Back from Paradise

And man, is it rough.

Sorry blog, serious hiatus while I gathered my frost-bitten brain together. To recap: School in Nov/Dec was hardcore, vacation in Dec to Costa Rica was awesome, and now Jan with school on a 1-week break after the hardcore-ness is great, but everything else is freezing and busy.

Costa Rica, specificially the Guanacaste region, is really neat. I never expected to see cacti in the jungle, or go trail riding and have a near-miss with a frightening Tim-Burtonesque spiky tree that looks like it would love to have your skin or eyeballs.

Yeah that trail ride was interesting all right... The horses were skinny, poor things, and a girl on the trail ride was wearing a bikini, jean cutoffs and flip flops. For HORSEBACK riding.??? I was at least wearing a tank top and capris and runners. No helmets, and let me tell you, this was no touristy amble on the beach. It was a crazy scramble up a mountain in a remote and poor area of Guanacaste, and then a harrowing trip down.

It was very hot, and my scrawny horse had to take several breaks. He also demonstrated some questionable judgement when negotiating a 4-ft dropoff with a cliff on one side and some boulders on the other. He tried to climb the boulders down. I grabbed up the reins and guided to a safer, if still hairy, path. Yeah, not a trail ride for the weak-willed! My husband said it was more 'technical' than he was comfortable with. Yes, I'd say it was.

We went snorkeling and saw a great variety of sea creatures, and I got bit a lot by random sea-things. I really wanted to see an octopus, but no luck, just clownfish, a sea snake, a ray and porcupine fish, which our quick-moving guide grabbed and held for us to see. Neat!

The food was so good, good enough to make me angry at my jeans in January. Lots of ethnic varieties, fried plantains, tamales, fish (snapper and tilapia), rice & beans, steaks night...Ahh, loved it!

The only annoying part was the garbagey tourists. Hogging deck chairs by putting your towel on it and then leaving to go to breakfast, your room, whatever is RUDE. I swear, there were like 10 ppl in the pool and all the deck chairs were taken. Rude asses. Also, please don't talk about how you were so happy to get chicken nuggets and fries at Playa del Coco when they were selling Mahi Mahi as the catch of the day for $10. That is a $30 plate anywhere else. JESUS.

Also cool? Iguanas scuttling out of the bushes everywhere! And they were big suckers (to me), 1-2ft long, some had that spiked fan going along their back. Interesting fact, if you get too close the 'warn' you off by nodding their head. Get closer, and they whip you with their tails, and it can really hurt. Not that I did that, but I got the head-nodding and backed right off.

I also liked practicing Spanish, and Costa Ricans were quite welcoming and would ask me if I knew Spanish (I don't, I know about 5 words, but by damn, I use those 5 words every time I can!). Unlike the touristas who were like, I want a beer. Blahh...

We also knocked down coconuts from an abandoned structure on the beach and bashed them open, Lord of the Flies style, to get at the sweet, sweet milk within.

I could go on, and on about Costa Rica. Cool place, getting more touristy by the day, but go. People live in shacks and drive nice cars, swanky new buildings on crumbling cement...A city of contrast.