Our Life in Costa Rica

Day 1: Airport Trip!

Well we are happy to announce that the "Day's" arrived safe and sound on Thursday...December 16th....just as planned. Of course, I am sure they did not plan on having such an exciting adventure in their journey to see us!

After arriving over 2 hours before their scheduled departure from Maryland, they were met with an airport full of military personel making their journeys home to see their families for the holidays. Even though the flight had been delayed, they were still removed from the luggage/check-in line and taken to the airplane so they could depart for Atlanta. Thankfully, the airport took their lugagge for them so they didn't need to continue to stand in line...thereby missing their plane.

Since the plane was late to leave Maryland, that meant it was late to arrive in Atlanta. This cut their lay over time down dramatically...and those of you that know Angie know that she needs her food....but they were unable to get something to eat before catching their next flight. :-(

Now the good thing is they were able to watch a good movie...Flipped....on their flight so it made the journey go by much faster.

After arriving in Costa Rica only about 20 minutes behind schedule, Angie said they breezed right through customs....grabbed their luggage....and went to find us....The Dinsmore's!

Angie then spent the next 1/2 hour removing clothing trying to cool off....aka...the weather here is great!!! (We are about 77 degrees every day)

We all loaded up into a van and made the not too long journey to our apartment where we unloaded their suitcases and grabbed a quick drink before heading to Plaza Mayor for dinner. It was a combination of Subway and Kentucky Fried Chicken.....YUM!!

Then it was back to our place for some catching up and an early 'lights out' for all....I mean most...of us. Julie and Jake talked and giggled well into the night!

Day 2: Look Out San Jose...

Today started off with several phone calls to Pennsylvania trying to get our frozen basement door open so the heat guy could get in to deliver some oil to our house....just love being this far away for those type of situations!!

Then we all headed up to the bank in Pavas where Angie experienced first hand the joys of banking in Costa Rica. We went in, took a number and a mere 45 minutes later we walked out having exchanged our dollars into colones.

We then walked a little ways up the road where we finally flagged down a bus driver and caught a ride into San Jose.....this is where it gets funny!!

After getting off at the last stop possible in San Jose, we all walked quickly off of the back street...which is not the best street in San Jose....and up to the cobble streets for a tour. I am not quite sure what was going on today but there were A LOT OF PEOPLE there! I had told veryone that we would go today because it would be much busier on the weekend but that was not the case....it was crazy!

After convincing Angie it would be fun to go into one of the oldest markets in San Jose she informed us, once we were back out of the market, that she was all done site seeing in Costa Rica.....8 minutes and she was done! :-)

The market is a series of winding, cramped, and jostling aisles where you can buy, eat, and bump your way into a panic attack!

I did manage to talk them into following me down to the bronze lady in the middle of a park area where everyone stops to rub some part of her for good luck....I don't know what it says about Costa Ricans but...her butt and boobs are pretty smooth from all the rubbing!

After taking several good pictures....see them on Facebook....we caught another bus home. Only this time I had to argue with the bus driver who cheated Angie out of 1000colones. They are not the best at math here sometimes!

We then stopped at Papa Johns for dinner where we had an AMAZING pepperoni pizza!

Then is was on to the grocery store for a few things. After which we stopped for ice cream before Bob, Julie, and Jake caught the bus the rest of the way home while Angie, Tim, and I walked...taking pictures as we went.

Once home we took everyone to the local pulperia to get some milk, then took a walk around the block, and finally watched fireworks exploding above our roof before heading in for the night.

Angie and I then looked for hotels at the beach for next week while Bob and Tim had a couple fo beers and watched some TV.

Julie and Jake...you ask? They are once again in his room talking and laughing and carrying on!

I think Jake just put a scary movie in....guess neither one of them will be sleeping again tonight!

Day 3: Street Market Trip!

The day started off with a lovely Christmas carol wafting in through our open windows....of course we are not sure if the carol was in English or Spanish, but either way....it was beautiful!

Bob made breakfast for everyone then we got ready and headed up to the street market to buy some fruit....YUM! There were tons of people, several muscicians, and the best smelling pineapple ever! We introduced them to these wonderful sugary snacky things they sell at the market....kind of like a funnel cake made into sticks.

