June 26

Bright and early this morning we met Juan Carlos and our other Wing Buddy companions in the lobby of our swanky hotel. Juan Carlos was immediately on the prowl with our behavior. We are not to walk out of the hotel into the streets of San Jose. This makes him very uncomfortable and he will shout at you if you do it. Thankfully, Bella and I were still half asleep and drinking our coffee and hadn't tried to go make friends with the homeless population yet. It was the Canadian Couple #1 who had done it. Canadians are very nice and clearly very curious. I guess they think if they can handle polar bears, they can probably handle the homeless population of San Jose. I am not sure I agree. Juan Carlos definitely does not.

When I signed up for this tour and they said that we had a 3 hour bus tour. I really hoped for this experience. That is not what I got. Instead, I got this:

                                        

Totally not the same thing. And I am guessing that my experience was better than the one I expected. But I was cleaner, less sweaty and way more relaxed than I had expected as we crossed Costa Rica toward Tortuguero. I was a little disappointed. However the landscape made up for my lack of a culturally weird experience. See?

And the flowers went over and above the call of duty:

And the trees were so extra!

Mandatory River Pictures for Nic.

And the leaves!

After our really long bus ride, and two breakfasts, Bella and I decided to really lean into the tour experience and make friends with everyone. We are well on our way. I am going so far as to cheer and fully embrace my extrovert. Here we are. There is no point in not going 100%. I am now that lady that cheers for her driver and guide. I shout at them and ask every question I can. I am leaning in. 

So, we boarded these fun boats. 

 

Bella and I bought coconut water and felt super fancy.

Juan Carlos told us we had to wear our life vest. I went all in for it.

I made Bella do it too. I told her horror stories of tourist boats in China that sank with not enough vests and too many people. I assured her that we could probably swim to the shore before the crocodile ate us.

As the day progressed we got a bit of a rundown on a few of our friends.

Juan Carlos. Tour Guide and mother hen. He refers to us as, 'his family.' Every morning he says, "Welcome to another day in paradise." He is mostly right. Juan Carlos is beloved by Bella and all of his visitors. He is protective, funny, bossy, organized, knowledgeable and polite. I also think he secretly hates us all.

Jeff and Candace/Carmen(?). Candace/Carmen is sick and hates this trip. It is not the trip she wanted. She really prefers Cabo and she is not quite sure how she got here. She is hot and her foot hurts. She has bowel issues. Candace is also a teacher. Jeff works for a very famous Hollywood actress. He assures us we know her. None of us feel we can ask who. Bella has resolved to ask tomorrow. Candace would like to be left at yesterday's hotel. She definitely wants to be left at today's. Jeff is not super helpful and keeps hoping Candace will buck up. Things do not look good. They upgraded to the spa quarters so Candace can rest. Juan Carlos really thinks she will feel better tomorrow. Jeff does not care.

Ron. My new best friend. We met this morning in the lift and immediately bonded. I love him. He is also a teacher. I think he loves us too. 

Dolce & Cabana. She showed up hilariously under-prepared with at least 4 suitcases, and D&C bag and handbag. She slept through the boat ride and refused to wear her life jacket. I guess she didn't think she looked good in it?

Her shoes say everything there is to know about her. Juan Carlos keeps assuring her in Spanish that us white people will get out of her way. I am pretty sure he does not know Bella and I understand him.

The boat driver = mean and grumpy. Juan Carlos is paying close attention. He does not want us thrown off the boat. He also is worried about parenting and erectile disfunction and the role turtle fins play in the penis' life.

The adventurous mother who brought an infant and two small children on a tour. I really dislike her. First and foremost because I wish I HAD BEEN her. Now that I am old and wise, I realize these kinds of women (I include myself in this number) are a pain in the ass and so are their kids. The kids hate it. The dads hate it. The moms hate it,  but they are trying so hard to be amazing. I 100% understand and I wish I could say, "Honey, save the money for these kids to go to college. Don't waste it here. They won't remember this. And none of this is worth your angst over dragging them here." Do you see dad??? He just wants to go home. This is DAY ONE PEOPLE.

Jenny and John and their kid-without-a-name. They are worried about said kid because he is not the star of anything. He seems average, slightly annoying and insecure. These all seem like problems time will cure. Jenny and John are not sure. John wants to work out more with him to help him find direction. 

Osha and Pal They are relationship goals. More on that later.

Shakira (Not really, but it is close and I can't remember exactly) and TJ (PJ? RJ?) Super cool couple from Canada. Bella and I super love them.

Bald Man and Youngish Woman Bald man is cranky and complains a lot to Juan Carlos. He does not like boats. He does not like to walk. He does not like the heat. 

He does like alcohol. 

He is from Canada, but I think they are considering kicking him out because he is too cranky to be Canadian. His partner/wife does not talk much at all. Bald Man also accused Juan Carlos of making up the crocodile with his "Big imagination." Bella and I were enraged.

We arrived at our resort (I feel so fancy. They even met us with drinks after we got off the boat. It was very White Lotusy and I felt/feel a little weird about it). Bella embraced the bar and the pool.

Then we headed back to the boats.

As you arrive in the small town appropriately named, Tortuguero, there is a small boardwalk. Just a hundred feet away from this is the Atlantic Ocean - or Caribbean Sea. I don't completely get the distinction. I sometimes think we make geography harder than it needs to be. But that't just me.

We did the touristy things. I hoped to find shells, but mostly found trash. We are about a week too early for the sea turtles and their migration, but we learned all about it. We walked on the sea turtle beach and waved to our family in Maine and England.

I poked around in every corner I could and found this sweet, simple church.

And checked out the fruit.

Dogs, chickens, and children run loose around the island. Bella wanted to adopt all of the dogs. It brings to the forefront all of the feelings I have about poverty, and my role in exploiting people for my amazing vacation. I laid in bed last night researching homelessness and poverty and Costa Rica. It did not help my feeelings.

I keep reminding myself that this is one reason I travel - to see the world. To know how the world outside of my Fort Collins Bubble. I want my kids to know and see the world beyond the tip of their nose. It is important to me not to forget that life can be hard - it is hard.  Looking at hard things, and refusing to look away helps to at least honor the experiences of those people. Maybe in some small way these experiences will someday lead to a better life for all.

Bella's night got progressively better.

And better.

We are enjoying trying new foods and loving the pineapple. I really appreciate vegetarian options!