After making it out the door on time
and in the car, (which I thought was an impressive feat for such an
ungodly hour) I found myself transferring to another car which
contained two Costa Ricans, a Spanyard, a Russian (and a partridge in
pear tree, right?). There we were, attempting to speak some
impressive Spanglish, or really anything at that hour of the morning,
following a line of cars we trusted knew where in the world we were
headed.
Sure enough, over an hour later, we
were shuffled into 15 passenger vans with nothing but our nerves of
steal and change of clothes. We began ascending one of Costa Rica's
many mountains to our pending doom. Crammed in the caboose of a
blazing vehicle with people who didn't know each other from Adam, we
all became friends...fast!
As the story goes, my host brother
(David) invited 25 of his many friends on this crazy adventure.
Little did I know that almost all of them didn't know each other, and
there we several of us represening foreign homelands...he apparently has a gift
with us outsiders :)
So there we were, leaning back and
forth as we circled the mountain and tried to calculate how much of
our day would be spent in a hot, circling, vehicle...when we arrived. On a
desolate river bank lay heaps of life jackets, paddles, helmets, and
rafts, patiently waiting for young amatures to come and have the time
of their lives. Without question we adorned our fashionable gear and
out of no where a guide gathered up our group and led us to our fair
inflatable vessel.
He spoke English and Spanish (thank
heavens) with a heavy dose of humor. We were to call him “Monkey,”
as was our team name for the day. As he rattled off instructions in
Spanish I simply smiled and nodded (a practice I've grown quite
accustomed to) and simply prayed I wouldn't perish due to a
misunderstanding of what was Spanish for “bail out.” With no
time to panic, we were off.
The first rapid was called “Welcome,”
and what a welcome it was! This little darling shoved her feet deep
into the crevices of the raft and prepared for the white water ahead.
Throughout the day we experienced fun and adventurous waves,
absolutely breath-taking waterfalls, and a wonderful team-building
experience. Each wind in the river allowed another beautiful view of
this incredible country. At one point I would see mountains, another,
deep green forests, and yet another a wooden bride swinging high
above the rushing waters below. In all honesty, I'd say it's one of
the most romantic places I've ever been.
Speaking of romance, I can't help but
share this little tid bit of the day, which I have to admit was
really the icing on the cake. Not far into our river-tackling
escapades, Monkey started asking this darling gringa some rather
personal questions. The infamous “do you have a boyfriend”
never throws me off guard here (everyone says I need to find myself a
Tico man...I promise you it's not that easy) and once telling him the
perfectly acceptable news that this baby 22-year-old is unattached,
he proceeded to inform the raft that this was a problem.
About
halfway through the trip, our precious Monkey decided everyone needed
to re-arrange places in the raft. Imagine my surprise when I somehow
ended up assigned to the spot right next to him. Towards the end of
my journey (after some extensive “practicing of his English”) he
instructed, “Let me see.” I turned to him and waited for an
explanation, but he just stared into my eyes. I sat there
dumbfounded for about a minute until I mustered, “Let you see
what?” “You're eyes,” he replied, “they're the color of the
sky.”
Well, if my eyes were the color of the sky, my face was the
color of a fire hydrant (whyyyy, ladies, do they always start with
the eyes? I swear it works every time). His Spanish accent helped take off the corny-ness of his next line, "My eyes, are the color of the
jungle.”
Okay, okay, I thought – we've got a whole
nature-love-theme going on here.
If he would have finished there, I
would have stayed a smitten kitten, but his last question
stopped me dead in my raft as he asked, “So, you want to go on a
two day trip?”
I'm sorry, we're vacationing now? Flashes of me
floating dead down this very river clouded my mind as I asked, “Like,
a rafting two day trip?”
He smiled and nodded. I didn't.
“Like,
we camp out or something?” Bigger smile, bigger nod.
As I stared
at him (somewhat in disbelief in regards to the progression of this
relationship) I was saved by the river bank as we now had to beach the raft, arriving at our destination.
I smiled and muttered a polite no thanks, harbored the thought of
giving him my number, and then, on second thought, decided to die another
day (mommy, be proud:).
All in all it was a GREAT day! I met
new people (besides Mr. Monkey, I promise), explored more of this
rich country, and rode a wild river! I received several battle
wounds, muddied up my ever-faithful tennies, and left with unforgettable memories.
Pictures pending – trust me, I rock the helmet/life vest look.
Sometimes, as I sit on my bed
blogging, it seems serial. I'm here – I'm in Costa Rica and I'm
having an experience of a lifetime. Climbing volcanoes, conquering
rivers, getting chased by a Monkey, and teaching some of the cutest
(and brightest) kids I've ever met.
All for now,
Xxoo
...The Wardrobe Challenge - Behold Some Evidence...
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