We then took Angie, Julie, and Tim to the swinging bridge over the 'river' (the one we bike across all the time to go to Hyper Mas) and made them walk across it....and Angie swore she would not do that when she came...HAH! LOL!

On our way back to the house we stopped at a little corner store to get some bottled water because it was VERY HOT (81*) and while we were sitting on the bench outside waiting to cool off, we met a very nice man named Carlos who told us where he lived and where he worked and said that if we ever needed anything...just give him a call! They are so friendly here!

Next we went back to the house where Angie and I cut up all the fruit before making fruit plates for lunch. After which, we hung around the house for a while before heading up to the panaderia to get a fresh loaf of Europa bread to have with dinner. The first place didn't have the kind I liked so we started up to the next bread store. Just before we got there a woman pulled off the road in front of us and got out to remove her front bumper....which was dragging along the side of her car....thanks to the person who had just side swiped her car and drove off. She got out and asked if we would guard her bumper while she went "looking" for the person who had just hit her. We said sure, so Bob and Tim helped her rip her bumper the rest of the way off and she took off after him.....lucky for him she didn't catch him!

Angie, Julie, and I went to the bread store to get the bread while the men watched the bumper. She came back a few minutes after we returned and thanked us for doing that for her. We then went through the park....taking several hilarious pictures as we did....and then went to the purple house so Julie could get a picture of it.

Taking a new way home we eventually made our way back and Julie helped me make a dinner of steak, corn, oven-roasted potatoes, and that amazing home made loaf of bread. Tim even did the dishes for us...yay Tim!

Jake and Julie went to watch Titanic, and after Bob, Angie, and I finished making the arangements to have Andre take us to Jaco Beach on Monday....Angie and I went down to watch the movie with them. Man is that movie long!

Now Angie and Tim are in bed....Bob is sound asleep...Julie and Jake are giggling (and I think playing patty-cake) in his room....and I am now done with my blog.

Hope you enjoyed it....more to come tomorrow when we all go to Sabana Park to try out some aerobic salsa hula hooping!

Day 4: La Sabana Park

No Christmas music this morning but the sun was shining so that was good! After everyone was ready we went to the bus stop and caught the bus to La Sabana Park so we could show the Days how Costa Ricans spend their weekends. We spent SEVERAL hours walking around taking in the sights.

We saw the hula hoop salsa dancer not too long after we entered the park. Of course the first thing we saw was a group of children in red t-shirts having a potato sack race....they were so cute! But the roller blading girl....took the cake on cuteness!

We could hear music but it would be a little while before we found out who it was that was playing. We came across a family reunion as well as volley ball, tennis, and soccer games. We even came across an arm wrestling competition and a roller blade race. Our pictures turned out great and can be found on facebook in my album marked "The Days Visit to Costa Rica"....check them out!

We ate steak on a tortilla that a man cooked on his shopping cart....you heard me right....shopping cart...and it was so good Jake and Julie went back for seconds! I never thought I would be eating food off a shopping cart but....you go with punches, and in this case....it was delicious! And whatever that 'sauce' was in the little tin can that he was using to season the steak...it was muy delicioso!

We were heading in the direction of the music when we came across a man walking through the park with 4 of the most adorable fluff ball puppies you will ever see. Of course I found it funny that Tim....who has walked up to every barking dog he has come across... stood talking to Bob while Angie went over to the puppies and melted like a stick of butter in a frying pan! Of course you just have to look at the picture of her and the puppy to know why that was the case! I can see the wheels turning as she tries to figure out how to get that adorable puppy under her seat on the plane when she goes back to Pennsylvania. I laugh because she was worried about smuggling a jar of peanut butter here but she will figure a way to out smart customs for that puppy!

We finally found where the music was coming from and spent the next 1/2 hour or so listening to this amazing Regae Band called "Ojo de Buey".....

and watching some crazy woman dancing around. We figured she must have been present at Wood Stock and just never found her way back to the present!

She went all through the crowd trying to get people up and moving....when she wasn't doing strange "bee swatting" motions....and actually managed to get parts of the crowd on their feet and dancing after about 20 minutes or so!

Then we went for a walk around the lake. We saw kids playing in shallow pools of water, ducks sitting on the waters edge, kids riding ponies, people flying kites, families having picnics, and a group of young adults who were very interested in taking their picture with Angie, Tim, and Bob...................................

