Guanacaste

Last weekend, we visited Guanacaste, on the West Coast of Costa Rica. We were able to meet the friends in Huacas English congregation, and heard about a newly formed English group about an hour away in Playas del Coco.

 What an amazing sunset!

We had some time to get surfing lessons from Juancito. Okay, we'll admit, he looked a lot better than us on the waves, but we had a blast!

Only in Costa Rica

And you thought the roads in Newburgh were bad?

 Now this is no ordinary donut. Besides it being enormous, it's filled with dulce de leche!

In Costa Rica, it takes eight workers to fill a 12 in. x 12 in. hole with concrete. I watched in awe as five stand closely observing, another stands off to the side, while two do the work. When it's time to move on to the next hole, one carries the pick, another the shovel, one takes the caution sign, and one pushes the wheel barrell...

I don't smoke, but if I did, something tells me I would never rest my cigarette on the toilet paper dispenser in a public bathroom stall.

Wanting to always put safety first while out in service, but only having two seatbelts in the back seat, we got creative...

We're closer than you think...

Volcan Arenal

When Lizzy and Lester visited, we spent a day near the Arenal Volcano, where we relaxed in the Baldi Hot Springs, but not before the experiencing the exciting ziplines with a panoramic view of the volcano and Lake Arenal. The highest cable was about 600 feet off the ground, and the longest about 2,250 feet stretching across canyons and between treetops.

 

When Hank and Nancy came last week to visit us, we also spent 3 days near the stunning Arenal Volcano.

The adventurous (and surprisingly energetic) Romero parents spent the days hiking through the jungle on suspended bridges alongside howler monkies, riding ATV's at the base of the volcano and to a river, ziplining and visiting the hot springs.

Nothing could get in Hank's way on that ATV, not even the bulls! 

Witnessing at a well...

Cruz/Stout Visit

Lester fit right in with the Cartago English men...at karaoke party he even showed off his break dancing skills!

Mmm...chicharron, platano maduro and gallo pinto...

Eric was mesmerizing the ladies with his charm, as usual. I believe we overhead him explaining different techniques he uses to get rid of termites and other common household pests...

Lizzy was learning some dance steps while Lester and the boys karaoked; they really got into it.

White Water Rafting on Pacuare River

Lizzy and Lester Cruz spent a week with us down here; they arrived a day after Eric. The five of us, along with our guide, Juan "Piedra" Molina, took about a 3 1/2 rafting trip down the Pacuare River. It was pretty intense, and the tour company provides photos taken by an staff photographer who follows us in his kayak.

Along the way, we pulled our raft over to the side of the river, and they told us about a spot where the river is deep enough for us to jump. Nice form, Eric. But a little rough on the landing; he may have to settle for the bronze.

Our guide told Lizzy at this point to leave her oar behind, and hold on at the front of the raft, where she got to see the rapids from a different perspective - while we did all the work!

At one point on the river, the waters calm as your raft enters a narrow canyon...breathtaking waterfalls, tall rock walls, and a chance to jump out of the raft to float down and enjoy the view. Do you see the crocodile sneeking up in the mirky waters behind us???

HAHA, MADE YOU LOOK!!! But the hardest part was getting back in the raft afterwards. Especially so for Eric who earlier in the day discovered he had a small tear in his swimming trunks. As you can imagine, the hole grew as the day went on, and led us to name our boat "Blue Moon."

Braulio Carrillo National Park

Eric Stout came for a quick visit last week, and one of the day trips we took together was to Braulio Carrillo National Park. It's about 1.5 hours from Cartago -- part of the excitement of the trip is the scenic drive through the mountains (literally, at one point you go through the mountain by tunnel). 

Bryndon and Eric made some friends along the way. The park ranger explained that the park is home to many exotic animals -- these went from road kill to not-so-great taxidermy.

The path was so ungroomed at one point we were forced to turn around for fear that Lynette would get hurt.

Three toed sloth, above. It's very rare to spot one this close to the ground. According to the park ranger, sloths only come down from the tree tops every 8-10 days to go potty. The greenish tinge is moss growing on the sloth's fur. In its mind, the sloth was probably running away from Eric...although we couldn't tell.

Our not-so-little eight legged friend had hairy knuckles...that's pretty serious.

Free Time

Great news! Much to our surprise, every Saturday afternoon, a group of brothers from a neighboring congregation get together for basketball. With soccer being the sport of choice by far down here, we had to drive around searching for a store that sold basketballs so Bryndon could warm up before the big game. It was a great time -- afterwards we all ate at Fortunato's, where they serve the best pizza in Costa Rica! Mmm...and garlic knots that will make you wanna cry!

They'll find any excuse for a party. Sometimes no reason is needed at all. They love line dances, so I've learned a few and even left my legacy by teaching them a cool dance I learned from some friends visiting from Minnesota...or Indiana......

We spent a day at the Orosi Mirador with a bunch of the friends who had off from work because of Costa Rica independence day on September 15th. Great view, great food, great company! Me and my girl, Raquel, below.  She was baptized at this year's district convention.  Bryndon has lovingly given her the nickname "Raquey Kaky".