Costa Rica trip!
It was awesome!
Day 0
Friday after a crazy day at work, during which Stephen took the day off and stayed home to get our stuff organized, we drove to Toronto. We stopped at the FutureShop in Kitchener to buy a new digital camera to take. It's shiny! Traffic was horrendous but we made it, sped along by taking the 407. Spent the evening with Stephen's parents and last-minute packing.
Day 1
The universe decided we would not be leaving for the airport on time. First, Stephen burnt his finger while making toast, and then I got smacked on the head by the trunk of our car while trying to load the bags. But we did get on our way eventually and had no problems at the airport. They had overbooked the flight and were asking for 8 volunteers to take the next flight. It was close, but we would have missed our connection so we didn't. Flight #1 (to Atlanta) was uneventful, and we found our new gate with no trouble. From there to Liberia was on a bigger plane, and we got there on time. All our luggage made it, and the shuttle Dori had arranged for us was waiting outside the airport with a sign that said "Uncle Stephen and Auntie 2b D" :) The ride was about an hour, and everyone was up waiting for us when we got there! The place (Pueblo Del Mar #7) was perfect, and we unpacked and got settled. It's a little horseshoe of 2-storey townhouses, with kitchens. Dori, Josh, and the boys were in #9.
All the days sort of run together from this point on... that's the best kind of vacation. :)
Day 2
We went grocery shopping a quick taxi ride from our place, while Dori and Ezra walked. We got tons of food for the week, and some ice cream too! I had an epic ice cream fail and got melted ice cream everywhere just as we were leaving. Ah well, can't really complain about the 30 degree weather. On the way back, Josh and Noah and I walked and the others took the cab with the groceries. I may have gone swimming this day, if I recall. The pool in the middle of the horseshoe was really cute, and reasonably shaded. I didn't get sunburned at all! In the evening we went to see Josh play a gig at Copacabana. The boys had a nap in the afternoon so they could stay up so late. Josh was great, and the food was really good too. We left a little before he finished to get everyone home to sleep.
Day 3
Definitely went swimming this day. Stephen's cold was at its worst so he was in bed most of the day. Played a lot with the boys in the water (they have water wings, which are really awesome) and in both houses. They like to draw pictures (mostly of the Wiggles) and Noah really likes to hear stories. "Tell me a story about the three little pigs and a fan"... "Tell me a story about peter and the wolf and a starfish"... etc. I must have told a hundred stories (some more inspired and creative than others) over the course of the week. So cute! :) They also liked to play hide and seek, but got upset if I found them too quickly. We went horseback riding in the early evening, which was really cool! We wandered into town and found a guy with two horses. Noah and I got on the big brown one, Chingo, and Dori and Ez got on the other one. Josh walked with us, leading our horse. They were both very well behaved gentle animals, and we went walking down the beach and back. Fun times!
Day 4
We took Noah to the beach while Ez had a nap, and played with some awesome new sand toys that Dori found. Went in the ocean too, but I didn't have a bathing suit so I just got my shorts wet. Stephen has some cute pictures. We also tried a Mango batido sin leche (Mango smoothie without milk) which Stephen could have and was really good. Went to see the sunset on the beach, which was absolutely gorgeous, but the bugs were a little bothersome. Josh went to play at an open mic night at Pasatiempo, a bar just down the road, and Dori went with, so we watched the house. Boys stayed asleep. Talked about some wedding stuff when they got back.
Day 5
We went to the beach for sunset again, but this time the bugs were unbelievable. The lack of wind was what did it I think. We fled as soon as the sun went down but it was still brutal. I'm really lucky I don't react to bug bites! I believe this was the evening of the delicious brownies. OMG they were so good. They were made by a little pizza place and cooked in the pizza oven, so they were crispy on the outside, and served with delicious ice cream and fudge sauce. *drool*
Day 6
Dori, Josh, and I went on a canopy tour today! It was really cool, just the three of us plus two guides, and we went sliding down zip lines from platform to platform in the trees. One time we even went upside-down. The guides would sometimes bounce the cable up and down so it was even crazier! They were extremely amused by the phrase I knew in Spanish (taught to me by Susie when I was about to go to the Dominican Republic back in 2002): Lo siento, no puedo salir contigo, tengo novio. (It means "I'm sorry, I can't go out with you, I have a boyfriend") While we were doing this, the boys were at home with Stephen babysitting. In the evening, it appeared that I was getting Stephen's cold. We had dinner all together (BBQ again I think.) In the late evening, we tried going in the pool. Stephen doesn't know how to swim but he can stand in the deepest part of the pool with his head above water so he was ok. It was fun hanging out in the water together. Buoyancy is fun. :)
Day 7
I went to a yoga class with Dori in the morning. I had never done yoga before (just Pilates) so it was a really neat experience. The teacher spoke in both english and spanish, and there were a large variety of skill levels there, so I didn't feel weird. It was definitely cool. I keep meaning to start yoga (or some similar activity) here at home, so maybe I will now. The class was an hour and a half and I was starving by the end, so I came home for lunch while Dori went to get the rental car (for the next few weeks, they'll be travelling around quite a bit more.) Stephen and I went into town to buy souvenirs in the afternoon. We looked in a bunch of shops for some cool wood gifts, and found some great stuff. Every store we looked in after seemed to have much the same stuff, but at higher prices than we paid. Win! We also got a Mango batido, mmmmm. As we were almost home, we saw a car with some familiar-looking people in it... it was everyone heading down to the beach! We got in the back and went with them, and this time we went by the river, sometimes called crocodile lagoon. We picked up a ton of really cool shells and my pockets were so full of them that my shorts were almost falling down! Noah wanted to hear stories about crocodiles, naturally. :) Back at home, we played with the shells, Stephen and I had our last dinner alone in #7, played soccer with Noah, went for a dip in the pool, and finally packed as much as we could until maybe 2 am.
