Updates from CR

Photo Credit:  MacGruber

Cast of characters:
LG aka MacGruber
SK aka Smookems
D
Graddy aka Nina
W aka Dub
JS
Gator

*Sorry for the small smattering of pictures.  I simply do not have the patience to wait for blogger CR to upload all 8 bajillion pictures and then scramble all of my well placed text.  Hopefully I will add more pictures when we are home in the states, but I make no guarantees.

Updates from the Jungle:

Day two (Sunday) in CR found me awake, bleary eyed and ready to explore our tiny town of Tamarindo.  D, Smookems and I jogged down the road, through the jungle, over the beach, jumped a few small rivers and then turned around and did it all in reverse.  2 days in a row.  Woot, woot.

I was worried about my gimpy ankles but my worry was totally unfounded.  Alas, the 3 billion dollars in PT, rehab and good Ol’ chiropractic care has finally paid off.  My ankles feel grrrrrreeeat.  Or at least 85%.  My hips on the other hand have overnight developed an excruciating condition that my fellow traveler and Chiro has diagnosed as bursitis.  And I just turned 30 last year.  RIDICULOUS I tell you.  Thus I have officially diagnosed myself with a double case of really sad hip flexor-itis.  Really, really sad.

My fellow merry band has offered to carry me a few times after witnessing my wobble, hobble, shake it, shake it that has become my new gate, and we’ve only begun Day 3 of our adventures.  Eh.  Nothing a little ice won’t fix.  And that’s why I’m sitting here typing with two large Ziplocs full of ice down my pants. Awesome.  And chilly.  JS says I’m still dead sexy with my ice bags, my limping and my personal fragrance: ode to Biofreeze.  But who wouldn’t?

On day two (Sunday) Smookums cooked us a wonderful breakfast of eggs served on an open faced roll.  Amazing! Yesterday (Monday) Smookems, MacGruber and I walked all the way to town for Copacobana’s six dollar breakfast. Yum!  We had fruit, a tiny smoothie, coffee, eggs and veggies.  And then we hiked/ limped all the way back home which totally negated all of our breakfast calories and my first morning shower.  It’s about a 15-20 minute walk in each direction.

Our first full day found us on the beach sunning and chillaxing with amazing views.  It was a Sunday so all the surfers were out in good form.  The waves are not exactly terrifying but I haven’t ventured out to see them up close.  I had totally planned on taking surfing lessons while we’re here but then I realized it involves getting out in waters that are deeper than my waist…  And then all I can hear is the theme song from Jaws.

Damn the 80’s and the high preponderance of water monster movies from my youth.  I have polled several people in my same age bracket that all say the same thing.  Deep water is terrifying and dark water is a no-go.  We ALL agree that anything unidentifiable that touches a leg calls for immediate ink cloud release, screeching and walking across the offending body of water until a safe shore has been achieved.  And we also agree that we could all benefit from a little therapy.

Photo Credit:  MacGruber

While we were on the beach we had Brazilian Caipirinhas with a watermelon CR twist.  They were fantastical and had us headed home for naps by early afternoon.  We ended our first day with swimming in our private pool.  Sadly, the purple floats I literally packed on my back all the way from the states are total lemons.  One immediately sank like the Titanic and the second is dying a slow hissing death.

For dinner JS grilled us chikkin and burgers while all the single ladies prepared the vegetable accoutrements. Needless to say, the fruit, veggies and eggs here are to die for.  The meat however, is really strange.  My good friend KBF would say that it tastes exactly like death…  And for the sake of my fellow travelers I have decided to call it "gamey."  Our joke is that it all tastes a little funny because its grass fed and lacking those tasty industrialized hormone injections. (KFB is a beautiful veg. and for this trip I am totally ON the wagon. Carbs and sugar laced snacks are the only thing I am willingly ingesting without massive amounts of alcohol to confuse my taste buds.)

Photo Credit:  MacGruber

After the ladies and I made our breakfast hike Monday we came home to snack and found the rest of our group lounging poolside.  We tried to recreate the watermelon caipirinhas and somehow concocted a much more intoxicating version.  Nice.  We lunched at the VooDoo lounge next to what were most likely a friendly group of Nicaraguan drug lords, went home for naps and then we went back out for cocktails.  Happy hour found us at The Fitness Club which has the most PHENOMENAL pool, bar, and super skanky swanky casitas.

Today (Tuesday) we are headed back to The Fitness Club to work out, catch a yoga class and then to use their beautiful beach access and loungers.  MacGruber and Smookems SWEAR that while we were there last night that they witnessed a couple in the candle lit casita “gettin’ it on.”  Apparently when they asked our barman ‘Yimmy’ he shrugged his shoulders and said, “Eh. Here you do not need a room.”

EW. AND THAT IS WHY WE WILL NOT BE LOUNGEING UNDER THE CASITAS.  EVER.

We finished our Monday evening playing ping pong and pool at the little sports bar that's catty corner from our Casa Maya.  It's owned by a husband, wife and dog duo from California.  (There is a high concentration of expats from Cali here and really...  Who can blame them?)

I was nicknamed Andy Roddick after MacGruber and Smookems witnessed my ping pong serving prowress in action...  And then All the Single Ladies simply refused to play with me after I smashed Smookems in the face with a mighty volley and then very nearly put my own eye out with a poorly aimed slam in the same breath.  Who knew ping pong could be so dangerous!?  And fun! 

MacGruber, it turns out is like a little Korean ping pong mastermind.  We tried to get her to play in the surfers winners bracket but she wanted to wait for an occasion when she was weraing a longer dress.  At one point in our game she was whippin' my ass with a paddle in each hand.  Impressive. 

Luckily after my ping pong fiasco Graddy was still willing to take me on for a friendly game of pool, where once again all those hours spent at the Chicken paid off.  Perhaps it was all that adrenaline from my earlier ping pong 'championship' coursing through my veins that made me so accurate.  Whatevs.  I know better than to look a gift horse in the mouth but Mamma was ON FIRE!  Say what you want about my ping pong game but I frickin' schooled last night on the pool table.  (*Disclaimer:  These results are not typical and may not ever be recreated.)  So we're going to have the winner's pool bracket match off tonight.  And I think I owe the barman something like 55 ping pong balls.  Eh...   

Happy Tuesday friends and good day from Costa Rica!  XOXO