Christmas day arrived, and thus we ate. First, my parents and I went to McDonald’s for lunch, which has become a tradition when we are out of the country on Christmas day. Then, for dinner, we headed over to Justin & Alison Thompson’s house, where we spent time with Justin’s family, Alison’s family, a couple from school, and of course Justin, Alison, & Cailyn. It was a great way to spend our last night together – food, friends, and cute kids.
After taking part in some Costa Rican Christmas traditions, we headed to some hot springs near Volcano Arenal for some R&R. That afternoon, we headed to San Carlos, where we ate at Pizza Hut, and then on to the Hotel Occidental. The scenery was beautiful, the breakfast was fantastic, and the entire time was relaxing. Not a bad way to finish up the road trip through Costa Rica.
After the zip-line, we headed east to La Fortuna, a town located near to Arenal Volcano. There we stayed with a Costa Rican (Tico) family that is very close to my host family. This family lives in the country, grows fruits and vegetables to sell in the market, has their own pigs, uses “guard geese” instead of guard dogs, and lives in a wonderful, quaint house. During our stay, we helped make traditional Costa Rican Christmas tamales. Then, we spent the afternoon relaxing, reading, fishing, playing video games (Mario Brothers, the original), and enjoying the company. We had an absolute blast, and I would go back in a heartbeat. More to come…
Flora, my Tico mom. Godly, sweet, great cook, and she speaks slowly to me in Spanish 
Yesterday, I posted some pictures of our time at Playa Montezuma, which is located on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula in western Costa Rica. The view from the hotel was amazing, and the town was very unique (in a good way). After a day at the beach and some great food, we prepared to head out for La Fortuna. But before we split town, we took a zip line tour through the lush forest, with a stop at some waterfalls in the middle. Needless to say, we had a blast! More to come in the coming days, so stay tuned…
Mom & Dad after our tour of Cafe Britt, a major coffee producer in Costa Rica.
Sleeping. Strolling through downtown. Eating a meal at a hole-in-the-wall. Jogging. Spending time at a beautiful park. Hanging out with teammates. Seeing the Davidsons (in Costa Rica instead of Aggieland). Renting a car. Reserving hotels. Waiting for my parents to arrive……….
Cookies. Coke. Bingo. Chapel. Cool weather. Relaxing environment. Thinking about sleep all day long. A little nostalgia. A great last day of school.
