tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62854285612315227582024-03-13T03:13:07.981-07:00Costa Rica ChicaSamantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-24324845295311422272016-06-05T11:11:00.001-07:002016-09-01T01:25:01.536-07:00<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/14976541/?claim=vdyyke6qe7y">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-46288339223670569482016-03-11T00:30:00.002-08:002021-03-12T05:32:50.423-08:00Fancy another blog?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9K2YAH86nMTCQ9JqlYvG4d8T0KL_sNWkIwjNEO8AVaZhMYTA2LiiNEdBlglp5SavDEvcTDqzYbEebWePWvGp29wwNzgPviL5dFWpVozi5GV_PFR-YcYRjGDDv6iWH768E_hKF6K8KZ8/s2048/ED18A50F-DA4B-4768-8BBD-7886BB3596F2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9K2YAH86nMTCQ9JqlYvG4d8T0KL_sNWkIwjNEO8AVaZhMYTA2LiiNEdBlglp5SavDEvcTDqzYbEebWePWvGp29wwNzgPviL5dFWpVozi5GV_PFR-YcYRjGDDv6iWH768E_hKF6K8KZ8/s320/ED18A50F-DA4B-4768-8BBD-7886BB3596F2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this blog and fancy catching up with my latest exploits, catch me over here at<br />
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Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-30857884665516638412016-02-29T06:29:00.003-08:002021-03-12T05:31:32.047-08:00Adios, sloths! <span style="font-family: inherit;">Despite huge, welcoming king-size beds and silk sheets, our slumber is frequently interrupted by the cacophony of wild animals vying for attention directly outside the windows, some of which are not windows at all but merely a thin layer of mosquito netting, which really gives the impression of bringing the outside in. This is not necessarily something you want at 4am when trying to catch some shut-eye, and instead we're hyper-aware of several sets of glowing beady eyes, piercing mating calls and rustling leaves caused by the thrashing of iguana tails....or the dreaded snakes throwing a hissy fit....</span><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5AH6dbSQsq95z5o4sgNYdXTtDsjj0cu2viy4ydITovRc4TekdOliZtJKwVVcaz44Xuzd6DkXtk33EfGemnlI4zmF7clqViLezTr9T9uRwCgXEJvVjJUm4IMppa3RUumvj6aTGy9mEEw/s1600/476B3E68-A9EF-4BD5-8709-9E916DE425CC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5AH6dbSQsq95z5o4sgNYdXTtDsjj0cu2viy4ydITovRc4TekdOliZtJKwVVcaz44Xuzd6DkXtk33EfGemnlI4zmF7clqViLezTr9T9uRwCgXEJvVjJUm4IMppa3RUumvj6aTGy9mEEw/s320/476B3E68-A9EF-4BD5-8709-9E916DE425CC.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Cu7MabGHxp0Fl7wY3he27IxvgRSjhi-c_thLJqo8bEdvGtnRysZiZUPmDPwtfmTjYohXxX6fv9-9mxja1YSMZXDG23KowtDzh5uEhK5lhkgNfsLhuoFAxqZX3nNvtlD0TzWTubpiHsI/s2048/906E0B76-FA6E-4DF4-8195-E8123D2AC6A7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Cu7MabGHxp0Fl7wY3he27IxvgRSjhi-c_thLJqo8bEdvGtnRysZiZUPmDPwtfmTjYohXxX6fv9-9mxja1YSMZXDG23KowtDzh5uEhK5lhkgNfsLhuoFAxqZX3nNvtlD0TzWTubpiHsI/s320/906E0B76-FA6E-4DF4-8195-E8123D2AC6A7.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br />
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">By 5am we reluctantly concede that the jungle has won the sleep battle once again, and fling on some clothes to go for a stroll to watch the sunrise. Attempting to keep our voices down for fear of waking the rest of the neighbourhood, we knock for Mum and the three amigos slip out onto the dusty path for a spot of sloth-hunting. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Unsurprisingly the two resident sloths and their baby are still perched high in the fork of the same tree as before and with their backs turned and perfectly still there's nothing new to report so we continue the few paces down to the deserted beach, passing several prehistoric-looking iguanas on the way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The sun is slowly rising over the black-silhouetted palms, creating a misty effect on the horizon: a stunning pastel-coloured backdrop for the crashing waves and multitude of beach-dwellers already going about their business : Pelicans, crabs, strange sliding molluscs and little birds who scuttle daintily in and out with the tide.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Back at the house we shower and get ready for breakfast, which is as delicious as expected - Lettika is clearly a perfectionist, verging on OCD. The eggs, home-baked Dutch bread, fruit shakes and tea are presented to us aligned at perfect angles and served with immaculate little pots. Even the wedge of fruit in the shake has been lovingly carved into a perfectly-symmetrical star shape. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Considering we've been away over 2 weeks already, my skin is still a ghostly shade of white, so I slap on some factor 30 jollop and off we trot to the beach. It's like being shoved head-first into a furnace and within minutes we all feel like we're being burnt to a cinder. The melanomas are forming before our very eyes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Large wooden signs warn would-be swimmers of rip tides, so the sea is pretty much off-limits along with any means of cooling off from this relentless sun. This is torture! Andy has brought along the hotel's body-board to paddle out ever-further, the roar of the waves drowning out my incessant pleas to him to come back to shore. The sea is empty, save for a few pro surfers expertly navigating the waves. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Back on dry land, Andy rolls on his belly in the sand doing his uncanny impression of a turtle digging a hole and laying eggs, as they do all over Costa Rica, which I have to admit is pretty funny. He's forgiven. Unable to sit still for a minute, he roams the beach chasing crabs, investigating micro-habitats and marvelling at other tiny unidentifiable creatures like the big kid that he is. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After an hour or so we go for another walk, Andy curiously investigating everything as usual. Until he steps on an ants' nest, that is, which causes them to bite him all over his ankles. Undeterred, he chases a huge flock of vultures who have gathered to rip apart some dead fish on the sand, pecking their eyes out viciously.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We decide to make the walk to the shop for some snacks, which is easier said than done in this heat. Every visit to the mini-supermarkets in Costa Rica involves getting blatantly ripped off - the shopkeeper suddenly morphs into Carol Vorderman, randomly jabbing numbers into a calculator (no EPOS tills in this neck of the woods), before applying some mystery formula and finally coming up with a five-figure sum as he turns the calculator around slowly, gauging the horrified reaction with glee. Everything is pretty expensive here anyway, but 3000 colones ($6) for a packet of crisps is taking the piss.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We almost get run over on the way back to base, so intent are we in gazing up at the trees looking for sloths that we don't hear the cars approaching. One guy even stops his car to get out and see what it is we're gawping up at. Andy's developed a Steve Irwin-esque enthusiasm for wildlife that is quite amusing, although we all know how tragically that ended. It's easy to forget that these are wild animals fighting for survival and there is always the temptation is always to get "just one step closer" to get the perfect shot. Famous last words....</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbvFGL8-EFe4EQdBA8L9k-aaSP00lyK2YxApxnDywhwlBPrIJKgwIPC_aBuhGln-9E3VMfmNZdg7BN4GeCNVnSGZtkwmxjmt_-TkcboYzIwopnNso9J4FdcOzlCmnxLXdrEDppPzwih8/s2048/A3E748A2-1277-4A86-831D-D4ECC57496CE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbvFGL8-EFe4EQdBA8L9k-aaSP00lyK2YxApxnDywhwlBPrIJKgwIPC_aBuhGln-9E3VMfmNZdg7BN4GeCNVnSGZtkwmxjmt_-TkcboYzIwopnNso9J4FdcOzlCmnxLXdrEDppPzwih8/s320/A3E748A2-1277-4A86-831D-D4ECC57496CE.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpmOArLu3UsNcb_4W_woimfOinGp7v5FXE29u7NMFdrjBgSfkBJE1YB45as3gtdnmeEqi9irb-whtVHT55nvM9EgRI3e5LUfbkbd51WrkMOY8E08NKdoMvgO41LEGQIpwrOHcNI2kJ-4/s1280/D4A0B595-0D91-420F-9805-40215921D16D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpmOArLu3UsNcb_4W_woimfOinGp7v5FXE29u7NMFdrjBgSfkBJE1YB45as3gtdnmeEqi9irb-whtVHT55nvM9EgRI3e5LUfbkbd51WrkMOY8E08NKdoMvgO41LEGQIpwrOHcNI2kJ-4/s320/D4A0B595-0D91-420F-9805-40215921D16D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjmbDnw966cKod6q_tqANr3yQxKuyMw7mGcXiV_e2VqvwjMpV4mGdIGQN_DxCY6cs0MVCDPo37H8F5iIoyd8SyyDEMVxrFXiIHEwfy1o72SuWm44ba-EkNsXvn6h8_d80E4-4eNSO1Ko/s2048/F68DC4D7-03FA-4753-BFC4-D9CC2341EF91.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjmbDnw966cKod6q_tqANr3yQxKuyMw7mGcXiV_e2VqvwjMpV4mGdIGQN_DxCY6cs0MVCDPo37H8F5iIoyd8SyyDEMVxrFXiIHEwfy1o72SuWm44ba-EkNsXvn6h8_d80E4-4eNSO1Ko/s320/F68DC4D7-03FA-4753-BFC4-D9CC2341EF91.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The sun is unbearably stifling and it's all we can do to slump in the hammocks and swing lazily. When dusk falls and Mum and Andy return from watching a troop of playful monkeys on the ground, we opt to order in pizzas rather than take the walk into town for dinner.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are treated to one final nightshow by the nocturnal creatures of Costa Rica : more click beetles turn on their neon green headlamps and fly around us, several pairs of frogs eyes peer down from the roof, the distinctive cries of geckos on every wall and several curious crabs side-step over to see what we're upto. One takes Andy by surprise by tapping on his foot, making him jump in the air. He pushes it away with one of Mum's rubber shoes, and it clamps it's pincers tight on it, before shedding the huge pincers altogether and scuttling into the bushes. We all stare in shock at these two huge pincers jutting out at right angles from the shoe, and feel sad for the injured crustacean. "He's armless enough, I guess." Groan.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPe5HQfjEwBZJxhmBsKwAnBOeO_oUygUk0XU2oqdz3FdYY380kfWqAEmzQcu6YRSZPJq5Mrp18fpQHFLaF6QpkDJiH9eNQvW5Y2gPKKMC09IlCuyMIv6cnqAtHGvj51NyIpAroEg5TFNM/s2048/36BC2CBE-8986-496F-954C-5D0311242C5C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPe5HQfjEwBZJxhmBsKwAnBOeO_oUygUk0XU2oqdz3FdYY380kfWqAEmzQcu6YRSZPJq5Mrp18fpQHFLaF6QpkDJiH9eNQvW5Y2gPKKMC09IlCuyMIv6cnqAtHGvj51NyIpAroEg5TFNM/s320/36BC2CBE-8986-496F-954C-5D0311242C5C.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We go to bed, bellies stuffed with pepperoni pizza, snippets of this epic trip replaying in our minds' eyes as if on flickery old cine film....caring for the children in San Jose, the distinctly Caribbean flavour of Tortuguero, the awesome Arenal Volcano and now the tranquil surfer's paradise of Matapalo on the Pacific coast. Each habitat has one common theme - they are all teaming with the most astounding collection of exotic wildlife. Costa Rica really has surpassed all expectations and has been one of the most memorable trips of our lives. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVa3mppeKEVQoQ_bCr_8weWu94zdSP02GBCVkzxekyPX3ZaiwTJlcmjLCOlfCrRc1hiDQPaUQugtwKWU3xbW-hWFFWJ_KicmCCIXFPNcGEjsbz6GPdS9xOkLSU_l8NuC03FuDfKHtwqE/s2048/3B7145BC-D93C-4EDA-B7A9-5C1E62AE5508.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVa3mppeKEVQoQ_bCr_8weWu94zdSP02GBCVkzxekyPX3ZaiwTJlcmjLCOlfCrRc1hiDQPaUQugtwKWU3xbW-hWFFWJ_KicmCCIXFPNcGEjsbz6GPdS9xOkLSU_l8NuC03FuDfKHtwqE/s320/3B7145BC-D93C-4EDA-B7A9-5C1E62AE5508.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcfkjHVdWW2SrJl9PjY6UwMBcOgiPC2YTaqgPxidOICZm85OzAy6gdKB1IdtZHLV-m9eGbbMciaICsPra_vojWOvKeARmOQ7taSgds4-gYNWZ5xPJwMpSNhJNPyPkpH4Hd_kmzJZV2UI/s1280/3BDF9D57-F3EE-4A42-8A46-1759457E76CE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcfkjHVdWW2SrJl9PjY6UwMBcOgiPC2YTaqgPxidOICZm85OzAy6gdKB1IdtZHLV-m9eGbbMciaICsPra_vojWOvKeARmOQ7taSgds4-gYNWZ5xPJwMpSNhJNPyPkpH4Hd_kmzJZV2UI/s320/3BDF9D57-F3EE-4A42-8A46-1759457E76CE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgNJ99ikxPhhzhwcqC0b1NXrvGCfbrejb4QWNxz1Qo8oDTFgZbre0EA5QXGuc5X4FOvxmKOhKnNGzxWSHVjohYra9DNxuw3hnROx69CyFMhKZS-3gliAi8MUR8JEYlPQFZMmLuS-SqsA/s2048/73A5BE1F-DA9B-4C52-9B17-E848EC8A840D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgNJ99ikxPhhzhwcqC0b1NXrvGCfbrejb4QWNxz1Qo8oDTFgZbre0EA5QXGuc5X4FOvxmKOhKnNGzxWSHVjohYra9DNxuw3hnROx69CyFMhKZS-3gliAi8MUR8JEYlPQFZMmLuS-SqsA/s320/73A5BE1F-DA9B-4C52-9B17-E848EC8A840D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXx5VlWk6PqyxHKA2xlLOPgpiDsW63-KSL9ecs2NJNG2J5aiDYKrZC1hFwFFwM1KgqowbJlLvM8A9aO3R085jHJ4K05ZQxmkblH3NYRk-7XEDRk90g9YMkcWt3J9kXDI2XWYXWog0A_s/s1280/87E68655-C170-4F84-B325-F3F40F0CA943.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXx5VlWk6PqyxHKA2xlLOPgpiDsW63-KSL9ecs2NJNG2J5aiDYKrZC1hFwFFwM1KgqowbJlLvM8A9aO3R085jHJ4K05ZQxmkblH3NYRk-7XEDRk90g9YMkcWt3J9kXDI2XWYXWog0A_s/s320/87E68655-C170-4F84-B325-F3F40F0CA943.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1nX2zOGBYueJgDqMuwoX9gp_G3epOypysCxnGur9JhTxF0XNQ7EVQqa9pmI280FnsWcBzbWflhUPEcwH_i2ubKHla_KdB1bL5Y25YwSPnjVXLknBd3VRgZ_qKtqQ6jCKnxV6dfX70sU/s1600/E4F48493-6F06-4727-9C89-E03C5715F711.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1nX2zOGBYueJgDqMuwoX9gp_G3epOypysCxnGur9JhTxF0XNQ7EVQqa9pmI280FnsWcBzbWflhUPEcwH_i2ubKHla_KdB1bL5Y25YwSPnjVXLknBd3VRgZ_qKtqQ6jCKnxV6dfX70sU/s320/E4F48493-6F06-4727-9C89-E03C5715F711.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the morning there's just time for breakfast and one final sloth-spotting sesh. As if aware that it's the last chance we'll probably ever get to see one in the wild, the sloths humour us and obligingly come out of their hiding places for the first time : the mum and baby sloth move part-way down the tree, giving us a really good look at their furry bodies, long hooked claws and adorable "smiling" faces, before Leo arrives to whisk us back to the sterile air-conditioned icebox that is San José airport.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As we touch down on the runway at London Heathrow there's only one thought on my mind....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Where shall we go next?"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSD9Axx-aiUeOm9GwzCORlFLetqX5QVQPPRjOGDolPPkVuvsPMB2Nsi6sh_Et-g8aMvh5i4vx7GcF-1pOZYtHyD5rQJUQL0FvxQJgcrBkgyQaziSh-E48f0oYXzA9Fe8N3o7qpBG9PfNY/s2048/E2C936D8-DB4D-4A93-8D24-B479A8617DDF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSD9Axx-aiUeOm9GwzCORlFLetqX5QVQPPRjOGDolPPkVuvsPMB2Nsi6sh_Et-g8aMvh5i4vx7GcF-1pOZYtHyD5rQJUQL0FvxQJgcrBkgyQaziSh-E48f0oYXzA9Fe8N3o7qpBG9PfNY/s320/E2C936D8-DB4D-4A93-8D24-B479A8617DDF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Fancy reading some more of my blogs? You can find them at:</b></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><b><a href="http://www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com/">www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com</a></b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.mummymission.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.mummymission.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><span style="color: purple; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com</a></span></b></span><br />
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</div>Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-67640822538982901432016-02-27T19:46:00.002-08:002021-03-12T05:22:31.529-08:00Monkey magic <span style="font-family: inherit;">Considering we've been trekking through dense, sometimes boggy, always humid rainforests, we've all escaped relatively unscathed bite-wise, with the mozzies typically favouring Andy's sweet young blood rather than mine or Mum's, which is another perk of having a younger fella I guess ;-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So it's kind of annoying that it's in Arenal, at our villa teetering high on the side of a mountain, waaay above the treetops, that we all get bitten to buggery.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Every one of us gets caught out by the blood-thirsty critters: I end up with a painful stinger in my butt, Andy cops another set of volcano-sized erupting bites and even De Mama with her armadillo-strength pain threshold succumbs to the black stinging wasps. We end up tweezing out black splinter-like stingers from various body parts like a particularly unlucky family of flea-bitten baboons.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On the dot of 10am Leo arrives as promised, looking a little glassy-eyed having left San José at 4am to reach us at the house. The last teeth-juddering leg of the journey on that hideous dirt track seems to have woken him up, and it's with clenched jaw that he patiently concedes that his suspension is going to take yet another hammering on the return trip.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I inform Leo that we've been without wifi since the previous afternoon and he nods his sympathetic understanding and immediately turns on the hotspot on his local phone, allowing the three of us to hungrily feed off his unlimited data package. We are like vampires being handed a pint of the blood of a beautiful virgin bride, such is our desire to cram our brains with (largely pointless) information - from shots of the dinner of some random ex-colleague to the status update by a girl I bonded with drunkenly in the loos of some club or other last summer - so accustomed are we to mindless scrolling that we're barely registering what it is we're even actually looking at. The annoying part is, I KNOW a lot of it's a complete waste of time, but like virtually everyone else on the planet I'm now a slave to social media. The stunning mountains and valleys of Arenal whizz past, never to be seen again by these eyes....as we're all face down in Facebook. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Leo previously estimated that the road trip to Matapalo, which is on the Pacific side of the country would take around 4 hours, so we get increasingly fidgety in the car as the 4-hour mark comes and goes, then 5....6......</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Seven long hours later, having crossed the country from the north towards the border with Nicaragua down to the south-west coast, we turn off the main highway and meander down increasingly smaller turnings until we eventually arrive at a small wooden sign bearing the name matching my Booking.com reservation : Jardin De Los Monos.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihiNcnAldW44O9RchsrubZHUyFWcFwpGdr3UUPlOqFWxN28-qtU0-J0SQYwLRwwmKUfQJ5l_zw_zRC-fDHyD0YVi4AhvLXeH7pD5SuqTnTFQYWi7jIQ59N6W4tH7OAQcL7JRSxdaml8FU/s2048/3CD681E7-089F-413F-B3CC-0BBF6EDBAD88.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihiNcnAldW44O9RchsrubZHUyFWcFwpGdr3UUPlOqFWxN28-qtU0-J0SQYwLRwwmKUfQJ5l_zw_zRC-fDHyD0YVi4AhvLXeH7pD5SuqTnTFQYWi7jIQ59N6W4tH7OAQcL7JRSxdaml8FU/s320/3CD681E7-089F-413F-B3CC-0BBF6EDBAD88.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDo7i_yDj-ND2PrGkTA1GQe35ScCvBYy2xwICbXfmcw1fBpuO-zCbUKzAaVw6vaKg5jL5RFdJ4j-0N6qI6MQH2RLWf4xu1rX4Y1DCckwAIWTopA-_sP-2-spV8UYW_CTjVmFqgPj582m4/s1280/769E5DFC-A5C9-4869-A50B-4B8464CB098E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDo7i_yDj-ND2PrGkTA1GQe35ScCvBYy2xwICbXfmcw1fBpuO-zCbUKzAaVw6vaKg5jL5RFdJ4j-0N6qI6MQH2RLWf4xu1rX4Y1DCckwAIWTopA-_sP-2-spV8UYW_CTjVmFqgPj582m4/s320/769E5DFC-A5C9-4869-A50B-4B8464CB098E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BXsy8NAflH-US_8gC0mGtwdgInbTOS3Xp41ftR9J8PycjNJyCI2iMCaZo2bvfYwTVJpstncFmjZ5yZN_TXTzk29RvFRu725caYoqMiNFGWe-4u1AOqIYiU7jnkHbaYE6O1u9wK3tabU/s2048/C7FF5F4A-6AAF-4F67-B9AE-D879ADBD3928.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BXsy8NAflH-US_8gC0mGtwdgInbTOS3Xp41ftR9J8PycjNJyCI2iMCaZo2bvfYwTVJpstncFmjZ5yZN_TXTzk29RvFRu725caYoqMiNFGWe-4u1AOqIYiU7jnkHbaYE6O1u9wK3tabU/s320/C7FF5F4A-6AAF-4F67-B9AE-D879ADBD3928.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBrzqbS94CyGQUNq-r8BZUJi4OUla61uPf5cizVyG4whrs-l6yOy4Leh4cUGBjBzvZiaYN4GZw9_5pxpFa5TpLHy57ee_31VGzpjdD0QwRXHW-qBIdQOZi911nSlw8-LFRzMz8DN7b3I/s2048/FC4631F4-7E7D-4028-A4B4-E13A1BBC5A3F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBrzqbS94CyGQUNq-r8BZUJi4OUla61uPf5cizVyG4whrs-l6yOy4Leh4cUGBjBzvZiaYN4GZw9_5pxpFa5TpLHy57ee_31VGzpjdD0QwRXHW-qBIdQOZi911nSlw8-LFRzMz8DN7b3I/s320/FC4631F4-7E7D-4028-A4B4-E13A1BBC5A3F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> The name means "Monkey Garden" and as if by magic a cheeky white-faced Capuchin swings between two palms in front of the car as we pull into the drive. The immaculate B&B is the property of proud owners Lettika and Gijs from The Netherlands, and the pretty blonde Lettika is waiting for us at the gate, pointing up to a couple of sloths dozing contentedly above our heads.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlmt65BAKQisd0dupY4tL0WQl2XZ2hUbpEc8vRXFPs60ea-rn5BpAymoV9mH8xFfdoutBxbBQKYqYTvoif2Qf-74rex8LBZFjLO_hoCeTAL9ioofiixR-LTGzDwPSl9sCtZ478oTypsY/s2048/1DEA93B0-F930-46FD-A8F7-510DF6E48641.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlmt65BAKQisd0dupY4tL0WQl2XZ2hUbpEc8vRXFPs60ea-rn5BpAymoV9mH8xFfdoutBxbBQKYqYTvoif2Qf-74rex8LBZFjLO_hoCeTAL9ioofiixR-LTGzDwPSl9sCtZ478oTypsY/s320/1DEA93B0-F930-46FD-A8F7-510DF6E48641.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbG4yE3BCrdfuoj0x1uwq8PoPRZz2-kx_ljci6I2ob9mQl0b8tfrU5yyDSU6gYQ-hB1uRKx5NESz1ZTtfJOruwIJmUMW81eSFU34DAsHgpd9Rk_-hhnF_DjWQQZXqg-57qhdlrl4_0qg/s1600/6E82353C-8059-4F1A-85A2-FF9A56440ED2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbG4yE3BCrdfuoj0x1uwq8PoPRZz2-kx_ljci6I2ob9mQl0b8tfrU5yyDSU6gYQ-hB1uRKx5NESz1ZTtfJOruwIJmUMW81eSFU34DAsHgpd9Rk_-hhnF_DjWQQZXqg-57qhdlrl4_0qg/s320/6E82353C-8059-4F1A-85A2-FF9A56440ED2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUt8acMCOxIIK4G8WzwlTE68VM4aUPjxABMfijvDNENCBhBFDfNm_Olf2SX3arxAZVdMnrZkjHTEGWUdyeSU6cZ9iLAqWhLgHfiF0bHdNVzGbx1s5ez7dIv8j6_qW0pG9VJfVEm7q9gY/s2048/82EC20A6-DC7B-48C4-B0B0-BD8FC8DB3FDA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUt8acMCOxIIK4G8WzwlTE68VM4aUPjxABMfijvDNENCBhBFDfNm_Olf2SX3arxAZVdMnrZkjHTEGWUdyeSU6cZ9iLAqWhLgHfiF0bHdNVzGbx1s5ez7dIv8j6_qW0pG9VJfVEm7q9gY/s320/82EC20A6-DC7B-48C4-B0B0-BD8FC8DB3FDA.