Trip to Jaco

 Got subway (on the right), KFC (far left), and Quiznos (small oval sign next to KFC) all in one pic!
 Us in front of the beach. People are playing in a tide pool behind us. 
 Jaco beach view from the place we had drinks.
 An abandoned rodeo it looked like.
 The back of the seat on the bus. The bottom phrase translates "Thank you for letting us serve you". 

Hola! So, yesterday Eric and I decided to take a trip to Jaco. We didn't do much on Saturday as Friday night was kind of wild (salsa dancing). We just went to the beach in Manuel Antonio and Eric surfed a bit. I tried to take a nap, but every time I was about to fall asleep some ants were crawling on me. So, by the end of the day, we were both tired and in bed by 9pm. 

Ayer (yesterday), we went to Jaco which was fun. Jaco is a bigger beach town with more tourists and therefore, more shopping! There were many surf shops there all which were pretty expensive. After we got off the bus, we walked down to the beach and looked around. We stopped by a bar near the beach and I got a smoothie and Eric had a beer. After people-watching for a bit and practicing our Spanish with the bartender, we left to walk around some more. 

We walked down the street and ended up seeing a Subway, Quiznos, and KFC all in the same shopping center! Weird. We went into the big grocery store and LO AND BEHOLD... AIR CONDITIONING! lol. Eric gets to feel that every day at school, but that was the first time I felt it in over a week! Soooooooo nice! We bought a few things there and then went into a few surf shops. I was looking for a new bikini bottom, but for just a bottom it was $40! Steve (our landlord) told me of a woman who custom makes bathing suits for cheaper, so I think I'll go to her. Anyways, afterward we just walked down the street a ways and after spending a couple hours in town decided to head back. The bus was about 25 minutes late, which wasn't unexpected, and it took us around 1.5 hours to get back to Quepos. The fare was only $2 per person, so that wasn't bad at all. 

While in Jaco, we saw a sign for a boat that would take you across the water to the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula to a small town called Moctezuma. From there, you can take a bus up to northern beaches such as Samara and Tamarindo. We are planning to take a trip up there once Eric gets out of school as it would be almost impossible to do it in a weekend. 

When we got back into town from Jaco, we stopped in to the American bar, Sargente Garcia, because the football game was on. It was pretty busy. We had a couple beers there and then decided to head home. On our way back, we picked up some wine and a few beers. We made veggie tortillas with refried beans and rice. Yum. After dinner, Steve pointed out that the cows were out and they were in the street. He said they do that a lot and one time they chased him. I asked if I could pet them and he said sure, so I went down. They stared me down pretty hard when I was approaching. I kept saying "hi cows" and they just looked at me and then turned to walk away. I did not get close enough to pet one because when they were staring I wasn't sure if they were going to charge. Eric, Nicole, and Steve watched from the balcony and laughed at me. Then, with a few classes of wine and beers, we decided to play Slide 5, a card game Eric got from his friend Geoff for Christmas. It was fun, but after a few hands we decided to call it a night. Eric and Nicole both had to go back to school today. 

I walked with them to school this morning and waited there for the owner who is in town. While waiting, I sat in the student lounge and did some research on the internet for jobs and internships. And guess what? It was air conditioned! Yay! So... I waited there for like an hour, which was fine with me, and then I went and talked to the owner of the school, Jason. He is super nice and was giving me all kinds of good information. I wanted to talk to him about doing an aerobics class at the school in the evenings, but the floors are all hard tile and not good for that. He suggested 5 resort hotels I could go to and introduce myself. He also suggested trying to find one of the lifeguards (which is easier said than done... believe me!) and asking them which hotel sponsors them. That way, I could possibly go talk to that hotel and get them better trained. Apparently they are not very good. Also, he gave me 2 places I could possibly volunteer. That is what I think I will most likely do, because I'd hate to start up a class and then leave after a couple months. We will see. I want to see more of the country before I decide to stay in one spot. I would like to experience the northern climate and investigate some of the smaller mountain areas that are 20 - 30 min. away from the beach. I am sure we will visit the Caribbean side as well, but from what I hear we don't want to live there. So much to look forward to!

Also, my class through ECU has started and it looks like it will keep me very busy. The subject is environmental management and law. Sound interesting. I hope to stay busier in the upcoming weeks because last week I got very lonely and a little depressed at points. It is hard to be in a foreign country where you don't know the language and to be alone all day. Plus, we are still adjusting to a new climate, culture, etc. Oh! Another thing I might do is get some private Spanish lessons. They go for around $8 per hour (cheap!) and I could do that twice a week or so. I got the name and number of a lady recommended by the teachers at Eric's school. So that is exciting as well! I would post some pictures up, but I think Eric has the cord for the camera in his backpack at school... so, that will have to wait until this evening. Until then, pura vida!

Kate