Luck is on my side!

Through a connection, still vague as to how it exists, I was told to go find Jenn King at the Hidden Canopy Treehouse Boutique Hotel in Monteverde. After hiking up the mountains 3-4k in the morning, spending the day checking out the most amazing, astounding, incredible breathtaking views, treehouses, and land, I accepted the offer, gratefully, to move into one of the bunk rooms.

We´ve worked out a deal that accomodated both parties. While working here on marketing projects, they´ll help me learn spanish! Ahhh awesome!

I might be the luckiest person alive! Check out the site and see why!
http://www.hiddencanopy.com/p/user/hotel.php

If you are thinking of taking a trip and want to stay in a place unlike anything before, please let me know, being open officially a month, these are booking well in advance.

Ideas as how to spread word of mouth......honeymooners, anniversary trips, backpackers needing a good night, retreats and much more. What's your take?

Can't stop smiling

Went to Montezuma, on Friday, via 4-wheel drive Land Rover and that itself was a crazy journey. Felt like I was being transported to do a live story on breaking news in a remote part of the world. Then I remembered, this is a remote part of the world. Picture it......the small seats way in the back. No air. Gravel roads (to call them roads is being nice, more like small paths) that have more holes than honeycomb. Jungle overhead, on the side, everywhere. River crossings. And the constant sound of vibrations making you think the vehicle is going to fall apart instantly. Loved every minute of it.

Stopped by an animal refuge. Got to handle monkeys, anteaters, a kinkajou (bear like monkey thing) and more. Pretty sweet considering the monkey was crawling on everyone's head. There was a toucan there, never seen that before, didn't really believe they existed, THEY DO!

Then onto the falls where my ability to be patient proved wrong again. I sped ahead without the pro's and didn't get to jump off the waterfall like planned (limited hours of daylight) but saw it from the bottom instead. It was splendid.
Ate at a world renound (not sure if that's really true, but it should be if its not) resturante on the beach called la playa de artistos. The six of us managed to rack up a bill of 100,000 colones. Totally worth every bite!

Spent the last two days in Santa Teresa hanging out on the beach. Soaking up every single second of sunlight possible. Maybe a second too much the first day, hit the shade the next.

Was up at 4am this morning to pack and catch the bus, then the ferry, then taxi, then wait, then bus, now Monteverde. And I'm not sure I can ever leave this place. Mountains. Everything green. Adventure tours on every corner. Canopy tour? Zip lining? Canyoning? Horseback riding? Night hiking? Butterfly gardens? Mountain biking? ATV tours? What would you like to do? En serio!

Chilling in a hostel right now. Can hear old school country shouting something about whiskey and heaps of motorbikes passing by. Love this life.

For all the travelers out there, here's parts of my journal entry from my day:
'Sitting at a roadside resturante in Puntarenas waiting for my bus. Here because my taxi driver didn't think it was safe to drop me at the bus station and made a personal decision to drop me with his friends (Resturante owner.) Oddly enough he's been to Iowa. I haven't paid him for the taxi ride yet. Ordered something in Spanish, don't know what I'm drinking. Its good. Unfamiliar with everything. The language. The music. The transport system. Monetary units. Crossing the streets. The style of driving (feel like death is close everytime I'm in a vehicle) hahahaha And I can't stop laughing. This is SO much fun. Don't worry the taxi driver offered me a job being a tour guide for all the tourists coming off of cruise ships, he and his wife will pay me, find me room and board and teach me espanol. Is this real?

Still itching.

Liquid Bliss

Thrown.
Beaten.
Sucked.
Ripped.
Dragged.
Spun.
Flipped.
Splashed.
Pushed.
Pulled.
WHAT ELSE............This surfing thing is intense!

Officially can say that I can stand up on a surf board and ride. Now, I'm not claiming that I'm catching fresh waves, they're definitely white wash, but come on... being from Iowa I can claim that white wash waves count as a legit waves. I've paid my dues to the waves for sure, water is coming out of places it shouldn't on my body and sand too, for that matter!

Heading to Montezuma tomorrow to check out the waterfalls. And then on Saturday, heading to Monteverde by bus to check out Volcano Arenal, canopy tours, zip lining above the jungle and more including intense species watching (butterflies/birds/monkeys/etc) Will probably spend 4-5 days there. If I can get into a Spanish school that's not too expensive I'll stay there, otherwise I'm breaking the border and heading into Nicaragua.

From there, who knows!!!

Finding myself still in Santa Teresa. Reasons why?
-Coconut hunting is cool, using a machette to open them and drink their milk is even cooler.
-Hanging out with Aussies who are teaching me to surf
-Getting advice from fellow travelers to help plan the next adventure
-Running along the beach is good (Anna you'd be proud!)
-Monkeys in the trees
-The abundance of lizards or pretty much anything that can live (ie there are over 35,000 insect species....hence the 5 million bug bites on my legs)

Still enjoying the ocean and the surfing community. Rainy season is beginning and its awesome. Very beautiful here. Everything is green and so alive.