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTm01BL8xHD53mvrvLmaTG2oofg97WtY3WezT9M8jS66yoztpO5IM88fCYZLUBRhi9EsNujyYUltxCHtJ9uulm3XYIShimeQys8-Y_CpgI9F0KbUqyYbNlHuHYvKmgpRhhHHYUEXppa0Y/s2048/1377EEA4-4B8F-447F-B798-3043FEBD6B9A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTm01BL8xHD53mvrvLmaTG2oofg97WtY3WezT9M8jS66yoztpO5IM88fCYZLUBRhi9EsNujyYUltxCHtJ9uulm3XYIShimeQys8-Y_CpgI9F0KbUqyYbNlHuHYvKmgpRhhHHYUEXppa0Y/s320/1377EEA4-4B8F-447F-B798-3043FEBD6B9A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5pluBeyjCNlT1F_oQy3IacGHDvU6VBqmglT9PS4D37CbxEdNsO8-TQ_-fgFhoE-n4hjfeD-XxmXP5bHD9UtDk88OxhplTux3TGUVc1Ws_R9LCrXrYsL1hNJBBgJlOW9vgPIhI4LReEm0/s2048/DE5A81B7-FA51-4274-96EA-8752C49D37A3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5pluBeyjCNlT1F_oQy3IacGHDvU6VBqmglT9PS4D37CbxEdNsO8-TQ_-fgFhoE-n4hjfeD-XxmXP5bHD9UtDk88OxhplTux3TGUVc1Ws_R9LCrXrYsL1hNJBBgJlOW9vgPIhI4LReEm0/s320/DE5A81B7-FA51-4274-96EA-8752C49D37A3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Before we even get the suitcases out of the boot we've seen monkeys, sloths, a solitary cow grazing at the roadside, several large iguanas on branches and both of the owners' pets - a black dog with big brown eyes and a chubby friendly-looking cat. Such is Lettika's attention to detail that I wonder for a minute if she's carefully positioned this menagerie of animals at their various posts in anticipation of our imminent arrival, as we arrive at precisely 5pm as our GPS accurately predicted 2 hours ago when I emailed her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Immediately I know that my booking app has come up trumps yet again, as the beautiful house has instant kerb-appeal and is set just a few metres back from the dark-sanded beach. The casa is constructed in upmarket Costa Rican style - termite-proof wooden beams, whitewashed walls and pitched beamed ceilings in the rooms, only 2 of which are available to rent, the rest being the stylish Dutch couple's open-plan living quarters, which gives an exclusive boutique-hotel feel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lettika ushers us to the beach to catch one of the stunning sunsets that the Pacific side is celebrated for, and we half-skip half-run in delight to the beach to watch it, waving to the lazy sloths overhead on our way past. It is so hot and humid that we're all sweating with the exertion of running those few metres and slump on some sun-bleached driftwood to get a decent view. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A flock of delicate plovers scuttle in and out with the tide and Andy is silhouetted against the red and orange backdrop of the dipping sun as he throws sticks for a pair of playful pups who dart in and out of the waves to retrieve them. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">As darkness falls we head back to the house and only now have time to fully absorb all the tiny details of the couple's handiwork - from the silky orange sheets on the huge king-size beds to the heliconia placed artily in vases with carefully-placed shells around them, it is evident that the couple are perfectionists, which makes the place feel both special and kind of intimidating in equal measures, and I'm aware of Lettika's watchful stare as we ruin the feng-shui by flipping our cases open and fling wrinkly clothes haphazardly over our shoulders in our eagerness to settle in. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once showered and into lighter clothes, she takes our breakfast order (which we already know will be delicious) and gives us "the tour." The couple saved for ten years to fulfill their dream, and as someone who often dreams of a new life abroad I feel envious of what this couple my age have achieved. The picture-perfect house is surrounded by a garden full of exotic plants which they've managed to make look groomed but authentic - the whole place is like something out of Vogue Living magazine and they are right to be as house-proud as they clearly are. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_xGUNkpehdcMtfvIUuXdZ7epy9pPGmyVqBosdAZ09tjGr5rg_hgun7D0D218QEZSe9fyRZ2dMp_X-7jkuBhlkWy3xHujOuiGFj-W9E5Qt3DzzMgKcIXwkk0Txfq3vdjbcLd5gnULqlI/s2048/328F698C-8F64-4836-9C6A-181BD5E270C0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_xGUNkpehdcMtfvIUuXdZ7epy9pPGmyVqBosdAZ09tjGr5rg_hgun7D0D218QEZSe9fyRZ2dMp_X-7jkuBhlkWy3xHujOuiGFj-W9E5Qt3DzzMgKcIXwkk0Txfq3vdjbcLd5gnULqlI/s320/328F698C-8F64-4836-9C6A-181BD5E270C0.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lettika points out a sweet little frog peering down at us over the guttering of the roof above our heads, and the entire evening continues in that vein - each one of us pointing heavenwards at regular intervals, oohing and ahhing at the wildlife as though watching a particularly impressive firework display, the most impressive creature of the night being the pyrophorus beetle, which is basically a neon-lit cockroach with a futuristic ability to turn on illuminous green headlights and a bright orange turbo-powered undercarriage. I kid you not, this thing is like something out of a sci-fi movie and in our combined 138 years none of us have ever seen anything like it. We are totally gobsmacked.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLj8tIf8VozBX6k4-1r3X6t-PS-WnIREDSW8dRGNBMwWxJvusLVGX9vACppfQR0PghjzsCjk_LMWpROnpsd13hukkbwZDMSwzZtthS_3e1ekyh5KRtU6JCDMLVtNW6u9KUqwsRIYMF3Qg/s2048/934DB5A7-C747-4E4F-8285-99873C9A0DE7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLj8tIf8VozBX6k4-1r3X6t-PS-WnIREDSW8dRGNBMwWxJvusLVGX9vACppfQR0PghjzsCjk_LMWpROnpsd13hukkbwZDMSwzZtthS_3e1ekyh5KRtU6JCDMLVtNW6u9KUqwsRIYMF3Qg/s320/934DB5A7-C747-4E4F-8285-99873C9A0DE7.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mum opts to stay in the comfort of her veranda hammock as Andy and I jump in a taxi to the village's best fish restaurant. The cabbie Olivier is veering from side to side as he drives slowly down the sandy road and I wonder for a moment if he's stoned, before I catch sight of the literally hundreds of purple-and-orange crabs scuttling, pincers aloft, to avoid being crushed under his tyres. They are everywhere, as far as the eye can see. It's a pretty awesome scene. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DU5LpkNMiKGVAu-UmqymmADAeVTLhyphenhyphenNDZxOVxmnLeKwI0t-ChNK4ok26JLikXagTDBjwljGMNj85ayC2xM5N8pE5dmgTJqJerruegYsdwHJm2Yf-RxGVoQ3ZoyIw4lIqXAfer82m2iE/s2048/7C6A8DD8-8E8F-413F-A4ED-28D785379C0C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DU5LpkNMiKGVAu-UmqymmADAeVTLhyphenhyphenNDZxOVxmnLeKwI0t-ChNK4ok26JLikXagTDBjwljGMNj85ayC2xM5N8pE5dmgTJqJerruegYsdwHJm2Yf-RxGVoQ3ZoyIw4lIqXAfer82m2iE/s320/7C6A8DD8-8E8F-413F-A4ED-28D785379C0C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We enjoy a delicious meal of lobster, fresh fish and cheesecake washed down with two ridiculously expensive bottles of wine, priced especially high just for us blatant gringos, before the taxi driver pulls up to take us back to the house. It's the first time we feel totally chilled as this trip has been pretty full-on and weirdly I find it hard to summon up any sort of hard feelings at being ripped off on the cheap plonk, which is rare for someone as characteristically vocal as myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We pay the driver and instead of going straight to bed decide to take one last late-night romantic stroll along the beach, dodging the multitude of curious side-stepping crustaceans who detect we're a tad tipsy and head for the undergrowth to avoid being made crabmeat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Back in the room we drift off to sleep with the sound of the waves crashing nearby, the experience bittersweet as we know that our time here is drawing swiftly to a close...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Fancy reading some more of my blogs? You can find them at:</b></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><b><a href="http://www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com/">www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com</a></b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.mummymission.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.mummymission.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><span style="color: purple; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com</a></span></b></span></div>
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Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-80860171932986421142016-02-26T14:56:00.001-08:002021-03-12T04:56:34.943-08:00Hair-raising Zips and Hot Spring Dips<div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is a real novelty to wake up in a house whose huge bedroom windows directly overlook the still-active Arenal volcano, which erupted as recently as 2010. Prior to that, there was a huge eruption in 1968, which destroyed two entire towns. Upto this point the locals thought it was merely a mountain; that was until the top of said "mountain" blasted off and lava poured down the sides. Even now, we are told you can see what look like fireworks coming from the top of the volcano at night, when it's not obscured by cloud. The defunct towns are now covered by the man-made lake that surrounds the volcano (the biggest in Central America, providing 40% of the country's power), but when the water level is low you can still see the church spire protruding from the river.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our driver arrives to take us back down that nightmare gravel road to our Trek-Tram-Zip excursion. Being the intrepid pro hikers that we now are (!), the early-morning hike that comes as part of our SkyTrek package is child's play, and we are mildly unimpressed by the geeky group dynamic; having been foraging in the dense forest for days now - just the three of us without a guide - this tour feels a bit formulaic by comparison. We've become trek snobs. How did that happen?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I can tell Andy is bored when he starts subtly chucking small rocks into the forest to give the impression of animal activity and he turns away smirking as the rest of the group squint and crane their necks to try and get a look at which exotic animal is hiding nearby. The guide is less than impressed when she realises Andy has been winding everyone up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Stifling yawns as the guide rambles on about various species of trees and shapes of leaf, we feign interest whilst craning our necks to catch a glimpse of some animal action. Nothing. The frequent zip lines buzzing past overhead have rendered the wildlife mute. After 3.5 hours of vertigo from rickety hanging bridges, waterfalls and steep hill climbs, the only bit of wildlife activity we've seen came from watching a middle-aged French tourist slipping and sliding on her backside down a wet path, coming to rest at the bottom with limbs flailing like an upturned beetle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now for the fun part that Mum has been bricking it about for days - the zip lining.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The SkyTram gondolas lurch from side to side as they incline steeply, taking us higher and higher above the dense canopy, to 4100ft to be exact. There are so many different species of trees and plants jostling for the sunniest spot and this is a fantastic way to view them all, my favourite being the Walking Palm, so-called because if it isn't in the optimum location, it just casually sprouts new roots and moves to a better spot. You can see the new roots sticking out of the side of the tree as it prepares to 'walk.' </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway, I digress....at this point we are trussed up in harnesses, suede gloves and helmets, before being briefed on all the safety blurb. As we sign the health and safety waiver Mum's face gets increasingly pale as the heart-stopping task in hand draws closer. </span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-size: 17px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkCj5Tc4vthH0wE-uUmjgBzsWcfcuM9P_hvswOIOwtxVRonnhdn9ahJS8b8bIpPXIacZqqvLrTM_ROHXGwJuYxg62ItKwgOwfGhMbKcBn5u1w4go0rLcft0hoFl2H_Mjwx2T_k9zwa7Y/s2048/4CD7B21D-9CAD-442A-ABF6-E3810EDB1BC3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkCj5Tc4vthH0wE-uUmjgBzsWcfcuM9P_hvswOIOwtxVRonnhdn9ahJS8b8bIpPXIacZqqvLrTM_ROHXGwJuYxg62ItKwgOwfGhMbKcBn5u1w4go0rLcft0hoFl2H_Mjwx2T_k9zwa7Y/s320/4CD7B21D-9CAD-442A-ABF6-E3810EDB1BC3.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcVmQjMKKOr9xzHjHFf9MU1XKvLlxAwb8TkxWDqdKINBySlZo58mVyRMLod8J9ARTlsCS9dY5PxsAhZ0ukzv65NYg-4qdOfjRtPtjBzZN2UI7PPVQ5j2Mt-rXY5CdD3hldj5PA47KjuU/s2048/17956765-6870-4C6E-9803-C1D3B94CE7DC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcVmQjMKKOr9xzHjHFf9MU1XKvLlxAwb8TkxWDqdKINBySlZo58mVyRMLod8J9ARTlsCS9dY5PxsAhZ0ukzv65NYg-4qdOfjRtPtjBzZN2UI7PPVQ5j2Mt-rXY5CdD3hldj5PA47KjuU/s320/17956765-6870-4C6E-9803-C1D3B94CE7DC.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDALTc7vljMLCm5ZhBzESTrULtO7-Cgyi2InmGgeZ2yDCqm4V4mr5bgtTuk68897gTFWumeUsumUYotEjnKJGWIFxnt1OYtTr9Spj8v5DsVh4iQ9YKn6YkEpryOxh6L4jh25t2GQ5hns/s1280/DCB06FE9-93C0-4AA9-B61A-69BC170F9B42.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDALTc7vljMLCm5ZhBzESTrULtO7-Cgyi2InmGgeZ2yDCqm4V4mr5bgtTuk68897gTFWumeUsumUYotEjnKJGWIFxnt1OYtTr9Spj8v5DsVh4iQ9YKn6YkEpryOxh6L4jh25t2GQ5hns/s320/DCB06FE9-93C0-4AA9-B61A-69BC170F9B42.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Lean back in the harness until you're lying flat, arms straight, knees locked. When the platform draws closer, move your pulley side to side to gain traction and slow yourself down, then spread your legs to come in to land. If you get stuck out on the wire, let go of your pulley and rotate your body 180 degrees then use your hands to pull yourself along the wire until you reach the platform. Oh, and it's not one zip line, it's a series of seven wires, getting increasingly longer and further apart in length. Comprender?" asks one of the instructors. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Everyone laughs nervously and nods their agreement, except De Mama who is looking petrified and repeating "SEVEN?!" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Up on the platform, the fearless Andy goes first, and he leans back horizontally in the harness as the cocky instructor repeats the instructions before pushing him off. He flies above the rainforest like a bat out of hell, the whirring of the wire getting louder as he picks up speed. We can just see him hit the barrier at the other end before stepping off unsteadily. It's my turn. Gulp! </span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I stand still whilst the instructor checks my harness and clicks my pulley into place, then lean back into position as he lets go of me and I fly off above the trees. It's is utterly exhilarating, and once my heart has stopped threatening to go into full cardiac arrest I manage to turn my head slightly to take in the outstanding beauty of the lush green forest, the huge lake and staggering size of the volcano. This doesn't last long however, as the instructor shakes the wire to alert me to start braking, and then I'm furiously jerking the pulley left and right in a vain attempt to reduce my speed before slamming into the safety pad on the platform. Hmmm, must remember to brake next time.</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-size: 17px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvxERcMYMGGFYqUe0wHgwVtvOt9AcjRNbBS6RJU7emt5EfrZVe-i85cSQCyUETpP4oFBFF70U7hGvN2qu_exCewbfpCs-53hGLZ-ix5FmJ4jvcrIqqp3r6E5XFqKjLU-9S72jsHLXWMsw/s2048/67823B1E-73F0-45C3-94DF-096AE5790D78.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvxERcMYMGGFYqUe0wHgwVtvOt9AcjRNbBS6RJU7emt5EfrZVe-i85cSQCyUETpP4oFBFF70U7hGvN2qu_exCewbfpCs-53hGLZ-ix5FmJ4jvcrIqqp3r6E5XFqKjLU-9S72jsHLXWMsw/s320/67823B1E-73F0-45C3-94DF-096AE5790D78.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">I step off the platform just in time to see De Mama in the distance as she steps off the platform and soars through the air. She is going so fast it reminds me of a human cannonball, and within 30 seconds she has traversed the 650ft-high canyon and is roaring towards me on the platform. I can just make out her bugged-eyed look of terror, top lip stuck to her teeth in a frozen rat face as she hurtles, legs akimbo, into the barrier. It's the funniest thing I've seen in ages. I'm bursting with pride in the red-faced, sweaty creature in front of me - that's my girl!</span></div></div><div style="color: #454545; font-size: 17px;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The other (mostly American) zip liners appear to be enjoying it as much as I am, so much so in fact that they insist on going in front of Mum on every wire so they can watch her come flying in to land with all the grace of a deranged pelican. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There is one skinny woman who is so delicate and frail that she doesn't have the bodyweight to get from one side to the other, so has to do the thing we'd all been dreading happening to ourselves - she has to LET GO of the pulley, dangle from her safety harness almost 700 feet above the ground and then use her hands to pull herself the rest of the way across the wire, whilst we all watch nervously from the other side, the instructors attempting to pull the rope taut to aid her progress. Sod that! It's the first time I've been happy to be a big ol' bird. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The longest cable of them all is called Big Daddy : 3000ft across of sheer terror-filled 'fun.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Andy breezes across like the Milk Tray man, barely breaking a sweat, and I come roaring in with all the physical control of a crane fly, lanky limbs flailing and eyes watering, whilst attempting to maintain a cool demeanour as I'm hyper-aware of the watching crowd on the</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next it's De Mama's turn. The crowd falls quiet as she reluctantly lets go of the instructor's grip and hurtles above the treetops. She is a tiny speck in the distance, but even from here I can tell she is rigid and sure enough, within 90 seconds or so she is zooming towards the platform like a rocket, eyes bulging with fear and every tooth in her head bared like a sabre-toothed tiger. The Wallace and Gromit animations spring to mind - Nick Park couldn't have made a more comical expression out of plasticine if he tried. The Americans crowd around to get a better look - they've got their money's worth out of Mum alone today.</span></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiljTc-rz4cMtg1Ahp15iErRqF3EzvIAEmJT3ZNywspDoi0tM4oMtyaL7wRyEf9_0w1rQrQBXRmaK4AXtF6J4rJGHqaqw1BWJwlqNBYpuD9fISvJ67XBVUow5MMQPU82pocV79W7VvPjsM/s1600/E8E39E0B-F510-4679-8957-8F68C15DC921.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiljTc-rz4cMtg1Ahp15iErRqF3EzvIAEmJT3ZNywspDoi0tM4oMtyaL7wRyEf9_0w1rQrQBXRmaK4AXtF6J4rJGHqaqw1BWJwlqNBYpuD9fISvJ67XBVUow5MMQPU82pocV79W7VvPjsM/s320/E8E39E0B-F510-4679-8957-8F68C15DC921.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The only person more 'mature' than Mum on the zips today is an elderly Californian gent, who looks like an ageing star of the silver screen and must be mid-seventies at least. Love that! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After 7 zip lines, 2.5 hours and buckets of sweat and adrenaline, we are finally back on solid ground. Never ones to be ripped off buying the souvenir pictures, we are about to dismiss the idea when I catch sight of Mum's ones. The photographer has captured the moment perfectly - hair sprouting from the sides of the cannon-ball helmet, mouth so dry she's doing the perfect rat face and eyes bulging like boiled eggs in sheer terror. "We'll take them," I say.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The only time I've seen funnier photos of Mum was when she and Dad went swimming with dolphins in Antigua years ago and the souvenir snaps show them posing awkwardly with the friendly mammals, and she said by way of explanation at the cringe-worthy pics, "it was so stressful, I kept poking it in the blowhole by mistake when I tried to cuddle it." </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The only person who could describe swimming with dolphins as stressful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Deciding we need to relax after all that excitement, we take a taxi to Los Lagos resort for lunch, then laze in the natural hot springs which are heated by the volcano for an hour or so before heading back to the villa for a much-needed early night.</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUkBUCnRx17StXKpH4bfTv-hkEUaZ6m73CV3hI7dZDqRNvXvUNFiznAXqr8uM3m-VjFSd7D6Gh7kyTGV2PsxI5Ln5wRZokn_M3xNcRyA2k4t5Jl22Hw8tM8kM_XLpEt7T5s-0HPVUpogc/s1280/F8152A08-8519-4E35-B18D-FAAB23063C6D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUkBUCnRx17StXKpH4bfTv-hkEUaZ6m73CV3hI7dZDqRNvXvUNFiznAXqr8uM3m-VjFSd7D6Gh7kyTGV2PsxI5Ln5wRZokn_M3xNcRyA2k4t5Jl22Hw8tM8kM_XLpEt7T5s-0HPVUpogc/s320/F8152A08-8519-4E35-B18D-FAAB23063C6D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-size: 17px;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tomorrow we're on the move again, travelling to Matapalo on the Pacific side of the country for some beach action for our final leg of what has been an amazing trip...</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><b><a href="http://www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com/">www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com</a></b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.mummymission.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.mummymission.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><span style="color: purple; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com</a></span></b></span></div>
