I'm Alive!

Hi guys! I arrived in Costa Rica safe and sound yesterday and met Tait and Keysha Boulais at the airport. They and Keysha's parents have been very kind and are helping us get set up here. Last night the other four girls missed the bus out of San Jose, so I stayed at their house. 

The car had been overheating, so after Tait cooled it down we set off with the car packed to the brim with people and luggage.

Stopped in Nicoya for lunch... casados, Pilsens, and a dog. We didn't eat this one, it's okay.

He was a cute lil' beggar.

First river crossing! The needgreaters live in a little village past Samara, across a river. It's inhabited by fireflies and the occasional crocodile. It's shallow and well-lit though, no danger during the day.

Sleeping inside a mosquito net... just like home.

The view outside the window. I fell asleep watching fireflies and woke up to the sound of birds and sunlight streaming through the trees.

In the first couple of days, there have been quite a few things that remind me of growing up in southern Japan. The heat, the mosquito nets, the plants that fold their leaves when touched, the scent of the jungle -it smells like fresh, growing, breathing things- and the smell of warm dirt. I've heard humidity is supposed to heighten your sense of smell, so it makes sense (or scents. Ha...get it? Yeah yeah, I know you get it. Okay moving on.) It's like coming back to life-- I'd forgotten how it feels to experience life through your nose as much as your eyes and ears.

As far as creatures go, so far I've seen oxen, beautiful hawk-like birds, toads (I think Keysha and I ran over one last night), fireflies, and harmless millipedes that behave like long pillbugs when you nudge them.

I'm still waiting to see monkeys and crocodiles.