.
It’s not fair to compare the countries though because they’re so drastically different and aren't meant to be the same. I’m sure Costa Rica has no interest in surrounding its beautiful beaches with concrete jungles. And the laid back surfer life just doesn’t coincide with the fast-paced work-hungry Japanese. In the end, both countries treated us well. Both gave us our share of tough times. And both have left us with experiences we’ll remember forever.
But man did Japan have good food. We’ve actually contemplated enduring that 18 hour flight just to eat there again someday…
We don’t know why, seeing as we’re well into the dry season, but it’s been raining since we’ve gotten home. So we’ve done a whole lot of just laying around which is actually nice after being consistently moving for the past week. We finally have an opportunity to have a vacation from our vacation.
Good thing we got the majority of our rest during the day. Little did we know, the Villas Rio Mar had a karaoke night planned to begin at 8:30pm. By 9pm, with all the windows closed, we gave up trying to hear the TV. It was so loud, we were convinced a neighbor was hosting the party but after hearing the DJ and the cheers, we knew it was from the resort bar which is only a two minute walk from our house. It sounded as if the tone deaf singers were caroling in our driveway. I can’t sing at all. But I can honestly say, I’d be one of the best singers amid tonight’s poor display of vocal talent. It was bad. And extremely loud. If they couldn’t hit the notes, they’d just sing louder. The louder they sang, the louder the crowd cheered ‘em on.
We laid in bed sharing the iPod, a bud in each ear with the volume cranked, but it couldn't compete. I don’t know how but we managed to fall asleep anyways. I vaguely remember waking up about an hour later and it was still going on but my subconscious wouldn’t allow me to fully awake and expose my ears to any more. I have no clue when they finished…I’m just glad they did. And I pray this isn’t a nightly event.
It was nice waking up in the bed we’ve gotten used to surrounded by the noises that we’ve grown accustomed to. It was nice not having to search for the next restaurant for our food, which often ended up being overpriced and under portioned.
I haven't even checked the weather for CT. I don't have to. I’ve seen your Facebook statuses. It's cold. It's chilly. It requires a big beard. I've been dreaming of breathing some crisp cool air again, but now I'm starting to rethink that. It's been about eight months since I've felt cold air. I'm pretty sure my memory is purposefully blocking out the shivers, chatters, and uncomfortableness of below freezing temps. I'm even more concerned seeing as we've bypassed fall. No prep here for the winter. We're trading in the muggy 80's for the frigid 20's. Can't wait.
We said goodbye to the Cricket today which may end up being the last rental car we use. We’re thinking of having a car service bring us to the airport so we won't get lost for a third time on the same roads. They can drop us off and we won’t have to worry about dropping off our vehicle before heading through customs and boarding our plane. With so many things that could go wrong, I just prefer not take the chance. I’m confident that if any delays occur, a Tico driver will get us by with either his knowledge of the terrain or sheer insanity.
Until then, we have no plans for our final two weeks other than to deepen our tans and do as much of nothing as possible before our intermission concludes and life resumes.
