Baldi is Beautiful!

Friday, November 16

After a good night’s sleep, Jaden woke us around 6:00am.  The first thing I did was to check out the view from our hotel room, and look what I saw:

 I am so glad I took this picture when I did because:

1.     The tip of the volcano was covered 20 minutes later.

2.     We never saw the tip of the volcano again for the next two days.

3.     It is rainy season, and some people can visit La Fortuna for a week and never see the tip.

We headed down to the lobby for breakfast, and then prepared for our 10:00am tour to Baldi.  We chose to visit La Fortuna because of Volcán Arenal, but also because of the natural hot springs that are formed from the volcano.  Baldi is a resort where they have over 25 pools of various temperature waters (aguas termales).   Because the water is warm, it is a great place to go even if the weather is not nice for swimming.  It is the cold and rainy season of Costa Rica, so we figured this was the best place to go right now.

We arrived around 10:15 am and were in awe immediately.  I dipped my toes in the first pool I saw just to check the temperature.  It was warm and inviting and we couldn’t wait to go in.  First we had to rent a locker and towels, but soon we were ready to explore.  It was such a beautiful resort and we were enthralled with pool after pool of various temperatures.  One pool even had hot water and inside the pool were two more pools with cold water. 

The first pool we settled on was one where the temperature was just right, especially for Jaden: not too hot and not too cold.  This was the perfect pool to stay in because three slides spilled in to this pool.  I thought Eddie and Rysen’s heads were going to explode from excitement.  They did not waste any time getting to the top of those slides.  At the top, Eddie asked which one was faster.  Amanda and I chose the other.  As I went down the first time, I was shocked at the speed and length of the slide.  It was pretty awesome.  Then I dared to go down the faster one, and WOW was it fast.  I was screaming the whole way down and felt like I wasn’t even touching the slide by the end.  After a not-so-graceful landing, I swam to the others to catch my breath.  If you ever get the chance to go down the slides at the Baldi Resort in Costa Rica, you HAVE to try it!!!

There was a third slide that was much shorter, but just as fast.  The boys got their fill of sliding down water slides and I got my fill of soaking in the biggest “hot tub/pool” in my life. 

We took a break from swimming and got dressed to go eat lunch.  We took a taxi back to town and asked our taxi driver where he recommended for us to eat.  He took us to a great little Soda where they had fruit juice of all flavors.   
 We enjoyed our lunch and called the taxi driver to take us back to Baldi.  It was much colder in the afternoon, so we spent time in the warmer pools and prayed that Jaden was not getting sick from being wet while the air was cooler.

After drying off and warming up, we were able to enjoy a buffet dinner at Baldi that was AMAZING.  My favorite part was eating fresh bread with real butter (the butter most people have here tastes strange to me).  Everything was delicious, though.

After dinner, Eddie and I stayed at Baldi while my parents took Jaden back to the hotel to go to bed.  We had a few more hours to explore the hot springs at night, and it was beautiful.  I want to live there!

Hotel La Fortuna

Thursday, November 15

This morning, Rysen, Amanda, and Jennea headed to La Fortuna via bus.  They left at 7:00 am, and that means they did not go to class.  Eddie and I still had class, but we left early so that we could pick up my parents for lunch.  After a quick lunch and some re-confirmation of directions, we hit the road around 1:00 pm.  We hoped to arrive in La Fortuna around 5:30.

Our drive to La Fortuna was pretty uneventful, for which we were very thankful.  Our only "scare" along the way was potentially running out of gas.  There are not gas stations on every corner like the USA, so we hoped to get to the first one on a quarter tank of gas.  Praise the Lord, we made it to the first major town where we found a gas station.  While we were there, we got a phone call from Amanda.  They were on the bus, but they were worried about us getting lost because of the fog they were going through.  We had clear skies and a very gorgeous view for the remainder of the trip.  

We also saw a truck full of pineapples at one of our stops.

The volcano was visible and as we drew closer to La Fortuna, the sunset took our breath away.

When we arrived in La Fortuna around 5:30 pm, we met the others at Burger King.  It was not our first choice, but we were happy to be reunited with our fellow students.  After a quick dinner, we walked along the main street of La Fortuna, and of course we had to stop for ice cream at Pops.  




The girls working there were enamored with Jaden.

We headed to Hotel La Fortuna and settled into our rooms: the girls and Jaden on the top floor, Rysen and Eddie on the 4^th floor, and Mom and Dad on the 3^rd floor.  I was wondering how much sleep I would be getting this weekend because I would be sharing a bed with Jaden and Amanda.