Day 8
Finished packing in the morning, and left for the airport with Dori driving the rental car after saying bye to everyone. Dropped off the key to our place at the office and we were on our way. The drive was a lot nicer during the day: we could actually see the beautiful scenery and little towns we passed through (almost every one of which had a soccer field.) We got to the airport in what seemed like enough time, but there was a huge line to pay the departure tax. Made it through eventually and checked our bags. They were too heavy the way we had packed them (smaller one inside one of the bigger ones since we didn't need the extra volume) so we split them back into three bags in such a smooth and efficient manner that the people behind us in line were quite impressed. We were told we had to get to the gate right now, so we didn't wait around to see if Sheila, Alysa, Mitch, and Gabe (Josh's family) had come through arrivals yet. Then we waited in the departure lounge for an hour, before Stephen noticed there was another lounge. Sure enough, that was the one we should have been in, but we were still in plenty of time. Flights themselves were uneventful, but both times we went through customs (US and Canada) we ran into trouble and got sent through extra agricultural screening. They took away stephen's avocado sandwich and salami in Atlanta and wondered if the wood stuff we brought back was unfinished (no, so we kept it all.) A little annoying but we survived. We ended up leaving the airport at 12:22 am (yes, after midnight) and got back to Waterloo around 2. We were stuck behind a convoy of snowplows (not even plowing, just blockading the 401 and moving at 40 km/h) for the majority of the trip. Slept very well in our own bed, that's for sure!
Day 0
Friday after a crazy day at work, during which Stephen took the day off and stayed home to get our stuff organized, we drove to Toronto. We stopped at the FutureShop in Kitchener to buy a new digital camera to take. It's shiny! Traffic was horrendous but we made it, sped along by taking the 407. Spent the evening with Stephen's parents and last-minute packing.
Day 1
The universe decided we would not be leaving for the airport on time. First, Stephen burnt his finger while making toast, and then I got smacked on the head by the trunk of our car while trying to load the bags. But we did get on our way eventually and had no problems at the airport. They had overbooked the flight and were asking for 8 volunteers to take the next flight. It was close, but we would have missed our connection so we didn't. Flight #1 (to Atlanta) was uneventful, and we found our new gate with no trouble. From there to Liberia was on a bigger plane, and we got there on time. All our luggage made it, and the shuttle Dori had arranged for us was waiting outside the airport with a sign that said "Uncle Stephen and Auntie 2b D" :) The ride was about an hour, and everyone was up waiting for us when we got there! The place (Pueblo Del Mar #7) was perfect, and we unpacked and got settled. It's a little horseshoe of 2-storey townhouses, with kitchens. Dori, Josh, and the boys were in #9.
All the days sort of run together from this point on... that's the best kind of vacation. :)
Day 2
We went grocery shopping a quick taxi ride from our place, while Dori and Ezra walked. We got tons of food for the week, and some ice cream too! I had an epic ice cream fail and got melted ice cream everywhere just as we were leaving. Ah well, can't really complain about the 30 degree weather. On the way back, Josh and Noah and I walked and the others took the cab with the groceries. I may have gone swimming this day, if I recall. The pool in the middle of the horseshoe was really cute, and reasonably shaded. I didn't get sunburned at all! In the evening we went to see Josh play a gig at Copacabana. The boys had a nap in the afternoon so they could stay up so late. Josh was great, and the food was really good too. We left a little before he finished to get everyone home to sleep.
Day 3
Definitely went swimming this day. Stephen's cold was at its worst so he was in bed most of the day. Played a lot with the boys in the water (they have water wings, which are really awesome) and in both houses. They like to draw pictures (mostly of the Wiggles) and Noah really likes to hear stories. "Tell me a story about the three little pigs and a fan"... "Tell me a story about peter and the wolf and a starfish"... etc. I must have told a hundred stories (some more inspired and creative than others) over the course of the week. So cute! :) They also liked to play hide and seek, but got upset if I found them too quickly. We went horseback riding in the early evening, which was really cool! We wandered into town and found a guy with two horses. Noah and I got on the big brown one, Chingo, and Dori and Ez got on the other one. Josh walked with us, leading our horse. They were both very well behaved gentle animals, and we went walking down the beach and back. Fun times!