We finished up our trip to the park watching Jake and Julie race their two seater bike around the soccer fields being chased by little kids.

We ended up walking the whole way home.....because we couldn't find a bus....and made a stop at the Fresh Market for fresh bread (to have with our spaghetti dinner....which Julie made) and another stop at Plaza Mayor for a restroom break (it is the half way mark on the way home) and a scoop of ice cream from "Pops"....their ice cream is delicious! Just ask Angie!! :-)

Day 5: Jaco Beach

The day started out Very Early....trying to get 6 people ready to catch the shuttle bus by 7:30 am....and it looked to be a very promising day weather wise....I said....looked to be!

We started the day with a very pleasant greeting by Adrian Retana, of AdrianTransfers & Tours, and his adorable 9 year old son Albert. After loading up the ice chest and our towels, and such, we headed out for Jaco Beach.

We stopped at one of the "Tourist Hot Spots" along our way and saw the crocodiles under the bridge next to a couple of tourist shops where you can check out the local wares for sale.....Costa Rica is known for their lovely Rosewood and you can find all sorts of things to buy that are made from it.

Just before we got to Jaco Beach (it is pronounced like 'taco' but with an 'h') it started to drizzle. We went ahead and unloaded our things....persistent people that we are....and headed down to the water to swim in the waves. The waves were really nice and big and we gave it our best shot trying to prove to them who was boss! Jake, Julie, Tim, and I braved the waves and swam a little, while Angie stood in the water up to her knees snapping pictures. There was one wave that came through and decided to show Tim and I who was boss and sent both of us end over end after dragging us under water.......we bow to the all mighty wave!

The rain turned harder so we threw our stuff back in the van and headed up to the main street to look around. Of course any of you that know us well, know that we never made it past the first restaurant we came to before we sat down for some food. We of course are going to blame it on the rain....and there is nothing you can do to make us say otherwise! :-)

We stopped at this open front restaurant and enjoyed a lunch of hamburgers, fries, and rice with chicken waiting out the rain! Our waiter was very funny because he kept cutting us off as we talked and kept saying, "It's good!" I was a little scared on what we would end up getting but he did a good job overall! I, of course, had to order the rice and chicken (arroz con pollo), which I LOVE, one last time before we move.

The rain let up while we were eating, so we decided to take a quick peak at the stores on the main road before heading back to the beach. There were all kinds of cool stores that sold everything you could think of from wooden bowls, to jewelry, to t-shirts, to photo albums made from trees, to toys, to tatoos, and surfboards! They even had these cool little cars you could rent for the day. We saw a man making surf boards in front of a store, which was neat to watch!

We then headed back to the side road that lead to the beach so we could all go swimming....since the sun looked like it wanted to come out and play with us! On the way back, we passed a surf shop that had some of the most interesting surf boards I had ever seen.

And there was even a volkswagon van with surf boards on top of it being used as an advertisement for the store because it was on top of a pole in front of the building...it was really neat! Almost as neat as the Bob Marley surf board.

Once we got back to the beach we set our stuff back out on the beach, this time next to a nice big log Bob could sit on, set up the umbrella, and we headed down to the water to swim. The waves had gotten even bigger since the rain storm so now the surfers were out in full force. There were dogs running up and down the beach, kids making sand castles and throwing stones, women walking up and down the beach selling pottery and jewelry, people getting surf lessons, and couples walking up and down the beach. Angie continued to take pictures, tim and I swam a little more, and Jake & Julie spent the rest of the day doing what they have done since they got here....staring into each others eyes....ignoring the rest of the world! :-)

We finally loaded everything back into the van and headed out to get some good pictures of the sunset. Our driver took us over to an amazing over-look where we could look back at the beach and watch the sunset. It was overcast all day so we didn't actually get a full blown beach sunset, but we did get some beautiful "sunset behind the trees" shots!

It was a wonderful day spent at the beach with some wonderful friends who were wonderful enough to come for a visit! Who could ask for anything more?

Day 6: Our Trip to Multi Plaza in Escazu

Our day started off well rested because we had all gone to bed at a decent time....after that long day at the beach!

I made a few more phone calls and found out that the heating man had everything up and running at the house with no problems....that made my day! We then all got ready to go to the mall in Escazu so we could show Tim, Angie, and Julie this huge mall we have been telling them about.

