Punta Mala

Is located about 15 mins. south of Uvita on the Southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It is very near to Marino Ballena National Park which boasts a host of marine life and diversity. I am going to hang out with a friend of mine who has recently moved down to the area. He is staying on the beach and has a jet ski and a scooter! I was doing some research and found a few good pics of the place and thought I would post them. I am going on Friday morning! Peace!

Yes, Life is Good!

Here is a picture of my kitty. He is a little wild and won't really let me pet him too much, but I manage to sneak in a little affection every now and again. Anyway, life is treating me very well these days. I have a trip to the States planned for the middle of next month and I can't wait. I also have a new roommate who is sticking around for a few more weeks. She is a doll and we have been having a good time together just hanging out around the house and running around Quepos together. her name is Margarita and here is a great pic of her sitting on the couch in our home. Speaking of the Tico House ... I realized that I have not posted a pic of it as of yet which is strange since I am so proud of my quiet little house on the hill. We have around 10-12 chickens which the kitty loves to chase around. We also have a black and white terrier mix named "Doggie" and a little baby chihuahua named Toby, both of whom the cat also likes to chase. Sitting outside on my front porch watching all of the animals run around after one another is not only good for a laugh, it is also a form of unbeatable free entertainment. That being said, here are a few pics of my home sweet home ....

Merry Christmas

Its hard to believe its Christmas here in Costa Rica where it is like 85 degrees and sunny all day long. If not for the enormous amount of people celebrating outside their homes and cooking anywhere they can set up some kind of bbq or pile of coals the holiday may have just breezed by me. But here I am on Christmas day and I'm feeling a little lonely I'll admit. But I had my celebratory eggnog last night and am gonna chat with the fam in a little while so all is well and tomorrow I will wake up and today will be nothing more than a fading memory to add to ever-growing pile. Merry Christmas everyone!

Rain Rain Go Away

Its a rainy day here in Quepos Town and I can't help but feel a little dreary. It sucks living in a place where so many people come and go so frequently. Its hard to make friends, get close to someone only to have them leave you after a month or two's time. Oh well, I guess its like they always say ... The only thing that stays the same is everything changes. Anyway, it's almost Christmas now even though it is hard to be in the Christmas spirit when it's always super warm outside and I don't get bombarded by Christmas decorations, bell-clad Santas and obnoxious Christmas tunes in every store I go to. We will see what Christmas in Costa Rica has in store for me. No doubt it will be wonderful. Besos everyone!

A few more photos from Panama

Panama City, Panama

Internet Comes!

Yay!!! I finally have internet at my house! It took forever!

Well guys, Panama and Panama City was all I imagined it to be. I have had a great time here. Fayne at Pirate's Cove in Portebelo was awesome and super great, I even have a job opportunity at the hotel this spring if I so choose to take it. Anyway, I am about to head back to Quepos and it is a long and grueling bus trip combined with a long and grueling wait at the border to get back into Costa Rica. Fortunately this time when I enter I will be legal, having stayed the requisite 72 hours out of the country. So here are some pics and of course if you click HERE you can see even more pics of my trip. I would have to say that the highlight of the trip was seeing the ships traverse through the Mira Flores Locks in the Panama Canal or maybe the scooter ride we took across the Amador Causeway out to the Flamingo Marina overlooking the Panama City skyline. All in all I had a great time.

Okay so I am as good as on my way to Panama! I am beyond excited. I know I am going to love it. I miss the city and the fast paced life. Don't get me wrong, I love Quepos and Manuel Antonio but maybe I am a city girl at heart. Anyway, I will have a chance to check out the Caribbean side of the country because we are going to visit a town called Portobelo for 2 nights before we go to Ciudad de Panama on Sunday morning for 2 days. The only down side is that we are taking a bus both ways and both times the bus leaves at 11pm at night and drives all night only to arrive at our respective destinations around mid-day the following day. I'm talking a 12-14 hour bus ride! Thankfully most of it will be done in the darkness and thankfully I have zero problem sleeping on a bus or car ride. All I need is two beers and a cafe rica and Im out for the majority of the trip. Anyway here are a few pics of the Panama city skyline, no doubt to be followed by more of my very own pics! Besos!

A Case of the Mondays!

Well, I'm back in Quepos again and back at work on Monday morning. Another long day that I don't get to spend at the beach. Oh well. On the upside, one more week and I should have internet at my house again. After a long wait I will finally be connected again! Anyway, La Fortuna was beautiful as always and Arenal was awesome. We got a couple of great views of the Volcano and had a nice time on the Hanging Bridges tour. We saw a few monkeys and of course a really nice waterfall. We spent some time at some hot springs near the town and had dinner at a couple of really nice restaurants, including my favorite, Lava Lounge. I really like La Fortuna and it was really nice to get away from Quepos for the weekend. Here are a couple of pictures of the trip and more can be found via the link on the right to my photo album.
Next up on the agenda? Panama. I have to go out of the country for at least 3 days in order to renew my tourist visa. I plan on going first to Panama City and hopefully seeing the Canal. After that I think we are going to go across to the Caribbean side to a place called Portobelo and stay at a hotel called Pirate's Cove. Here is a picture of it off of their website and HERE is a link to the site. It looks like a pretty neat place. I'm excited about the whole trip and if things work out right I may get to meet up with some of my TEFL friends that have moved down to Panama City. Anyway, that's all for now. Its back to work for me. Besos everyone!!

Back in La Fortuna!

Yup, that's a volcano. One of the most active in the world because it is constantly erupting a little bit. So I am back in La Fortuna, a super quaint and adorable town just at the foot of Arenal Volcano. I'm in close proximity to natural hot springs, rain forests and the amazing Lake Arenal. Maybe there is some reason why I am so drawn to this area of the country, but then again I love everywhere I have been so far in Costa Rica. I can't wait to go to Panama next month for my passport stamp. I think I am actually going to get to see the Panama Canal. Wow, that's awesome! Anyway, I think we are going to go on a nature hike tomorrow around the lake and through the jungle and then go to some hot springs. Besos!

Still no internet

At my house .... everything is a process here, but it is coming soon! Until then, I hope everyone is well. I am doing great. Headed to La Fortuna next weekend and Panama again in December. Hope to see the Canal this time. Besos everyone!

Lazy Days

Today I did nothing except be a homebody and stay inside. I did some serious cleaning of the Tico House. Trying to get it up to par. But seriously, I love it. So do the kitties. They are getting so big. Here is a pic of them sleeping on my couch today. They are so freaking cute.
Dominical was nice. San Isidro was nice too. It is a beautiful town nestled in the mountains just east of Dominical. There is good shopping, good restaurants and a ton of day trips available to surrounding areas. I was only there for a day and on a Sunday at that. A lot of places were closed and we only had the morning and early afternoon there anyway. Nonetheless it was a really cool place that I would love to go back to. Pics to come soon!
Anyway, just another day in paradise today. Life is good. I am happy. But I am still looking for exactly what it is I am supposed to be doing with my life. I still feel somehow empty. Where is my passion?