Cartago, Punta Leona, etc.

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Hole-a. Time is accelerating! I have 10 1/2 days left - where has time gone?! I´ve got a few more things to do and see, then I´ll be ready to go home.
Classes are going really well this week. I feel like I´ve reached a turning point, and I´m understanding a whole lot more. I would really like to continue learning and practicing Español! (Jugo, that´s where you come in). This Friday all the students studying Spanish get to go on a field trip to Cartago, a little mountain community outside of San Jose. We´re going to visit a church, a fountain, and other cultural sites in the area. It beats sitting in class! Besides, I learn more when I practice speaking in a real situation. Last weekend was frustrating in that regard - I was speaking to the people at the beach in Spanish, and they were replying in English. No people, no! Only Spanish, por favor. Oh well, I´m clearly gringa.
Last weekend we went to Punta Leona on the Pacific coast as planned. It was alright. The beach wasn´t that great, and it rained half the time. Plus Cheryl (the lady I went with) ended up getting drunk on Saturday, so she wasn´t very good company. Sunday morning we got up early and caught a cab to Jaco, a beach just south of Punta Leona. It wasn´t any better - the beach itself was rocky, the water was dirty, and it was expensive! It´s a big surfer town because it has good waves, which means no white sand and cabana boys. Only a bunch of dudes acting like apes. So I guess the weekend was just so-so. I did get to enjoy the sun a bit, and I walked along the water a lot, so it was a lot more relaxing and quiet than previous trips. On the way back we had a bus driver that didn´t know the area, so I got to practice giving directions in Spanish. I measure my success by the fact that I made it home.
This coming weekend, my final fin de semana, I´m taking two day trips. Saturday I´m going rafting on the Rio Rentevazon, which I heard is very scenic. Then Sunday I´m taking a combo trip that includes Volcan Poas, La Paz Waterfall, a butterfly & tropical frog sanctuary, and hiking in Braulio Carrillo National Park. That should just about cover it! I considered going to the Caribbean this weekend to see some turtles laying and hatching eggs - Costa Rica provides the perfect environment for four of the eight turtle species that still lay eggs, and it´s supposed to be neat to watch. However, the Caribbean in CR has more malaria, and it´s more dangerous for travelers - especially young women. No thanks! I´ve had great experiences in the rest of the country. Someday I´ll see the Caribbean
So that´s it! I´ll see some of you in no time. In the meantime, feel free to write, I´d love to hear from ya´ll.
¡Pura vida!
Nikki

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