After taking a bus to La Sabana Park, we crossed through the park to the Autopista to catch a bus to the mall...Multi Plaza. After watching several buses drive by filled to the max with people, and after trying to flag down the ones we needed, we walked to the bus stop before us to try to catch the bus. Lucky for us....the third bus that came around the corner was the one we needed. Of course all the seats were taken so we all had to stand....but those are the things that make life interesting!

Once we arrived at the mall, I went straight to the bank....which had a REALLY LONG line....and took a number. Mine was A177....they were on A91. It was going to be a while! So we headed out to the main part of the mall, and after deciding when we would meet...and where...Jake and Julie went off to look at things they wanted to look at, Tim went to look at motorcycles, and Angie and I decided to explore the mall one floor at a time...there are 3 floors! (As you can see in that picture!)

Angie could not get over how big the mall was....it took us 4 1/2 hours just to walk it all at a casual stroll...and she could not get over how many people were at the mall, "For a Tuesday!" There is a train that goes around the mall....and not just on a track that goes in a circle...which Angie and I both think is pretty cool! Of course the kids riding on the train thought it was cooler than we did, but that goes without saying!

I made 3 trips back to the bank to see if my number was up, which it was....after 2 1/2 hours! I wasn't the only person who took a number and kept checking back. After I went to the bank we all stopped at the food court to get something to eat....of course the hardest part was finding a table. This food court is HUGE and there wasn't a table anywhere. Angie and Tim finally found one and we took turns going to order food so we wouldn't lose out table. Once we were done with our lunch, we all went to "Pops" for some icecream...yum!

Then it was off for a little more shopping....coming and going as groups and as a whole....and I got the cutest picture of Angie and Tim in front of one of...you heard me right, one of because there were 4 tree's in the mall...not counting one's inside individual stores.....and a real Santa, who was in a snow globe, who the children could talk to as they sat on his lap.

Of course one of the funniest things for me on this trip was when Angie went to leave the Hallmark store and wasn't paying that much attention and walked right into the window! The front of the store was all glass...including the doors which were open...and she managed to catch over 3/4 of her body on the window. It wasn't like she caught her shoulder. But this is where the Karma comes in because after I laughed and teased her about it....I whacked my head on a light on the bus on the way home!

Tim was excited because when we went home on the bus our stop at the park required us to use a big passenger bridge that crosses over the autopista so we can get on the correct side of the road to go home.

Once home, Tim went to bed.....he is fighting a really bad cold....and Bob, who had stayed home to rest his knee and back, watched some TV while Jake, Julie, Angie, and I continued watching Dexter's 1st Season....5 episodes down and 7 to go to finish up the 1st season. I have been trying to get Angie to watch this show for 2 years and she has fought me at every turn....but not any more! She loves this show now!!

Day 7: Tim Heads Back to the Frigid Cold!

Today started off with a beautifully sunny day! The sky was clear....the sun was shining....the birds were singing....and Tim was catching some last minute rays before getting back on the plane and heading home to the blistery cold weather of Pennsylvania. He gets to re-experience that lovely 8 degree weather as opposed to our lovely 80 degree weather.....wait! If you take your 08 degree weather and flip it....you have our 80 degree weather....neat!

The bus ride into San Jose was uneventful and we arrived in time to board the bus to the airport without having to wait for 20 minutes to get going. They were finishing up the boarding when we got there so we crawled on and settled in for the 25 minute ride. The bus is very plush but Angie didn't like the swaying motion it created as it traveled over the potholed roads.

Once we arrived at the airport, and after showing our passports so we could enter the airport, we made sure Angie and Tim went to the Exit Desk that all travelers are required to visit before leaving Costa Rica. There you have to pay an exit tax before you are allowed to fly and they give you a receipt which....according to the very frustrated woman waiting by the last computer....you need to make sure has your name and passport number listed correctly. Apparently, her receipt had one...or both....of things incorrect, and she was fighting with them to fix it.

Once that was done, Tim told everyone goodbye and proceeded through the line to check in. That went rather quickly and before we knew it he was on his way to the back to wait for his plane. We went down the elevator to the bottom floor....where you come out when you arrive in Costa Rica. We were there for two reasons....one was to try to find the man, Adrian, who took us to the beach, and the other was to get some icecream and a drink! It was really hot today!

