ahhhhhh, Living the good life

Wednesday July 12th- Friday July 14th, 2006
San Jose, Costa Rica
and
Playa del Coco, Costa Rica

I got up Wednesday morning and met my family friends in downtown San Jose and it's hard to communicate the feeling of relief I sensed as I put my belongings in the back of their jeep as we rolled up the hill across western San Jose to the posh neighborhood of Escazu. There I was put up in one of the guest suites of an enormous mansion owned by another American, an expat friend of my friend. His housekeeper took great care of us, making sure I had everything I needed, and keeping us well fed. We spent the day lazily conversing over the politics and people of America and Costa rica, eating really good food, and- when needed- dipping into one of the 10,000 bottles of wine in the wine cellar there. I think it's the first time I ever drank a bottle of wine that's older than I am!

I took what turned out by far to be the best shower of my 8 weeks in Central America. My suite in the house was on the second floor and had a view out of enormous windows onto all of San Jose. My bed was so plush. The balcony view was unreal as the sun set down across the city. Even from the shower the view out the enormous bathroom window was breathtaking. With 2 days left in my trip I used the opportunity to scrape some of the dirt off that I accumulated, but more than anything else I just took the time to relax and truly enjoy myself, my surroundings, and my company. I knew life doesn't get this good that often...

Thursday morning we packed up a microbus we hired and a driver who is a friend of Bill's took the two of us back out west, towards Liberia where I had come from, to Playa del Coco, where Bill's house is. It wasn't a quick trip, about 5 hours, but I enjoyed the ride from the relative luxury of that car compared to every other ride I'd taken. Let's just say I wasn't at all bored. I love watching the countryside.

When we finally arrived we pulled up the driveway of something extraordinary. The house is gorgeous, perched atop of a large hill which overlooks the bay which wraps around first to the east, then the north where Playa Hermosa is, and then back west, where Nicaragua is basically just over a couple of hills. The deep blue water was tranquil, and several very nice boats bobbed up and down, parked out in the harbor. The housestaff greeted us with open arms and helped us with our bags. They instantly got to work on some snacks for us and I changed into my bathing suit because it was HOT!

San Jose is in a bit of elevation located within some hills and mountains, and it actually gets quite cool at night there, even in the summer. The beaches of the Guanacaste region in northwestern costa rica are far different. The humidity and temperature run in the 90s all summer, and the bugs can be a real nusance at times. Nevertheless, the pool out back and hum of the Air Conditioners which were running constantly- one in my room- were comforting enough. I spent my last 24 hours in Central America truly in the lap of luxury... perhaps a preview of my future, as I'm off to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with my family on Monday for the ol' family vacation.

I hung out with my friends til late, sharing a few drinks, pleasantries, and a ton of laughs. As I got a little tipsy a family of racoons came out onto the patio where we were sitting and I had to shoo them off with a broomstick. Dangerous business on the last day of my trip! I was truly sad when I woke up Friday morning. Friday was the 56th day of my adventure, and marked the last time I would wake up in Central America for a long time. I felt so at home and so happy with my friends at Playa del Coco that I wanted to call Delta Airlines and see if they had a flight I could take out on Sunday instead! After one of the best breakfasts I had eaten in the CA, my hosts had a car come for me and the driver pumped up the Daddy Yankee on the stereo while he took me out to the airport. I paid the $26 exit tax, checked in for my flight, and took some time to reflect as I waited to board.

I left the stickyness of the CA for the stickyness of the ATL, but it was a fair trade. My dad and brothers came to pick me up and I ate a real meal for the first time in awhile. This weekend is a two day layover in reality, because on monday the 17th we are off to Cabo. I'll be sure to write and send some photos from there if I can. I have a lot of photos to put up here but that's going to have to wait til I get back! See you all in a week!