There's an Internet cafe near our hotel, so I thought I'd make a post from Costa Rica to fill everybody in on how the trip was going. Saturday morning, after a late Jones gig at at Staccato, where both The Jones and Communist Bakesale performed a killer set, Catherine and I begrudgingly arose at the unwelcome our of 4:30 am. When you go to bed at 2:30 am and wake up at 4:30 am, your behavior at that threatening hour of the day is slow and confused. The alarm went off and I remember raising my head and staring at it intently, trying to figure out exactly what it meant. What was it trying to tell me? Four-thirty usually means 'go back to sleep.' Not: 'wake up! wake up!' I snoozed it once, but after the second time, I managed to force my legs off the bed and will them toward the shower.

We scrambled to finish our packing, which we had begun the night before, but were unable to finish. Good thing we had made a list. It became a valuable reference tool for us at a time when just putting on our shoes seemed perplexing. Dulles Airport was very crowded. Luckily, a United Airlines rep let us cut in line, but if it hadn't been for that, it would have been close. As it was, we were able to grab breakfast to bring on board with us.

The flight to San Jose was uneventful. We landed a little early. We took our time after we de-planed - stopped at the duty-free for some 'staples,' got some colonas (the local currency) - then grabbed a cab to Pavos Airport where we were to catch a small single-jet engine plane to Quepos. Our cab driver didn't speak much English, so our first interaction with somebody local was a bit challenging. (Since then, Catherine and I are making good strides with the language - learning more and more as we spend more time here.) We got to Pavos Airport very early, but this turned out to be good luck - at the airport we met a guy named Harold who spoke good English and told us he could give us a personal tour of San Jose for $35. A quick assessment told us this guy was trustworthy, so we took him up on it. This turned out to be a real treat and well worth the money. We got a tour of the 'real city,' not just the tourist areas. He took us to the Central Market, where we ate lunch. He even ordered our food for us and advised us on what to eat. We both ordered the Casados, which means Plate of the Day, but also means 'married couple' because it is a mix of lots of different things. I got mine with Chicken, Catherine got hers with beef. We continued to walk around the city and encountered many people trying to sell us lottery tickets. I bought some Costa Rican coffee

When we got back to Pavos airport (btw, I'm using the term 'airport' VERY loosely) we still had an hour to spare before our flight so we spent some time conversing with a couple from Canada, also going to Quepos. The flight to Quepos was a bit scary at first, at least for me. I think Catherine was fine. The plane sat no more than 20 people and was very tiny. But even though there was some turbulance as we went through the clouds, the majority of the 20-minute trip was very smooth. And the incredible scenery kept your mind off of any sudden drops. The airstrip in Quepos was little more than a long dirt rode in the middle of a field of banana trees. From the dirt airstrip, we took a bus into Manuel Antonio and checked into our hotel - Si Como No .

We slept late the first night and got up the next day feeling rested. At breakfast, we saw a sloth and a giant gecko lizard. That day we spent mostly by the pool drinking and conversing with some of the other guests. We had dinner with some people we met - Mitch, Julie, Rita and Regina.

The next day, I decided to take surfing lessons and actually managed to get up several times! Surfing is a lot of fun, but very strenuous. I definitely want to try to go again before we leave. Next time, I think I'll just rent a board and go on my own. Maybe I'll become a part-time surf bum (or is 'surf bum' only a full-time job?)

This morning, Catherine had some spa therapy for her sun-burned back. A little later, we'll be heading out on a boat tour, hopefully to see some dolphins, hump-backed whales, loads of fish, and maybe a monkey or two on one of the islands. We will be stopping somewhere on the trip to do some snorkling. Then hopefully we'll get to see the sunset. So far, the weather has been pretty overcast in the evenings, so we haven't had a chance to see a great sunset, yet. But today looks promising.

Overall, Costa Rica is truly amazing place. There is so much to see and do, and it hasn't become corrupted as a 'tourist trap' yet. It still has a certain 'rawness' and lack of commercialism, which make it refreshing. My only complaint is the hot, humid weather, which reminds me of Houston. But we're getting accostomed to it.

I'm taking lots of photos and will post those when I get back. Adios!

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