Comida de Betty

Wednesday, November 14

Today was a rainy day… and the first time we experienced rain all night and all day long here… rainy season is definitely here.  After our regular ab-work-out, we headed to class.  We spent all of class time today trying to research and book rooms at a hotel in La Fortuna.  We had many suggestions and finally settled on one.  Then, during lunch, Hector informed us that we had a problem.  The price in the email confirmation was double the price we originally thought it would be.  Eventually we got it figured out, and Daniel booked the rooms for us with a tour included.  It was the price we expected, so we were happy.

After class, we picked up my parents from the hotel and heard an interesting story about a box spring from my dad.  He realized late into the evening last night that their mattress was not a mattress… it was a box spring.  There was a single bed in their room, so mom slept fine, but Dad was ready to get out of there… only, there was nowhere for him to go. 

We headed to lunch in Turrialba at Betty’s Restaurant and ordered our food.  Mom and Dad were surpised by their plate: a whole Tilapia.  Eddie and I ate Mahi-Mahi, and it was delicious.  We will definitely be going back to this restaurant!

 I also introduced mom and dad to my favorite drink here: agua dulce (sweet water).  I bet you can’t guess why I like it…

We spent some time in Turrialba shopping for a few necessities:  a new bathing suit for Eddie, some new kitchen items for Samia that we accidently broke, and three bus tickets for our friends tomorrow.  Jaden also had a chance to "drive" while we ordered ice cream.  He "helped" Grandpa finish off his caramel ice cream cone. 

Samia invited my parents to join us for dinner at her home this evening, so we drove home where Mom and Dad were able to meet Samia.  Samia cooked a typical Costa Rican dinner: Chicken with coconut oil, potatoes, vegetables, and dessert.











Eddie and I translated the whole dinner conversation… it was definitely a confidence booster.  It was proof that we actually learned some Spanish over the past two months. Karen, Christy, and Ebony (Samia’s sister and nieces) came over to meet Mom and Dad, and they witnessed Jaden’s excitement at the chance to play with Ebony.  After dinner, Eddie brought them back to the hotel and we worked on homework and packed for our trip to La Fortuna tomorrow.

"pollo con coco, papas, y vegitales, y postres"

Siloe Lodge

Tuesday, November 14

Exhaustion is setting in and this week is not slowing down.  So much for the “slower” lifestyle of Costa Rica… we feel just as busy as ever!  We love every second of it (but we also enjoy a good nights rest to keep us fueled). 

Everyday around 10:00, we have break time.  I usually spend this time actually taking a break.  Not today.  I felt like I was back working in my Kindergarten classroom when a “break” meant that I just had some time to work with out being interrupted by Kindergarteners.  Today, I spent break time working on homework for the next day… just so that I would have less to do it tonight after hanging out with my parents.  Amanda and Eddie also worked during break time, too. 

We also spent time in class doing our Bible homework and planning our weekend trip.  We ended class today with Rysen and I sharing about how we met our “significant others.”  Sonia even asked if I had pictures of my wedding day?  (Do I have pictures?!?  She must not know me very well!!!)

After class, during lunch, we discussed more of our weekend plans with the other students.  Since we are planning a trip with my parents, we thought it would be fun for Rysen, Amanda and Jennea to join us.  The problem is… it is just not that simple.  We don’t all fit in one car… there is no rental car place near by… they would have to take a bus and that would take them between 6-8 hours.  We have been trying to weigh our options, and Rysen has been motivated to research hotels, car rentals, bus services, and anything we ask…   It looks like our plan is forming though… We hope to leave Thursday after school.

After lunch, we hurried over to Rancho Naturalista to pick up my parents and all their luggage. 

They were checking out of their hotel and we brought them to”Siloe Lodge: Bed and Breakfast” today.  Their theme is: Green and Quiet. 

 There is a pool there, so Jaden had a blast (until he started shivering and I made him dry off and get dressed).  

He was happy again when Eddie arrived with his Titi Amanda, Jennea, and Rysen.  We planned to go to dinner at a near by restaurant and that Eddie would just have to make two trips in the car to get us all there.   He took the three of them first and returned for me and my parents and Jaden.  When he got back, we were talking with the hotel owners, and were not really paying attention…  The first thing I heard out of his mouth was, “The kids are in the trunk…” 

He informed us that the restaurant was closed and we would all drive to Turrialba.  They were proving that they could all fit in the teeny-tiny trunk.  Probably not a good idea, but we were weak in the moment…

We decided on a restaurant called “Club Café.”  For dinner… we did our best to translate the menu for my parents and ourselves… and enjoyed a delicious dinner.  Thanks, Mom and Dad!

PS... this is all that Jaden wanted to do at the restaurant:  Play Play Play!!!