After we left the airport we arrived back in San Jose. Jake, Julie, and Bob headed back to the house. Angie and I went into San Jose to do some last minute shopping. As we were traveling through the middle of San Jose.....down the cobblestones....we did a little bit of window shopping and a whole lot of people watching! There were clowns painting kids faces...........

There were all kinds of interesting things going on. We saw Santa and he was hanging out with 2 Barneys.....not just 1.....along with BJ and Baby Bop...and we saw the cutest little kids motorcycle sitting next to a stuffed pony!

After walking a little farther, we ended up in a really interesting "tourist" area and we went inside to find the items on our lists. I was looking for a frog made from Rosewood....which is what Costa Rica is known for.....as well as a sign for our house that said, "Welcome to our Home" in Spanish.... "Bienvenido a Nuestra Casa".

I found both of those things as well as a couple of smaller items for Julie and Jake. Angie was looking for some gifts for her and Julie to take back to their friends and family in Pennsylvania. We had a great time looking in all of the stalls and haggling with the storekeepers, and I really enjoyed practicing my Spanish. Angie has even learned a few things in Spanish and has been using them quite well as she shopped. She has mastered "Solo estoy viendo." which means, "I'm just looking."

Once we finished our shopping we went to Quizno's where Angie got something to eat before we headed back to the bus to go home. We made one last stop at Plaza Mayor so Angie could pick up a motorcycle magazine....in Spanish....for Tim. Of course you can't go to Plaza Mayor without stopping for an ice cream cone so Angie got her favorite....vanilla/chocolate swirl....and we listened to the 4 women singing carols for a few minutes before heading home.

We walked to the 1st video rental store because Jake had texted me asking us to pick up "Remember Me" but they were out, so we headed to the next video store (they were out too) which meant that we ended up walking home from Plaza Mayor after walking all through San Jose. At least we got to see an amazing sunset!

Then it was time for a couple more episodes of "Dexter" before heading to bed. So now my blogging is done and I can go to bed ready to start a new day tomorrow. Who knows what the day will hold but we will make sure to take pictures and tell you about it later!

Day 8.) Hanging Around the House

Well today was pretty uneventful. After a good nights sleep, we decided to just hang around the house....more or less!

Jake and Julie decided to take a bus ride up to Plaza Mayor to get a donut and walk around. Then they planned on checking for the movie "Remember Me" on the walk home. It was supposed to be a jog home but they were too engrossed in their conversation to run....that and the fact that Julie had on flip flops! :-) It must have been a very good conversation because they forgot to look for the movie and asked us to look for the movie when we went to the grocery store.

Angie and I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood, while Jake and Julie were at Plaza Mayor, to get pictures of the mountains and to check out a few of the local stores in our neighborhood. It was a beautiful day and the sun was shining. It is hard to stay inside on such a nice day!

We stopped at the bank and then a couple of stores before going to the panaderia for a drink and a pastry....boy are those pastries good!

Then we went back to the house to tell Bob, who was home resting his knee after this exciting past week of sight seeing, we were going to Plaza Mayor for some groceries. We came back to find Jake and Julie sitting on the stairs talking...I think it is #17on their list of "things to do" while Julie is here. This is when we found out that they forgot to look for the movie.

Angie and I decided to walk up to Plaza Mayor for the groceries because the weather was so beautiful. Of course about half way there I remembered that it is all up hill! After getting the groceries we decided to get a 1/2 gallon of Angies favorite ice cream from POPS ice cream store....vanilla/chocolate swirl....which meant that we had to take the bus home....you know...so the ice cream wouldn't melt.

I made lunch and then had some ice cream and we had just finished up when the phone rang and the movie store called to tell us that "Remember Me" was back. Jake and Julie walked up to get it and then came back and watched it.

After the movie was over I called Sarene and we all talked to her for a while before finally settling in to finish up Season 1 of "Dexter"....it is official.....Angie is hooked! :-)

Now it is bedtime although I think Jake and Julie just put "Pirates of the Carribean" in the dvd player....they are on their own...I am too tired!

9.) Christmas Eve:

Well today has been all about getting ready for Christmas. We don't actually have a lot planned since Julie's present was the trip to Costa Rica and Jake is getting a Wii once we get to China. Of course, Jake and Julie had presents for each other and that was fun to watch.

