Wrapping things up

I'm sitting here at home on Tuesday night staring at the end of the vacation.
Oh well. What are you going to do?
The past two weeks have been amazing. The whole trip was exactly what was needed. No worrying about the future of journalism, no worrying about layoffs and no dealing with the California summer heat.
But all good things can not last forever, so I head back to the job to see exactly what and how much has changed in two weeks. But before I get there, I think I'll take one more trip around Costa Rica...

Before leaving, we did take a trip out to see some of the environmental areas that many American tourists go to. A friend of Gina's cousin runs tourists out to the sites, and that was good enough for us. He charged us $180, which was pretty good, considering we had been looking at spending $250 or so to be part of a group. Instead, we were on our own.
He took us out to see the Arenal volcano, a two-plus-hour drive from the house in Ciudad Colon. We passed by farms growing sugar cane, coffee and plantains. We passed by farms with cows and a bunch of roadside stands selling queso palmetto, a fresh cheese that Gina likes enough that we brought some home.
Then things got interesting.
There are the bridges, that only accommodate cars going one way at a time, with everyone on their best behavior, yielding for the other side. Then there was the piece of the highway along the mountain that had fallen off thanks to the amazing amount of moisture they receive in the area every year.
As we got closer to the volcano, it became obvious we probably weren't going to see much of the mountain. It was raining (it is surrounded by rain forest after all) and very cloudy. We got to the town of La Fortuna (more on it in a bit), where we should have been able to see it, and there was nothing but clouds.
But we pressed on up past the resorts (where the tour guide told us people went to get away from everything) and the ecotourism locations (with the canopy zip lines and Tarzan swings). We stopped at the edge of the Arenal lake, alongside the volcano to stretch our legs and hope for a chance to see the volcano.
Then, in an effort to get closer, the tour guide recommended taking a ride on the lake on one of the tour boats. He helps negotiate a price of $100 (we got a discount since Gina's a Tico).
So we climb down to the boat and hop on. The captain is pretty cool, and lets Luc sit at the wheel and let him steer. And Luc is happy to be doing it. At one point, Luc figured out how to lift the motor out of the water, prompting the captain to tell our guide that we were in trouble, because the boy is smart.
The view from the boat is beautiful. You get a really good look at the rain forest that sits along its shores. Only problem was that most of the animals weren't out because of the rain.
Oh, the rain.
It was wet and windy. And no matter which direction we were facing, the rain would find a way to get us under the canopy on the top of the boat.
But a little water never hurt anyone, and we pressed on, hoping to see the active volcano.
No such luck. The best we got was maybe the bottom third of the mountain.
We turned around and headed back into town and had some lunch, then took in the sights in La Fortuna.
Wanna know why it's called La Fortuna? Cause they're making a fortune off the American tourists who come through.
There's a store to cater to every taste of souvenir hunter. Artists hawking their wares. And don't forget all those spa resorts up the road. And banks aplenty for those who need to get more money.
It was an experience well worth the $280 we ended up paying for it.

The whole Costa Rica experience was one that will be with us for a while. It was hard to want to leave, even though we knew we had to.
It's hard to wrap it all up in a few short, pithy paragraphs. But I'll try to give you a few things to know in case you want to go.
* The country is very hilly. Not quite to the degree of San Francisco, but you will be climbing hills while walking around towns and driving.
* You shouldn't have problems getting around, even if you only have a basic California knowledge of Spanish. The traffic signs are pretty self explanatory, and if you know where you're going (do your research online), the taxi drivers will get you to the right place.
* Looking for a bar? Shouldn't be a problem. There are a lot of them, and almost all of them have a sign out front featuring one of the two national brands of beers: Imperial or Pilsen, followed by the name of the establishment, usually with the word Bar in the name.
* Similarly, restaurants that are more family friendly feature signs for soft drinks or a chicken company. And they also have the name restaurant in their name.
* If you're afraid of trying the local cuisine, not to worry, you'll find plenty of American brands. There's Denny's, McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Wendy's, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Quiznos, Subway, Church's Chicken, Outback Steakhouse and ... Hooters. Yes, Hooters. We opted to stay away from the American options and came home just fine.
* Yes, a lot of places will accept US Dollars. But beware, each place will make its own exchange rate. You're better off changing into Colones and paying that way. Oh, and because you are an American tourist, they will get as much from you as they can. The museum trip cost us $6 apiece. Locals pay 1,000 Colones a person.
* Your Visa or Mastercard debit card should be accepted without any problem. They'll charge you in Colones, and your bank will do the exchange rate and post it to your account.
* Don't go to the airport to come home with an empty wallet (or bank account). They charge a $27 per person departure tax for everyone leaving the country. And you have to pay it before you check in, then you have to fill out the immigration document on the back. Oh, and if you don't do it, the airport workers won't necessarily be helpful or patient with you for not knowing you had to do it.

So, that's about it. Actually, that's most of it. But the last bit will probably be a bitchfest about traveling with a 2-year-old and 72-year-old (who acts about like a 2-year-old).
I do have some random things I want to touch on as well this week, and I'm hoping to get a post of high school memories up before the end of the week (seeing as my 20-year reunion is Saturday).
All-in-all, it's good to be home. But I can't wait for my next vacation.