Catch up and Current

Yesterday we went up to the volcano Arenal, but it was too cloudy for us to see details.. Also it's an active volcano so we couldn't climb up so see it up close. So basically we just climbed and hiked for a while and enjoyed good conversation. We went to this great local restaurant called Maravillo, where certain people in our party tried the 'Cuba libre' which is rum, a splash of coke, and a slice of lime. It literally means 'free Cuba' in Spanish... Interesting..

Liza's older brother Sasha and our family friend Anya and Liza and I have been becoming better friends. Sasha and Anya are both adults, and their conversations are pretty entertaining. I love listening to my parents talk - it's almost enriching - but Anya and Sasha have much more relatable stories.

So today we went ziplining, which was super fun (despite our guides seeming very morose.. I was like "why not smile? maybe one time? no? all right," and though I kept trying to start conversations, they were having none of it). After that Anya, Sasha, Liza, and I commandeered our own car (normally my family, Liza's family, and Anya's family all have their own, but this time we made a 'young people' car and gently forced Anya's mom be in Liza's family's car) and listened to what Liza and Anya claimed was good music. I readily accept the fact that my taste in music and movies is depressingly uneducated, so when people say their music is 'good' I just believe them. But excuse me if repetitive techno doesn't seem to be the most cultured music..

We're staying at the Hilton Hotel. It rockssss. Paris, I now understand your shallow qualities. I would be just like you if I was rich.

A bunch of the adults and me met out by the pool at like 10 to talk and stuff, and I (silly me) thought it meant we would swim. Therefore, I was in my swimsuit and was shocked to find everyone completely clothed, not even getting ready for a dip. Since I was already dressed, I decided to take a couple of laps, and it was awesome. Except for the loneliness. So I got out after a bit, and sat with them to dry.

Really fast I'd like to comment on Costa Rica's climate. It's interesting because I always thought of it as like a warm getaway type of place, but in fact that's only the beach part of it. It has mountains everywhere and when you get up there it's windy and rainy and fairly cold (not in the regular sense - it's just a bit chilly. but compared to what I expected, it's cold). So there you go - if you ever come to Costa Rica, pack some pants.

Loving vacation!!!!