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January 14, 2017

COSTA RICA | PART 1

Whaddya know. I'm back from Costa Rica! The Herrick family disappeared sometime after Christmas for two weeks and returned to Missouri - travel weary, hungry and very sunburned. I'll be writing a series of blog posts over the next week to summarize the highlights of our journey. You'll get to see pictures and read snippets from my travel journal; all very casual, so pour some tea, sit back and scroll as quickly or slowly as you'd like.


December 26: 
"At this moment, we are at gate C18, sleeping, reading, eating and generally neglecting all manner of sophistication. Matt is passed out on the floor. Our flight goes from St. Louis to Charlotte, NC to San Jose. By dinner tomorrow we will be walking the streets of Costa Rica."

December 27:
"Mark + Charlie + I are watching planes landing and taking off through the big glass windows. We're trying to enjoy the process of waiting. There are three different sizes of passenger planes: small, medium and ginormous and they all look like toilet paper tubes with wings."
(EVENING:) "We've arrived. Juan's Papa is taking us to the supermarket to buy food. Everyone is enjoying the twilight, resting under the pavilion, smelling of citrus mosquito spray. Ben says that Costa Rica is the happiest country on earth and I can understand why; the green here is brighter than anywhere else + the mountains stand guard practically everywhere you look. Crickets and insects hum peacefully. It is already Pura Vida and we've only been the country 1 hour."
("Pura vida" means "pure life" and it represents the relaxed, sunny lifestyle of Costa Ricans.)


December 28: 
I woke up to the tune of a different songbird. I'm living under the colors of another sky.
Ben and Andy saved the day. Enterprise had no cars for us to rent, so Ben caught a ride with Juan's Papa and brought home an 8 passenger van. Andy bravely drove us to downtown San Jose (pop. 3 million). Ticos drive like chickens with their heads cut off, and most of the roads are hairpin, mountain passes. It didn't help that the GPS was more obnoxious than helpful: "Turn left, turn right, in 600m turn right, go north. GO SOUTH!"
Downtown San Jose reminded me a lot of Chihuahua City; swamped with people, modern retail shops mixed in with local restaurants and street vendors. Bands on every corner playing on homemade instruments. A mosaic of colors. Break dancing in the main plaza. Pigeons and parrots. Vehicles plowing through crowds of pedestrians.
We made it through alive with sore feet, full hearts and strawberry smoothies :) The best part of it all was the butterfly house, filled with caterpillars, banana trees, jungle plants and bright blue Morphos. They were a breathtaking color -- like the ocean mixed in with the stars.
(EVENING:) We are now reclining under our favorite pavilion next to the B&B, invigorated by the pleasant cross breeze and eating rice. Tomorrow we drive to the jungle. Buenas Noches.


2 comments:

  1. Great read...looking forward to hearing more about your trip. It's almost like being there myself.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much!! I've got at least two more posts coming :)

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