The Flight

We flew out of Salt Lake City to JFK at 11:30pm. We flew stand-by on Jet Blue, which is really cheap, but also requires some flexibility. For example, we didn’t make our 20 minute layover from JFK to Orlando, or the next flight because they were full, but we made the one after that. We slept a lot in the airport that day.

Sleeping in the airport

Emily got very sick on the plane ride to JFK, and it lasted until we got on the next plane, where she threw up even before we even took off. Just being in a plane was enough to do her in. Poor thing… I probably would have done the same thing if it weren’t for Bonine.

We didn’t make the first flight from Orlando to Costa Rica either (there’s only one per day on Jet Blue), so we spent the night in Orlando at Travelodge, the closest hotel to the airport under $60/night. Orlando was cold (compared to my expectations) – about 40 degrees F. I was shivering in my sweater walking to and from the Waffle place across the street for dinner. But we slept long and well, and made it on the next flight, thanks to a small miracle: the night before, there were only 3 seats left, but when we got to the airport, there were 5 seats available! So we made it to Costa Rica that day and only had to spend one night in Orlando.

First Impressions of Costa Rica

Red metal church in central Grecia

We arrived in Costa Rica at about 1pm today (it’s in Central time). My first impressions were the warmth and humidity – not too hot, just perfect – probably around 75° F! Also, the landscape is gorgeous! Even looking out from the airport window you see rolling hills of green foliage. Just beautiful!

We were picked up by Denny from B&B Grecia, where we’re staying for the next week or two. He gave us some great tips about what to expect living in Costa Rica and he’s been so helpful answering all our questions and helping us know what’s in town.

That afternoon, we walked around town a bit, got some money from an ATM (it looks like we’ll just be charged $1.50 by our bank every time we withdraw cash – that’s all), and checked out the town. It was bigger than I expected it to be, with several blocks of shops and houses in all directions from the red metal church in the center. We had dinner at a restaurant for not the cheapest, but still reasonable prices ($5-8/meal), then ice cream cones for about $1.50/each.

The currency conversion was a little tricky at first, but I’m already starting to get the hang of it. 500 colones = about $1 USD, depending on the day’s rate. Denny gave me the trick of chopping off the 3 digits on the end and doubling it. So 10,000 colones is just under $20 (more like $18).

We’re all very happy to be here, although a little bit tired. Marie is excited to go swimming, and we hear there’s a pool in town. Emily wants to go explore some jungle, so we’ll make time for that. Jen loves the town, and experiencing something so different. She loves how people aren’t afraid to look you in the eye and smile, and how it feels cozy and friendly here. I’m loving the climate, and am anxious to get out of the city, and look at some rental houses.

So, check out the video below for more impressions and pictures. (Also, let me know if you prefer the pictures within a video like this, or just as images at the bottom of the post kind of like I did on our Panama trip.)

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Sunday we went to church again in Volcan (we decided to stay one more night at Las Plumas rather than two nights in David). I got a bit more out of the lessons this week because I had my iPhone dictionary, but the girls chose to stay with us rather than go to Primary. We had a great time there, and said goodbye to some friends we’d met.

We spent the night in Hotel Iberia in David, which was just perfect for what we wanted. They had a decent restaurant, wifi connection, and hot water (after it was running for about 3 minutes).

The small airplane we flew in

The next morning we headed out for Bocas del Toro. We flew on a small airplane from David, which unfortunately wasn’t good for our stomachs. Emily and I both threw up (even though I took some motion sickness medication before we left). There were beautiful views, but it wasn’t a fun ride for us. Jen and Marie did just fine, though.

Once we got to Bocas, we were greeted by Gregorio who’s taking care of the property where we’re staying. We got some groceries, got in his boat, and he took us on about a 30 minute ride to the east side of Bastimentos island. The place we’re staying (Sal si Puedes) is heavenly! It’s so peaceful with the sound of the waves gently rolling in, soft sand all around, and an open and breezy house with light-colored furnishings.

This is where we're staying

When we arrived at our house, another couple workers greeted us and carried our luggage in the house. They then proceeded to work on the grounds. There was a woman in the house who had just finished cleaning. She comes three times a week. There was also a cute little boy who was fascinated by my video camera.

The girls immediately wanted to play on the beach, so we got their swimsuits on. The sand is so soft and the water is warm. It feels great here! It is a bit cloudy though. We haven’t seen the sun since we arrived, and it looks like it will be this way all week, along with some occasional rain. Oh well – at least we won’t get as badly sunburned. :)

It got a little rainy and windy that night, causing intermittent problems with the television and Internet, but they’re working now. The girls also played ball with some neighbor kids in our front yard until it started raining.

Getting ready to play in the water

This house is fully equipped and definitely up to U.S. standards. It even has a large refrigerator and full-size oven, which is rare here. Oddly, it’s missing a microwave.

The girls slept on an air mattress in the living room, and we slept under a mosquito net in our bedroom. We burned some coil by the girls that should keep the mosquitoes away. We also turned all the lights out, and stumbled around in the dark getting ready for bed – we were told that using as little light as possible would keep them from coming. They had some little lanterns but none worked, so the girls brushed their teeth by the light of my iPhone. And I think I only saw one mosquito all night, maybe two. And I’m not sure they were mosquitoes. Maybe it’s not as big of a problem here as they say…

Anyway, we had a great night’s sleep, listening to the sound of the waves and the animals and insects outside. What a beautiful place!

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