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Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-5614478736720617592016-02-26T09:31:00.001-08:002021-03-12T04:49:32.899-08:00Hasta lluego, Tortuguero<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;">After such a fantastic four days in Tortuguero it's with sadness that we pack up our belongings in readiness to leave. The only thing we won't miss are the teeth-chatteringly cold showers....oh, and the quick-sinking bog that threatens to consume De Mama every time she takes a single step beyond the cabin into the forest. </span><br />
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Ever prepares our breakfast, and we eat scrambled eggs and fresh fruit whilst looking out over the forest, trying to commit every detail of our beautiful surroundings to our ageing memory banks, to recall once more on a freezing Monday afternoon back in miserable Blighty. </div>
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We put some bananas on the bird table and coax the toucans from the trees, Andy hand-feeding them in his usual gung-ho manner. They have to tilt their huge bills to look at this strange creature before them, keeping their beady black eyes fixed on him nervously as they grab huge chunks of banana and toss them right to the back of their throats, then gulp them down without chewing. Which, funnily enough, is exactly how Andy eats too.</div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">As usual, he goes just one step too far and attempts to stroke the colourful birds, who scatter in disgust at his audacity, so he turns his attention to the troop of howler monkeys who are watching curiously from the trees above instead...all except the <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">baby, who swings happily upside down by his tail, oblivious to us standing a few feet below. </span></div>
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Their desire to grab the food is outweighed by scepticism, and no amount of cajoling by Andy brings them lower, which is a good thing as wild animals should obviously remain wild. I think back to my time as a backpacker, and how the fearless monkeys behaved when too tame in Cambodia. What at first seemed cute swiftly became a a nuisance when they were stealing sunglasses from tourists' heads and guzzling the dregs from Coke cans before discarding them over their shoulders around the temples of Angkor Wat.</div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOVL2pSU9KQjhUwkfHjnYsNIcseOu2V1Q5AdwGD36c52XkQ_Pm7dSRCpwzjQ3yJrJCTYcD-4inC8h43a3Dw_ZwFcfxrw6NwO3He4nn9mB6EuwaeFEbS6Tz5Czvja8xzzCnb-EnanaJqs/s2048/9440ED79-5E23-433B-83B2-6C247AB831A6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOVL2pSU9KQjhUwkfHjnYsNIcseOu2V1Q5AdwGD36c52XkQ_Pm7dSRCpwzjQ3yJrJCTYcD-4inC8h43a3Dw_ZwFcfxrw6NwO3He4nn9mB6EuwaeFEbS6Tz5Czvja8xzzCnb-EnanaJqs/s320/9440ED79-5E23-433B-83B2-6C247AB831A6.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br />
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Our motorboat arrives to take us back to La Pavona, and we point out the various birds and animals whose names pop into our heads in Roberto's thick Jamaican accent, thanks to his informative tours. </div>
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Leo the taxi driver is waiting on the riverbank when we arrive, ready to take us on our onward journey to the Zona Norte, specifically the Arenal volcano region. I wonder if this would be a good time to tell him that the owner of the villa has recently emailed me to warn how treacherous the roads are, but my thoughts are interrupted by the sputters coming from the direction of De Mama, who is unconscious within minutes of setting off. Leo goes to pull over, assuming we must have accidentally brought an animal back from the jungle amongst our ton of luggage, but then realises, no, it's just one of his passengers dozing off...</div>
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After a few hours Leo takes us to Ranchero for lunch. As we can't decipher the menu, we all wait for Leo to order then to his amusement gesticulate to say we'll have whatever he's having. After 5 hours in his Hyundai, which thankfully is a 4x4, we finally approach the last leg of the journey: the treacherous climb up the mountain dirt road to the villa.<br />
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Our teeth are rattling in our heads, Leo's suspension is taking a hammering, and the GPS has long since given up trying to work out where we are, or even why we'd attempt to get here in the first place.<br />
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Luckily I'd screen-shot Nita's back-up directions, which are about twenty pages long. Anyone who knows me knows that despite my love of travelling, I have absolutely zero sense of direction, can't work out which way up maps go, and that this guide may as well be in Cantonese. </div>
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Eventually, with the car at an eighty degree angle against the mountain, we spot a little orange casita through the darkening sky, perched atop the cloud-covered peak. Leo bids us farewell and begins the difficult 5 hour journey back to San Jose, possibly regretting the moment he offered to be our driver for the entire trip.</div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi935Wzc3gMihpDKEUrX5u8jse6sew78A47yMWb1SSVa2lhg-xFb553Vn9mrrMxT36_Vui4ObkU5pRtP4Nk-9hpb2oHUhwKivLLSD4Y07e9BgM4MauSmVXn3LZ8ikum9XvWonFI7eiBc0g/s2048/7D4A579D-2B0D-48DB-918C-13F0F4E90FC3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi935Wzc3gMihpDKEUrX5u8jse6sew78A47yMWb1SSVa2lhg-xFb553Vn9mrrMxT36_Vui4ObkU5pRtP4Nk-9hpb2oHUhwKivLLSD4Y07e9BgM4MauSmVXn3LZ8ikum9XvWonFI7eiBc0g/s320/7D4A579D-2B0D-48DB-918C-13F0F4E90FC3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTW0WOallWcolwaxgXMWDKcX6hnr8yXBRfzXKZnfMyFIlVZu5v9zITCPmGN33_l7PjySVCV9AesDqnEPQnnV709nzo7uSPbSIOb5K4obqedISrGizshvjse7zQog6vCvbfN33kzyse6M/s2048/5237E957-BB73-462E-9B04-BF9ADCA0952A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTW0WOallWcolwaxgXMWDKcX6hnr8yXBRfzXKZnfMyFIlVZu5v9zITCPmGN33_l7PjySVCV9AesDqnEPQnnV709nzo7uSPbSIOb5K4obqedISrGizshvjse7zQog6vCvbfN33kzyse6M/s320/5237E957-BB73-462E-9B04-BF9ADCA0952A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzMhgatcazZEVjg79msZi5-LGiOQ2Yd-fM8LXpq57yFhpZGHtsBwXE8XtJdfykUJ0Tg626kyzuG7fBlFlG7KOVn8JCwrKnoN51t7bvajkhZd6hRN9KGXfY5VkPqqbJK3zx9Qi5PrG1Bo/s2048/DCDB341E-092A-4838-B207-D8AA23831D88.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzMhgatcazZEVjg79msZi5-LGiOQ2Yd-fM8LXpq57yFhpZGHtsBwXE8XtJdfykUJ0Tg626kyzuG7fBlFlG7KOVn8JCwrKnoN51t7bvajkhZd6hRN9KGXfY5VkPqqbJK3zx9Qi5PrG1Bo/s320/DCDB341E-092A-4838-B207-D8AA23831D88.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Juan the housekeeper arrives to welcome us and give us the lowdown on the house and the Arenal Volcano which stands majestically before us. First things first Juan mate, "what's the wifi code?" Anyone who's backpacked will know that the Internet is a lifeline for which you'd rather lose a limb than forgo....sod the ginormous active volcano in front of us, how else are we gonna keep up with the latest cat videos trending on Facebook?</div>
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Once our thirst for communication via the World Wide Web has been satiated, we admire the breath-taking scenery of the volcano, lakes and forests from the villa's fantastic 360 degree vantage point before cobbling together some dinner and hitting the hay, for tomorrow we have an action-packed day : trekking, skytram, and then the activity that is giving Mum serious palpitations...zip-lining high, high above the rainforest canopy...</div>
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Sweet dreams, De Mama!</div>
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Mwahahahaha.....<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Fancy reading some more of my blogs? You can find them at:</b></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><b><a href="http://www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com/">www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com</a></b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.mummymission.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.mummymission.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><span style="color: purple; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com</a></span></b></span></div>
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Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-26218539438305742422016-02-25T01:52:00.004-08:002021-03-12T04:44:21.287-08:00Feeling bogged down, time to move on....<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;">Christopher Columbus gave Costa Rica it's name during his final voyage in 1502, when he reported vast quantities of gold jewellery amongst the natives and declared it to be a "Rich Coast." When I think of Costa Rica's name, I think it applies equally to the richness of the wildlife here - this place has treasures of the animal kingdom that are astounding to us Brits, being more accustomed to scruffy one-legged city pigeons than resplendent primary-coloured toucans. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: uictfonttextstylebody; font-size: 17px;">After fresh fruit, eggs and toast prepared by Ever, we don our wellies and head into the jungle for another wildlife fix. We are like a bunch of addicts (we're pale enough) who crave the constant shots of adrenaline that come with being eyeball-to-eyeball with a wild exotic creature.</span><br />
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This time, Mum selects a different pair of wellies from the laundry room: ones that aren't four sizes too big this time, and these ones even have drawstring ties around the top. </div>
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It makes no difference whatsoever - within minutes she's wedged fast in the sinking bog, her lack of height meaning she just can't get the traction to haul herself out. She grabs onto a small tree for support, which is lethal in the jungle as there's bound to be an entire creepy-crawly ecosystem on each leaf, and sure enough as the branches shake some leaves fall off, sprinkling a variety of tiny bugs onto her head like confetti. This causes her to shriek and panic, toppling forward into the murky abyss. In her desperate attempts to escape the biting critters, she lunges....and the wellies are left standing upright in the mud, whilst a red-faced Mama is floundering in her now filthy stockinged feet. Give me strength! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Once Andy and I have stopped laughing, we brush the bugs off her head and shoulders and grab an arm each to yank her out; I notice one of her clammy hands still clutching a fistful of leaves from the tree and am roaring again. </div>
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Amazingly, there are still a few birds and animals that haven't fled in terror after all this commotion, and we spot toucans, parrots, tiger herons, monkeys and even a flock of giant macaws.</div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbMBOo-yyNpnief_eqVKuZX5l3gAttdoVPRVMf8t1sgkGIA-SlQR-rAsrtbyI7H8F-IqYqNLAx8yM4JgpicaNkgYUF08-LOSmDXK4f2PAfRuGJV5zGhP0AR1GhTfU-6JZcxfpDTCzmf8/s1600/1D44F674-BE1A-4027-B887-31C637F52935.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbMBOo-yyNpnief_eqVKuZX5l3gAttdoVPRVMf8t1sgkGIA-SlQR-rAsrtbyI7H8F-IqYqNLAx8yM4JgpicaNkgYUF08-LOSmDXK4f2PAfRuGJV5zGhP0AR1GhTfU-6JZcxfpDTCzmf8/s320/1D44F674-BE1A-4027-B887-31C637F52935.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRtm_KbHg3wi-dj9vq2YP2Zr2PuQJNfXrE5e936SNrE3_3eDzcTWt3VP-waClkYR0kI5x5NlDyhc90_tYbC65wcYAM6MbkkDIXq-XjfBZuUZ0W8MhWhxBN2PDNAj0plhNidEoXDQ4AKc/s2048/3A94723F-9924-4B65-8528-38C86FCAD5E2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRtm_KbHg3wi-dj9vq2YP2Zr2PuQJNfXrE5e936SNrE3_3eDzcTWt3VP-waClkYR0kI5x5NlDyhc90_tYbC65wcYAM6MbkkDIXq-XjfBZuUZ0W8MhWhxBN2PDNAj0plhNidEoXDQ4AKc/s320/3A94723F-9924-4B65-8528-38C86FCAD5E2.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHczO2vaDbS3ACewIGsAFNzapRNg-Cy6PjOXzLLDEjHcMUWWJoT_dKFQb4LVpr_Zs290udLWpDtbTPuLNsJWqo5Dngy4TA5d1PaQBKlTS-UKpAxnvdKwgPFBADu2MNJekkNHsHUguiyLc/s2048/60198FA3-789B-4D6E-8539-9EE86CEDE945.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHczO2vaDbS3ACewIGsAFNzapRNg-Cy6PjOXzLLDEjHcMUWWJoT_dKFQb4LVpr_Zs290udLWpDtbTPuLNsJWqo5Dngy4TA5d1PaQBKlTS-UKpAxnvdKwgPFBADu2MNJekkNHsHUguiyLc/s320/60198FA3-789B-4D6E-8539-9EE86CEDE945.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpU0B4Ey42s8SWzf79u47TJKqUjddIpZU413PD8reCzCDV0t9KMWCYeEimkslFjgN0Or7sEZX1KtCJ0MuwwKXAc3lhKK39FVyPSFU5F-pF6K0tMXu_j0j_XR9CI27oH6MjIID1ckGAPRA/s1600/AF65DD3D-B568-4F1E-9185-29ECF76D79C5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpU0B4Ey42s8SWzf79u47TJKqUjddIpZU413PD8reCzCDV0t9KMWCYeEimkslFjgN0Or7sEZX1KtCJ0MuwwKXAc3lhKK39FVyPSFU5F-pF6K0tMXu_j0j_XR9CI27oH6MjIID1ckGAPRA/s320/AF65DD3D-B568-4F1E-9185-29ECF76D79C5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6DDP_CkZ5AN1tR1nomUFKti0PXrJSiGlvmgbIdp7XHKFUlPYeVYGPjPZZ3n1-rX7Ipx-nDpeihkH2U4TlH4pkOoVwD5tg3yd4l7pKnPiIlFwK3l2lBSWz6AR44brBFnN8cFWLuYATZ0/s2048/C9D7AC20-1A29-4F61-BD8A-137CCD747396.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6DDP_CkZ5AN1tR1nomUFKti0PXrJSiGlvmgbIdp7XHKFUlPYeVYGPjPZZ3n1-rX7Ipx-nDpeihkH2U4TlH4pkOoVwD5tg3yd4l7pKnPiIlFwK3l2lBSWz6AR44brBFnN8cFWLuYATZ0/s320/C9D7AC20-1A29-4F61-BD8A-137CCD747396.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">We lug De Mama back to base looking like some newly-discovered swamp-dwelling mammal and she endures the agonising ritual that is taking a shower at the ecolodge. The website claims the solar-powered shower to be room temperature, which it may well be, if the room happens to be in Russia. Icy is not the word. A series of expletives accompany every attempt to have a wash at this place and as there are no walls to the cabins, you can hear if someone on the other side of the clearing is attempting to have a shower.</div>
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We relax in the hammocks by the river for a bit to recover from the morning's excitement. Once De Mama has accidentally toasted her eyelids in the "scorchio" sun, we take a river taxi over to the village for another spot of sloth-seeking. </div>
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We drink delicious fresh fruit shakes before moving on to the local beer Imperial (not De Mama of course, we can't risk her throwing another whitey) to refresh ourselves ahead of the trek.</div>
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As dusk falls we mooch about the village, soaking up the atmosphere as it's our last night here. The locals are playing volleyball, football or just passing slowly by on bicycles laden with fresh fruit and vegetables (there are no cars on Tortuguero). The elder men are playing an animated game of dominoes for money in the square, whilst their wives tip silently back and forth on rocking chairs on their verandas. </div>
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We take a walk along the black sandy beach as eagles glide above our heads. We are searching for our elusive sloth, but eventually give in and head to a reggae restaurant for some tasty Caribbean fayre instead. </div>
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As Andy's nickname is Spider Monkey and mine Sloth, Mum is now the Bearded Dragon....no further explanation needed. Well, this has been an action-packed holiday, not a chilled spa-break after all. Something's gotta give, and it just so happens to be hair removal routines and beauty treatments. My long acrylic nails are now in dire need of a manicure, so my full sloth transformation is almost complete.</div>
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After a lip-smacking meal of plantain hash browns with salsa, rice and chicken with avocado salad and various other items off the menu that take an age to arrive due to the usual communication errors (whereby I think I've ordered a feast and then a single tiny canapé arrives an hour later), we take a speedboat back to our cabinas. </div>
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Our time in Tortuguero is almost up, tomorrow sees the start of a new adventure : the mission that will be finding our rented villa perched atop a mountain alongside the semi-active Arenal Volcano and surrounding lakes. In a taxi. On gravel roads and dirt tracks. Without GPS. </div>
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The words "needle" and "haystack" spring to mind, but I push them away as I drift off to sleep....</div>
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Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-71368752217036050772016-02-24T11:28:00.002-08:002021-03-12T04:29:01.006-08:00Nice to meet ya, anteater! With the new sunrise we decide to venture into the rainforest next to our cabins for a cheeky pre-breakfast hike, hoping to catch another glimpse of yesterday's sloth. We figure the lazy lump couldn't have gone too far. The rainforest is like a treasure chest full of the most opulent jewels, and we cannot resist opening it over and over to take another look.<br />
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As we have now progressed from novice hikers to stealthy sloth-hunting ninjas, our attire reflects that - gone is the full suit of armour, replaced by vest top, shorts and flip flops, and in Andy's case no top at all, as we casually saunter into the jungle. Occasionally we pass newbie explorers, dressed like SAS operatives as we were on that first day, taking no chances in full camo, not a millimetre of visible flesh, and we smirk knowingly as they gawp in wonder at the confidence of these three curious gringos before them who dare to enter the rainforest dressed thus.</div>
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We flip-flop our way confidently past giant spiders spinning their webs at eye level, as startled lizards zip across our feet and huge-billed toucans fly silently over our heads. By weaving through the forest and onto the beach and back, we attempt to cover all our sloth-spotting options. On the beach we come across the remnants of eggshells left behind by giant green sea turtles, who along with hawkbills come in great numbers to lay their eggs every year between July and November.</div>
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Soon we are greeted by a large group of spider monkeys making their way across the jungle canopy overhead. We watch in delight as they move down lower, until they are only a few feet above us, the baby one sitting on a branch munching noisily on the juiciest small leaves, mum nearby, and dad swinging about and hanging upside down just above. They stay like that for a while and we are buzzing with the excitement.</div>
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We journey on, but don't find our sloth.</div>
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Disappointed, Andy and I stop to look at a huge insect on a leaf when some leaves and debris fall from a tree above. Looking up, we get the best treat yet : a cuddly-looking anteater is upside down in the tree directly above us, aggressively pulling away at the bark with it's paws and hungrily sucking up termites from a nest there.</div>
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It is not bothered by our proximity at all, and we edge ever-closer, really pushing our luck since we gained this new feisty attitude. Andy is so close he could could touch it, and we all gaze in wonder as it's long nose snuffles about, tongue protruding to enjoy the booty it's found. It's tawny-and-black markings make it look as though it's wearing a pair of Super Mario-style black dungarees, and combine that with it's soft fur and teddy-bear ears and we soon crown this our new favourite animal. Eventually he's had his fill and disappears back up the tree whence he came.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSs3ujfIeaIYRbC_FoD4BDpRiECTt3O3YZFJW0YzKyysHPsqwzgNGSXjnqeLGp7WEK2d76YSY4XDYJb1x2t26YTox1Uufeay4OkHrIiOc-qVOg5IgAzbHW7YMBQt0HLIc8xwAF8nFdonc/s2048/8413D4AC-D435-42DF-BE5D-AAC0FBABE0E3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSs3ujfIeaIYRbC_FoD4BDpRiECTt3O3YZFJW0YzKyysHPsqwzgNGSXjnqeLGp7WEK2d76YSY4XDYJb1x2t26YTox1Uufeay4OkHrIiOc-qVOg5IgAzbHW7YMBQt0HLIc8xwAF8nFdonc/s320/8413D4AC-D435-42DF-BE5D-AAC0FBABE0E3.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div><br />
