Pura Vida

Hello again!

I learned today that it is custom in Costa Rica to respond with "pura vida" when someone says como estas? After I last updated the blog I met up with some other group members to explore the streets of San Jose'. This town is so full of flavor and culture. We walked down the streets looking at the buildings and artwork with the soundtrack of exotic birds and raindrops in the background. Eventually we sat down at a very authentic Costa Rican restaurant and had a glass of sangria and an incredible meal. The authentic Costa Rican dish is called casado and it is a concoction of chicken, steak, tortillas, beans and rice, and plantains. After spending a few more colones than we should have we headed back to the hotel to meet the rest of the group.

Two cups of incredibly delicious coffee and a group meeting later, we left the hotel again to roam the streets, this time with our tourguide Enrique (but we call him Quique). In total there are four of us from New York, one from Idaho, three from england and six from Toronto. All in all, a great group of very friendly people. Quique then took is to this great place downtown for dinner that was apparently known for their casado. But since I had already tasted this delicious meal only a few hours prior, I just ordered what I thought was a scoop of ice cream. Turns out, when you order the ice cream with fruit, you end up getting a bowl full of guava and slices of banana with a scoop of ice cream on top. I am in no way complaining though, that fruit was incredible.

Now we're back at the hotel and trying to get a few hours of sleep in before starting what is sure to be a day full of excitement and adventure. So far on the agenda for tomorrow I have signed up for waterfall repelling, white water rafting, and soaking in the hot lava springs. I am looking forward to just being completely out of my element and pushing myself to try things that I never thought I would have the guts to do. My roommate, Sam, described it perfectly. She said that the things you fear doing are the ones most worth doing. Which brings me to my official motto for this trip: just do it. (thanks Nike!)

Noches!

E