We headed home soon after because, even though it was only 7:00 at night, it felt like 10…  We still have a busy week ahead of us… it is only Tuesday!! 

Hummingbirds and more Hummingbirds

Monday, November 12

Today was a regular Monday morning that started with fitness class at 7:00am.  In class, Rysen and I played Memory with the opposite flashcards.  Guess who was the winner and guess who was the cheater…

Okay, I only won the first game, we tied the second, and he won the third… but only because he finally put his phone down and started concentrating on the game rather than texting…

After lunch, we headed to Rancho Naturalista with Eddie and I went with Amanda to visit my parents at the hotel.  They spent the morning learning a lot about the serious bird watchers / bird photographers who are also staying at their hotel.   Check out one of the many cameras stationed near the bird viewing area:

When we got there, we spent some time taking pictures of several hummingbirds hovering around.

Eddie and I wanted to take advantage of the fact that we had a car for a week and wanted to do some serious grocery shopping (mostly for several big packs of diapers and wipes).  We also decided that I should have a cell phone, too.  Amanda offered to stay at our house and babysit Jaden so he could eat and take a nap and she could do some homework.  That was sooo helpful!

We also needed to stop at the other hotel my parents were interested in staying in on the way to Turrialba.  It is a bed and breakfast called “Siloe.”  It is such a cute little place and very inexpensive.  It is an easy 15 min. drive from our house in Tuis, and we would love for our future visitors to stay there… HINT, HINT…

My parents are moving there tomorrow for two nights, and then we have plans to go sightseeing with them for the remainder of the week. 

After a very successful trip to Turrialba, we headed home.  My parents had to be back at the hotel for dinner at 6:00 and we pulled in at 5:55… perfect timing.  The not so perfect part was that their bags still had not arrived.  Thankfully, while they were eating dinner, the bags were delivered!!! Praise the Lord!!!

Eddie and I headed home for dinner with our family and to give Amanda a ride home.  After dinner, we took Freddy and the kids to meet my parents.   Freddy has to leave tomorrow and won’t be home until Friday.  If he didn’t meet them tonight, he would not have met them this whole week. 

It was a riot listening to my mom try to speak what little Spanish she knows (with “interesting” pronunciation, by the way).   Jimena, Jose Pablo, and Freddy got a chance to practice their English, too.  It was so much fun.  Plus, my mom brought us presents!  Well…candy for us, games for the kids, and toys for Jaden.  

They also brought the cleats that Jose Pablo requested (because they are so expensive to buy in Costa Rica)… He is so excited about them!  He said they are even nicer than the ones that he picked out on the Internet.

We did not get home until after 9:00 and I am writing this instead of doing my homework.  I guess I better get going!  Thanks for reading!

The Adventures of San José

Sunday, November 11

Eddie’s side of the story:

Notice:  this is an in empty bus!

Rysen and I boarded the bus to Turrialba at 7:00 am.  While riding, I got a phone call from Deanna saying that her parents were not going to make it onto their flight from Miami.  We didn’t even know if they would arrive in San José today or not.  Rysen and I wanted to explore San José anyway so we decided to take the risk and go on an adventure.

We arrived around 7:40 and hoped to board the 8:00 bus to San José, but it was full.  We had to wait for the 9:00 bus.  While we waited, we ate breakfast and experienced “Bathroom #1.”  The bathroom at the bus stop is not free… you have to pay 200 colones (equivalent to about 40 cents) and the lady gives you T.P.  I gave “puppy dog eyes” until she gave me some extra T.P.

At 9:00 we boarded the bus to San José, and we planned to get off at the mall.  We never saw the mall.  We rode the bus until we ended up in a neighborhood at the end of the bus route. 

The Mall (way better than we expected)!

We ran to catch another bus to get to the mall.  That is where we experienced “Bathroom #2.”  This one was free, but had motion-censored lights that were on a timer… after two minutes, I was sitting in the dark thinking, “Ummm… Hello?”  Thankfully, someone else came in and triggered the lights for me.

We ate lunch at the mall, where Rysen got his fill of fast food (Pizza Hut and Burger King).  Soon, we experienced “Bathroom #3.”  This time, the cleaning lady came in and started mopping the floor under our feet while we were using the bathroom. 

The market in San José.

Check out these sweet action figures we saw!