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Feeling pumped, we skip back to the cabins for breakfast, passing another anteater right at the top of a tree on our way. Packed and ready to go, we take a river taxi across the way to our next resort, which is an ecolodge called Toucan and Tarpon buried even deeper in the jungle.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEEjH1H4WCVnEQY2bae5G6WPhJ1AfzWT0jOE1A_fXd9eeGx33iGy25Y1OeVqCQCQ2MFCu7Y-suHmNUvNWM56fWH4uiZZH6a-DBzwlXqJM2n89FSg7jgvfqjtQNcEJs6KlwM3n4ZnOTHA/s2048/02BD5343-1944-42BB-890C-B6A502647358.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEEjH1H4WCVnEQY2bae5G6WPhJ1AfzWT0jOE1A_fXd9eeGx33iGy25Y1OeVqCQCQ2MFCu7Y-suHmNUvNWM56fWH4uiZZH6a-DBzwlXqJM2n89FSg7jgvfqjtQNcEJs6KlwM3n4ZnOTHA/s320/02BD5343-1944-42BB-890C-B6A502647358.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjDISoD99V-goQ-0qswlAl54QgZgqFssiriN1TXJoAipgAkwKWzOExwxtmz6hXg9MP7m7vgw4stchLYZNoW7_s2MscwSr1twGxg_0s8bkaqBBs9gHcfJw6kmxma-O6GWNW7NiCC6iSzI/s2048/33BE37E5-56B6-49FF-87BA-7E33603892D8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjDISoD99V-goQ-0qswlAl54QgZgqFssiriN1TXJoAipgAkwKWzOExwxtmz6hXg9MP7m7vgw4stchLYZNoW7_s2MscwSr1twGxg_0s8bkaqBBs9gHcfJw6kmxma-O6GWNW7NiCC6iSzI/s320/33BE37E5-56B6-49FF-87BA-7E33603892D8.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1rlgSjxEDkNAcMzVERxz532BDpeBP6rd1sh9h18LWwm_WFAEs33mM05GEcCoGixH5JTpRmiW_6cXLXZPsSQ0gXY0iur-SgvFp4nb4rTt7EHphq2lWWE2AwgHFu2Ug-w8gt-bVR5ljy4/s1280/538787AF-6752-461F-92D6-CEA95AE3F19E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1rlgSjxEDkNAcMzVERxz532BDpeBP6rd1sh9h18LWwm_WFAEs33mM05GEcCoGixH5JTpRmiW_6cXLXZPsSQ0gXY0iur-SgvFp4nb4rTt7EHphq2lWWE2AwgHFu2Ug-w8gt-bVR5ljy4/s320/538787AF-6752-461F-92D6-CEA95AE3F19E.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFshji5E0X0Mc-0HeGrTn0ga9HVr1zA5wBhSCmSB2Lt8jam4hwM5cKJPVgYUzbJ2fLpeHuXZ84zbsayemjq-d9V26K2gDfs6ax3JFrAH2yqZwn7cz87DKSucs6Ko-E4cQ09z_BLrqQiSY/s2048/C7B1A9A2-8345-4D28-9953-5C52B2AABA6F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFshji5E0X0Mc-0HeGrTn0ga9HVr1zA5wBhSCmSB2Lt8jam4hwM5cKJPVgYUzbJ2fLpeHuXZ84zbsayemjq-d9V26K2gDfs6ax3JFrAH2yqZwn7cz87DKSucs6Ko-E4cQ09z_BLrqQiSY/s320/C7B1A9A2-8345-4D28-9953-5C52B2AABA6F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>As we arrive, a family of howler monkeys are playing on the tin rooves whilst underfoot trails of leafcutter ants are busy at work cutting perfectly symmetrical holes in leaves and transporting the pieces to their home. A huge spider is sitting in a web between 2 cabins and Andy picks up one of the ants and feeds it to the spider, which I chastise him for - we don't want the bloody thing getting even bigger, thanks!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkjqnyHUVdWmdY3aNfHKjIPTgXTyQ6icMQ5WuWjjHAGvWUYUCO34sLYLwmr1UorE2idiV9T8Zg7e2m5sb6uFY77U1R3St0810VIjCzkjre2oUDOXt1hyphenhyphen7kn5lxxduhUvB4_arUxx9EqE/s2048/AFE7E9F6-794D-41E2-826D-D18603D657B9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkjqnyHUVdWmdY3aNfHKjIPTgXTyQ6icMQ5WuWjjHAGvWUYUCO34sLYLwmr1UorE2idiV9T8Zg7e2m5sb6uFY77U1R3St0810VIjCzkjre2oUDOXt1hyphenhyphen7kn5lxxduhUvB4_arUxx9EqE/s320/AFE7E9F6-794D-41E2-826D-D18603D657B9.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJosefAoeBhPHTNvhsLFZuzhZvK6OQaxR4ODP8XyM86NAyxu23Get7D2CoYQgnnU33aXTd_6S4dnEjoWjbIaljVsoFvDtGc5pbvVyb4Dk4Ue2DqWBZtAMm-gk6a3OnHKkJHJb8BnN_jM/s2048/B6DF0492-9EBC-46F2-9DD4-E08DF24D179A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJosefAoeBhPHTNvhsLFZuzhZvK6OQaxR4ODP8XyM86NAyxu23Get7D2CoYQgnnU33aXTd_6S4dnEjoWjbIaljVsoFvDtGc5pbvVyb4Dk4Ue2DqWBZtAMm-gk6a3OnHKkJHJb8BnN_jM/s320/B6DF0492-9EBC-46F2-9DD4-E08DF24D179A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5zDid5sVIPsx88RwfkMHBhlx8Xf36R4vUhq2iKgSct5vEarQjPRP69twbP7-GKFjxTYdAoz2Lv8WK0qBrVS7dUOjh4QhUYNgN2-rTMnfZf_g0EJ2x3tmywmzsGBIYevJCYIfoJGJKPA/s2048/DF70269B-B6EF-46DF-98DC-699A193D5619.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5zDid5sVIPsx88RwfkMHBhlx8Xf36R4vUhq2iKgSct5vEarQjPRP69twbP7-GKFjxTYdAoz2Lv8WK0qBrVS7dUOjh4QhUYNgN2-rTMnfZf_g0EJ2x3tmywmzsGBIYevJCYIfoJGJKPA/s320/DF70269B-B6EF-46DF-98DC-699A193D5619.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div><br />We are eager to go on another adventure, but Sue the property owner warns us that it's extremely boggy on this side of the river and advises us to take go with the guide (a local guy called Ever) or at least take some wellies from the laundry room. We blow out Ever in favour of the boots although the fit is not great, and make our way clumsily in these huge clown-like shoes into the forest behind our wood cabins. She wasn't joking. Within minutes De Mama is face-down in the thick mud, unable to haul her boots from the bog as they are too big. The boots stay wedged in position and she plops forward. It reminds me of the giant native turkey that Roberto pointed out to us a few days ago - as soon as it caught sight of us it fell noisily out of the tree, seemingly hitting every branch.</div>
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Once we've finished laughing hysterically, we haul Mum from the swamp and attempt to continue. It's tough-going, as the boots are suctioned down into the bog, which almost comes over the top of them, making progress tedious and a tad scary. I'm sure the animals are sniggering from the safety of the canopy. The effort pays off and we see a group of red-crested woodpeckers (think Woody Woodpecker) hammering away at a tree, several toucans and a tiger heron. Mum stacks it yet again, and Andy and I are roaring with laughter as we haul her from the sinking, squelchy gunk. Any chance of seeing more animals vanished when we started making so much noise, so Mum returns to camp looking like a naughty dog who's been rolling in mud, whilst Andy and I stroll back totally spotless.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ezY_e7p9ghOh9G_5Wrs3piCIjtjo41BDerOYI89c8m_c71d6utc7YQowte7LiSbbK627mAZK-3j0U-FiG4IaBde_5YjpvyDNhRmfM9HNE99Bue9llFOQvX7uQ87E37cFMC4ZpY8ch58/s1280/C3CC4722-E68E-4BE1-80EF-F9FACAA439B8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ezY_e7p9ghOh9G_5Wrs3piCIjtjo41BDerOYI89c8m_c71d6utc7YQowte7LiSbbK627mAZK-3j0U-FiG4IaBde_5YjpvyDNhRmfM9HNE99Bue9llFOQvX7uQ87E37cFMC4ZpY8ch58/s320/C3CC4722-E68E-4BE1-80EF-F9FACAA439B8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>
<div>After a restorative siesta, we take a river taxi across to the Wild Ginger Cafe, the most upscale eaterie in Tortuguero, located alongside a strip of forest backing onto the beach. We kick off with a cocktail each and await our delicious mains. Mum starts going purple in the face, so much so that we are concerned a passing explorer may mistake her for a rare red-faced baboon...</div>
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Uh oh.</div>
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Anyone who knows De Mama knows she cannot suck a winegum without getting pissed, and very rarely does she attempt to. I get my hardcore drinking prowess from my dad; mum is the biggest lightweight I've ever met. She stumbles out of the flashy restaurant to 'get some fresh air' and luckily Andy returns her a while later looking vaguely human again. I've no idea what the Maitre D thought was happening, but she styles it out and we agree that she will have to stick to virgin cocktails from now on, the big wuss. </div>
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After a feast of shrimps, pasta and naughty melting chocolate desserts, we head back to our cabins....and are greeted by a huge cockroach above the bed. Next follows a Benny Hill-worthy scenario with Andy chasing this repulsive creature in circles around the room. Eventually we get some sleep, but I have one beady eye on the door all night, especially when I realise that point of entry for the cockroach is the large gap under the door, which a snake could slip through with ease. Lordy!</div>
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The night brings more rain, and we are all awoken by the deafening sound of the downpour hitting the tin rooves. Well it's a good job we came in the 'dry' season. Did I mention that the cabins have no walls? it's just a wooden lattice on all 4 sides with a thin layer of mozzie-proof mesh on top, giving the feeling that we are lying unprotected on a bed in the middle of the jungle. Which I suppose we are. Jaguars, armadillos, wild boar, tapirs - these are just some of the other local inhabitants sharing the jungle with us tonight. I push that thought from my mind as the sound of loud reggae drift over from the other side of the river, the rhythmic beat sending me off into a deep sleep....<br />
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<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>Fancy reading some more of my blogs? You can find them at:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b><a href="http://www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com/">www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com</a></b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.mummymission.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.mummymission.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
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Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-26092344849088192712016-02-23T10:34:00.002-08:002021-03-12T04:19:11.684-08:00Toucan play that game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRH6qFMXL4QsYjcWjrYs0Z4dhpwqvAKqribRIMW_2ktEIJt4AxFD2urcdTYoPhedFggJtciRGUDebyr-8RzFLseVPrU6gFyI-agIRMTgmDDY3jAjA63aVbsHuhKKwd7zgXWV5jmKbmeHE/s1280/CF5FCF35-D52E-412C-890E-80B1262D3EFF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRH6qFMXL4QsYjcWjrYs0Z4dhpwqvAKqribRIMW_2ktEIJt4AxFD2urcdTYoPhedFggJtciRGUDebyr-8RzFLseVPrU6gFyI-agIRMTgmDDY3jAjA63aVbsHuhKKwd7zgXWV5jmKbmeHE/s320/CF5FCF35-D52E-412C-890E-80B1262D3EFF.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We rise at dawn. This time we don't wear the entire contents of our suitcases, opting for shorts with our hiking boots, although with still enough repellent on to knock out an army. Perhaps DEET was the toxic spray those local dudes were using to render their victims unconscious in San José. It doesn't seem to be working on repelling Andy though, who we've nicknamed The Spider Monkey as he can't keep his long Mr Tickle arms off me for a second and I have to prise his hands from around my waist every five minutes. I never was one for such PDAs, especially in front of my mother.</div>
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We meet up with our guide and a hippy-dippy Swedish family and head off in our canoe, which tilts alarmingly as we take our seats, Roberto using us big-boned Brits to counterbalance the super-skinny Swedes. We all come prepared with our waterproofs and within minutes it's raining steadily. We see so many reptiles, animals and birds that it's as if someone's left the cages in a zoo open and all the inhabitants have spilled out into the forest at once...</div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
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It's like speed-dating for birds as Roberto points out tiger herons with their heads thrown back mid-mating call, pairs of brightly-coloured toucans whose huge bills pull them down as they fly and many more - from small dainty ones tip-toeing delicately through the floating waterlilles, to huge circling groups of birds of prey.</div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yMufX7d76knYdH17zzWRTe8Bimrrl67NcNH4Wnzb5QBmX0zJtF0lSk2EySuyWjmLXdHJMIrtaTx53yl5LDABX103fLRzx8gUd94pBz-cbCCXR1Q6yi9YU01s0UifgPgQ51F9mLv2qj4/s2048/FA12DF78-8775-4244-A155-175A34B323F7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yMufX7d76knYdH17zzWRTe8Bimrrl67NcNH4Wnzb5QBmX0zJtF0lSk2EySuyWjmLXdHJMIrtaTx53yl5LDABX103fLRzx8gUd94pBz-cbCCXR1Q6yi9YU01s0UifgPgQ51F9mLv2qj4/s320/FA12DF78-8775-4244-A155-175A34B323F7.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoVmWo9XPcuXWl0h-aDg6YnemWEjIbx0Bk4hfa7YXWh6gSjQe6VIzanPTMh1MHqgEhwvomkP7lbKJ8z2_H4QGTPfHEXBM1Fw_vtPV-yjah59QbUfgKBMi6pWRRj9dMXH4YXxl3pUuiWLw/s2048/B8260808-B81C-4B36-B941-B39C4651BCD6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoVmWo9XPcuXWl0h-aDg6YnemWEjIbx0Bk4hfa7YXWh6gSjQe6VIzanPTMh1MHqgEhwvomkP7lbKJ8z2_H4QGTPfHEXBM1Fw_vtPV-yjah59QbUfgKBMi6pWRRj9dMXH4YXxl3pUuiWLw/s320/B8260808-B81C-4B36-B941-B39C4651BCD6.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWH1wHwj53Gk4LNYCLZeoYRfrVgpZas2zU1Fus8UJu1fuLyMEDZBZad2Nv3KWtzhyq0MSkbHyWIOfEoM-n6wc6Rv1jMO3FtodHAS7K-gwdUFH9SdVGkDSAwTWBGGMHy8VNPxZODQOSyQ/s2048/47A9DF3A-219F-43D3-BD47-A3DBD99C86CF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWH1wHwj53Gk4LNYCLZeoYRfrVgpZas2zU1Fus8UJu1fuLyMEDZBZad2Nv3KWtzhyq0MSkbHyWIOfEoM-n6wc6Rv1jMO3FtodHAS7K-gwdUFH9SdVGkDSAwTWBGGMHy8VNPxZODQOSyQ/s320/47A9DF3A-219F-43D3-BD47-A3DBD99C86CF.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGgARPSISkFjOtmxobs9itRxK2LV4FkbkTO2dhDweTRvMR9fQwG1ltY8NxEoMfdV0kFl-UnB8tfo17hMdqQZUr-XS0DghPzzC7Juv6QphT7uG9hHY9EKpMxNxF_FiYC4a__W_0CcGpbg/s2048/7DF6651E-EBC0-4C42-9246-5A0D54D8CA82.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGgARPSISkFjOtmxobs9itRxK2LV4FkbkTO2dhDweTRvMR9fQwG1ltY8NxEoMfdV0kFl-UnB8tfo17hMdqQZUr-XS0DghPzzC7Juv6QphT7uG9hHY9EKpMxNxF_FiYC4a__W_0CcGpbg/s320/7DF6651E-EBC0-4C42-9246-5A0D54D8CA82.jpeg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">It's hard to believe that on the other side of the thin stretch of land is the ferocious Caribbean Sea, huge frothy waves crashing violently into the shore, as these rainforest canals are completely tranquil and the canoe is now rocking gently, sending us into a hypnotic trance, so much so that Mum begins to doze and I have to grab her to stop her toppling in. It's just as well she doesn't, as just then we spot a toothy caiman smiling out from the reeds at us. Just above him is the biggest iguana I've ever seen, it's beady eye rotating in it's socket as we float on by. </div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyFMU2cSn4rMwD5VSY4VIkoRDsrB7xzHWCgTTM8x-UMiyMj2F3hBn6Eibci8pePNwn9xDPjLq5IxQoq2lttxOept601fOesu36JNNUQFZO1Y8Nidygagd9YfiJvwidPNkiP5vYwkqETc/s2048/7EDBA37F-F0E2-4841-9C25-75CBB51E610A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyFMU2cSn4rMwD5VSY4VIkoRDsrB7xzHWCgTTM8x-UMiyMj2F3hBn6Eibci8pePNwn9xDPjLq5IxQoq2lttxOept601fOesu36JNNUQFZO1Y8Nidygagd9YfiJvwidPNkiP5vYwkqETc/s320/7EDBA37F-F0E2-4841-9C25-75CBB51E610A.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMp1zFq2n5e-X43hetL3yFvN9hTuKuPl6nlAZWtnFzr33kD6OStbnVTpnMf79LYaA9qQxXlPkKQl70JvYOzoVGzo9DXLjYhIojhFEuCHWzfdTQDaZK0-cWUXRNG3sVogpJvvhZopkfsX0/s2048/E9B2170F-F66F-46E3-8907-F94C1EE8E186.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMp1zFq2n5e-X43hetL3yFvN9hTuKuPl6nlAZWtnFzr33kD6OStbnVTpnMf79LYaA9qQxXlPkKQl70JvYOzoVGzo9DXLjYhIojhFEuCHWzfdTQDaZK0-cWUXRNG3sVogpJvvhZopkfsX0/s320/E9B2170F-F66F-46E3-8907-F94C1EE8E186.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">The silence is broken by a group of howler monkeys swinging through the trees, screaming as loudly as their name suggests. Their shrieks echo through the jungle and we gaze up at their antics overhead, taking a particular liking to the playful baby of the family. </div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UncXh9x4s44EPoiiao9Kh6Jw6rJAz0KrmM77-Fs3jUZK9x52lPtYThdg9cbnQN-OisWDTk02QdP8c7ruIeJbqVsKZcvENbOaVPVOIWAR8eUWXKhzW4rFklqw8lXGBG8BHdaWgvP4cf4/s2048/20668309-DB31-46E1-BC0F-101B85F764B1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UncXh9x4s44EPoiiao9Kh6Jw6rJAz0KrmM77-Fs3jUZK9x52lPtYThdg9cbnQN-OisWDTk02QdP8c7ruIeJbqVsKZcvENbOaVPVOIWAR8eUWXKhzW4rFklqw8lXGBG8BHdaWgvP4cf4/s320/20668309-DB31-46E1-BC0F-101B85F764B1.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">The toucans are also stunning, with huge curved yellow bills, making frog-like clicking sounds and rotating their heads to get a good look at their busy surroundings. They are shy birds, we are told, which makes it all the more wonderful when several land just above our heads and slowly turn their magnificent beaks this way and that.</div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmvKvWPsSMIDSogtUBqje_1FgwPwtEG7FDaaN8JhXTQqiEdf2zX8TPRBh1VpW55XUEarojI_YDGVxozT_OTFMyMoxKzXjJNdp5nNnHXguhw-5p4GHTP5eegNsoMr5bCx-0i3kIHDEw1w/s2048/3BF809C6-D828-4D88-BE8A-79D24CAA02D2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmvKvWPsSMIDSogtUBqje_1FgwPwtEG7FDaaN8JhXTQqiEdf2zX8TPRBh1VpW55XUEarojI_YDGVxozT_OTFMyMoxKzXjJNdp5nNnHXguhw-5p4GHTP5eegNsoMr5bCx-0i3kIHDEw1w/s320/3BF809C6-D828-4D88-BE8A-79D24CAA02D2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">After the tour, we have some burritos at a local restaurant and order our first cup of black tea of the trip. We think we get our point across, but disappointly the waitress returns with mugs of tepid condensed milk with a lemony teabag floating forlornly on the surface. It tastes as rank as it sounds, so we pay "la cuenta por favor" with a sigh and head off back to Roberto's next trek, this time on foot through the rainforest in the afternoon sun.</div>
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Again, our guide astounds us with his Doctor Dolittle ability to call the animals from their hiding places and spot the most camouflaged of creatures, as we strain to follow his laser pointer to see what the hell he's looking at. He highlights huge green parrots, more toucans, spider monkeys with their long limbs and tails curling around the branches, white-faced capuchins, lizards, spiders....</div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44chHKzZiCzgu8ArI3bPZr-jWsTM_C-6Dn4kMuVnUKfWEcl3Kw0gz1Ia0sSt1WLtrgAonP7RSFg6oMHLJdXrLlYZ6XyPYNxCFYPcmvF-UFbDVwjBJE-Gg2dY2QVkT-VMLqB3oI7_r8TU/s2048/07E1441B-18B1-4748-ABF6-2A541BB90938.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44chHKzZiCzgu8ArI3bPZr-jWsTM_C-6Dn4kMuVnUKfWEcl3Kw0gz1Ia0sSt1WLtrgAonP7RSFg6oMHLJdXrLlYZ6XyPYNxCFYPcmvF-UFbDVwjBJE-Gg2dY2QVkT-VMLqB3oI7_r8TU/s320/07E1441B-18B1-4748-ABF6-2A541BB90938.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5BMSJhK-5ELCiAL5Ir6MQZoKf6BqNT2pfy-rCAWo0J7cS1sd2lrxrGNpz-ouaxHZxyH8qIoiqXtIEdRWSkIJHabcXp7NU9RAYLDnAsoEn2WSlW1nxaCTrWl0BVHY_TMP9X67FuWnc44/s2048/805F4AC5-540D-48B6-AAB4-2F5481DD6320.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5BMSJhK-5ELCiAL5Ir6MQZoKf6BqNT2pfy-rCAWo0J7cS1sd2lrxrGNpz-ouaxHZxyH8qIoiqXtIEdRWSkIJHabcXp7NU9RAYLDnAsoEn2WSlW1nxaCTrWl0BVHY_TMP9X67FuWnc44/s320/805F4AC5-540D-48B6-AAB4-2F5481DD6320.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-ei5cFtCWCpLw0BpIFDfP6S-dswBNY2jQTMb4v_rsyoxc3oXmMDgOPx-3Ew0uwKW63TEfmpcZJVuSnMeX54ccSHezaIYAQKYmp_FVyTJiWs6jN90UtKVKkmaOnSJIbhcXQr8c5Ipwdg/s2048/0654591A-B674-4FBC-AF33-D30CA107D20D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-ei5cFtCWCpLw0BpIFDfP6S-dswBNY2jQTMb4v_rsyoxc3oXmMDgOPx-3Ew0uwKW63TEfmpcZJVuSnMeX54ccSHezaIYAQKYmp_FVyTJiWs6jN90UtKVKkmaOnSJIbhcXQr8c5Ipwdg/s320/0654591A-B674-4FBC-AF33-D30CA107D20D.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQOQvVx8USt4HPAkwQ2cBBKiWh4oBwOUghiQFAg6EclY0y3jNqeTSZbDTegqpBPHVhIaHkbvuuRcgtfStKWD3SNZJ-BjvagRCUYoBKbvMNfHy1q-dixR3FX8aaUg0iIyecYFwhG8uHRo/s2048/B7E662FD-D83D-44CA-B79C-BBD2A6A3A268.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQOQvVx8USt4HPAkwQ2cBBKiWh4oBwOUghiQFAg6EclY0y3jNqeTSZbDTegqpBPHVhIaHkbvuuRcgtfStKWD3SNZJ-BjvagRCUYoBKbvMNfHy1q-dixR3FX8aaUg0iIyecYFwhG8uHRo/s320/B7E662FD-D83D-44CA-B79C-BBD2A6A3A268.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Not content with this haul, we demand to see a sloth, joking that otherwise we want a refund. Unperturbed, Roberto leads us out Pied Piper-style towards the beach....and lo and behold, a huge two-toed sloth is wedged between the top branches of a tall tree, just casually hanging out, as sloths tend to do. It's a good job the sloth has only 2 toes and not 5, as my legs are so hairy since my grooming regime got disrupted by this trip that I could easily be mistaken for one. I'm waiting for the Italian girl who's struggling to focus her binoculars to accidentally hone in on me instead...</div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZcB1ptTCod9_caD6PalZx63VIN0x039u2vuS55opdczwFmlJs048H2ejYcIPccRVA1YtZFq2IpkUgCjaIApwQ_NkGZI0tnvuuAhnxpEBxh56QdqE0OEmQ4OI2ETc1QSPlCQUGfyMZLs/s2048/67FDC422-2BA5-401C-96DA-D59E31C003C9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZcB1ptTCod9_caD6PalZx63VIN0x039u2vuS55opdczwFmlJs048H2ejYcIPccRVA1YtZFq2IpkUgCjaIApwQ_NkGZI0tnvuuAhnxpEBxh56QdqE0OEmQ4OI2ETc1QSPlCQUGfyMZLs/s320/67FDC422-2BA5-401C-96DA-D59E31C003C9.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUV6xAbu7ryqMOQiE8GWJr85pu8qPlwU1uzlaq2o_y3sik84jfkbkawLoHuTBhGS4hoDeluW6kCIKrgsYZtmG3tnFMOeVsgRF_SodiBs4g71MN9o5GYP6iTavIEeJowJLn8KfkO3RweR4/s2048/BDE9BB5A-1C8A-4884-AB1E-3BDBE8B82FF5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUV6xAbu7ryqMOQiE8GWJr85pu8qPlwU1uzlaq2o_y3sik84jfkbkawLoHuTBhGS4hoDeluW6kCIKrgsYZtmG3tnFMOeVsgRF_SodiBs4g71MN9o5GYP6iTavIEeJowJLn8KfkO3RweR4/s320/BDE9BB5A-1C8A-4884-AB1E-3BDBE8B82FF5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBfp5IRsGtTbpNncJb2B024KNUpGsRDatGG8Kfde1cosjpXxmZgfb_dwfrU1Paj9TLoE2wH7Q7-F6AJEh9VyDuslg4Tyix0ZfvHTiuaYaQf_PhKAX1SMOw2mc83m86vptw85irki2lyo/s2048/E0BBEB9A-70A5-4417-9445-CBFD20A497C5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBfp5IRsGtTbpNncJb2B024KNUpGsRDatGG8Kfde1cosjpXxmZgfb_dwfrU1Paj9TLoE2wH7Q7-F6AJEh9VyDuslg4Tyix0ZfvHTiuaYaQf_PhKAX1SMOw2mc83m86vptw85irki2lyo/s320/E0BBEB9A-70A5-4417-9445-CBFD20A497C5.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">I can't explain the thrill of seeing so many wild animals in their natural habitats, and we all marvel at how close we've been to them without them batting an eyelid. To see the energy of these creatures compared to the forlorn faces you see when they are in captivity makes me never want to visit a zoo again.</div>
