A Trip to remember!!!

I have been here for just under two weeks and it feels as if I have lived here for months. I have made so many new friends and met so many happy Costa Rican people. We all stick out like a sore thumb but the welcome is unreal, and it isn´t just because they want to jump into bed with you! J They are so ready to help you and dudes and dudetts I am telling you their love of food and sharing it is out of this world. We are all finding ways of working the weight off! My favorite is this walk I can do around San Ramon and it takes you up the steepest hill ever but OMG is it worth it!! The beauty surrounding this place is paradise!

Talking about paradise this weekend we did a trip to a beach called Santa Teresa and let me tell you this, anyone who knows me knows my love of see sun and fun but this beach took my breath away! I have never seen anything like it before. Thank god it was this beautiful though as the trip there definitely tested the Pura Vida way of life. We got up far too late and far too hungover from the fiesta which was amazing by the way. (I got to hug the cutest gladiator and eat the greasiest steak baguette with green peppers and onions!! Oh I died and went to heaven. We saw loads of musical parades and big mummies that looked like they were going to eat  you! My bag nearly got pocket picked but my padlock and me smiling and laughing at the chap made him give me a cuddle and apologies so happy days! The local beer is a little bit too good and after having won the  volunteering bottle of Vodka Carl gave me as I talk the most rubbish I obviously had to drink that as well. Anything else would have been rude so Jack, Louise and I stumbled home at 2 am on a dodgy bus where I gave two ticos (Costa Ricans) a hard time for given our bags the eye we finally got home and crashed fully clothed on our beds! (Well Jack and I) Louise was sensible!!

Anyways back to my Santa Teresa storey. After missing the morning bus because we got up late and stumbled into town we got a bus to Ponteranus, then had to walk 40 min to the Ferry (beautiful walk though along the beach) take the Ferry to Playa Tambon and the ferry ride there was magnificent! It was like taking the ferry to this little island that had little fishing boats, birds flying along with us and the sun sparkling gold on to the ocean! We then landed and took the oldest American school bus to Cobano and let me tell you that journey tested every single bone in everyones body. It was cramped, hot far too heavy and falling a apart. I loved it for the first hour and then I just couldn’t stop laughing. Had my laughing fits! We finally got there and every one was so annoyed we took a taxi to Santa Teresa! You can see now why I say – it was a good job it was worth it! We stayed in this FAB hostel called Jon Don and the guy there was the most weeded out guy  I have ever met! We all went for dinner and then to a beach party. In true alcoholic style Jack and I stayed the longest and fell asleep on the beach!! We met the most amazing people. Artist from Newe Your, a fisher man from New Jersey that uses Garmin so par of my evening was talking about Garmin!! Not enough I am a walking advert for you guys but I now am talking about it in my spare time!! What is going on!! Haha J Sweedis guys that were just ace!

Anyways as we fell asleep on the beach Jacks stuff got nicked and we missed the sunrise!! It was one of those surreal moments as we woke up and there was no one on this 8 km paradise beach and we looked at each other like – Have we just been abducted my aliens or something! Jack took his 15 min to let frustration on and then we just jumped into the water fully clothed for the giggles!! Jack handled the fact his camera was nicked amazingly. I was so taken by it that I thought that is how I would like to face adversity like that in the future! It gets worse guys! We then went to take cash out for the bus journey home after having a filthy affair with the sun and sea. And the machines were broken! The bus driver wouldn’t let us on and get money out in the next town so we had to go to new town get money out and do an even more complicated journey home!! But we laughed and had ice cream and the most amazing fish soup, met a proppa gangster and several crazy people that it was so worth it. I learnt that I love the unbeaten track and hidden away beauty and it was certainly A trip I will never forget.

Normal life goes on. We have started cementing now and we are mixing the cement ourselves with shovels! It is crazy. We mix it with sand, cement powder and stones and water. It is such intense work. The builder on site has made the foundation blocks with iron by bending it in a certain way and we have been allowed to do one! We have now blocked them in with wood and are hand carrying cement to fill them up to make big blocks of foundation. It is crazy or as the Costa Ricans would say – Loco (crazy). I have seen that maybe in the Western world we take things for granted and a but too serious. We think we can’t complete a job because we haven’t got the set tools etc but actually anything in life is possible with the right attitude and substitutes and a Pura Vida attitude. I am the muscular, tomato, intelligent grande girl, Carl is the Pancake, Jack is the Machine and Louise is the loco girl. So funny how they find little things for us, but we all have a ball and take the mick out of each other whilst learning to not ask questions and just get on with it! Even though the main builder has turrets for my name and every day goes Oddny Oddny Oddny Oddny!! Really annoying but gives everyone a good laugh!

Our host family took us out to a Costa Rican event at Palmeras and paid for us which was so lovely and the whole family were there dancing and singing and it was so FAB too see. Even Jossy the 16 year old girl was dirty dancing with some men (So was Jack by the way hahaha – to be fare the family made him and me do it so I shouldn’t be too mean) and they just got stuck in! So fab to see such strong family. The host mum loves us and we even got Coco pops this morning!! I stood up from my seat and hugged her! She laughed. They all think I am rather mad! Hehe

Anyways enough now. I could go on forever but this is enough. Most of you would have skipped the middle bit and probably just look at this bit (I don’t blame you) but for my family who asked me for details I have included most.

These couple of weeks have taught me that I am a truly happy person and I actually love life and all the experiences it brings! That is for sure.

I am sending Pura Vida Love to you all! Please take a moment when you have red this to find a reason to smile about and feel a hug from me.

Oddny

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