Hey All!

Let's begin where I left off. I was in Limon awaiting the arrival of the cruise ship with Mom and Denis, Paulette and Shel (aunt and uncle). You know when you are really excited for something so you have a really light sleep and waking up at 6am is not a big deal because you know that it is going to be a great day..... Well, that's how I felt on the morning that I was suppose to see family in Limon. I got to the cruise ship terminal at 6:30am and watched the ship pull in. Then I waited and waited and waited - only to find out that the dock workers were on strike and refused to tie up the ship. So, there I stood about 200 metres away from the ship and that was about it. Mom and Denis started to wave a towel (or something), which got my attention and I started to wave back and it went on like that for about an hour and then the ship pulled away. I was so dissapointed. I couldn't believe that I was that close to seeing them and then they left. I caught the 11am bus out of Limon that morning and started to make my way back to Mal Pais.

I have decided that I am going to stay put on the Nicoya Peninsula until friends come to visit. It has proven to be a little sketchy on the few adventures that I have taken and feel comfortable where I am staying. I don't think that it is necessarily that unsafe as long as you keep your wits about you but my luck has proven to not be great so far. Nothing terrible but my gut is saying stay put! With that said mini adventures are still to be had!

Five of us rented an SUV last week and drove from the south of the Peninsula up to the very touristy Tamarindo. We stayed at a place called Hotel Mamiri. We got the "suite", which was basically an apartment for $15/night each. It was awesome. During the days we went to Playa Avellanas and Playa Grande to surf but there weren't really any swells. Instead we just laid on the beach and worked on our tans. The beaches up there are beautiful - as good as what you've heard. At night we went out to a couple of pubs as well as a discotheque. The discotheque was a little much for me but to experience it was worth it. I am and will always be a pub girl not a club girl!

A couple of nights ago was Halloween. I got dressed up as a witch. Everything was home made including the hat and the broom. I only took a couple of pictures of my outfit and they turned out blurry. One of the guys that I know here dressed up as a mummy and won second prize ($100 US) at the costume contest. I have posted a picture of him - it was pretty funny.

I am back at the bungalows that I was staying at before and now have internet. Everything around town that was closed during the low season opens back up today and it is getting busier. The yoga studio beside my bungalow also opens today so I am excited about that. They offer Vinyasa and a couple of other kinds of yoga. I met a couple of people from Vancouver yesterday and chatted with them for awhile. It was good to talk about home.

So there's the update. Hope all is well with everyone. I will write again soon.