Time Out

We are closing in on being here six weeks, and it was time for us to take a break.  When we lived in the Great White North, we would take advantage of the off seasons in Traverse City and Mackinaw City where we could great a great room for about $50 a night.  The distance wasn't too bad, and while the weather was still usually cold and snow, an indoor pool and some pizza made for a perfect Monday off.

Well, that's sorta what we did this weekend.  Emphasis on the sorta.  The drive to where we went was about the same, there was water involved, the idea of the break was the same, time out to refresh and get ready for what's next and it's the off season here because it's winter, ie rainy season (this subject probably deserves it's own post.  Another day).  But that is really where the similarities ended. 

So we decided to head to Jaco on the Pacific coast with another family, who just happens to be from Lapeer Michigan!  What in the world?!  They are here until August, and then they are headed to Quito, Ecuador to work with people who are in extreme poverty.  Teresa is in all of my classes, Jeremy is in our grammar class, and their youngest is just a year older than Forrest.  Plus we have the Mitten State bond.

Anyway, we hired a driver to take us there, because while we could have taken a greyhoundish bus or rented a car, for our first outing with children this seemed like a better option. 

We got there in about 2 hours and immediately, and I mean immediately, hit the pool!  And what a pool!

We played in the pool that was like bath water (it was probably close to 90 F outside with somewhere around 75% humidity! Much different from San Jose, which is a mile up in altitude) for several hours, then ate outside (Forrest's favorite way to eat) and then played in the pool some more.

Ha, see that extra kid?  His name is Sebastian and he talked to us for probably 45 minutes last night in Spanish.  We caught maybe 1/3 of what he said, but he was a fun kid to have as our next door neighbor.

Now, back to the whole Pacific coast thing.  Yesterday morning, our boys got up at the normal time, you know 5:15 am because that's sunrise here.  So we ate breakfast outside, and then hit the pool by about 6 am.  Seriously.  After an hour and a half there, we decided to head to the beach.  Oh my!  Just take a look...

 

See, just like Mackinaw City.  Ha!

Then it was back to the pool, for more water, then more eating outside.  We all did take naps on Saturday afternoon too which was wonderful!  

Yes, Forrest wanted to play Big Splash...that will probably always be with us. 

In the evenings after the kids were in bed, we were able to play Euchre with Jeremy and Teresa, because, remember, they are from Michigan.  We laughed and laughed and laughed.  It was a good weekend!

On the way home, we stopped at a bridge and saw crocodiles in the river below (freaked me right out!  Those things are MONSTROUS!!!!)  and then stopped at a road side stand and got a caja of mangoes (a box of mangoes, probably about a bushel, maybe a bushel and a half) for $4!  Yeah, not sure what I am going to do with a bushel and a half, but they were so cheap.  Our driver suggested mango juice in the blender, and I think the people in the neighborhood might be blessed with some too.

It was a great weekend.  One that we really needed.  And the icing on the cake was I didn't have any homework!  And now we are home, enjoying the nightly rain, ready to tackle the next week of language learning!