OCTOBER 16, 2010-MAKING PLANS

I'm going back to my favorite place on earth-Costa Rica-in January 2011.  Yep, even after getting very ill I still love the place.  Family members have mixed feelings about it..some think I'm nuts and some understand that travelers occasionally get ill due to circumstances beyond their control.

I never found out exactly where that e coli bug  got into my digestive system but I have a couple of thoughts on it.  Most suspicious is the water I used to clean with after the water line was cut.  I collected rain water for a while, then went to a neighbors hose and got buckets of water there.  It may just be that, even though I heated the water I used to wash dishes and counters down, it wasn't sufficient to kill off that bug.  I bought all my drinking and tooth brushing water and hauled it up the hill daily, but still....

Another thought was the occasional frescas-a fruit drink sold in sodas and on street corners or perhaps it was the white water trip I took, or an empanada I ate..whatever the cause, the experience was miserable and I've learned a lesson from it.

I usually start shopping for airline tickets about 3 months in advance of my trip.  I take a few weeks, comparing prices of all the online discount services as well as the airlines themselves.  One thing I noticed is the huge increase in fees...over 100% more in fees and taxes than my trip in 2006.  On the other hand, hotel rates in CR remain about the same.  The hostel is still $18.00 US, Aparthotel Christina has the same rack rate as they did in 2006 and other places where I inquired show similar low rates.  Although bargaining isn't as common in Costa Rica as it is in other Latin American countries, I usually ask for a senior discount or for their lowest rate....travel is down, generally and if I can get $10.00 a night off the rate it makes up for the %18% added tourist tax.

Another thing I am doing this trip is spending a couple of weeks in intensive home stay spanish school.  There are a lot of schools all over the country, though I am staying in San Jose for a couple of weeks for more dental work.  For about $600.00 for 14 days, I can get 4 hours of small class spanish, a home stay private room with breakfast and dinner with a family, salsa dancing lessons and occasional tours if I choose to take them.  So I'll attend classes from 8am to noon, break for lunch and go to the dentist in the afternoons.  Since I'll do just 4 days each week, taking friday off will allow me to travel to other locations for fun in the sun.  I'm really hoping to get to the Caribbean side of the country this trip, perhaps at the end of my second weekend (and hopefully the end of my dental work).

So I'm thinking 3-5 days in the Caribbean then back to Monteverde for another trip on the zip lines and more painting and hiking.

Sometimes it's just as much fun to make plans as it is to actually go!