Pura Vida en Costa Rica

One more time! My final country summary blog, so bittersweet. Costa Rica was like a half port since it was only three days, but it was fun and relaxing. Apparently we’re the first semester where finals have been done before the last port, but I can’t imagine it any other way. With everything done and out of the way, we could just relax and enjoy some final moments with our friends. It was pura vida! That’s Costa Rica’s phrase – if anyone asks you how you are or how something is, that’s how you should respond. In English it means “pure life;” I think it’s a wonderful phrase, I plan on adapting it.

Our first day we docked in Port Caldera instead of Puntarenas because they had two big cruise ships in so there was no room for us. Port Caldera had no town at all, which wasn’t a problem for most people headed off to beach houses, but Alison and I were a little worried about what we were going to do. Last minute we checked in the ticket donation box and got two free tickets for an SAS outrigger canoe trip. We ran to the Union to get tender tickets (yep, we got to tender one last time!) and they said we had to run to catch it. We didn’t have anything with us so we dashed to our rooms and threw bags together. We ended up missing that tender but got on the next and the bus was still there waiting for people to show up! We were very lucky, but very unprepared, but it was free so it all worked out! The trip ended up being a lot of fun. We took canoes out onto the ocean – they had floating braces on either side so no chance of tipping over – and rowed out to a secluded beach about 45 minutes away. We were not very good at first with our coordination; we thought we had gotten better by the end but our guide was still laughing at us. We even got to do the synchronized switching rowing sides by lifting the paddles into the air. We had an hour or so on the beach to explore. There was a small waterfall that’s formed by rainwater coming down the mountain. We took a short hike through the forest and saw a white-faced monkey up in the trees. Then we stumbled upon a huge trail of leaf-cutter ants. It was one of the coolest things to witness; we walked alongside them for a ways, just a path of little green dots trotting up the hill. Before we headed back out on the water they served us fruit; I had some Costa Rican pineapple, which is pretty much my favorite fruit ever now – too bad they don’t sell it in the States. It’s white, unlike Hawaiian pineapple, and has less of a citrusy taste, which would explain why I like it and hate other pineapple. Back at the canoe headquarters we spotted Scarlet Macao up in the trees! Apparently this was really lucky; the birds are monogamous and always travel in pairs, and when one dies the other dies of heartbreak. We had plans to go back out after getting on the ship to clean up, but they ended up stopping tenders early at 6:30 because the water was too rough. The ship moved from Port Caldera to Puntarenas that night.

The second day Alison and I explored Puntarenas – it was basically the two of us the entire port because all our other friends were on extended trips and abandoned us. We walked around the town, most of which was shoe stores and black market DVD and backpack sales on the street. Down by the beach there were a couple blocks of vendors. Surprisingly we didn’t buy much, but it was mainly because since this is the last county we all realize how little room we have left in our suitcases. We went to lunch at a place by the pier and got lots of delicious seafood and tropical drinks! Then we spent the afternoon on the beach. There was a nice breeze so it didn’t feel hot at all, and the water was the perfect temperature. It was a little bit dirty, but it was in sight of our ship so it was pura vida. That night we walked around and got some ice cream and then strolled on the beach. It was pretty uneventful until we passed a sea turtle! It was dead and lying on the beach rotting, it was pretty disturbing and sad.

The last day was my canopy adventure! Ziplining through the rainforest. I was so excited for this trip, but also kind of nervous because I haven’t always been so good with heights. We got all decked out in harnesses and helmets and leather gloves, I was looking pretty hot! We started on a short line as a practice one, and then had 7 more lines. They would strap you in – I would have to get on my tiptoes so they could attach the pulleys since I’m so short – and then you place one hand on the ropes attaching you to the cable and one reaches behind your head. That hand forms an OK sign around the cable while you’re going, and to stop you lower your palm onto the cable. I got pretty good at stopping at just the right moment and landing on the box on the platform. I only got turned around a little on the longest line, and never once got stuck before the platform and had to pull myself in. Alison was not so lucky haha – she got stuck and even ran into a guide on one platform because she couldn’t stop herself. The third cable was the longest, and it ran out over the riverbed and then into the trees. Some of the trees seemed too close for comfort, but I only grazed a couple with my feet. For this line the guides pulled you back up the cable a couple feet and you had to pull into a tuck so your feet wouldn’t hit the platform, then they pushed you off. They did a false-start for me and scared me, but once I really went it was spectacular, wind just flying past your face and the most amazing views. We had the same guide the first and last days, and he told this incredible story about watching a man get attacked by a crocodile – it seemed like it might be a tall tale at first but by the end he had me convinced, either way it’s an incredible story. One of the rivers we drove over has 20-25 crocodiles per square kilometer – absolutely ridiculous. There are crocodile tours and the guides will hold chickens out over the water and hit the crocs on their snouts. Ronaldo was on one and the guide was hitting the croc on snout, but the third time the croc grabbed his hand and pulled him into the water with the man on his back and his hand still in the croc’s mouth. The croc kept pulling him under and finally Ronaldo remembered he had heard they’ll let you go if you gauge them in the eyes, so the man tried it and the croc released him but then tried to catch him again. Luckily they started the boat and it scared the croc off and they pulled the man into the boat. He survived with only a couple scars on his hand and on his chest where he got stabbed with a talon. Absolutely insane. That night Bering Sea got a special desert and champagne toast for having the most participants in the shipboard fund drive – 81% participation. The drive raises money for scholarships, and we raised around $30,000 this semester!

