September 9th: Skype date with boyfriend brought twitterpation and impatients to see my loved ones again. I was able to have a relaxation lame-sauce morning where all provided was snotty tissues and facebook. Something good can come out of a uneventful habbit - a good example is this morning. I facebook stalked enough of other people and myself that I happened to be on at just the right time. The beautiful Deesa messaged me in desperation to find two more mates to fill her hotel room in La Fortuna. I then passed the messaged to Molly to confirm. I accepted, packed, and did a victory dance in a matter of ten minutes! Adventure On! Thundercats GO!
Molly and I made a quick detour to the grocery story that saved us over fifty dollars in tourism priced food this weekend. After a little bargain shopping, we returned to my house to get sexyfied. We went out tonight for some booty shaken salsa. There was some unfortunate tico dancing, but for the most part, the evening was a success. I topped the night off with the sweetest tico who acted like a gentlemen among a pool of douchebag rump grabbing boys. This boy taught me a few moves then politely asked if he could kiss me. Don't worry, I told him no. I told him that I have a fantastic "novia." With huge questionable eyes he looked at me in surprise. These eyes told me I said something wrong..... I certainly did. Novia in Spanish is girlfriend. Horror took over flattery quickly as I had to rapidly correct my ridiculous Spanish. Returning home smiling and sweaty brought a late evening of two in the morning......
September 10: ..... And a four in the morning alarm. Two hours of sleep brought a lack of motivation. Running late, Molly and I ran down our hill to the bus stop just in time to meet our bus. What a bunch of Gringas. A beautiful ride to the top of the cloud forest brought us the La Fortuna, home of the active volcano Arenal. In a hypoglycemic rampage, the seven girls and I made our way to the ticket office. We bought our tickets after answering every question possible for man to ask about our bus, just to be sure. I held back to talk to the office assistant about local areas that were on the poor man side of a budget. I didn't have the money for luxurios tours and eateries. Luis the owner pulled out a map for me and showed me a watering hole that the locals hang with a waterfall and rope swing. He also pulled out his list of tours hoping to get some business on the day of low economical tide. He motioned to the most expensive and obvious best tour tour available. I reminded him of the poor mans' budget. He smiled and offered it to me and at half the price of $30. I smiled and told him to make it $25. We agreed on $27.50. I booked a tour from three to nine that included hike through the tropical forest, waterfall cliff diving, view of Arenal, tree frogs, sloths, tucans, swinging bridges, hot springs, night hike, transpirtation, and he even through in some forest knowledge and mud fighting!
Business degree, a good smile, and some negotiation can get you far in life.
Luis picked us and five Puertorricanos up for our adventure. We rocked out to Black-Eyed-Peas and talked of "couch surfing" with Luis in the front seat. He offered us a bed at his house for when Molly and I back pack through Costa Rica in December. He also mentioned taking us to a huge Lagoon at the top of a mountain next to the Arenal Volcano. This lagoon is in the nose of what looks like an Indian man laying down. Neat!
Sure enough, we go everything promised to us and more. All except for my sloth. I am still naive to the existence of these fabulous creatures. Luis made a mud pool for war paint and mud fighting that followed with a crisp bath in a beautiful thirty foot waterfall. Oh and the entrance into the pool is by jumping from a rock off to the side of the waterfall. You know that moment when the present takes you back to childhood? Well lets just say that I was Pocahontas for about 5 minutes in a Costa Rican rain forest. Covered in mud and flinging myself off high altitudes into crisp water was a reoccurring dream come true. I swam under the waterfall to find a moist little cave, then proceeded to face plant into the water and rocks; finding it necessary to be saved by one of the Puerto Rican men awaiting my embarrassing tragedy. Thank you Manuel.
The tour brought many useful facts to reality in the tropical forest. I can identify many new plants and species. There is a plant that explodes all over you when you decide to pick it up. There is also a plant that can act as a mosquito repellent, worry stone, toilet paper, and unnecessary clutter in a backpack. Sorry Molly. I saw plants used for medicine and Mentholatum, the marijuana frog, briefly spotted a Tucan, and avocado, guava, banana, and papaya trees.The plants are so majestically colorful that I feel like I am in the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and I cannot eat all the candy surrounding me. It was frustratingly beautiful.
Our tour brought us to a freaking magical hot springs. The difference between the hot springs here and home is that home has circulating pools of hippie juices and boiling water and Costa Rica has whole RIVERS of hot, clear, perfect water! The hot springs ran under a bridge. The area under the bridge poured into a large pool that you scooted off a small waterfall into. The ground is concreted, making a perfect newly founded slip-n-slide for bored college students for myself. Bucket List cross off number one: Skinny Dipping.
Wet, happy, and starving we made our way back to the hotel to get ready for round two of our tour. This was not included in the promised tour from before, but because Molly and I are so easy to get along we made friends with our tour guide. He was able to get us beautiful dinners at a local Tico restaurant and into an even more local dance club! Salsa dancing for everyone!!!!! There is nothing dancing with a room full of Latin American people in Latin America. I wanted to try a cocktail this evening. I felt that a beautifully garnished fruity something would make my fish even more delicious! Niave to the alcohol culture I was uncertain what to get. Also uncertain about whether my friend chose to pick the drink because it sounded good or if because the desire to make me say "I would like a sex on the beach" to a man who probably didn't understand my English or Spanish attempt to order was too tempting. Needless to say it was embarrassing, but delicious! I felt like a kid at the seven eleven gas station on a hot summer day sipping down my weight in tropical slushy.
September 11: Morning came early at seven after a night out of dancing my gringo little sandals off until three. Breakfast brought enough peanut butter to put me in a better mood. Luis promised me a trip to his friends cabin if we didn't see a sloth the day before. We hoped into the car with his friend, Jan, for an unofficial tour through the rain forest and rain. I am reminding you again for the sake that it will also get you this far in life: a good smile and kindness will get you far in life. He showed us everything in the forest besides a sloth. I was disappointed, but not incredibly so. It adds to the suspense of awaiting my first sloth spotting. Jan so kindly dropped off at the watering hole. Molly and I complained that we didn't want to get wet again so we wouldn't swim. Our minds were changed the moment we headed down the cliff to the most glorious waterfall. The pool was nine meters deep and crystal clear with a hint of aqua blue. We indulged in some rope swinging action, cliff diving, pocahantas day dreams, and found our Puerto Rican friends again. Molly and I added to our list of stupid ideas we have lived through when we went off the twenty foot rope swing..... together. Friends Forever. Hopefully "forever" will be a long time away, regardless of our decision making.
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