Day Twenty Four - Casey Pretends He is Bear Grylls

We’re getting to the point in the trip where the end is imminent. Like I said yesterday, from here on out, it is our final day of the week here in Costa Rica. For the most part, I think I’m ready to come home. We’re getting into the nitty gritty of the language in my classes by studying gender and number agreement of nouns and adjectives in a sentence. The lessons are a bit tedious, and they’re taking away from my sun time! Gosh, I sound like I’m a teenager again…Then again, when you get to go on adventures like I got to go on today, I long for some more time in this beautiful country.

Our adventure started yesterday when Kelly and I wanted to go to see Playa Conchal. Remember the tide was too high and we just said forget it. Well today, our friend who has been studying here for the past four weeks said she would take us after class. With a new guide in hand, Kelly and I ventured off to see one of the most beautiful beaches in the entire country.

Turns out, the tides have just changed in Brasilito. The water is coming in much earlier than in previous weeks and is blocking off the passageway to get to Playa Conchal. Our Mama Tica told us the water wasn’t very high and we could just forge our way across. Trying not to be sissies, we started to make our way across through the incoming tide. For the record, our Mama Tica is about 5 feet tall and she said the water went up to her knees...

As we walked across, the water levels kept rising and soon enough, it was at my chest level. Not wanting to chance getting in any deeper, we made our way back to shore to think of a new way across. Around the bend of the beach, we could see a fallen tree in the water. A good 50 percent of the tree was exposed above water level, so doing my best Bear Grylls impression, we slowly and steadily made our way across the tree. At one point, there was a short gap that we needed to jump and we also needed to land on what seemed like a pretty flimsy root. The root held as the three of hopped across.

Once on the other side, we were met by a plethora of little blue and red crabs who have a nest just above the water level. As they scurried into their holes, we began fighting our way through the brush. As I was stomping my through a pretty hefty bush, Kel and Elise decided that maybe tomorrow would be a better day to visit the beach. My good senses agreed and we began our way back through the Costa Rican obstacle course. Another Tico on his way back from the beach showed us the easier way across and we set up shop on the other beach to watch the sunset.

Sunsets in Costa Rica are amazing. It is just that simple. The colors are incredibly brilliant and the sounds of the waves accent the descent of the sun. The reds blend in with the yellows, and the purples fade to orange. Each day bring an even more beautiful sunset to be seen. It’s hard to believe that Costa Rica keeps outdoing itself with the natural beauty it possesses. It’s no wonder why this country is one of the world’s largest eco-tourism locales.

As the sun said its final goodbye, we made our way back to the house to have dinner with the family. The boys had school today and were reluctant to finish their homework; however, once they did, we went out and played some soccer on their patio. Kevin, the larger of the two boys, said that he was Messi, and with a mix of “Oles,” he attempted to dribble past and score a goal past me. There were some hard fought battles, but I think he ultimately beat me. I won’t say that I let him win, but he did have some pretty good skills.

Pura Vida,
Casey