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We doze in the hammocks for a bit, chatting to a couple of flashy, vodka-guzzling gnarly Californians, before heading to the The Buddha Cafe for a tasty meal and to enjoy the stunning views one last time from this side of the river with a chilled bottle of Sauvignon. Tomorrow morning we cross to the other side to stay in ecolodge cabins deeper still in the dense jungle....<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Fancy reading some more of my blogs? You can find them at:</b></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><b><a href="http://www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com/">www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com</a></b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.mummymission.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.mummymission.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
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Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-80482380879164411882016-02-23T07:27:00.002-08:002021-03-12T04:04:28.636-08:00Booyaka! Junglist Massive! <span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;">We head out to explore this captivating little village....and the heavens open. Everyone scatters like skittles, seeking refuge from the torrential downpour. This is the first time it's even come close to raining since we landed in Costa Rica, but boy does it come down! Well we ARE in the middle of the rainforest now, the clue is in the name. Duh! </span><br />
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There is a type of water rat indigenous to Costa Rica that is completely transparent, so much so that you can see it's internal organs through the skin, and we are in serious danger of being mistaken for a little family of these rats, such is our anaemic pallor. Although it's wall-to-wall sunshine here we have been plucked from a bleak English mid-winter and then trapped in the concrete jungle of San José city for a week, and now that we are soaked through to the skin our resemblance to these pasty water rats is uncanny.</div>
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Darkness falls. it's time to make our first foray into the fray, a night trek in the jungle. We douse ourselves liberally in the battery-acid that is 100% DEET, which prevents mosquito bites....but also happens to melt the skin from your bones in the process. Mum emerges from her cabin in a full-length camouflage burkha - she ain't takin' no chances with those badboys. Andy are I are similarly over-dressed, with me in a long-sleeved top, cargo pants tucked into hiking boots and waterproof jacket. Andy resembles a paranoid bee-keeper, also covered head-to-toe. We look like we're going into battle. </div>
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To our abject horror, we rock up to the meeting point to find the rest of our group practically in beachwear, and Roberto the guide is half-naked in a white vest and hot pants ensemble.</div>
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Oh.</div>
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After explaining to Mum that the weapon the Italian contingent are brandishing is actually a selfie-stick and not a golf club to defend themselves from predators, we hike past iridescent fireflies into the rainforest in single file, the only other light coming from the various flashlights bobbing up and down. Roberto hands me a spare torch, and I'm swinging it back and forth like the arachnophobe that I am, trying to ensure that no creepy-crawlies are about to land on my shoulder. </div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">The guide soon points out various exotic creatures - iguanas with punky crests on their heads, geckos, crickets, huge menacing-looking spiders, green coiled snakes balancing on branches - it's a veritable feast of wildlife. </div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zPdHLCjcDfgagfTqAid91EyOEo7DLSBxPXTLiDc0t3e5hB9eKgamOHaaiN9dvt_LDjX75R49Goq0lOlcTXxn62U_QjJBU-tjLvp9VKsuGZWlQX3cldsQUqeaHx1HyjQS_9T2ShIa3yQ/s1600/60804F72-2F75-416A-AEF1-C283D1AB7A26.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zPdHLCjcDfgagfTqAid91EyOEo7DLSBxPXTLiDc0t3e5hB9eKgamOHaaiN9dvt_LDjX75R49Goq0lOlcTXxn62U_QjJBU-tjLvp9VKsuGZWlQX3cldsQUqeaHx1HyjQS_9T2ShIa3yQ/s320/60804F72-2F75-416A-AEF1-C283D1AB7A26.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBnRGD-3rkOekXcplraVAyfOdGo-eV4cyB7pUNT6gEV-s_N4juqdftxynEqCWdJAV03yewS-_PKaXRYQR_9s-or5i2yPZxb3heVWEQO3zNoJxHnELZqx-4MIpicbTc5SKwihMgwkeseI/s1600/131175C2-1750-4C0B-9547-6EAA9036724B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBnRGD-3rkOekXcplraVAyfOdGo-eV4cyB7pUNT6gEV-s_N4juqdftxynEqCWdJAV03yewS-_PKaXRYQR_9s-or5i2yPZxb3heVWEQO3zNoJxHnELZqx-4MIpicbTc5SKwihMgwkeseI/s320/131175C2-1750-4C0B-9547-6EAA9036724B.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5pG1q0HAjqYWOeTmLFT999Zf9qjLgPulDkVQLmyhFEv5uM8sXJSXmAk0XdPb5-hTSLphOjpyZ8kJ5pDT0ryl4pH8Cn_xzr1ZrB1JTsKUiwNLjgzfQPrRpdgm_YChjLzW1ZSwr3zBItM/s1600/93059027-D5F0-4A0D-847B-28501564052F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5pG1q0HAjqYWOeTmLFT999Zf9qjLgPulDkVQLmyhFEv5uM8sXJSXmAk0XdPb5-hTSLphOjpyZ8kJ5pDT0ryl4pH8Cn_xzr1ZrB1JTsKUiwNLjgzfQPrRpdgm_YChjLzW1ZSwr3zBItM/s320/93059027-D5F0-4A0D-847B-28501564052F.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Our favourite sighting of the night is the red-eyed tree frog, who is balancing on a leaf with eyes closed and limbs tucked in, and at first glance resembles a green matchbox. </div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkO3TI03Z2Pl8PE61jKNuhyoyKQmNHzdCEhnvPtrtxGobyizmMoyAM9ur74sb5oPMGiJkYVozk19Ha4Bx8KC97434FR8fBbUTmFwYQUm2hXYWn6JUEbjsJWvFgf7v_Xx45F6Y8E3yzv3Y/s1600/CC6D0E77-381C-43AD-8BB3-2EF452B35AAD.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkO3TI03Z2Pl8PE61jKNuhyoyKQmNHzdCEhnvPtrtxGobyizmMoyAM9ur74sb5oPMGiJkYVozk19Ha4Bx8KC97434FR8fBbUTmFwYQUm2hXYWn6JUEbjsJWvFgf7v_Xx45F6Y8E3yzv3Y/s320/CC6D0E77-381C-43AD-8BB3-2EF452B35AAD.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">That is until Roberto gently shakes the leaf and his eyes spring open and he spreads his feet to reveal red webbing and little red suction pads. It's like something straight from the pages of National Geographic and we snap away in awe. He's not bothered by our presence at all, and I even give him a gentle stroke as he poses lazily for a selfie with Andy, fixing him with a bemused expression.</div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-kHOClQQgDes-ajMmqPoi7gZ5Ce4YLJ8bUsAU7iU9dHV3nT45zhnXVlIqxN04TbzFevJ-hnTJ8tne0XkuGqHdoOY9hoczK8HSzWZadG9E4tYAxGQZWu1H8LOLun2GX1Cgfu3V-ffsi8/s1280/46DF25AF-9408-42FE-B740-7AA9EFDEDB1B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-kHOClQQgDes-ajMmqPoi7gZ5Ce4YLJ8bUsAU7iU9dHV3nT45zhnXVlIqxN04TbzFevJ-hnTJ8tne0XkuGqHdoOY9hoczK8HSzWZadG9E4tYAxGQZWu1H8LOLun2GX1Cgfu3V-ffsi8/s320/46DF25AF-9408-42FE-B740-7AA9EFDEDB1B.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Next up is the Jesus Christ lizard, so-called due to it's remarkable ability to walk on water, and the specimen we find standing majestically on a branch really does think he's God's gift, stretching his neck to survey his kingdom as we hold our iPhones a few inches from him like invasive paparazzi.</div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
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The iguanas stand stock-still when our attentions turn to them, posing stony-faced like Russian supermodels, fully aware of their beauty and how to use it. As we head deeper into the undergrowth, Andy mimes for me to be quiet as he reaches out and tickles De Mamas's neck with a thin stick, sending her shrieking into the air as we crack up behind her. No-one wants to be last in the procession in this pitch-black forest, so it's a constant elbowing battle to stay close to the guide. The Italian girl in our group narrowly misses copping a face-full of web, as an angry spider runs in front of her, furious that she's damaged his careful work.</div>
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The humidity is stifling and we are all sweating like the proverbial pig at a disco, so after a few hours of oohing and ahhing whilst attempting to keep our mouths shut to avoid swallowing the wildlife we head back to bed, ready for more Bear Grylls-style adventures at the break of dawn....<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><br /></b>
<b style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Fancy reading some more of my blogs? You can find them at:</b></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><b><a href="http://www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com/">www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com</a></b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.mummymission.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.mummymission.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
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Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-69464538917381507852016-02-22T04:58:00.009-08:002021-03-12T03:52:31.798-08:00Pura Vida! We awake before dawn as usual and get ready as quietly as people with booming voices who cannot whisper are able to. Nancy and her cooking smells are like a snake charmer hypnotising a doped snake and we follow our noses into the kitchen-diner for one last <i>desayuno </i>courtesy of De Host Mama. Nancy is immaculate as always, slim and trim with a naturally tanned complexion and long glossy black mane that would make a thoroughbred horse jealous.<br />
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She glides effortlessly about: frying omelettes, prepping Gallo Pinto and assembling a fruit platter, along with a selection of fruit teas and juice. If only we could take her home with us.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfI6SN2lgNwSDq-W51qc8lZ8QKVj64AUvWO6Cbiq0UqAf6kJd1LhAaIZlNv9Jdj5oyZX6e0g8ODFCSkKXCJXWv502Lkzd-v_AmHk29vH8XwNduRpV4zYkj47Ho6phULraOyUB_4BAgLI0/s1280/450F1F4F-EF52-46A4-9CEB-7AB726AAB72C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfI6SN2lgNwSDq-W51qc8lZ8QKVj64AUvWO6Cbiq0UqAf6kJd1LhAaIZlNv9Jdj5oyZX6e0g8ODFCSkKXCJXWv502Lkzd-v_AmHk29vH8XwNduRpV4zYkj47Ho6phULraOyUB_4BAgLI0/s320/450F1F4F-EF52-46A4-9CEB-7AB726AAB72C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span>At 7am Leo the taxi driver pulls up and we bid a fond farewell to Nancy, return Chiky the Chihuahua's filthy glares one last time, and head off to the bank to give our bank accounts a thorough thrashing. We are heading to Tortuguero, made famous by the hoardes of green turtles which go there every year to lay their eggs in the black sand...</span></div>
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It is a small village surrounded by jungle and water, only accessible by boat or plane and which has no cars, ATMs or PDQ machines, so you have to take plenty of cash with you. Everyone knows taking money out in a foreign country can be a nail-biting experience, as you never know for certain if the furious jabbing of keys will result in the machine spewing cash at you...or greedily swallowing your card forever. As the daily withdrawal limits are low here, we have to repeat this experience a number of times across several cards each, whilst Leo sits outside wondering if we've disappeared off the face of the earth. The local currency here is called Colones (we call them Colons) and there's 500 Colones to a dollar, so we finally emerge from the bank Colon millionaires.</div>
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We've struck a deal with Leo to drive us around the country for the duration of our stay, so we hand him his cut and kick off our road trip with Andy kissing his tiny lucky avocado as Leo tackles the treacherously scary driving conditions with gusto. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oZmcD0wRvHHCHFIP4fp0nyFzM6rGLWFkignr2lCw5I-HWOPLJ3rbp5cG-TNvszinNOcaRceH-u9yJGD9ggeCtAuOEbtObluA2ugZIz-qbksj2U_4aL3hDlUroCRBu7mH5Ip_SGV26vM/s2048/3DB0799C-3527-4068-8D0C-64C1C587F112.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oZmcD0wRvHHCHFIP4fp0nyFzM6rGLWFkignr2lCw5I-HWOPLJ3rbp5cG-TNvszinNOcaRceH-u9yJGD9ggeCtAuOEbtObluA2ugZIz-qbksj2U_4aL3hDlUroCRBu7mH5Ip_SGV26vM/s320/3DB0799C-3527-4068-8D0C-64C1C587F112.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>
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As De Mama settles back in her seat, she casually reveals that she has some 'evidence' I may find interesting. "Oh yeah?" I enquire, my interest piqued. Smiling she presses play on the video of her phone, and to my horror the rumbling grunts of a stuck pig fill the car. I instantly know she's got me. She's only gone and caught me snoring. Smugly, she chuckles as she looks out the window and I make a mental note to ease off on the De Mama jibes. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHhIj49uKiwZKxF_EZDLEDVQ7AK4eQyUCVt8a_D_Y4kR5JHFrHm2rnwdUWBqVEModEyCdmYspRKfsFnEwpVz3qysVA51tog0IpaiGQTGUPD5Ilz1srIKRqTmNqa6TBYTtfR4Ehnbuii0/s1280/146935D4-0A11-4B85-A6F0-FAF2E6D1C884.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHhIj49uKiwZKxF_EZDLEDVQ7AK4eQyUCVt8a_D_Y4kR5JHFrHm2rnwdUWBqVEModEyCdmYspRKfsFnEwpVz3qysVA51tog0IpaiGQTGUPD5Ilz1srIKRqTmNqa6TBYTtfR4Ehnbuii0/s320/146935D4-0A11-4B85-A6F0-FAF2E6D1C884.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>
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The Costa Rican countryside flashes past and we heave a sigh of relief at having left the frantic pace of the city behind us. I pull out the Costa Rica guidebook and start reading....</div>
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Costa Rica is a small country the size of Wales twice over, with a population of only around 4.6m. I think we brushed past about 4.5m of them walking in the opposite direction to us in San José. The country borders Nicaragua above and Panama below, with the Caribbean Sea to the right and Pacific to the left. It's possible to drive from top to bottom and across to each ocean in about 6 hours, and it has the most diverse habitats squeezed into such a small country - from volcanoes to coral reefs, wetlands to cities, rainforests to beaches. Costa Rica has it all, a virtual cornucopia of wildlife, which is one of the main reasons for our visit. </div>
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Andy is like an inquisitive child, grilling Leo for information on everything we pass, starting with the coffee plants, as this is the first time in his 15 year coffee-shipping career that Andy has actually seen a real-life plantation. He's springing about the front seat like a cricket with ADHD. Coffee and bananas are Costa Rica's main exports, so there's plenty for him to see now. </div>
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We drive on through the mountains, ears popping, along the Salping to Limon road, past the Rio Sucio, "dirty river" full of volcanic debris, Leo pointing out the fork where it meets the clean river carrying spring water down from the mountains. Andy is snapping away happily with his iPhone like a Japanese tourist after one too many cans of Red Bull.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIGdubZj-qlMwzeyZUh3J9vvvl8bmdHekvvfqmnZ5JLeoMkK6dwd0nH5_l0-WgjeyOl7XeFS6cxQkwFWNr7CL5wTcv7ekqL5-KVcQsm4ZsXGu00JHF2Py76cOUBIT_zc6OJ0lTfGrDuA/s2048/416916F1-DABE-417A-AA11-8E906246471C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIGdubZj-qlMwzeyZUh3J9vvvl8bmdHekvvfqmnZ5JLeoMkK6dwd0nH5_l0-WgjeyOl7XeFS6cxQkwFWNr7CL5wTcv7ekqL5-KVcQsm4ZsXGu00JHF2Py76cOUBIT_zc6OJ0lTfGrDuA/s320/416916F1-DABE-417A-AA11-8E906246471C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> </div>
<div>Finally we come to La Pavona, where we leave Leo to take a narrow boat along winding riverways to Tortuguero village. We arrange to meet him again in 4 days' time and the heavens open as we slip and slide in flip-flops down the river bank and onto our boat. The journey to Tortuguero is exhilarating: our boat powers through the murky wetlands surrounded by dense jungle and we can literally feel the buzz of the wildlife lurking beyond the bright green foliage and under the deep waters as our hair whips in the wind.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMstL3XZBxyMve4C1gVa-mVJ8-OQp2j7V_uBtyY9JeElumg-8O33Dqid9dkBzHTb8_TWhbo-Y3Km-S9ZkiCeflENMqJyyJPCTn1-s0wguZGc2FVVgpnXim7JK4nEqPHeWxPQhwEe1jSo/s1280/61BC3EF8-4DA3-4AEA-B959-9FFE06FD9B34.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMstL3XZBxyMve4C1gVa-mVJ8-OQp2j7V_uBtyY9JeElumg-8O33Dqid9dkBzHTb8_TWhbo-Y3Km-S9ZkiCeflENMqJyyJPCTn1-s0wguZGc2FVVgpnXim7JK4nEqPHeWxPQhwEe1jSo/s320/61BC3EF8-4DA3-4AEA-B959-9FFE06FD9B34.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div><br />
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After an hour of pointing and craning our necks at various exotic-looking birds, our boat putters up to the tiny docking point of Tortuguero. It's a world away from the pollution and stress of the city and we are instantly enthralled by the surroundings - men playing dominoes in the main square, children and dogs bounding around on dusty paths, round-bottomed women in shorts chatting casually with a Jamaican lilt or passing by on antiquated pushbikes, all against a backdrop of brightly-coloured huts with corrugated rooves and the gentle aroma of weed carrying on the breeze.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SWHXILkr2yHTBu3CxFdsSbeT1Hh5NcwO6KNC0Gsi-VVScFCE_NYdFcHu7JUYg-6K3aPvyCYSPZNFmhkEzSsVpc5ywghfaANe3yTqRJ5OtR50X6OoP-9wqZWGrQ54Md9w1UyH3hD9iq0/s2048/873F7519-831E-4549-8099-38E3D8B34868.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SWHXILkr2yHTBu3CxFdsSbeT1Hh5NcwO6KNC0Gsi-VVScFCE_NYdFcHu7JUYg-6K3aPvyCYSPZNFmhkEzSsVpc5ywghfaANe3yTqRJ5OtR50X6OoP-9wqZWGrQ54Md9w1UyH3hD9iq0/s320/873F7519-831E-4549-8099-38E3D8B34868.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9JcNF17oqBa7NarvteI1nlzprpYBw1HaMOhArOIqNLaeAq2DSJe-mH88eSu0CeURh3X4eYfPl2y5Pvi5hZUSq8ET4hs1_c6L24n2f0fQW5-7wOorGoedue3lkMOQRDn5h_wMsH_WPTcM/s2048/84590E9D-B931-412E-B6FD-712A78580D79.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9JcNF17oqBa7NarvteI1nlzprpYBw1HaMOhArOIqNLaeAq2DSJe-mH88eSu0CeURh3X4eYfPl2y5Pvi5hZUSq8ET4hs1_c6L24n2f0fQW5-7wOorGoedue3lkMOQRDn5h_wMsH_WPTcM/s320/84590E9D-B931-412E-B6FD-712A78580D79.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tLNsUKYG9GGOg-6nUl5Zzl25boo1fOfsOZ_2QdEXb6oZz28Gkph7jQZ7Y2mMBtiyflcmXmyOwudBvv4E17cc-Kk2pDvPkNBP5XaeAkthKq4GvdVPpZLgOHOqg_j6R6jpHRgzaaqfSC8/s2048/B3239718-99B4-4EB0-88A3-6BD3ED126B38.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tLNsUKYG9GGOg-6nUl5Zzl25boo1fOfsOZ_2QdEXb6oZz28Gkph7jQZ7Y2mMBtiyflcmXmyOwudBvv4E17cc-Kk2pDvPkNBP5XaeAkthKq4GvdVPpZLgOHOqg_j6R6jpHRgzaaqfSC8/s320/B3239718-99B4-4EB0-88A3-6BD3ED126B38.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLOsnK8CVegcR_x2jArxSOz13_vg2hhKcOv888_MiVO-lLsvwT_ZHShnsd-IlfWwulUZBr0kyLrWwtgCZwqsrTsfh60rCdNtmzshlmWS8MeD9wlKURrpaJVq3tpdC_RRzWqa1qnzJ1Sg/s2048/C9430D23-A21C-495F-877B-6F57472B4E50.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLOsnK8CVegcR_x2jArxSOz13_vg2hhKcOv888_MiVO-lLsvwT_ZHShnsd-IlfWwulUZBr0kyLrWwtgCZwqsrTsfh60rCdNtmzshlmWS8MeD9wlKURrpaJVq3tpdC_RRzWqa1qnzJ1Sg/s320/C9430D23-A21C-495F-877B-6F57472B4E50.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div>We struggle with our cases in the fine rain along muddy tracks until we come to our <i>cabinas</i>, which are small bungalows right on the beach surrounded by rows of hammocks in primary colours and the faint beat of reggae pulsing from one the local's homes nearby. We are welcomed with cries of "Pura Vida!” which is a favourite expression in Costa Rica and directly translates as "pure life," but means, well, whatever the hell you want it to, depending on the context.</div>
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Oh. Yes. I think we're going to like it here....<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Fancy reading some more of my blogs? You can find them at:</b></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><b><a href="http://www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com/">www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com</a></b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.mummymission.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.mummymission.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><span style="color: purple; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com</a></span></b></span></div>
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Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-50099694798000702782016-02-20T16:14:00.007-08:002021-03-12T03:57:47.633-08:00Adios, you cheeky chicosApparently Costa Rica, and specifically San José, gets pretty hairy at night, with drugs, violent robberies and sex crimes topping the list of hazards after dark. We wouldn't know about that since we're safely tucked into our beds at Nancy and Pablo's house by 9 o'clock every night, totally shattered from the day's events.<br />
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One of the girls at Andy's project tells him about a spray that would-be attackers blast in your face which renders the unsuspecting victim instantly unconscious. I wonder if Pablo's been surreptitiously pumping this through the air vents in our living area to silence our incoherent Spanglobabble, as we seem unable to stay awake from the minute we walk through the door and sit down in the evenings. </div>
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The new dawn heralds the final challenging day at the childcare community project, and it is with some trepidation that Mum and I approach our building, as today's the day we'll be running our own class with my group of lively 2yr olds. Eep!</div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">I step over the threshold and already it's chaos: Juan Pablo and Kendra have dropped bombs into their clean pants and their trousers are swinging heavily with the stinky evidence, another two kids are bickering and a fifth is feeding the contexts of the sandpit to Lola the dachshund. Mia is crying for her mummy in the corner and Sara has scribbled red crayon all over the door and it's only 8.10am. Help!<br />
