Guanacaste

My Costa Rica trip is coming up and this time I want to hit the beach wearing a white or pink bikini, so I have SIX MONTHS to get my portly ass in gear. And I just ate a big chocolate chip cookie five minutes ago. And last night I watched a movie with my son while eating some Mint Chocolate Cookie Ben & Jerry’s. And the day before that…well, you get where I’m going with this. I’m sort of looking like Fat Bastards out of shape little sister.Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit, but I damn sure am NOT two-piece sexy, no-way, Jose. So after I finish my Thai lunch, I’m going for a 25 minute power walk around this “compound.” And before dinner I'm grabbing my jump rope and channeling Black Jack Johnson.

I’ve done a little bit of research about Costa Rica and, aside from La Romeria, which is our primary purpose for visiting, there is much to see, do and get excited about. For instance, at the top of one of their volcanoes (Ricon de la Vieja), there is a beautiful acidic lake filling the center and several hot springs nearby. You can hike up there to see the lake as well as take in views of the surrounding

countryside. Though I’d much rather go by horseback. It’s a huge hike! And there are snakes (and monkeys) so I’d rather my feet not be on the ground. There are seven active volcanoes in all but the most spectacular is said to be the Volcan Arenal,

which regularly puts on Fourth of July-like lava shows. And I hear that on a good day if you hike to the top of Mount Chirripo, you can see both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean at the same time. My friend Patty’s grandmother lives in Playa Conchal, Guanacaste, which is on the north Pacific side of the country. It’s near the Monteverde cloud forest reserve, where you can

zip line on a canopy tour from tree to tree, and the rainforest where some of the most exotic plants and animals in the world reside. I took 3 years of Spanish in high school but I know it’s no match for what I’ll be up against. Thankfully, Patty is fluent. Although, I’m still going to buy a Spanish Rosetta Stone program so that I feel more comfortable. My son can use it too for school, so it will be money well spent. He is doing a bit of research on the history of pirates on Cocos Island and throughout sections of Costa Rica to get himself excited about the trip. As if simply going isn’t enough. Psht! Anyway, here’s a snippet borrowed from www.infocostarica.com about pirates and legends of buried treasure on Cocos Island:

During the 17th and 18th centuries it was a refuge for pirates and many wanderers of low repute. Many valuable treasures have reportedly been hidden on the island, among them the Lima Treasure, consisting of tons of gold and silver bars and gold sheets that were meant to cover church roofs, and the treasures of William Davies, hidden in 1684, and Benito Bonito, whom they called "Espada Sangrienta" (Bloody Sword), hidden in 1869.

There are also two old shipwrecks off Punta Cahuita that are believed to be haunted by French and Spanish pirates. I can’t wait to feel like I’m waiting for Johnny Depp and the crew of the Black Pearl to arrive and battle it out with Davey Jones and his men. I’m still very much a kid at heart and this type of stuff truly excites me. My son is a much harder sell though, so we’ll see if he has a good time. The first thing he said to me when I announced that we’d be going to Costa Rica was “What the heck are we going to do in Costa Rica?!”

Um, have fun? Sheesh.