Julie started out by giving Jake his birthday present which was a really cool necklace with a camera charm on it...he absolutley loved it and is wearing it as I type!

Then Jake and Julie exchanged Christmas gifts.....since Jake's hair was done.....and it started with Jake sending Julie on a treasure hunt for her presents. He used the computer to give her clues using a rhyming poem. He sent her all over the house looking for other clues and then the presents themselves. She found the game Jenga in the dryer in the laundry room and on each block was a memory they had shared.

Next Jake sent her to his room where she found her next present beside the televison behind a video game....it was a beautiful scarf......

.....which was followed by the present behind the phone book in the living room which was a beautiful puzzle box that is two dolphins facing each other. They fit together like a puzzle....Julie got one and Jake got the other.

Then he finished up at the computer where he gave her the final present..... a beautiful ring (Which can be seen on her hand as she is playing Jenga)and a montage of their time spent together in Costa Rica......

She really liked her presents!

Then she gave Jake his presents....one at a time!

He started with a beautiful really nice beaded necklace with nice blue beads....
which he absolutely loved and hasn't taken off yet!

Then he opened his stack of books that she got him.....the last book in the Vladimir Todd series and the next 2 books in the The Apprentice series. Now he will have something to do on our 3 day...almost 29 hour flight.....and 8800 mile flight to China in 5 days!

Next he got a necklace with half a wing on it.....and Julie kept the other half....which each of them will wear and which are a perfect match when they fly back to each other!

She also had some body wash and a bottle of cologne of one of her new favorite scents....Twilight! It smells really good! Of course Jake sprayed two pumps when he opened it and then the whole room smelled like Twilight for about an hour! LOL!

Last but not least....and definitely last becasue she knew that his eyes would glaze over once he opened it.....was Fall Out Las Vegas! He has wanted that game for FOREVER!

It was a wonderful Christmas Eve!! Jake and Julie had a great time giving each other presents and Bob, Angie, and I enjoyed watching them open them.....we have the best kids ever!!

10.) Christmas Day!!

The day started out early....about 7am for me and about 5am for Bob but it was a great way to start the morning. We had a couple of presents for Julie and Jake. Julie's big present was the trip here and Jake wants a Wii....and since they are made in China.....we are waiting until we get to China to get him one so we don't have to pack it in our suitcases....it is amazing how fast a suitcase hits the 50 pound mark when you are trying to condense! They both got language books....German and Italian....and Julie got a purse from Costa Rica and Jake got Eclipse...the movie.

We then had some breakfast and just hung around the house packing things up getting ready for our move in 4 days. Bob was flipping through the channels when he came across the news covering the big bicycle race happening in Costa Rica. It is the Tour de Costa Rica....more or less!

While we were watching it we noticed that we actually recognized where they were shooting video of them racing and that is when Bob realized that they had made it to San Jose for the finale. He told us about hearing a bunch of sirens and a helicopter around our neighborhood and that was when we put two and two together and realized they were riding somewhere close to our house.

We watched them go around La Sabana Park and then we saw a building by our house and heard the sirens and helicopter again. I grabbed my shoes and ran outside but didn't see anything except the helicopter. I went back in and told Bob who was still watching the televsion.

As we watched they made another trip around the park.....man are they fast!!.....and then we knew they would be back. We all grabbed our shoes and headed outside to try to see where they were racing at.

They weren't right out in front of our house but they were only a block away....we could see the people lined up on the next road....so we headed over there to see the racers. They came through just before we got there but no one seemed to be leaving so we went up to wait for them to make another lap around. We didn't have to wait too long before they came back through and it was neat because we were all standing in the middle of the road as they rode by.

We watched them make another lap or two before Jake and Julie headed back to the house....followed shortly there after by Angie. Bob and I then moved up the road towards the main bulevard to try to get a better angle of the race. We watched one lap on one side of the road.....

......along with a lot of other people...........

before I switched to the other side to get better pictures!

It was really neat to watch and I am just glad we were still in Costa Rica when they held the race. We had been told it would last either 10 or 15 days....it was 10 days....which is nice because if it had been a 15 day race we would have missed it with our move to China.