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9am ticks round, time for De Mama and I to conduct our lesson. Some of the Maximo Nivel staff are American, and sickly-sweet to the point of nausea; as classically cynical Brits, their saccharin style is just a tad too Disney for my taste. They wouldn't understand sarcasm or wry humour if it slapped them round the face with a wet kipper.</div>
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Yesterday, one of these Maximo dudes who looks like he's straight from the cast of High School Musical asks (whilst smiling broadly through his perfect white teeth) for our honest feedback on the project, and when I say that I'd like to feel like I'm leaving a lasting impression on the kids, books us in to run the class the following day. Me and my big mouth.<br />
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Hence we're now in sole charge of a group of unruly toddlers, who we have managed to sit in a circle and are looking up at us expectantly. I'm terrified. This may as well be a high-powered corporate conference rather than a bunch of little kids, such is my level of anxiety. I try not to show it, as I know small children can smell fear and thrive on it. I was a kid once too, I know how these mind games work. </div>
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Next follows the most excruciating hour of the trip so far : Mum and I are totally unprepared having fallen victim to Pablo's imaginary sleeping gas last night and being unconscious by 9 when we should have been planning our lesson. Imagine a couple of blonde gonks jumping about trying to over-enunciate English nursery rhymes and scribbling amateurish drawings in a vain attempt to explain what said nursery rhyme is about, and you get the cringe-worthy picture. It's like a particularly pointless game of charades, and Mum and I try not to make eye contact for fear of either cracking up or bursting into tears, such is the eye-wateringly high level of embarrassment, particularly as the Spanish teachers are in the room watching intently. </div>
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Bless Mia, Kendra and Maria, who really get into the zone and are making shapes on the dance mat as I sing "Old Macdonald Has a Farm" at the top of my lungs whilst frantically scrawling pictures of sheep, giraffes - I'm basically tailoring the song to which animals I may or may not be able to draw to try and help them understand what the hell we're wailing on about. </div>
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Full credit to the adults in the room who manage to somehow keep a straight face. A third of the kids love it, some are staring open-mouthed in bewilderment and others are just plain daydreaming, wishing they were anywhere else but trapped in this small classroom with these two catawauling aliens. As I mentioned before, time spent looking after kids seemed to stand still, and after what feels like a lifetime I casually glance at my watch to find that it's only 9.15am. </div>
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I implore the Costa Ricans to help me with my desperate looks, but they simply smile and clap along as De Mama and I limp along for the rest of the period. I make a mental note to stab the smug Yank in the eye with my biro when I pass by to fill in the debrief feedback form at Maximo later. </div>
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When the shift is finally over, I bid a tearful farewell to Lola and skip past the kids and out into the sunshine. Seriously though, the children have been so sweet to work with and I really will miss them. I know you shouldn't have favourites, but Sara and Maria will stick in my memory as they were such feisty little ladies, full of energy and with such hilarious facial expressions. My favourite times were spent with the pair of them laughing loudly at my Spanish accent, correcting my pronunciation and showing me how I should be saying 'y' when it's written double l. </div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5xwgV8WZls1FsrCc5nbMruzZR7diUHZKompgU988bAPWe6JBtUxRxJVc-pHk6GSqVhcDmZA0umB-hBoa_y7PA_uDtmeALV7uxdCU1skumseOHmCeBpc_M7x18PFoZFghBwg1LBBnyVI/s2048/86DDC3A0-AE70-4EAC-A515-1F06B3CC916F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5xwgV8WZls1FsrCc5nbMruzZR7diUHZKompgU988bAPWe6JBtUxRxJVc-pHk6GSqVhcDmZA0umB-hBoa_y7PA_uDtmeALV7uxdCU1skumseOHmCeBpc_M7x18PFoZFghBwg1LBBnyVI/s320/86DDC3A0-AE70-4EAC-A515-1F06B3CC916F.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjQ_BMxCEshL6zJ7eIBo_VE5t8XIk7rG2nH7RdO2T_rnLuwzopwdj8Z9gCBmLFn0G9SkgY0YYtnZVggu0A0M8oEOIwX6TmmkIUCj3LIxMeiIEg7n-0cBh1uJQZo3kbflYavHYrB4RsUw/s1280/BEA684ED-4C1B-4087-9DA0-26E9D2911941.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjQ_BMxCEshL6zJ7eIBo_VE5t8XIk7rG2nH7RdO2T_rnLuwzopwdj8Z9gCBmLFn0G9SkgY0YYtnZVggu0A0M8oEOIwX6TmmkIUCj3LIxMeiIEg7n-0cBh1uJQZo3kbflYavHYrB4RsUw/s320/BEA684ED-4C1B-4087-9DA0-26E9D2911941.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_CjcpzKqLCe7uRnPmIhzVAqJGPbT3xeSFoI2I3xkn_XmgSJLVAonCtw5MkHyeCf2HPf6DdzsdwZbdN0ks2d0cGgXGC1IgNPmpygjNIL6ivsRdZqSLw_1HNzpG0BoD-EVtsUd440rrGU/s2048/CA096C10-DE95-4162-AB91-0ECCC0A595FA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_CjcpzKqLCe7uRnPmIhzVAqJGPbT3xeSFoI2I3xkn_XmgSJLVAonCtw5MkHyeCf2HPf6DdzsdwZbdN0ks2d0cGgXGC1IgNPmpygjNIL6ivsRdZqSLw_1HNzpG0BoD-EVtsUd440rrGU/s320/CA096C10-DE95-4162-AB91-0ECCC0A595FA.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8jgf7zehyE759NSMpaYA316Aw65R1MKzKKJoylaO0LuGkJVmX1PmSsxlykOKMT0SCklV6xjDyB4pVbFzTD-juoh-ztb7J7etoxvzHGBj3nUKb3LmmbQbFI0CMWe6KtpulDJ-G_T0uKw/s2048/E7A692E6-3750-4EDB-84A4-DBB39A3C7527.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8jgf7zehyE759NSMpaYA316Aw65R1MKzKKJoylaO0LuGkJVmX1PmSsxlykOKMT0SCklV6xjDyB4pVbFzTD-juoh-ztb7J7etoxvzHGBj3nUKb3LmmbQbFI0CMWe6KtpulDJ-G_T0uKw/s320/E7A692E6-3750-4EDB-84A4-DBB39A3C7527.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Andy comes to meet us from his project, which was the opposite of ours - he's spent the day with his older children, who chatted away with him in English and hung on his every word. There wasn't a pooey bum or tantrum in sight and he got to celebrate one of the girl's birthdays - he even comes back with his own party bag bursting with sweets. Annoyingly easy by comparison! </div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9MP_UZLlnAVCw5MCqU5eOJrLnP0_7tbdQVnLAZ0khdyZFL3wHnKTLJQQkhe-OtxpWlmyr06PeuJKNG-SttxRMz_IRQWrauGVZaVf6cyidVXS34aWe-X4cqMseLKGZWWxVLq0QggZgmQ/s2048/72E7351F-FCE5-474F-84FF-2E25CC960E8A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9MP_UZLlnAVCw5MCqU5eOJrLnP0_7tbdQVnLAZ0khdyZFL3wHnKTLJQQkhe-OtxpWlmyr06PeuJKNG-SttxRMz_IRQWrauGVZaVf6cyidVXS34aWe-X4cqMseLKGZWWxVLq0QggZgmQ/s320/72E7351F-FCE5-474F-84FF-2E25CC960E8A.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">We all head back to Maximo, complete our feedback paperwork and have a quick drink and pizza to celebrate the end of our working week. It's been an exhausting, humbling, frustrating (due to the language barrier) and character-building experience and one that we'll always remember fondly and be pleased to have participated in. </div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvsRbQwVq6bYjyEhsqXQY_U6R4smwv8DmTZD3ZG81BqUN50L6IkDSfcxQdYqtTa15cI5X6KsdXMeU4fXa5et2C1WCOJxX6BiGt5RL_A7MFZh2YwxbllO7ESCN2h8vNdrvHQT9AF1_Fhg/s2048/9CB68BC1-9519-45A8-848B-C3F92B61148C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvsRbQwVq6bYjyEhsqXQY_U6R4smwv8DmTZD3ZG81BqUN50L6IkDSfcxQdYqtTa15cI5X6KsdXMeU4fXa5et2C1WCOJxX6BiGt5RL_A7MFZh2YwxbllO7ESCN2h8vNdrvHQT9AF1_Fhg/s320/9CB68BC1-9519-45A8-848B-C3F92B61148C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9GAwcM1JiXHM0CWNBkwy_1C_uD-nbPMUeomlAel4kzmU8nt_YIN3AJD5FQp0f9fX7T32i2gt2_qjtW6_uqMEkRBJN-Pb9A_Eqz881ZYZhFbw3j5WYwYVmbU68IbxhV0TW-pogInI94G8/s1280/9F82DED5-3F68-47AE-95B8-3C540E50E050.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9GAwcM1JiXHM0CWNBkwy_1C_uD-nbPMUeomlAel4kzmU8nt_YIN3AJD5FQp0f9fX7T32i2gt2_qjtW6_uqMEkRBJN-Pb9A_Eqz881ZYZhFbw3j5WYwYVmbU68IbxhV0TW-pogInI94G8/s320/9F82DED5-3F68-47AE-95B8-3C540E50E050.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbXAfXLZMq5FSKtx5v3zctC9oaqIdkHKAsp_pV77N56yLbxx18FEdkfdfC_SB-Tc7B_YDlivAuW9VhqSGH9L2Bhwf9wz-RXTY3uIbkwtC_rsprHP3qPrQEZ7k9YXFd3yzZd0RX9Wooio/s2048/72358832-E0C9-432C-A8B3-051F4283526E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbXAfXLZMq5FSKtx5v3zctC9oaqIdkHKAsp_pV77N56yLbxx18FEdkfdfC_SB-Tc7B_YDlivAuW9VhqSGH9L2Bhwf9wz-RXTY3uIbkwtC_rsprHP3qPrQEZ7k9YXFd3yzZd0RX9Wooio/s320/72358832-E0C9-432C-A8B3-051F4283526E.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18JgjX9AiawGaNlVx9HBaKwi9U0JyK7OSmn-Y-L9G23Fe_ZS9I3J9TApYV4-ZyToR0QbFbY-uN-B_B1poWisq5MQGaX5p2MTiYqqzDdKD7OuCF0HoBytI-kvTTnNl1PAcHVF_Zuqn3Tg/s2048/CC1B6FF9-5C59-4553-9FCF-2B28A68FCCB0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18JgjX9AiawGaNlVx9HBaKwi9U0JyK7OSmn-Y-L9G23Fe_ZS9I3J9TApYV4-ZyToR0QbFbY-uN-B_B1poWisq5MQGaX5p2MTiYqqzDdKD7OuCF0HoBytI-kvTTnNl1PAcHVF_Zuqn3Tg/s320/CC1B6FF9-5C59-4553-9FCF-2B28A68FCCB0.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div>
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Leo our taxi driver picks us up in the evening and drops us home for our final dinner and sleep before we depart for Tortuguero National Park at 7am in the morning. Time for our jungle adventure - we cannot wait to don our hiking gear and head deep into the Zippy and Bungle.....<br />
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<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>Fancy reading some more of my blogs? You can find them at:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b><a href="http://www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com/">www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com</a></b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.mummymission.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.mummymission.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><span style="color: purple; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com</a></span></b></span></div>
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Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-13326912380490493752016-02-19T02:44:00.003-08:002021-03-11T09:37:49.494-08:00Mum's pearls, naughty niños and a change of plan....Mum's snoring has taken on a life of its own, and although I'm getting used to the pattern (tiny guinea-pig squeaks and snuffles building up to a deafening crescendo and then back again), it still renders the alarm redundant as I've always been up way before dawn as a result. The local cockerel seems miffed that she's nabbed his job of waking up the neighbourhood, and the two go head-to-head in a daily battle that sees me gritting my teeth and sticking my head under the wafer-thin excuse for a pillow. I'm tempted to suffocate her with it. Sometimes it's so loud that Andy wakes up next door and we both laugh aloud in sheer disbelief...but still she snores on. Looooord have mercy!<br />
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Let me tell you about another of De Mama's age-old habits - I'm sure she won't mind, as it's a universally-acknowledged truth that Mum Knows Best. Unless it's my mum. De Mama has what we affectionately call her "Pearls Of Wisdom." Basically give her a topic, any topic you like, and she will trot out a series of factoids about said topic, which may or may not be true (although she genuinely believes they are). </div>
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Now this might have worked when my little sister Karen and I were kids, but as soon as I went to secondary school (which was a grammar, doncha know) and started to actually KNOW stuff, I started to disprove her tales. The loss of power drove her insane, it was like Popeye running out of spinach. Suddenly she didn't have that awe-inspiring control any more. She could pick up the phone and pretend to call Bernado’s to come and take us away when we were playing up and we'd know there was just a dial tone at the end of the phone, whereas previously we'd be clinging onto her legs bawling and begging for forgiveness in case the child-catcher really was on his way. </div>
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I can give you a more recent example of one of her "pearls."<br />
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The three of us were on the plane on that fateful journey to Mexico, playing Who Wants To Be a Millionaire on Andy's in-flight entertainment screen to while away the hours. We get the question "which mountain caused the most problems for the EC?" I can't remember all the options, but I think it was Snowden, Everest, Butter Mountain and one other. Anyway, we get it wrong, and when the answer's revealed Mum claims to have known it was Butter Mountain all along. "Well it's obviously Butter Mountain....cos they kept slipping off....." </div>
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Well that was it, we were literally crying with laughter at another of De Mama's gems, so much so that people were twisting in their seats to see what was so funny. Good ole Mum, always good value!</div>
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The breakfast of rice and black beans is wearing a bit thin now, as is our Spanglish vocab, so we make appropriate approving noises instead and then set off for the project. We spend another day separated in our various groups, and have settled down now that we know the routine, which is haphazard at best, but a routine all the same. </div>
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For instance, mum knows that at 9.30am she has the task of trying to settle the babies for a sleep, and that just as she's got the last one down the first will start screaming and set all the others off again. I can hear their screams coming through the thin partition wall, where I am attempting to untangle the mass of fighting limbs, remove yoghurt matted into hair and stop the kids crayoning on the walls. </div>
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Today it's one of the kid's birthdays so we have a piñata and cake. One of the local helpers hands me a plate of cake, and I'm just tucking into it when I realise it's intended for the children, and the other helpers are breaking it up and dropping bits into their open mouths, which reminds me of a nest of hungry baby birds. Sighing, I follow suit; I was looking forward to that, having existed mostly on rice, beans and fruit for almost a week now. </div>
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The children push the boundaries continuously, always trying to see what they can get away with. I find their mischievous ways endearing, exhausting and maddening all at the same time. Everyone said before I came that I'd want to bring them all back with me, but actually I can safety say the only baby I'd love to take home is Lola - seeing her sausage-shaped self bobbing about in the yard melts my heart like no snotty bambino ever could. My child-yearning years are well and truly over. I think. </div>
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We confessed to Nancy the host mum that we'd bunked our Spanish lesson, so she offers to take us on a proper Costa Rican's eye view tour of the city instead of our version, which mostly involves a few pigeon steps then into another bar. We're true Brits, after all, it's in our blood. </div>
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Her tour takes us to the Catholic Church, the Cathedral (where we sit uncomfortably whilst she prays and makes the sign of the cross), the National Theatre, Post Office, the indoor markets and various other landmarks. The bus journey there was eventful - the train lines here run across the main streets at all angles and the tracks are totally unnoticeable.....that is until a train blasts its horn and the packed bus swerves at the last minute to miss it. We are all thrown forward and it's terrifying - how the hell can trains and regular traffic collide like that? Loco!<br />
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We pass by the hotel El Presidente, which I'd previously booked whilst back in the UK for 2 nights following the homestay. We make the spilt-second decision to nip in and cancel our booking on Nancy's recommendation : although it's a decent hotel we've had enough of the city smog and hectic lifestyle, and have opted instead to travel onwards in the direction of Tortuguero, which has a National Park and beach which is home to the turtles. </div>
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One more day at the project before we go in search of the diverse flora and fauna (and of course our beloved sloths) for which Costa Rica is famous...<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Fancy reading some more of my blogs? You can find them at:</b></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><b><a href="http://www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com/">www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com</a></b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.mummymission.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.mummymission.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><span style="color: purple; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com</a></span></b></span></div>
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Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-9241807426817442492016-02-18T17:56:00.004-08:002021-03-11T13:21:15.512-08:00Who's teaching who here? The toddlers give me Spanish lessons...<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;">Another night of fitful slumber follows and as per usual our eyes simultaneously ping open like demented Chucky horror dolls and we are wide awake at 3am, which is 9am in the UK. Surely we'll be released from the grip of this bloody jet lag soon?! </span><br />
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We are back at the project by 8am and are immediately knee-deep in runny-nosed and hyperactive <i>niños pequeños</i>. I find one minute spent looking after a child is like thirty spent doing anything else. That multiplies tenfold when you've got twelve kids instead of one, and doubles again when you both speak different languages. Well, we did want a challenge.</div>
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The main phrase that sticks in my mind is "no se tocar!" which means "don't touch!" and echoes around the building whenever one of the kids grabs something they shouldn't, ie every 2 minutes.<br />
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The highlight of my day is reading aloud to the children, and my heart swells when I say the words to the picture book in English and they go to great pains to explain the pronunciation in Spanish. For example, I say "giraffe" and little Sara says "no Sam, Giraffe!! (pronounced he-raff-eeee). Elephant is Elly-fant-eeee. I'm learning more Spanish from these inquisitive 2yr olds than in my official daily intensive language classes which come as part of the volunteering package.</div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Although they don't understand what I'm saying, they get the gist from my intonation and respond accordingly. They all have such strong and different characters and I find myself really warming to them all for different reasons. We play with hand puppets, dance, play and eat lunch and before I know it the shift is over once more. </div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7QazqNGQT4zqf4x43uYtQJOAxXwol1nQrCjCAmXTUgvINZsrEnot5RJCBTc4XvkCHECbmp3AxqNU9Kg4F3Z1iuinyl0Fm1S1LuegOKhOHct5g-EiQNjy8mISE778jCW614dgjnySwXk/s2048/6ADB84DA-9659-49A0-A7D8-1EF50457F275.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7QazqNGQT4zqf4x43uYtQJOAxXwol1nQrCjCAmXTUgvINZsrEnot5RJCBTc4XvkCHECbmp3AxqNU9Kg4F3Z1iuinyl0Fm1S1LuegOKhOHct5g-EiQNjy8mISE778jCW614dgjnySwXk/s320/6ADB84DA-9659-49A0-A7D8-1EF50457F275.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIzLJiTNQFW3cs4kiY-HTyLKGQEXo4StjQ5YLkjTTFfwxALE4J-CBRC0sRGQLGwfhXUIg05VoVxpExT3dFUCfE7vKhNY0D9NQHEHEwOMN2K54I2VUTbQEPtEQ-k9NPhqXhT5VBCHP-W0/s2048/D872B61E-779F-4EC2-8009-9BF7933A4F8F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIzLJiTNQFW3cs4kiY-HTyLKGQEXo4StjQ5YLkjTTFfwxALE4J-CBRC0sRGQLGwfhXUIg05VoVxpExT3dFUCfE7vKhNY0D9NQHEHEwOMN2K54I2VUTbQEPtEQ-k9NPhqXhT5VBCHP-W0/s320/D872B61E-779F-4EC2-8009-9BF7933A4F8F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I go on the hunt for De Mama and find her looking sweaty and harassed, with babies hanging from every limb, whilst Andy is the complete opposite, chilled and smiling. His group of children are older and well-disciplined, and the fact that they speak some English makes his life far easier. Jammy git.</div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
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We make an executive decision today - we decide to bunk off our 2hr afternoon Spanish class. How rebellious, I hear you cry. The lessons are so intense and are not especially beneficial for our needs as they are too grammar-heavy, when all we really want are the essential words and phrases. It's just a bit too much like hard work.</div>