After confirmation that my in-laws would be landing around 2:30, we took a taxi to the airport.  We had a little miscommunication with the driver.  We were asking if it took 20 minutes to get to the airport… he thought we wanted to be there in 20 minutes.   He was driving like a maniac and seemed pretty agitated at the traffic.  I said “We are not in a hurry. It’s okay.”  That is when it was clear we had mis-communicated.  We arrived safely and waited for 1 ½ for Deanna’s parents to arrive.  Unfortunately, their bags ended up on the 9:30 flight, but American Airlines promised to deliver them to Tuis. So we took a shuttle to the rental car company.  Once we had our rental car, we turned on the GPS and started driving home from San José. It was getting dark, the traffic was bad, and the GPS wouldn’t work.  We had no map, no directions, and no GPS.  We encountered many one-way streets along the way, but we learned to “follow our hearts.”  Thankfully, everyone was a good sport, patient, and we actually had fun on our great adventure.  

We arrived at our house at 7:30 to pick up Deanna and Jaden so we could go to our 7:30 dinner reservations at Rancho Naturalista.  We didn’t know how far it was from the main road, but we knew it was “close.”  We ended up driving up this steep, dark, mountainous, rocky, muddy road for 10 minutes before finding the hotel.

Our reward: Filet Minion, potatoes, corn on the cob, salad, and dessert.  We left mom and dad to settle in, took Rysen home, and went to bed.  What an adventurous day!  There were some scary moments, but God kept us safe through it all!!!

Hola, Mom and Dad!

Sunday, November 11

Today was a day for another adventure for Eddie and for my parents.  They were supposed to arrive in San José today at 12:30 pm and Eddie planned to pick them up from the airport.

This was the plan:  Eddie and Rysen would take the 7:00am bus from Tuis to Turrialba.  Then they would take the 8:00 bus to San José and arrive around 10:00.  Rysen and Eddie wanted to explore San José so that is why they wanted to leave early.  There is a pretty big mall in San José, so they were going to do some shopping.  Then they would take a taxi to the airport by 12:30 to get my parents and the rental car and drive back to Tuis with the help of a GPS and in the daylight.

Well, things did not go as planned.  Eddie left the house at 6:50 to catch the 7:00 bus with Rysen.  At 7:02, I got a phone call from my mom.  She told me that they had a mechanical problem with the plane in Chicago and it had already been delayed an hour and a half.  That means they missed their connecting flight in Miami.  That means we had no idea what time they would actually arrive in San José or if it would even be today. 

The next obstacle to overcome was to get a hold of Eddie to tell him.  Between us, we only have one Costa Rican phone (because we are usually together).  I just assumed I would be able to use Samia’s phone or Jimena’s phone when they woke up.  Well, Jimena’s phone is broken and Samia’s phone was close to being out of minutes.  Freddy and José Pablo are out of town this weekend.  When I finally called Eddie from Samia's phone, he didn’t answer.  I even called his mom in Florida to ask her to call Amanda in Costa Rica to call Eddie in San José to tell him my parents flight in Chicago was delayed… whewww… did you catch all that?  I also sent her a Facebook message and an email to ask her to call Eddie and tell him what was happening.

Thank you, Alexandra, for letting me use your phone!!!
... and for letting Jaden play in the bed of your dad's truck.

(By the way, praise God, Jaden slept in again today so I could focus on figuring this out while he slept peacefully)

Finally, he got the message.  He and Rysen decided to still take the bus to San José because they wanted to explore anyway.  I then got a message from my mom that their flight was taking off in 15 min. and that they were going to try to catch the next flight out of Miami that they could give them.  I checked out the flights on the Internet and saw one that arrived in San Jose at 2:15pm and another one at 9:30pm.  I prayed they would catch the 2:15.  I passed along the info to Amanda (via Facebook) who passed it on to Eddie (via Costa Rican telephone)

Once my parents landed and found out when they could depart from Miami, my mom called me again.  The airline booked them for the 9:30 flight, but then bumped them up to the 2:15 flight.  That means, their bags may or may not be on the plane with them. Ahhh!  Now to pass along the info to Amanda to pass it to Eddie (THANK GOD FOR TECHNOLOGY OR NONE OF THIS WOULD BE POSSIBLE).  I could not call Eddie using Jimena’s phone because it was broken… Samia left for work at the resturant… I wasn’t sure if Amanda still had internet access because she was going shopping.  I needed to go outside to the plaza or the neighbor’s house and ask if I could use someone’s phone to call Eddie.  

Thank God, our neighbors were home and happily allowed me to use their phone.  Amanda also sent her phone with a friend to my house so I could use it the rest of the afternoon.  I am so thankful for the people God has surrounded me with.  It is a reminder that you cannot do this thing called LIFE on your own.  God puts the right people in your life at just the right time!   I give Him ALL the glory!

After there was nothing else I could do and I didn’t need to stay close to WiFi, Jaden finally got a chance to play outside.  This is all he wanted to do:

Now, I am just waiting to hear the results of this adventure!