Days 4 & 5

Friday, July 11, 2008

Good news! I got my boxes!!!!! Finally! Bad news....my battery ran out in my camera and I brought the wrong charger. Ugh! I would really like something to come easily!

Today we went to the coffee plantation tour. It was really funny and we learned a little history about coffee and how it is made. Kasondra and Jenna enjoyed trying the different kinds of coffee. We had lunch there but it was nothing special. Albert bought coffee to take home with him. Catch him and have him make you a pot. We had checked out of our hotel before leaving for the tour so David already had our bags in the car. After the tour, we went to try and get those stupid boxes! They were not there yet so we decided to try to find a charger for my camera. No luck again and we headed back for the boxes. Finally the boxes were there and I had to pay for them. They charged me for taxes, they charged me for storing them and I had to pay the guy who helped me get them. What a rip off! NOTE..DO NOT SHIP ANYTHING TO COSTA RICA! My life will be easier now that I have these items.

Anyway, after that we headed for Turrialba. David said it would be about 2 hours because it was Friday at 3pm. We stopped for Burger King on the way. It took us longer because it started raining and we arrived in Turrialba at the Turrialtico Lodge just a little after 6pm. Yes, it is a lodge and not very impressive except for the views which are just amazing! We have 2 cabins side by side. Kasondra, Jenna & Abbey stayed in 17 and Albert, Quinten and I stayed in 16. The rooms here actually have a tv but no swimming pool and no telephones or clocks in the room. Albert set up a movie for the kids (Transformers) and Kasondra and I went to reception to ask about tours and have a drink at the bar. I had a punch and Kasondra had a hot chocolate. Unfortunately, all tours had been booked for Saturday so there is nothing specific to do tomorrow. We will have to see.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Today is Albert's last day here. I am getting a little nervous because he is leaving. David is coming at 5pm to pick him up and take him back to Alajuela where Albert will stay 1 night at the Adventure Inn (I hope it is okay. It sounds kind of hokey.) This way, he can be close to the airport because he leaves at 8:55am on Sunday morning.

We got up and Albert took the kids to breakfast while I showered. Abbey woke at 6:30am (yeah, I'm sure everyone is surprised). After breakfast, we decided to head into town and check it out. We thought we might try a bus and the waitress told us we could catch one at the bottom of the hill from the hotel. We walked down there and waited...and waited...and waited. Finally, a taxi was passing and we flagged him down. Abbey, me, Jenna, Kasondra & Q jammed into the backseat and Albert rode in the front. The taxi driver didn't object. We got into town and just walked around until (of course) someone had to use the restroom and then everyone had to use the restroom. So, we walked into an optometrist shop and pretended to look for sunglasses for Kasondra (they cost over $200 and Kasondra really wanted them) while everyone else used the potty. You gotta do what you gotta do. After playing at the park and looking at different shops, we decided to get a taxi and head back to the hotel for lunch. While driving back to the hotel...okay lodge...the taxi driver swerved to the other side of the road giving these birds on the shoulder a really wide berth. We looked and saw that they were vultures. I guess they aren't nice. I really don't know but I don't think I want to find out.

We had lunch which was very good. They started with a chicken soup that tasted very much like something Grandma Rose would make (with hominy). It was very good and since the kids wouldn't eat theirs, I was able to have theirs. The kids didn't eat much but the rice (with ketchup of course) but found some little dogs to chase around so the lunch was pretty peaceful.

I called the host family today and the mom seemed very nice. She says she has a car large enough to fit all of us and our luggage and she will pick us up tomorrow at 11am. Yeah! Maybe my luck is changing! We are going to test on Sunday (tomorrow) at 2pm to see which level we will be at. Apparently, they have a lot of students starting on Monday so they need to do the testing on Sunday instead on Monday morning. That's okay. One less thing to do on Monday morning. The director of the school said she will pick us up at 7:40am on Monday morning to take Abbey and Q to their school. That's a little early for my taste but whatever.

Hopefully, I will find a charger for my camera soon so I can add pictures to my blog. We are doing very good considering. A few bug bites but nothing huge (and considering the bugs we've seen that is saying something). The weather is humid but not too hot. This is a great country to visit if you love the outdoors and wildlife and such. I don't think I will need to come again. This trip is not so much a vacation as it is an adventure. It is really far from Kasondra's, Jenna's and my comfort zone but I think it will be good for us to experience this. The younger ones don't really mind. Well, I will go now and see what everyone else is doing. Hopefully, I will blog (and add pictures) again soon!