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We skip out of Maximo HQ feeling much lighter having given Ally-hand-ra the swerve and instead spend the time eating chorizo pizza and exploring the bustling city on foot. Now THAT's more like it! For the first time since we've arrived we feel relaxed and it's so nice to have a bit of respite from our hectic schedule...<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Fancy reading some more of my blogs? You can find them at:</b></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><b><a href="http://www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com/">www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com</a></b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.mummymission.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.mummymission.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><span style="color: purple; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com</a></span></b></span></div>
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Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-72545071159868880042016-02-18T16:03:00.006-08:002021-03-11T13:23:51.886-08:00The Caterpillar Club debacle<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">After another 3.30am wake-up call courtesy of De Mama's foghorn, I update the blog bleary-eyed and decide to get ready bright and early for our exciting project, as Tatiana from Maximo HQ said there will be plenty of interest, as she's been promoting our Caterpillar Club locally for some time. The showers here heats via an electric coil, so you have to have it barely trickling in order for it to get hot. Afterwards, I plug in the hairdryer but give up after about ten seconds as it's only 110V here and the airflow is about as powerful as a sloth blowing gently onto my tangled locks. Great. I feel 2 weeks' worth of bad hair days coming on. No wonder backpackers all end up with dreadlocks.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I hear a yelp and guess that Andy's winding up Chiky again, but no, it's actually his squeal of terror as he makes an error of judgement with the communal doors (as both bedrooms open onto the adjoining bathroom) and has walked in on a naked De Mama. Yikes!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Unwilling to risk negotiating the San José transport system again, we've got a bit clued up now and have done a deal with a local cabbie to chauffeur us about for the rest of the week - one who assures us he runs to real time rather than Tico time and won't let us down. True to his word, he rocks up early and we arrive at the project before 8am.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Victor, our eager student from yesterday, arrives soon after with one of his 3 brothers in tow, each clutching a new notepad, hair slicked back and smartly dressed for their next English lesson. I find this incredibly sweet, until I attempt to engage the brother in conversation and realise he has the personality of a turnip. The lights are on, but no-one's <i>en casa. </i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mum and I prep the classroom with all our books, pens, crayons etc whilst Andy pumps up the new football and fashions a makeshift goal from bamboo and rope. I make a sign welcoming the hoardes of children that are surely going to round the corner any minute now. Bienvenidos!</span><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXRwoZUWCDCvhF1WZFCKE0WxBXvYFmA7urc-_b3rnpf7YInXEOoL7xP27Uiudo-9n_CbeUboLPxmqZtm4ulZqkY6lG4lEmJoMvm9mtAFw8S16qIPjNupYrYFx6z7S-5bLa3luvWQFsf4/s2048/432DB861-A149-467E-B811-3E55C091A2D8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXRwoZUWCDCvhF1WZFCKE0WxBXvYFmA7urc-_b3rnpf7YInXEOoL7xP27Uiudo-9n_CbeUboLPxmqZtm4ulZqkY6lG4lEmJoMvm9mtAFw8S16qIPjNupYrYFx6z7S-5bLa3luvWQFsf4/s320/432DB861-A149-467E-B811-3E55C091A2D8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Only they don't come.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We wait.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">And wait.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">By this point Mum has worked her way through several language books and an entire pack of flash cards with the two chicos. Victor's eyes have begun to glaze over, and his brother is virtually catatonic. Andy livens things up with a kick-around but it's evident that word hasn't got around sufficiently for the project to succeed just yet. Crestfallen, we pack up the classroom.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_JwploumAIIPKQ8C11pgrlDFPHdoztzjvyRz4adA0VWK4FqYH-pEbQX3SAmhrJLDckARaKn5fqiedjsBL5jelE6YmOHdV1xI9Yq7-7Pe1TpozMhKObVKAMB_tpyB_AruLajBBiZeUm8/s2048/B3DBB52D-B641-4CFF-9D13-73EA35FF85A9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_JwploumAIIPKQ8C11pgrlDFPHdoztzjvyRz4adA0VWK4FqYH-pEbQX3SAmhrJLDckARaKn5fqiedjsBL5jelE6YmOHdV1xI9Yq7-7Pe1TpozMhKObVKAMB_tpyB_AruLajBBiZeUm8/s320/B3DBB52D-B641-4CFF-9D13-73EA35FF85A9.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tatiana obviously feels bad for us, apologising profusely and making calls to get us relocated elsewhere, and we soon arrive at our new project, The Playhouse.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> We are greeted at the centre by the most adorable set of huge doleful eyes and I instantly fall in love.....with a dog. Lola The Sausage is as sweet as a Starbucks Festive Special, and I have to push past the gaggle of needy kids to get to her.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This place is chaotic and soon we're knee-deep in baby bottles and sticky-fingered toys, the kids chasing Lola around and around the garden, squeezing her between their clammy little mitts. Lola's only 3 months old and thinks she's one of them - we even catch her going down the baby slide of her own accord.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Three Muskahounds are then split up - De Mama definitely draws the short straw with the baby group, and I later catch a glimpse of her juggling about five babies, feeding 2 more and rocking another with her foot.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbB_uS2XzzEBefBwb5ekgto2GDsDDhVCvXAbhnGY8_DRmt4RHmwRDTJ8qobZuNz7kAGUeFUj3h7x0GcB4LMoO5t9bYD3pEP3Px9nFNvvFcqyA5xkIovra4mKBP0vBwVG9WuajwJ44lz8/s2048/7615C581-D62F-4EAE-8F5A-4AE3202DB52A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbB_uS2XzzEBefBwb5ekgto2GDsDDhVCvXAbhnGY8_DRmt4RHmwRDTJ8qobZuNz7kAGUeFUj3h7x0GcB4LMoO5t9bYD3pEP3Px9nFNvvFcqyA5xkIovra4mKBP0vBwVG9WuajwJ44lz8/s320/7615C581-D62F-4EAE-8F5A-4AE3202DB52A.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I'm in with the two to three year olds, whilst Andy is across the street with the over fours. The charity explained that we may not agree with all the practises we see, but our role is to support rather than to implement change. I bite my tongue as rows of wailing babies are left sliding down in their highchairs unharnessed, toddlers rub their toothbrushes in the dirt, clean each other's trainers with them before queuing up to "clean" their tiny teeth.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvapBpEXPmKqBksbwcpUce4lUPlFhEIAy-2Re4BMflAnP3mxTi3qCqvwVebTahYlEJyZ4Px9tmjaXohsxmBGxQqoAm5YOfbY4Os70lRP8MFxT5kOYe_3CBgSIhEMEqbHL2rYh1UOFaUYs/s2048/20FF1A6A-E688-4A9E-A464-F0CB22E8B00A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvapBpEXPmKqBksbwcpUce4lUPlFhEIAy-2Re4BMflAnP3mxTi3qCqvwVebTahYlEJyZ4Px9tmjaXohsxmBGxQqoAm5YOfbY4Os70lRP8MFxT5kOYe_3CBgSIhEMEqbHL2rYh1UOFaUYs/s320/20FF1A6A-E688-4A9E-A464-F0CB22E8B00A.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I step in when I find that the mischievous Aaron has obtained superglue and scissors from a too-low craft shelf and is preparing to gouge out his amigo's eyeballs then glue his eyelids shut. Relieved to have prevented a scene reminiscent of Reservoir Dogs, I turn around just in time to see a cluster of my charges about to charge themselves, as they are doing their best to wedge their wet little fingers into ankle-high plug sockets. Clearly Health and Safety doesn't feature highly on the list of priorities here...</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1cmEmnMDm6wMOlGJrP1oeC4CpaVEp3FTu1MBH0qj3RTmd_KFQSR_R7xyFQLG1-oneTFn0tYc5PhSbloic_2GqUZPvyny0Po_mloX84-jQvueCL5M4zqY09WH6_voKplThwuAxeJeQn4E/s1280/1ABBBEF5-3564-4B3B-BE09-456F0915C9B1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1cmEmnMDm6wMOlGJrP1oeC4CpaVEp3FTu1MBH0qj3RTmd_KFQSR_R7xyFQLG1-oneTFn0tYc5PhSbloic_2GqUZPvyny0Po_mloX84-jQvueCL5M4zqY09WH6_voKplThwuAxeJeQn4E/s320/1ABBBEF5-3564-4B3B-BE09-456F0915C9B1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">On the plus side, the children are so innocent and accepting that they are soon clambering all over me, clutching my hands and jabbering away in Spanish, their doe-eyed expressions filled with curiosity at this huge gormless gringo before them. It is heart-warming yet exhausting, and when it comes to the end of our shift we are in need of a stiff drink...</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">With hindsight, the couple of swift afternoon JD and cokes were a mistake, but we were in need of liquid refreshment after our challenging first day at the project, plus we thought it might liven up the impending Spanish lesson a tad...</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody";">Sitting down in the boiling Spanish classroom with Faye and a young girl from NYC, it quickly becomes apparent that we have the attention span of a gnat and are not getting into the learning groove. When the teacher chooses To Sing as the verb to kick off the lesson, writing and reciting "Yo cant" (I sing) on the whiteboard, Andy and I dissolve into giggles and it's all downhill from there...</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #454545; font-family: uictfonttextstylebody;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #454545; font-family: uictfonttextstylebody;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyg3uYn2zwOfOKNwvSQKC1XdUUQs_tP3WrSxOKpuNv70t_hRVXLxwepApa0LpdHVsfTKKlcnCIOg2BGrsr9YsTCAb3dHOEkVRhNtgBwGvaif6ONPIv09hr8RmQZ-A0mYrKOat7tM_VuuY/s2048/E0C5B4B7-093F-47D1-998C-936947E474B7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyg3uYn2zwOfOKNwvSQKC1XdUUQs_tP3WrSxOKpuNv70t_hRVXLxwepApa0LpdHVsfTKKlcnCIOg2BGrsr9YsTCAb3dHOEkVRhNtgBwGvaif6ONPIv09hr8RmQZ-A0mYrKOat7tM_VuuY/s320/E0C5B4B7-093F-47D1-998C-936947E474B7.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="caret-color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: uictfonttextstylebody;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Although Mum doesn't touch a drop of alcohol, she is equally as distracted, as each day is so full-on and we're all still jet-lagged, so staying awake late into the afternoons (which is the middle of the night back home) requires matchsticks for our bulging boiled-egg eyes. She excuses herself from class to grab a coffee from the cafe downstairs....and never returns.</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: uictfonttextstylebody;">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">We later find De Mama face-down asleep and dribbling on the cafe table. When we question her about her lack of focus, she merely explains that "I'm nearly 64 years old, why do I need to know whether a cup is male or female?"</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">To be fair she has a point - Alexandra (pronounced Ally-hand-rah) the Spanish teacher is attempting to teach us the genders of every word in the language, along with conjugated verbs, reflexive pronouns.....life's too short! If anything, it's making communication with the locals harder, as we struggle to work out the correct verb endings and genders before speaking. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It's rendered us mute. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We grab a quick beer in a cool and buzzing local bar before heading home for dinner of fish, rice and salad with Nancy and the family. I see Mum chatting animatedly in the kitchen with Host Mum, figuring the Spanish classes may actually have helped her after all, but then I catch her making wild hand gestures to the sky and loudly saying "scorchio."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Andy is rolling around on the floor in a vain attempt to entertain Chiky, who simply curls her lip and rolls her eyes at him in disgust. We are so exhausted that we excuse ourselves and retreat to our rooms for another early night, the three of us out cold within minutes....</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-16568159480916375962016-02-17T02:42:00.003-08:002021-03-11T08:46:04.507-08:00The Three Musketeers....ok, Volunteers, but that sounded betterMum falls asleep mid-sentence and within seconds the room is filled with the dulcet tones of her gurgling snores reverberating off the walls and drilling into the recesses of my brain. It's like the entire forest outside the window has come to life, with various grunts and whoops - but no, it's just De Mama in the bed next to mine. Andy sure had a lucky escape, sleeping softly in his own adjoining room.<br />
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When I wake up and roll over I think for a moment that Chiky the chihuahua has escaped in the night and plotted up in Mum's bed, as there's a bug-eyed face with bared teeth and lolling tongue on the pillow.....but no, it's just my unconscious mother.<br />
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We get dressed and are greeted by another of Nancy's delicious meals - this time Gallo Pinto (rice and black beans) and a fruit platter, with fresh juice and herbal teas:<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAf7kyfgjzrr09V9z22Bc7gTLt578wwDYgZ_Yyhqu6KbGEMJONbYy4F9Kq9-3GNyhiiR4PXR8ucsWUglEkbXI0-V4cS1JVwhpSi3NB96BjnA96TKvWeHBvEnJwWaB6CRpTMAlwiJrNFhg/s2048/E028D626-92E2-42D9-A7CF-2F29F0FD89BE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAf7kyfgjzrr09V9z22Bc7gTLt578wwDYgZ_Yyhqu6KbGEMJONbYy4F9Kq9-3GNyhiiR4PXR8ucsWUglEkbXI0-V4cS1JVwhpSi3NB96BjnA96TKvWeHBvEnJwWaB6CRpTMAlwiJrNFhg/s320/E028D626-92E2-42D9-A7CF-2F29F0FD89BE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>More attempts at conversation falter and there are several funny moments when we realise we have no idea what the other is saying, so we settle for making appreciative noises instead. I think Nancy is telling me to clean my teeth so I obediently hurry off, only for her to laugh and say she was going to clean HER teeth before we leave for work - duh!<br />
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Nancy reappears and walks us to the bus stop, which is not a proper stop at all, it's just a point in front of a pylon, in typical Costa Rica vague fashion. We jump a bus and she attempts to point out landmarks as they whizz by. We know we wouldn't have a cat in hell's chance of getting back as easily as she makes out, but nod away as if taking it all in.<br />
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Maximo Nivel HQ (the GVN affiliate) is located in central San Jose, a bustling city of "Ticos", which is what Costa Ricans call themselves. As the UK has Greenwich Mean Time, they run on "Tico Time" (which we can't help singing to the tune of that cheesy hit, "It's Chico Time"), which basically means around 30 minutes late.<br />
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We meet Erika, Chino, Tati and the rest of the Maximo team upon arrival and have our volunteering induction, which is all good until we get to the warnings of the dangers of Costa Rica : date-rape drugs, violent rape, robberies at knife/gunpoint, fake taxis, never go out after dark or alone....the list goes on. It concerns me that San José is like a hedge maze and there are several lone-travelling girls in our group from all over the world who are barely 18yrs old, shy and who now have the colour rapidly draining from their faces....<br />
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Almost as scary is the next announcement - we have to sit a Spanish exam. Andy is up first for the oral exam, so Erika reads 5 Spanish questions which he is supposed to respond to, but she is met with silence and a blank expression.<br />
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"Try me," I say, "hit me with it!" sitting upright and focusing intently. She rattles off the questions again. I blink, opening and closing my mouth like a fish out of water. Which is exactly what I am. Screwing up the exam paper, she tosses it in the bin and moves swiftly on...<br />
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We attempt to take a bus to the Conception District, which is where our volunteering project is located, a good 30 minutes from the HQ, but it's hot and hectic so we cheat and jump a taxi. Tati briefs us : there are several childcare projects running at the moment - the orphanage, a community care centre, teen mums guidance, and then this brand new project which we've been allocated, which is to be called The Caterpillar Club: daycare services for children of working mothers who have come from tough backgrounds and need support to be able to work and provide.<br />
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We are excited by this prospect...until the cab pulls up outside a decrepit Scout hut held together solely by cobwebs, in an overgrown garden. Hmm, not exactly what we'd envisaged. We set about clearing the garden, tidying inside the building and planning our lessons for the class.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOe3usPaBjvBPmIm3W51gg0HWYqty1Z6xpPPgqtOpXYYseFBvo4o72x2hW9C-8wOHHEVUzv1HXmEL3LiXWc-l258ecnQ9NZv0t4uUQ5RB7FRF2OEr4inaWkkJ0jOAxcIdfm1UiBSHKhw/s1600/IMG_2885.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOe3usPaBjvBPmIm3W51gg0HWYqty1Z6xpPPgqtOpXYYseFBvo4o72x2hW9C-8wOHHEVUzv1HXmEL3LiXWc-l258ecnQ9NZv0t4uUQ5RB7FRF2OEr4inaWkkJ0jOAxcIdfm1UiBSHKhw/s320/IMG_2885.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The activity creates local interest, and a curious guy called Victor approaches us shyly to find out what we're doing. He tells us he's unemployed and desperate to learn, so we start an inpromptu English lesson for him and he's really eager and receptive - a sweet guy of 26 who'd never really had any opportunities in life. After a few hours we're set up for the following morning's launch day, so continue teaching Victor, who asks if he can come back when we open at 8am tomorrow and of course we agree.<br />
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We have to be back at Maximo HQ by 2pm for our Spanish class, so we head back. The class is only the 3 of us today plus the teacher, which is just as well as we're like three backward chimps - totally clueless - although we do pick it up fairly quickly. Mum is struggling to pronounce her allocated phrase when discussing our professions though, and keeps repeating "soy retarda" instead of "retirada", which has us cracking up at various intervals. The 2hr lesson is pretty intense, so we decide to head home afterwards as we've all been up since 3am with jetlag....<br />
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Two hours later and we are hopelessly lost - we decided to attempt to walk part of the way along the treacherous main street, the Pan-American Highway, which stretches all the way to Mexico, with Costa Rica sandwiched between Nicaragua and Panama. I think we were approximately halfway to Nicaragua before we realised we'd taken a wrong turn.<br />
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Around 5.30pm darkness falls and Erika's warnings of rapists and robbers echoes in our ears, so we attempt to hail a taxi on the busy congested road. You must look carefully for a red taxi with a yellow triangle with a number inside the triangle to check it's a genuine cab, but by now it's pitch black and we are so exhausted we just launch ourselves into the first one that stops, Andy dicing with death to flag it in the first place. Driving here is mental, we've seen several accidents and countless near-misses already. When we finally pull up outside the house we are so relieved to have made it that we practically fall upon the bewildered Pablo with relief, greeting him like a long-lost relative; he must think we're absolute headcases.<br />
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Nancy takes one look at our traumatised selves and serves up dinner, which we devour and then crash straight away - tomorrow is project launch day and we open at 8am. It's just Andy, Mum and myself running the centre...what could possibly go wrong...?<br />
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<br /></div>Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-13413614072212406252016-02-16T02:43:00.003-08:002021-03-12T06:05:55.633-08:00Que? " No habler Espanol, we speak Spanglish, love"<div>En route to our host family, Andreas points out various San José landmarks whipping past outside as the blue sky turns to dusk - the university, theatre, church, mountains, whilst we sit like drugged nodding dogs in the back seat attempting to process and compartmentalise our cattle-class travel ordeal in order to now put it behind us and start afresh. We may need counselling for PTSD upon return to the UK, but for <g class="gr_ gr_49 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" data-gr-id="49" id="49">now</g> we're determined to embrace this new and exciting country...</div>
