An Amy Update... ...Betsy Arrives... ...Trip together!

Hi everyone! This time it is Amy updating the blog. Well, technically Dave will be updating it, I am just doing the writing because I have been having so much more fun than David the last couple of months.

Immediately after house sitting in Manzanillo I traveled to Florida for a week long visit with my grandparents and parents. It was a week filled with stories, laughter, cards, and food. It is always good to see family! During the trip to Florida, I was able to buy a new camera so we could continue documenting all the beautiful and interesting things we encounter. Also, while I was in Florida, I got the exciting news that Beth and Barry had had twin baby girls, Chloe and Morgan. Everybody is home, healthy and happy and we are so anxious to meet them in July.

Immediately after returning from Florida we had a visit from none other than Betsy Hedstrom! It was an especially exciting visit for me since Betsy and I don’t get to spend too much time together AND I have never traveled with her before. We had a blast! We started out here in Ciudad Colon with a welcoming party for David’s new students. One thing led to another and it ended up we had around 45 people here throughout the night. We had a lot of fun, and when it was over Betsy, along with our good friends (who just happen to be our neighbors) Juan Luis and Sandra, helped us clean up so we didn’t have to do it in the morning.

That same weekend we went to some soccer games in El Rodeo. It was fun to watch Dave play a bit and the weather was gorgeous. We took a walk (YES! I can walk now!) along the river near our house, had dinner at Juan Luis and Sandra’s and watched the Superbowl. Betsy learned a bit about football and Dave and I learned how shockingly little Betsy knows about the game.

Betsy and I left for La Fortuna on Monday to see the Volcano Arenal. I had been there once before and was really excited to see it again. As our bus pulled up at the terminal in San Jose I remarked that it was the worst bus I had ever seen and wasn’t at all sure we were going to make it to La Fortuna. There were windows missing, broken seats and when it pulled out of the station it sounded like a flock of ducks being strangled. Sure enough, before we reached Ciudad Quesada, where we would normally get a bathroom break, the bus really started struggling and a whole new flock of ducks was being strangled. The driver tried his best to get to the city but half way up one of the mountains the ducks up and died and so did the bus. The driver ordered us off the bus, and after a bit of confusion we understood that another bus was coming. We were both impressed to find that a replacement bus was there within 20 minutes. We skipped the stop in Ciudad Quesada and ended up in La Fortuna not much later than we would have if the bus hadn’t broken down.

Betsy is a great travel companion. Though she is still a Minnesotan on paper, she has learned the ways of the seasoned traveler. As we searched for a hotel I realized that I still have a lot to learn. I was ready to take the first place we looked at without hesitation but Betsy readily dismissed the room and we went to another hotel to compare prices. The second hotel looked nice, had a pool, and had really nice rooms. Their quoted price was nearly twice what we had budgeted so we started to leave. They asked us what we “wanted” to pay. We told them. They added $5 and breakfast to it and we got a BEAUTIFUL room with a great view. I was so proud of Betsy!

We didn’t have much time to get settled. We scheduled a tour to walk in the forest, view the volcano, and go to the hot springs. It was a great walk, one of the first real tests of my mending leg. I had no problems. We saw a bit of lava and heard the mountain grumble and spent the rest of the night swimming in the numerous pools of Baldi. Oh, for relaxing!

The next day we had big plans to go horseback riding but we scrapped them for shopping, swimming, and a leisurely walk to a waterfall, so leisurely, in fact, that we never made it to the waterfall at all.

From La Fortuna we took the Jeep-Boat-Jeep tour to Monteverde. It was a very pretty ride and a fairly easy way to get to Monteverde from La Fortuna. Again, we wasted no time in getting to the park. We hired a guide. Though it was the worst possible time of day to see anything we seemed to have luck on our side. We saw an Olingo (a nocturnal mammal that looks a bit like a kinkajou), one of only two our guide had ever seen and some female Quetzals.

We got out of the park just at five o’clock but the park offices were already closed and we were unable to call a taxi. We started the trek back to town. Halfway there we were both beat and saw a sign for an ultra-swanky lodge. The sign said “Public Welcome” and we took their word for it. They had no idea what they were in for, since Betsy and I fell solidly within the “public” requirement. We went straight to the bar and ordered a beer and some water. The waiter, who looked shocked to see someone under the age of 60, not to mention speaking Spanish, gave us a friendly Spanish lesson on the diverse world of glassware. We then noticed that a spectacular sunset was emerging over the restaurant’s view of the Nicoya Penninsula - which is to the WEST of where we were sitting. This was a fitting close to our travels. We went to the hotel and fell asleep by 9:30pm so we could be up bright and early for our 6am bus back to San Jose.

Thanks Bets, for a great visit. I had an excellent time and hope we can travel together again soon.

In other news, I am continuing to work on the children’s activity book. It is really going well and now it is getting time to work on the logistics of getting it published. I also was able to get a membership to the local pool. I am going 3 days a week and it is a perfect way to start a day.

Later! Take care everyone!

Abrazos,

Amy (and David too)



Now the pics:

Amy & Betsy in El Rodeo


Dave playing futbol


Betsy with a cow


You can almost see the top of Volcan Arenal


Lago Arenal


Sunset from Monteverde


Find the grasshopper!