As we learned on the last post about Costa Rica (which seems like eons ago), ziplines are cool, ATMs are awesome and drowning is difficult when ten people are in the same river. Who knows what we are going to learn today? Because really, I don't know what I am going to write until I type it. Don't you just love the Internets?
9) So, when The Lovely and I were in the passenger van headed toward our waterboarding torture...er, white-water rafting trip, the guides asked where we were from. Since not everyone on Earth recognizes the burnt-orange silhouette of livestock, we said "Texas". Appropriately (?), our trusty guides responded with a "Yee-haw" enough to pierce Roy Clark's ears. Funny enough, we would have to prove our Texan spirit on a three-hour horseback ride (traveling to the gorgeous private waterfall above). Internationally speaking, if you are from Texas, you must know how to ride a horse, or fake as if you did what your stunt-double just did seconds ago. As an added bonus: did you know horses can fall asleep anywhere? Just ask my wife. Consider that stereotype dissolved, yet recovered after thirty minutes in the saddle (western saddle, of course).
10) A popular question amidst our return was, "how was the food?" When it wasn't beans and rice, it was outstanding. But we had no clue that this country could go toe-to-toe internationally on creation and execution of pizza. Yes, pizza. We had it four times while in CR. These guys kick some serious ass when it comes to the bastardized Italian dinner pastry. But why does (or would) pizza taste better here? We have isolated the fresher ingredients coming from direct vendors, such as fruit and veggie producers, dairy farms down the road with butchers two doors over. Plus, nothing beats a wood-fire oven. Nothing. Natural carbon flavors with the cedar and ash scents permeating over fresh cheese, meats and pineapples from a creepy dude in a truck. Now, that's flavor! So much for that stereotype.
11) I can merely go by Travel Channel footage. However, La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano look disgustingly similar to the angry volcanic islands of Hawaii. This sounds like a no-brainer due to the second-largest active volcano in the country would produce black sand, sulfuric-blue water and the lack of crocodiles. And, of course, with the fauna and the constant rain, you would have to squint hard to discern the different. And boom goes that stereotype. By the way, thanks for nothing Arenal Volcano; a cloudy four days could not reveal anything other than ninety percent of the apex and only part of the gassy north facade of the pissed-off mountain.
12) Please remove the old Costa Rica out of your head. As referenced earlier, this is a country with an economic identity crisis. With all the westerners dumping in money to visit, live or to create adventure/spa businesses, CR is not a cheap trip. If you think it's a third-world country, cut it out - seriously. I give this country another five years before it becomes the next Cancun (only safer).
Oh, you think this is over. "Nothing is over until we say it is. Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor...hell no!" Join us next blog when we try to wrap this up in less than a freaking month when the little red bow I try to place on this trip ends up being way too large. Will the hilarity ever stop? Talk later.
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