<br /> We are brought back from our daydreams as he begins talking again, explaining the fact that in Costa Rica there are no house numbers, postcodes or proper addresses as we know them; the Costa Ricans instead favouring a basic system of description. For example, you might see on a letter "The yellow house behind the post office, " or someone will direct you to the "third house from the tallest palm on the right."<br />(At this point we find this quaint and endearing, but fast forward 12 hours as a bunch of sleepy-eyed, disorientated gringos attempting to navigate a new and bustling city and it quickly transforms into utter disbelief and incredulity at such a vague and archaic system).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pW-LAY7EJnCQ2E5iyRcq-G2XcNqUUgjKRdPfK0bF7IWtW6WZfsWbiSKFyg_kFTOoijbmmctek5SrUFnYscZpcVRSqdoCEGKVmslm8sBDliA_4jiBr9CJWHOIefV4qwfvxrlQ_RQx5Ys/s1600/IMG_2898.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pW-LAY7EJnCQ2E5iyRcq-G2XcNqUUgjKRdPfK0bF7IWtW6WZfsWbiSKFyg_kFTOoijbmmctek5SrUFnYscZpcVRSqdoCEGKVmslm8sBDliA_4jiBr9CJWHOIefV4qwfvxrlQ_RQx5Ys/s320/IMG_2898.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our host family</td></tr>
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<br />As we pull up to what will be our home for the next week, we are suitably surprised and impressed - it's a warm but breezy evening and the house looks large and well-kept, with metal gates and a pretty, smiling Costa Rican señora waiting to greet us, whom we recognise from the picture in the brief notes the driver had handed to us upon arrival at the airport. She looks well-groomed and serene, and to her credit manages to keep the smile fixed on her stunning face as three unkempt, traumatised and back-combed Brits clamber from the van.<br />
<br />At this point, she starts babbling her welcomes and the penny drops that we are going to come seriously unstuck with our lack of Spanish skills. I attempt to recall the little Spanish I have tucked away in the recesses of my tiny pickled mind, but discover to my horror that I have become mute and can barely converse with her, so mum dives to the rescue with the most hilarious rendition of pigeon Spanish I have ever heard.<br />
<br />Andy and I are resisting the urge to roll on the floor in hysterics as De Mama gesticulates wildly, loudly praising Nancy on her lovely house in slow and deliberate English with a Spanish accent. Comedy gold. And this is how we know we're going to spend the next 2 weeks, in character as Del Boy from Only Fools and Horses, uttering a Spanglish version of his various Franglais "Mange tout, Rodney" type comments.<br />
<br />We see from Nancy's expression that any expectations of animated conversations around the dinner table have just turned to dust, but being the middle-class pro that she is, she regains her composure and silently curses herself for expecting more from a bunch of uncouth foreigners.<br />
<br />The rest of the family gather around to get a closer look at these curious specimens babbling incoherently in their front room, their heads cocked in wonder as we attempt to communicate. They are the perfect example of an identikit wholesome Catholic family: Nancy the stay-at-home mum, Pablo the banker husband and the equally wholesome-looking fruits of their loins, Carolina and Maria, the university students.<br />
<br />The healthy Costa Rican diet must be doing them good, as they are all a picture of radiant, glossy-haired <g class="gr_ gr_51 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" data-gr-id="51" id="51">health,</g> like they just stepped off the cover of a lifestyle magazine. Oh, and I mustn't forget Chiky the chihuahua, a tiny bald thing with a classic case of small-dog syndrome who attempts to rip us to shreds as we stand there pretending to like him, tentatively reaching out to give him a stroke as he yaps incessantly, eyes bulging and teeth bared.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzYkWcoq1uIgkKi5O6FJX-_CZaaT7PoeKVaC-CFZDw_j6N8VbC7lSr45uDTpuQ5BPiJTQNEnJvl-iomOXCSkXNHJPOe_poto8b8f4TJWZUEjQzeb6QclUMnhQ14fJxBmtsaO1Hz4qhP0/s1600/IMG_2906.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzYkWcoq1uIgkKi5O6FJX-_CZaaT7PoeKVaC-CFZDw_j6N8VbC7lSr45uDTpuQ5BPiJTQNEnJvl-iomOXCSkXNHJPOe_poto8b8f4TJWZUEjQzeb6QclUMnhQ14fJxBmtsaO1Hz4qhP0/s320/IMG_2906.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chiky, our not-so-welcoming host dog</td></tr>
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<br /></div>We are promptly shown to our living quarters, and the giant crosses, bibles and religious symbols everywhere mean that Andy resigns himself to the single room with a sigh, as Mum and myself are directed to a double room. After an icy shower (we're too shattered to follow her explanation of operating the boiler), we stumble back out to the dining area for more Gestapo-style grilling, which is relentless and involves lots of flicking through dictionaries, nervous laughter and plenty of <g class="gr_ gr_47 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar multiReplace" data-gr-id="47" id="47">frustrated</g> silences.<br />
<br />We almost cry with relief when Nancy and Pablo notice that Andy is face-down in his rice and salad with exhaustion and allow us <g class="gr_ gr_56 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" data-gr-id="56" id="56">temporary</g> respite in the form of deep, dreamless sleep - our first glimpse of a bed in 2 long and stressful days.....<br />
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<br />Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-23204767510312042672016-02-15T03:14:00.004-08:002021-03-11T08:36:57.183-08:00Mexico Shitty<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;">Settling down for the short hop over to Madrid for our connecting flight to San José, we checked our watches and began to relax as the plane fired up its engines, ready to depart bang on time...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;">Suddenly the tannoy kicked in and the pilot delivered the fatal blow - we were being held on the runway for an hour or so due to congestion at Madrid and almost everyone on the plane was about to miss their connecting flights for their various onward journeys to paradise that they'd saved long and hard for. </span><br />
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Chaos of the middle-class British variety ensued - there was a ripple of disgusted whispers and sighs, the Trolley Dollies attempted to reassure everyone that we may still depart sooner and all was not lost, then we all proceeded to spend the next 3.5hrs seething internally whilst maintaining a stiff upper lip, white-knuckled with fury but too polite to kick-off in the monumental fashion we all desired.</div>
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Of course, despite hurtling through Madrid airport on our toes Mo Farrah-stylee (well maybe more Mo Mowlam in some cases), every mothersucker on that plane missed their connection. </div>
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And that was the turning point: our descent into despair...</div>
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"No problemo," said the Iberia rep dismissively as we arrived ruddy-faced at the departure gate just as our plane started taxiing off down the runway without us, "we'll get you on the next available flight....manana."</div>
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"Oh no, hang on, Mexico City is about to leave, you'll go on that and then connect to San José from there, but you'll need to run...again...."</div>
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We left the other stranded passengers eating our dust as we pegged it to the departure gate, but there was just enough time for us to pick up that some were being sent to Peru, some Panama....it was a right royal mess, let me tell ya!</div>
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As the adrenaline slowly wore off, it became apparent that the flight was comprised entirely of Mexicans, with only a tiny cluster of Brits diverted from the Madrid plane. No red-lippied trolly dollies on THIS aircraft; the flight attendants were old and surly, with faces that would curdle milk.<br />
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"Would you like red, white or Cava?" asked Les Dawson's Mexican grandmother. "Yes please!" us Brits replied, much to their disgust, although to be fair they did comply and with a curled lip she served us all of the above without further comment. </div>
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Having downed our medicinal beverages to calm us all down, we settled reluctantly into the flight, having realised with a jolt that it was twelve and a half hours long. Jesus wept!! </div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div>
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We amused ourselves with movies and endless collective games of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Andy jabbing at the answers on the screen excitedly, unwittingly projecting the dude in the seat ahead into the seat in front of HIM. Whoopsie!<br />
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It took us a while to notice that the pilot was a total routard, which is like a retard but involves someone specifically incapable of planning a route. We got delayed yet again as he diverted us in an arc around our destination in a flight path with more twists and turns than an Agatha Christie novel. Which led to cock-up number 2.....</div>
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We missed the connection in Mexico City. </div>
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Getting through immigration to collect our cases for the onward journey (despite being told they'd be checked through) was a bun fight. Despite jumping the queue and causing uproar, we missed it, along with almost all of the other Brits on the flight. What they had failed to mention was that our connection was leaving from another terminal a train ride away, with an alternative flight number, airline, and basically completely different details to those they'd fobbed us off with at Madrid.<br />
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Steam rising from our heads, we stormed to the Iberia desk to find it closed and not reopening til 9am...this was at 9pm (3am in the UK). Thus we spent a long and shivery night in an icy Mexico City airport, which was not only freezing (despite warm daytime temperatures), but also undergoing deafening renovations above our knackered noggins. The only tiny highlight was the local fajitas and several large vodkas...<br />
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After what seemed like an eternity, the Iberia staff sauntered into work at 9.15am and casually informed us they would put us on flight number 3...to El Salvador. Then we would take flight 4 several hours after that to our final destination, arriving approx 50(!) hours after we left home. </div>
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Obviously it was all we could do at this point, about 38 hours after we'd set off from Kent, not to grab them round the throat and rip their heads from their smug little brown shoulders. We graciously declined and parted with another £900 for new flights on Interjet to Costa Rica (Costa Fortune more like), vowing to squeeze every penny and more in compensation from BA at the earliest opportunity.</div>
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We finally arrived at San Jose 24 hours after our scheduled time and 46 hours after leaving Kent, dishevelled, delirious with exhaustion and with only 1 of our cases intact, the others having been on an ordeal of their own, finally arriving several hours after us on a different flight altogether. We were so excited to be reunited with our belongings that we practically skipped out of arrivals and into the arms of Andreas, our GVN rep who had waited patiently during all this kerfuffle to take us onwards to our host family's house...<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Fancy reading some more of my blogs? You can find them at:</b></div>
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Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-7055120101420485522016-02-15T03:11:00.001-08:002021-03-11T08:21:41.834-08:00Buzzing like bees on speed<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;">Attempting to get a couple of hours shut-eye before heading to the airport </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;">at 3am</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;"> was proving impossible. Andy and I were buzzing like a couple of bees on speed; every time we closed our eyes they pinged open again and we eventually admitted defeat and bounded out of bed to get ready to leave for our adventure.</span><br />
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By 4am we were at Heathrow, waving off Dad and getting our caffeine fixes in Nero's whilst waiting for check-in to open at 5am. I'd insisted on leaving early as I was nervous about our cases being checked right through to San Jose and not just to Madrid for our connection, which at 55mins for the changeover was always a little ambitious with hindsight, although as a seasoned traveller I'd pulled it off without event several times before. </div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Hn1nYgpbIuihm6HLILURpznKEdKRpsVy7VYtYmjBJNH0yecSroSKa_qc4Ycy_gCUilEPMjHdUcFf8axy2tZoVnKeSgco-9SeB6b09FGLk9wuzePsxwFMzrHJsJGiBFIEhBrGvQCDyQE/s2048/716EA533-A27B-4C6E-BCF4-E0A169136EF8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Hn1nYgpbIuihm6HLILURpznKEdKRpsVy7VYtYmjBJNH0yecSroSKa_qc4Ycy_gCUilEPMjHdUcFf8axy2tZoVnKeSgco-9SeB6b09FGLk9wuzePsxwFMzrHJsJGiBFIEhBrGvQCDyQE/s320/716EA533-A27B-4C6E-BCF4-E0A169136EF8.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Having sorted all that and feeling chilled, we headed for the usual over-priced brekkie that is compulsory airport fayre when going on your holibobs. Never in my life have I strayed from my obligatory Full English, but for some reason the Mexican breakfast of Huevos Rancheros leapt from the menu and whilst Mum and Andy tucked into their sausages, I munched on fried eggs with avocado, guacamole and chorizo, which was delicious, although in light of what happened next I can't help wondering if it was an ominous omen of the fate that was about to befall us....</div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>Fancy reading some more of my blogs? You can find them at:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b><a href="http://www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com/">www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com</a></b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.mummymission.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.mummymission.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><span style="color: purple; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com</a></span></b></span></div></div>Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-418690783769581382016-02-12T10:01:00.002-08:002016-09-11T10:04:54.482-07:00The story so far....Okay, here we go, so let me kick off the proceedings by giving you a bit of background to this latest blog. The last time I wrote, I had split from my husband Liam after a 15yr relationship which was soured irreparably by my inability to join the breeding masses and produce a screeching sproglet.<br />
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Living alone for the first time in my life at age 38, I felt lonely and a teensy bit sad, although most of the time I did a pretty good job of drowning my inner voice in cheap plonk whilst on an endless conveyer-belt of dates with guys young enough to be the son I never had. Looking back, maybe it was some Freudian attempt at motherhood, who knows.....<br />
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Anyway, I'd be lying if I said dating young bucks didn't boost my deflated ego (and I'm nothing if not blunt, as you may know), but inside I was an empty husk of a thing. My job as London regional manager for a beauty brand also made me feel like a mother of sorts, albeit a terrible one, as having an army of needy staff spread across 17 shops saw me hopping on and off tubes between each store in a frantic attempt to boost sales whilst diffusing the personal dramas of squabbling sales assistants.<br />
After a year and a half of such chaos, I decided enough was enough - I stepped down from the role, vowed never to Internet date again, and booked a month-long solo trip to Thailand.<br />
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Before I jetted off to Bangkok, I allowed myself just one last Tinder sesh.....and Andy Walker came into my life....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAk7W5fiIgmdVx12MWRzI2xzms7CS1tLdq5EXQfzAgtSc71Kck2wCAvRLaAT9bS1ggqU6VM7K6x3jsdEUOqGwMfcFMYK4VFH8pBikLKB_kI9sIobnJvp6C8mgcFZYtH4nDBf2M1JOjZw/s1600/IMG_0932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAk7W5fiIgmdVx12MWRzI2xzms7CS1tLdq5EXQfzAgtSc71Kck2wCAvRLaAT9bS1ggqU6VM7K6x3jsdEUOqGwMfcFMYK4VFH8pBikLKB_kI9sIobnJvp6C8mgcFZYtH4nDBf2M1JOjZw/s320/IMG_0932.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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A divorced father of two girls, he had also had his fingers burnt at the hands of love. We squeezed in two dates on the consecutive evenings before my departure, then had a month-long digital courtship whilst I was away, before reuniting the minute I got back to the UK. Within weeks he moved into my house and we've lived happily ever since, 18 months later.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJtLMCWr8hhczO6O2M0APR4t81zE3zCzvfTPDmne8pQKr5iIA-ZKLErJHTMAlfGRgizDte5pvJNkVe6jXq9N2ryuAnr6f3glShEPjVh52vA9mqarX_ihbR2BNWSOFZWfeoCh7vVP3C1g/s1600/IMG_0306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJtLMCWr8hhczO6O2M0APR4t81zE3zCzvfTPDmne8pQKr5iIA-ZKLErJHTMAlfGRgizDte5pvJNkVe6jXq9N2ryuAnr6f3glShEPjVh52vA9mqarX_ihbR2BNWSOFZWfeoCh7vVP3C1g/s320/IMG_0306.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I took Andy on a personal tour of my favourite Thai islands last year, but alas my wanderlust is a thirst that will never be quenched, so now it's time for a fresh adventure - volunteering in an orphanage in Costa Rica.<br />
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They say three's a crowd - well it will be with my mum accompanying us on this journey, but as she consoled me during my darkest, loneliest moments over recent years I could hardly ignore her pleas to join us, as Costa Rica was always on her bucket list but my dad isn't too keen on the spiders and snakes. Come to think of it, neither am I....<br />
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So now we've fundraised for the GVN charity with the help of social media and amazing friends, filled our suitcases to bursting point with baby clothes, pens and colouring books, and my mother is foaming at the mouth from her last-minute express course of Hep B jabs.....I would say that makes us ready to set off for the airport, wouldn't you?<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>Fancy reading some more of my blogs? You can find them at:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b><a href="http://www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com/">www.lifeabirdseyeview.blogspot.com</a></b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.mummymission.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>www.mummymission.blogspot.com</b></span></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><a href="http://www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;">www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com</span></a></b></span><br />
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<br />Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6285428561231522758.post-73595340046939052762016-02-12T09:01:00.002-08:002016-09-11T09:44:41.880-07:00Hola! Welcome to my shiny new blog - first there was <a href="http://www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com/">www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com</a> , documenting life as a married backpacker doing all kinds of crazy stuff:<br />
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Then came <a href="http://www.mummymission.blogspot.com/">www.mummymission.blogspot.com</a> which was intended to document our (unsuccessful and ultimately agonising) IVF journey:<br />
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Next up was <a href="http://www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com/">www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com</a> in which I had a blast travelling alone around the Thai islands in a classic attempt to 'find myself' and get over the painful break-up of my marriage (but mostly just 'found' a whole load of other party people up for the craic...)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibiV6aOb-RireUzKYt94fJeS8irQ_4xPDFM_e_aRWcDfrUFIa4juKz5uhVeQpFPSSFQA08IjYk_xMH1Cqc-F8EUK-WIIqywOUXYUpDHOKbrIYeeDWX8AxYWT-DZ_xJq_d64PCuqpLhFc/s1600/IMG_7106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibiV6aOb-RireUzKYt94fJeS8irQ_4xPDFM_e_aRWcDfrUFIa4juKz5uhVeQpFPSSFQA08IjYk_xMH1Cqc-F8EUK-WIIqywOUXYUpDHOKbrIYeeDWX8AxYWT-DZ_xJq_d64PCuqpLhFc/s320/IMG_7106.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now, with only a matter of hours to go until I jet off to Costa Rica for another action-packed adventure, I thought I'd gather my thoughts and start blog number four.......can I get a drumroll please for........<b>Costa Rica Chica!</b> www.CostaRicaChica1.blogspot.com.<br />
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Samantha Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08924699477544035160noreply@blogger.com0