Today was the Ambassador’s Ball! It was a great night. Everyone got all dressed up, so it kind of felt like Homecoming haha. We had two seated dinners with multiple courses and a complimentary glass of champagne. The food was wonderful, which is going to make the next 3 days of normal ship food even harder. We started with dim sum, and then hot and sour soup, a mandarin orange salad, and choice of entrees – I got the filet mignon with asparagus, and I’m already craving more. It was so nice to just have a sit-down dinner with all our friends in our home away from home. Afterwards there was a dessert buffet and a dance. The dance was a time machine straight back to middle school – soooo awkward. And it’s on the closed circuit tv, so you can watch all the awkwardness even if you’re not there! It was still a great almost-ending to this trip. Tomorrow we transit the Panama Canal. We’re already back on east coast time, which is so strange to think about. Only three more days. . .

I'm all at sea...

The last three weeks on the ship have been mentally exhausting. The voyage was nearly over, but we still had half our class days left, which meant lots of work to catch up on. By the time I was finished writing FDPs and essays I was not up for writing blogs. Add to that hours and hours to lose and most of my free time was spent in bed. But now I am officially DONE with finals and schoolwork until January 5! I’ll try to recap some of the big moments that happened while I have been MIA from the blog world.

The first nine days at sea had a notable occurrence – two November 22nds. We crossed the International Date Line and got to repeat a day. Now, losing an hour every other night takes a toll on us. This didn’t have any sleep loss affect, but it left us all in a real state of confusion trying to wrap our minds around the logic behind it. The easiest way I found to explain it was that if we just kept gaining hours, we’d come home a day ahead of everyone else. So when we lost a day we ended up being behind in hours the difference that we were ahead. Or, as Mom said, it’s like we snuck up on you guys from around the world! The second November 22nd was the Students of Service charity auction. If I remember the number correctly, $16,000 were raised by auctioning off everything from first of in Miami to pie-ing the Deans in the face to trips to people’s vacation homes. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think that amount of money going to charity is absolutely fabulous, but it still kind of disgusts me that people my age, after having just spent thousands of dollars traveling around the world, have that kind of money to throw around.

On Thanksgiving we got a brief respite and chance to stretch our legs in American soil in Hawaii! It was not the typical Thanksgiving that I’m used to, based largely on the fact that the temperature was mid-80s, but it was a wonderful day and made even better by the fact that cell phones worked without outrageous fees. My friends and I spent the day with my Great Uncle Peter and his son Andy, daughter Paris, and grandson Vincent. They met us at the dock with leis (which unfortunately molded in my efforts to press them for my scrapbook) and then took us out to lunch where we stuffed ourselves after a week of shipboard food. The occasional french fry or taco day does not help that much when every other day is a predictable, unappetizing menu of potatoes, iceberg lettuce, pasta, fish, and pork selections. Even our back-up food, PB&J sandwiches, was ruined – the Chinese do not know how to make peanut butter, apparently. After lunch we drove over to Andy’s neighbor to swim in their pool. It was pretty much the coolest pool I’ve ever seen: right on the ocean, to the point where the waves crashed over the edge of the pool. A couple of crabs had found their way into the pool too, and we saw an octopus! After a little while we walked down to the beach and spent some time laying in the sun, swimming, and a couple attempts at surfing. I played around on the board a little but didn’t have enough time to actually attempt to ride any waves. And of course we got the typical Thanksgiving dinner at the Pacific Club. As always on Thanksgiving, I had difficulty moving after all the food I ate, it was all so delicious! It was a very relaxing day, a nice break from the stress of schoolwork. And it was nice to be with family on Thanksgiving, even if it was our first time meeting.

Now I’m almost done with the last leg of nine days. In this stretch I’ve had plenty of final papers to write and a couple of finals as well. But I am now officially done, two days ahead of most of my other shipmates! My Global Studies exam was a piece of cake thanks to the curriculum overlapping with the first half of my Zen class. As for my Zen final, my teacher pulled a total cop-out: our exam was for us to write three exam questions and then answer two. I think someone was just as lazy as all of us! It feels so good to be done with work, although now I feel like I have too much free time on my hands, especially since all my friends are still studying! Tomorrow everyone will be officially done, and the next day we land in Costa Rica! I have no real plans except for a canopy adventure the last day; I’m glad I’m ending this trip with a carefree, take-things-as-they-come country. After Costa Rica we’re basically home, I can’t believe it. Out last four days at sea will be spent packing, transiting the Panama Canal, and figuring out how to sum up and say goodbye to this incredible experience. I still haven’t wrapped my mind around that yet; I’m too preoccupied with how I’m going to pack all my things safely and worrying about my customs declaration. Unfortunately my sea was incredibly unlucky with the drawing for order of disembarkation in Miami – second to last. Word is that the first group will start disembarking at 11 and if all goes smoothly the last people will be getting off around 4, so I don’t expect to be touching land until at least 3, meaning one last lunch on the ship! It’s all a strange tornado of emotions right now: I don’t want to stop travelling, but I’d really like to be off this ship and out of my tiny cabin; I don’t want to leave my friends, but I don’t want to spend any more time away from home. I imagine my mind will be grappling with processing this experience for awhile after I get back, so I’m not going to attempt to tackle it now. I’ve got my countdown on my wall and I can’t wait to get home and see all of you! I miss you terribly.