Day 4
We took Noah to the beach while Ez had a nap, and played with some awesome new sand toys that Dori found. Went in the ocean too, but I didn't have a bathing suit so I just got my shorts wet. Stephen has some cute pictures. We also tried a Mango batido sin leche (Mango smoothie without milk) which Stephen could have and was really good. Went to see the sunset on the beach, which was absolutely gorgeous, but the bugs were a little bothersome. Josh went to play at an open mic night at Pasatiempo, a bar just down the road, and Dori went with, so we watched the house. Boys stayed asleep. Talked about some wedding stuff when they got back.
Day 5
We went to the beach for sunset again, but this time the bugs were unbelievable. The lack of wind was what did it I think. We fled as soon as the sun went down but it was still brutal. I'm really lucky I don't react to bug bites! I believe this was the evening of the delicious brownies. OMG they were so good. They were made by a little pizza place and cooked in the pizza oven, so they were crispy on the outside, and served with delicious ice cream and fudge sauce. *drool*
Day 6
Dori, Josh, and I went on a canopy tour today! It was really cool, just the three of us plus two guides, and we went sliding down zip lines from platform to platform in the trees. One time we even went upside-down. The guides would sometimes bounce the cable up and down so it was even crazier! They were extremely amused by the phrase I knew in Spanish (taught to me by Susie when I was about to go to the Dominican Republic back in 2002): Lo siento, no puedo salir contigo, tengo novio. (It means "I'm sorry, I can't go out with you, I have a boyfriend") While we were doing this, the boys were at home with Stephen babysitting. In the evening, it appeared that I was getting Stephen's cold. We had dinner all together (BBQ again I think.) In the late evening, we tried going in the pool. Stephen doesn't know how to swim but he can stand in the deepest part of the pool with his head above water so he was ok. It was fun hanging out in the water together. Buoyancy is fun. :)
Day 7
I went to a yoga class with Dori in the morning. I had never done yoga before (just Pilates) so it was a really neat experience. The teacher spoke in both english and spanish, and there were a large variety of skill levels there, so I didn't feel weird. It was definitely cool. I keep meaning to start yoga (or some similar activity) here at home, so maybe I will now. The class was an hour and a half and I was starving by the end, so I came home for lunch while Dori went to get the rental car (for the next few weeks, they'll be travelling around quite a bit more.) Stephen and I went into town to buy souvenirs in the afternoon. We looked in a bunch of shops for some cool wood gifts, and found some great stuff. Every store we looked in after seemed to have much the same stuff, but at higher prices than we paid. Win! We also got a Mango batido, mmmmm. As we were almost home, we saw a car with some familiar-looking people in it... it was everyone heading down to the beach! We got in the back and went with them, and this time we went by the river, sometimes called crocodile lagoon. We picked up a ton of really cool shells and my pockets were so full of them that my shorts were almost falling down! Noah wanted to hear stories about crocodiles, naturally. :) Back at home, we played with the shells, Stephen and I had our last dinner alone in #7, played soccer with Noah, went for a dip in the pool, and finally packed as much as we could until maybe 2 am.
Day 8
Finished packing in the morning, and left for the airport with Dori driving the rental car after saying bye to everyone. Dropped off the key to our place at the office and we were on our way. The drive was a lot nicer during the day: we could actually see the beautiful scenery and little towns we passed through (almost every one of which had a soccer field.) We got to the airport in what seemed like enough time, but there was a huge line to pay the departure tax. Made it through eventually and checked our bags. They were too heavy the way we had packed them (smaller one inside one of the bigger ones since we didn't need the extra volume) so we split them back into three bags in such a smooth and efficient manner that the people behind us in line were quite impressed. We were told we had to get to the gate right now, so we didn't wait around to see if Sheila, Alysa, Mitch, and Gabe (Josh's family) had come through arrivals yet. Then we waited in the departure lounge for an hour, before Stephen noticed there was another lounge. Sure enough, that was the one we should have been in, but we were still in plenty of time. Flights themselves were uneventful, but both times we went through customs (US and Canada) we ran into trouble and got sent through extra agricultural screening. They took away stephen's avocado sandwich and salami in Atlanta and wondered if the wood stuff we brought back was unfinished (no, so we kept it all.) A little annoying but we survived. We ended up leaving the airport at 12:22 am (yes, after midnight) and got back to Waterloo around 2. We were stuck behind a convoy of snowplows (not even plowing, just blockading the 401 and moving at 40 km/h) for the majority of the trip. Slept very well in our own bed, that's for sure!