Zip lines and volcanoes

Apparently I am not much of a blogger, cause I really hate updating this thing. Anyway...

Last weekend Kathy and I went to San Jose for most of Saturday. We left early and took a bus into the city, then went to a Democrats Abroad meeting (we love them, and they love feeding us great food). After the meeting, which lasted 2 1/2 hours, we toured the city and shopped. San Jose is really not a very exciting city. It is poor and dirty, and everyone warns you to keep your purse guarded at all times. Since I tend to ignore information like that, we toured through the Market as if we owned the place. The market is a little like the Market in San Antonio, but with less order and tighter hallways. We ordered a crazy dessert (for lunch, of course) that was made with a cherry slushy mixture, powdered milk, and a thick sorbet that tasted a little like pumpkin pie. It was an odd combination, but amazing.

Sunday we took a tour of an active volcano, then drove through the rainforest. They showed us a couple of waterfalls, including the one in the opening of Jurasic Park. We had a breakfast in a little restaurant in between, then drove to a river and put us on a motorboat after serving us fresh fruit (they really worry we are going to starve). The boat took us to a farm where we had lunch, then with a full stomach they suited us up for zip lining and plopped us on horses that took us to the forest. Kathy and I ended up with a huge group of guys in Costa Rica for a joint bachelor party, who screamed and swore more than Kathy and I put together as they glided through the trees. We had two guides that amazingly safely hooked us up to the lines considering that neither spoke a word of English. One guide was a little too worried that my chest strap was not tight enough, but since he was sharing his water bottle with me I didn't mind the constant adjustments. The day ended with Kathy and I taking a public bus from one of the worst areas in San Jose after dark, which was a little unnerving but we made it back with all our money.

I really must just brag for a second and say that I am living in absolute paradise. Every morning I wake up and go downstairs to find a plate of fresh Costa Rican fruits, along with freshly squeezed orange juice and Costa Rican coffee. I am pretty much running on Costa Rican coffee by now, and I do not think I will ever be able to drink anything else when I return to Missouri. By mid-morning, after our second breakfast, I am on cup #3. This is necessary in order to stay alert for 5 1/2 hours of Spanish class, especially since I am the only student in my class. During the lunch hour, I lounge in a hamock and look out over the valley to the mountains. I am now a firm believer that every school should have a hamock break at some point during the day.

Next post I will try to make more interesting. Hope everyone is enjoying school and work!