My trip to Costa Rica January 3rd to 15th

So I’ve been trying to think of cool stuff to write about my trip for our blog and have been having trouble summing it up into a nice, cohesive blurb. I had an amazing trip and it couldn’t have come at a better point in my life. It’s nice to go somewhere new - away from email, cell phones, work, time and daily routines. It renews the soul and gives your “normal” life more meaning and significance upon returning. The people and land of Costa Rica are a gracious, generous, gorgeous and gobbagobba grandiose bunch (how’s that for alliteration on some bad grammatics?). I’ve included details and pics of some of the highlights from my trip below. Read on young soldiers…

Culprits: Baby Luhver (Joyce), Zjah (Aja Blue), BL (me, MD) and Traveling Husband (Joseph). Towns visited - Alajuela, Manuel Antonio, Jaco.

The over top house that we stayed at. Three palatial stories with wrap around patio decks, 360 degree views, a pool, endangered monkeys traveling through the “yard“ every afternoon around 4PM, in house geckos, toads that actually sounded like the ones on that Budweiser commercial from way back when, toilets that only accept human matter (uhuh, throw that paper into the trash can) - all smack dab in the middle of the rain forest. Amazing!

A stray dog that befriended Joyce and I when went out for our morning hike - we all (me, Joyce, dog…I know it‘s improper English but this is how I roll sometimes - English degree and all) instantly fell in love. Joyce called him Alaska,, I called him Dakota, Aja called him Nevada, the house keeper called him Shoo-Away-Never-Come-Back (in Spanish, por supuesto). He would come up to the house every afternoon to visit us and the house keeper kept shooing him away. This dog had no fear - he would walk on our third story roof, lead the hike, and, most importantly, eat all the yucky meat that was in our fridge (go veggie!). We miss you ole pup and hope that you’re well!!!

Costa Rican fresh fruit and RUM! Fresh pineapple, coconut, mango, papaya…I challenge you to find a more perfect thing to drink in 90 degree weather with 90% humidity?!? Sofia - my dance partner in rum punch mayhem!

Snorkeling! I love the fishies, the quiet of being underwater, the beautiful coral reefs, realizing how miniscule you are in the great abyss, the bottomless rum punch provided by our wonderful catamaran hosts - Juan and very cute man crew. I think there was free food too but can’t really remember?!

Blockhead! There’s not a lot of nightlife in Manuel Antonio so most evenings we got creative at the house. Joey, Aja and myself were able to break into the moldy game room. I mostly hate games - board games, football games, card games, head games - however I must admit that I did enjoy me some Blockhead. It's a more colorful and shapely version of that game we have here called Chenga or Changa or Chingy?!? Isn’t it funny how when you go south things always seem to get more colorful and shapely? The idea - make a tower of some sort by using weird shaped wooden blocks and try not to knock the darn thing over in turn wrecking the party for everyone else . Enlightening is it? A real brain bender of a game or perhaps it was the little rum sipper I nibbled on that made me feel slightly bent. Ah Ron Rico!

Our day of waterfalls and the cloud forest. Ever stood under a waterfall?! It's really loud. What more can I say?!

The amazing hippie jazz/jam session in Alajuela. Joyce has lots of family in Alajuela, a town close to San Jose. Her family is amazing and warm and they all go out of there way to make you feel at home. Joyce’s little cousin Sofia has a good friend named Bernal, a truly amazing guitar player and the spitting image of Antonio Banderas 20 years ago. I always bring a little guitar when I travel and so we were able to have a pre-jam, jazz jam. We swapped tunes - Wes Montgomery for Blue Bossa, Pat Methany for early Yes. I love the “jazz” jam…makes my brain hurt and my fingers work!

Later on in the evening Sofia had a bunch of people over to her house. She casually mentioned that she plays drums so when we got there she of course proceeded to make trip after trip to her room, pulling out drum after drum. This girl’s got drums! All kinds - congas, bongos, djembes, talking drums, finger drums…you name she’s probably got it. Aja was all over that stuff! You could not get her off the drums…4 hours of amazingness! Joyce was pretty steady on tambourine as well. Many a drum was hit, many a beer was drunk, many a note was played. A beautiful evening indeed and wonderful send off to a fabulous trip.

Pura vida Costa Rica...melissa