Costa Rica - Week 2 with the Fam

The best part of our family vacation to Costa Rica was how difficult it was to convince everyone that this would be a great idea. A few months earlier, I decided that I was going to take a vacation in August, status post a grueling third year and prior to school starting up anew in September. I called home and said, "Hey Mom, want to come to Costa Rica with me this summer? I think it would be a blast and I would love to trek around with my favorite mother." She replied, "Ummm, sure." That was all it took. Convincing Pops was even easier. She just bought him a plane ticket without him knowing. Dad didn't find out until weeks later, and by then it was too late to cancel.

"No one told me!"

Well, apparently Mom had asked him whether he'd like to go to Costa Rica some day, since a good family friend had lived there for a year. He replied, "Sure," which apparently meant full-speed-ahead for purchasing tickets. With three-fourths of the family heading to South America, it wasn't hard sell to get Shelley to join the fun.

We hiked a volcano, sat in the wonderful hot springs that the lava naturally created, and Mom took a thousand and one pictures. In typical Swendiman fashion, we opted to save our money and stay away from the tours (Who needs help spotting animals? We're Swendimans!). Apparently, we needed some help. But we found crafty ways of finding rare birds and monkeys without spending any money. On our first hike in Arenal, we latched on to a man who was particularly adept at spotting wildlife in the dense rainforest. We poached him, staying about 25 yards behind him at all times. He had a little boy with him, and we would wait and watch until he pointed something out. Then we would scurry forward and feign surprise that he discovered more fauna. He must have been a certified ornithologist, because the last time I saw a civilian this good was in the Bolivian jungle with Ronnie Milam (who is indeed an ornithological expert - and he has the merit badge to prove it). So in the end we got our pictures... for free.

We saw many monkeys, drunk butterflies, and birds. Many credit card machines were "broken in the storm," but I somehow got them fixed. I cooked fresh fish for the family and drank my bottles of wine. We even adopted a dog.

Scout (pictured above - exhausted after the trek) accompanied us on our climb to the continental divide (a worthless adventure if there ever was one). At the beginning of our climb, this little pup came bounding out to meet us from behind a small house. Just as I bent down to pet the little guy, my family groaned, knowing now he would never leave us (and they were right). In fact, Scout joined us on a long, arduous hike up the mountain, through hundreds of switchbacks, fending off millions of bees that ultimately prevented half the family from making it to the top. He found his own water, and playfully pushed the stragglers forward. But we made it, and Scout accompanied us the whole way down also. Apparently it was his daily exercise, because just as we got back to the little house where we found him, he left our group for greener pastures. That's certainly one way to get attention. I miss the little guy.

Back home, and back to reality. Boston awaits!