The rest of the day was spent hanging around the house making cookies and having a ham dinner...watching the movie "Knight and Day" and then ending the day with two more episodes of the 2nd season of Dexter....Angie is addicted! Hahahahaha!! ;-)

11.) Surprise Trip to San Jose....

So we are sitting at the house doing nothing....thinking we should be doing something....when Angie says....out of the blue..."Let's go to San Jose!" Once I checked her temperature and made sure she wasn't a pod person....because she said she was NEVER going to San Jose again....we got ready to catch the bus. We had to go in because she needed to get her mom's present. Jake and Julie had already left....and Bob was comfortable (not really because the furniture here stinks!)...so Angie and I went alone. We saw the neatest mural on the way to the busWe were in for a BIG SURPRISE when we got to San Jose because the streets were lined with people waiting for what looked to be a parade to start.

We went to the center of town so we could do our shopping and get away from ALL THE PEOPLE! Wow! There were vendors set up all down the cobble streets selling just about anything you could think of, and we even saw Barney and Baby Bop again. Angie and I worked our way down the street and ended up at the market where they sell eveything Costa Rica.

I found the sign I had been looking for and was very happy to find it. I wanted to get a welcome to our house sign....in Spanish...to take with us. Once we get to China I am going to look for the same sign in Chinese!

After some, "Let's find gifts for friends and family" shopping...we started back to the bus. Angie even got to see a grown man peeing in the corner on our way back...lucky her!

We worked our way slowly back towards the bus...looking at all the things for sale in the middle of the cobble street.....as the temperature slowly started falling. It even got to the point where Angie was wishing she had a jacket....or at least long sleeves....and we picked up the pace!

When we got back to the main street we were surprised that the "parade" was actually nothing but thousands.....yes thousands ....of horses! I have never seen that many horses in one spot in my life. Angie and I took pictures the whole way back to the bus stop. It was soooooo neat!

12.) Packing and Re-Packing

So most of today was spent re-packing our suitcases for our trip to China. I had 6 of the 7 suitcases pasked and ready to go when we decided to only take 6 because then we wouldn't have to pay for extra luggage fees. It sounded simple enough but.....not so much!

Adrian...the tour guide/taxi man/ person taking us to the aiport....came by to pick up some of the items we had left at the house that we were giving to him and his family. He is such a nice man and was so helpful when we went to Jaco Beach last week.

Jake and Julie walked to Plaza Mayor and ran a few errands then came back and took Angie for a walk to the bicycle shop while I continued to pack. After a while they wanted to go to the Italian restaurant down the street so Angie, Julie, and Jake headed to the restaurant. Everything on the menu was in Spanish so they changed their minds and went to Papa Johns for the best pizza ever! Then it was off to Plaza Mayor...again...but this time for donuts!

Back at the house...I was almost done re-packing....we turned on Dexter and finished up Season 2...it was GOOD!

Then I talked to Helen...in China at the school I am going to be working in...and she said they want to keep me in Beijing. Looks like we won't be going to Hefei after all. Guess we will find out for sure once we get there....in 5 days!

13.)Hair for You!

So today was another day of just hanging around and spending time together before we all go our own way. I had to re-pack my suitcases because I forgot to pack all of my bathroom stuff and had filled each bag to the 50 pound limit! I am all done packing! I don't want to do it again....for at least a year! :-)

Jake and Julie took a long walk down to the airport and Bob, Angie, and I loaded up our televisions and took them to the pawn shop to sell. Had no choice since we are leaving soon for China and we can't take them with us!

Angie, Julie, and Jake went to McDonalds so Julie and Jake could cross off the last thing on their list...eating at McDonalds....lol! They had made a list of things they wanted to do when they got together and they have been crossing things off the list for almost 2 weeks now.

Bob and I had steak and mashed potatoes because there was still some food in the freezer that needed to be eaten before we go. Once eveyone got back, we made Isaiahs Christmas card and put his presents inside....yes Zay Zay....you have presents coming!

Jake and Julie decided to do each others hair...which is where the pictures came from....and then we went to the Chinese store one last time before we move. The couple wished us well and said they hoped to see us again sometime soon.

Our experience here has been amazing...just wish I had been able to find a job here when we 1st arrived. But we are very excited about the opportunity that awaits us China....which was in our plans down the road anyway...just doing it sooner.