Amman and Beyond

Wednesday

Still raining but not nearly as bad. It just spits for a few hours and then stops. This morning, Drew (Dawn’s wife) took Dawn back to the doctor, who was in. It turns out that he had to recut her cut open with a scalpel in order to make sure that all of the sand and coral was out of the cut…it wasn’t. They pulled crap out of it and gave her stitches - THAT deep. She also got a shot in the ass, which we all found hilarious, but seriously, poor Dawn! She’s hobbling around because her foot is so sore and is being such a good sport about it. As for the rest of us, we left around 1 p.m. to go on the canopy tour of the rainforest - ziplining through the forest! After meeting up with the other group, we headed out to the middle of nowhere and then got in huge 4x4s to tackle the trails up the mountains. We came to a creek that the cars couldn’t go over with all of the weight, so we had to get out and cross ourselves, and then the car crossed. I looked hesitant and one of the tour guides just scooped me up and carried me across! It was hilarious. After we finally made it to the top, we got outfitted in our gear (which is insanely uncomfortable and also makes my butt look bigger than ever) and got instructions. Then we were off! IT WAS AMAZING. Let me state that a million times: IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! INCREDIBLE! UNBELIEVABLE! LIFECHANGING! MEMORABLE! AHHHHHH!!! Definitely one of the coolest things that I have ever done in my entire life. In between some of the zip lines was hiking which nearly kicked my ass - straight up HIKING THROUGH THE RAINFOREST. We were drenched in sweat and covered in mud from the rain. So completely worth it. It was absolutely amazing. I wish I could have taken video or pictures while I was going down the line, but you needed one hand to brake and one hand to keep you from spinning around, so no free hands =( However, there was a videographer/photographer that was there the whole time and we purchased a CD with a bunch of stuff on it from him that we’ll pick up tomorrow morning.

When we got back to home base, we were all filthy and muddy and I couldn’t wait to shower, because, uh, I haven’t yet. Haha, I went like three days without a shower because the rain cleaned us up! Unfortunately, there was no hot water. The coil was messed up or something. But it’s not that big of a deal because the water isn’t that cold in Costa Rica to begin with, so I just let it be. Let me tell you though, I have NEVER been so happy to use 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner in my life. I got used to it after a while, it wasn’t that bad. But tomorrow we’ll have hot water - yes!

After showers and clean up, we headed to a restaurant on the beach that has an all-you-can-eat pizza night on Wednesdays. There was a kid playing a guitar and singing that sounded like what I imagine Costa Rican emo sounds like, but we gave him props anyways. The place was so quaint, and there were adorable little kids running around everywhere. I’m obsessed with foreign kids! For 8,000 colones (16 dollars), I got endless pizza, a big (rum-filled) pina colada, and two beers. Gotta love that.

So now we’re back at @ E’s. This place rules so hard. They also have fresh pina coladas made right in front of you that, I SWEAR, are getting stronger every time. I’ve decided that these pina coladas are my new thing. I’ve never had one in America, but they are delicious here. There’s a big group of people playing poker with the owner of this place while the rest of us are just updating our internet lives.

I am so obsessed with this place. I will definitely, without a doubt, return here. I’ve found all of these places that are SUPER cheap - 10 dollars a night - and free bicycle rentals (the best way to get around). It’s the most laid-back place. Puerto Viejo was founded by Jamaican workers that came to Costa Rica to work on the railroad. So it’s very Afro-Caribbean and also very Latin. Everyone smokes weed, everyone rides around on their little bikes, nobody wears a bra and nobody is in a hurry.

Also, these are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. EVER. They are constantly helping you in any way that they can, such as carrying you across a creek so as not to get your feet wet before you hike up the rainforest.

Today was amazing. Tomorrow, the girls and I are getting massages at this spa that’s outdoors in the middle of the jungle. Everything they use is natural and handmade, like the coconut oils and creams. Chocolate is also big in Costa Rica, so I’ll have to grab some of that before I leave.

I’m having a blast. I love this place! And pina coladas!