vamos a la playa! (lets go to the beach!)

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goodmorning folks!!
due to my lack of money recently, i wasnt able to access internet while on the beautiful coast. it was a wicked 5 days though and now that im back in the busy city of san jose i realise just how gorgeous that blue Carribean coast water is!! Adam Rog and myself arrived in the rain on saturday afternoon. The quietness struck us as we unpacked at the hostel, missing the other 7 groups members that somehow dropped like flies before we left! The atmosphere and culture of Puerto Viejo was so different from the communities we had been living in for the last two months. Touristy, so colourful, had a breeeeeeze from the ocean, much more pricey, but the biggest difference was definetly the ethnicity of the people. It was really the Caribbean in the sense that just about everyone living and working there was black. Lots of dreads, cool sunglasses and so much laid back conversation and singing!! I felt like I was back in the dorm rooms of Willy Edgehill and Reid Shelley with all the carribbean accented voices! I really really enjoyed this exposure to the diversity or CR.
WE WENT SURFING!!!!! we had lessons from these two perfectly sterotypical SURF DUDES. they were hilarious! first thing that was said to me was " its all good sis, jus pass me the board!" ah we all got up quite quickly if i do say so myself... it definetly pays off to already know how to snowboard--the exact same balance technique. it was the sweetest feeling! i cant wait to hit the waves on the pacific coast (we leave tomorrow) this next week! to my aussie banff bums, i definetly understand why you missed your home country this much, its a beautiful sport!
i slept outside in a hammock for two nights! this place called ROCKING Js was pretty unreal! Hippy to the max,and just generally my kind of environmental crazy relaxed atmosphere! Rog took some pics, so ill try to hook those up soon but it was so colourful and decorated with tons of reused items.
On tuesday we took a boat trip to Tortoguero, 3 hours down this tropical river to an island where tourists flock to see the turtles beach and lay their eggs. From 10 pm till midnight we walked the dark beach with a guide, searching for turtles and their nestings. Unfortunately this isnt their ON season, we are about one month to early. hardly a bummer, we still saw their nestings, tracks (which are HUGE, oh if i didnt mention these arent your average turltles, theyre MASSIVE! namely the leather back ones are the biggest) and got to witness the sound and sight of the white capped waves against the dark background of beach and water. I loved that night so much!
We got back yesterday night (weds) to HEALTHy FRIENDS!!! Shannon passed her kidney stones, and best of all LAUREN IS OUTA HOSPiTAL! I was so worried sick over that one, although the operation was successful,their were several complications like fluid build up and damage to the diaphragm. Some how she picked up yesterday morning and was home by the afternoon to greet us as we came back to the hostel!! This hostel is like our home base, its so cozy and the people who work here feel like part of our group now. Events like rushing lauren to the hospital and rushing Rog and I off in a Cab at 4am this morning to look for his lost wallet at the bus station have brought us close with the hostel staffing members!(unfortunately i think his wallets gone for good. luckily still has his passport and visa)
im stoked for the pacific coast tomorrow! seems like time is just flying by...tooo fast!! all is well though, my love to all!
XXOXOO HILS

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