Where should I go?

Spent a day in San Jose and decided that would be enough. Asked the travel guru (he was from France) at the hostel for advice on Costa Rica, odd to me too, and he said Santa Teresa on the Pacific Coast. So I'm here in Santa Terea!

Took a six hour bus/ferry ride west to get here from San Jose. The ride composed of crossing mountains, gravel roads and bridges that are too skinny for most American cars. Needless to say, it was awesome.

Met a set of twins from Santa Cruz, Cali on the ferry who were coming here to visit friends, they invited me to stay with them, so I took that offer and hung with there friend who's lived here for 4 years now. His dad moved here from Cali six years ago to start building tree house houses, fully equipped! The first night here I slept outside in a hammock!

The neighbors from that house are from Newcastle, Australia.......ironic that I studied there? Everything works out somehow. Long story short, the two brothers there had a sister just 2 houses down the mountain with an open room, that is my new residence for the next few days for $8 a night! No worries I can hear the ocean crashing at night.

Hitchhiked from the local (one of 10) surf shop to the bank on the back of a 4-wheeler. Hitchhiking is totally normal. Everyone drives quads (ATV's) or motorcycles here. Santa Teresa's population is just short of 2,000 people, all surfers. This town was created by them, nice to know they didn't push out any locals.

A few random things y'all might appreciate:
-fruit grows on trees everywhere....mangos, coconuts, papaya, banana's, plantains, etc
-there are iguana's / lizards everywhere....praying mantis too! sooo cool
-everyone owns machettes (no es divertido?)
-the butterflies are beautiful
-the surf is awesome here! heavy rip tides
-the bus ticket from San Jose to Santa Teresa was 6000 colones, $10
-you CANNOT ever flush toilet paper here, the systems can't handle it
-the water is OK to drink in terms of bacteria, but loaded with calcium and limestone
-chickens wake me up every morning
-prices are the same as the US (because this is a surfer town, not many locals)

Headed to the beach, surfs up.
Ciao.

Pura Vida!

Made it to San Jose, Costa Rica last night, 9pm local time. Life's been great since! If you've traveled you appreciate the chaos coming out of an international airport where hundreds of people hold paper signs with names, yelling their business, while taxi drivers try to coerce you into a ride from them!

No worries, there was a shuttle lined up for me and the experience was shared with two other chicas just starting their own journeys.

From the moment we landed, there was this feeling of 'reality' hitting along with extreme joy and a little laughter from not knowing the language.

Walked to the city center today to get some air and see the sites. San Jose sits in the middle of the mountains so the view is great. A little different walk from the Minneapolis streets I was used to but I could feel the love as everyone greeted me with a "hello" instead of hola, they like my hair!

Already planning the next stop, thinking the coast if I don't get a job first!

One day at a time

A tragedy. A pain inflicted upon a best friend, and a family, that is unfathomable. The loss of Gaylon Paulson brought me back to Iowa sooner than expected. I was in Dallas ready to head out to Costa Rica but after the news from Anna on Friday night the trip was easily delayed and I've been in Iowa since.

A week with the Paulson's could be the best thing anyone could ever ask for. Under the circumstances it was very tough at times, but this family is incredible in so many ways.


(Left to Right: Sarah, Katie, Susan, Kristin, Anna, and Janet with Ivan standing)

Let me give you a taste of what it was like.
--Endless food that needed to be tasted, Katie's will power was tested every night. (mine too, I ate everything. Ladies of Ottumwa, you CAN bake!)
--Playing tennis with Anna, she can make you dance or dive, whichever works for you to get OUT OF THE WAY fastest!
--Golfing with the twins, Kristin and Sarah, collegiate golfers whose drives humble most men.
--Cleaning, love y'all but you have SO much stuff. Haha!
--Punctuality, or the lack thereof. This family is notoriously late, Gaylon was a very patient man. Six women in a house, take a minute to appreciate that one!
--Susan's and Shama's sprinter van filled with crystals, peacock feathers, organic fruit and water from Mt. Shasta.
--Janet's strength - you are an amazing woman! Thanks for all of the life lessons.

Take into consideration that this is just a slim description of the week. Through all the grief, they were able to come together to continue on. The Paulson's are strong. Gaylon has to be proud to know that he has so many amazing women continuing to carry on his legacy.

Photo's from a few priceless moments captured at: http://picasaweb.google.com/hailee.rustad/ThePaulsonS?authkey=Gv1sRgCPG0nKCqpM-bAw#

Still trying to find more words........