I stand corrected, this was my last sunset in Costa Rica. I definitely wanted to spend more time there, but the powers that be decided that it would be at the air port. Our flight was delayed 4 hours. We passed to time in a restaurant eating, drinking, and going in shifts to duty and gift shops.
I loved Costa Rica, and hope to come back someday. I hope, and expect, to carry this experience with me for a long time. I saw my first volcano, my first cloud forest, my first reef up close and personal. Went ATVing, Hiking, Ziplining, Snorkeling, and Surfing. And most importantly I got to share that experience with the girl that I love.
Last sunset at tamorindo beach. Our flight just got delayed due to winter weather back home. Had a great vacation with Robyn, wish it didn’t have to end.
I’ve been wanting to get a Cuban cigar since I got here. But for some reason I haven’t been able to pull the trigger on that.. Obama wanted to put these labels on our cigarettes and the people who were against it argued that these images are too graphic for children to see. I started smoking at twelve and stopped at twenty four, maybe if I was confronted with some grim reality that may never have happened. However, knowing how much of a smart little shit I was…
Left monteverde today to head to the beach in guanacaste. The views from the mountain dirt road were breathtaking. I wish I was able to stop the bus and set up on the tripod, but had to settle on handheld shots from the bus. Which guaranteed many wasted shots, but thankfully yielded this one as well.
Went hiking in the cloud forest this morning. Wasn’t quite a hike though. Our guide took us on a mile and a half loop stopping every ten feet. It was raining so there weren’t many animals out, but we did see this log and a waterfall though.
In the afternoon we took a tour of the canopy walking the hanging bridges. Then took a cable car into the clouds to zip line down the mountain. I wish I had my camera but there was no way I could bring it up there. It was an amazing experience. The first zip line was up in a cloud and was nearly a quarter mile long and at 6k ft above sea level. It scared the shoot out of me, but by the time we broke through the clouds the views were breathtaking.
I really think Costa Rica is an amazing place, and not just in the I’m on vacation kind of way. There’s something special about the people and the land that is very special.
Traveled for 2 hours on dirt roads through the mountains to get to Monteverde in the cloud forest. Roads were treacherous and windy, without s guard rail and with giant hundred plus foot drops. We saw a duck in a cafe that we stopped at on the way. Then went on a night tour of a coffee plantation with a walk through the rain forest with flashlights. Did you know it rains a lot in the rain forest.
Full day today. Woke up at 6 am for breakfast, then headed out for a 7 am hike to arenal national park. The park is the site of the devastating eruption back in the late 60s. Much of the landscape has filled back in, and you go through humid forests that are growing back, and then through older rain forests as well. It was interesting to see the growth in both of them. We had an excellent guide and he actually took us on our second tour through the suspended bridges in the rainforests canopy. This country is so beautiful its almost impossible to take it all in.
It should also be noted that this I’ve been doing all this through my phone. Ive been shooting with my camera and grabbing images and posting with out editing. I took 400 pictures today. So I’m pretty sure there is going to be a redux at the end of this whole thing.
I wrote a thing, but it got deleted. So this will be shorter because I don’t have the time to write another one. Left San Jose to go to LA fortuna in the volcano arenal region. Another gorgeous hotel in an even more gorgeous area. We rode ATVs through the rain forest and had drinks a thermally heated pool. Vacation isn’t real life. And other than the sobering realizations of actual poverty versus my comparative apparent opulence, I’m sticking my head in the clouds and just kind of going along for the ride.
Traveling to Costa Rica with Robyn, Emily, and Frank. JFK to Orlando to San Jose. We’re so excited that even 45 minute taxis and hour last ng delayed flights aren’t going to bother us. The only damper on the whole day were the two douche bags sitting in front of Robyn and I in the flight to San Jose.
They managed to get banged up before the flight, and before we had even taken off they were harassing the flight attendants. They were in their 40s of 50s, and didn’t seem to know their way around alcohol or women. They were loudly exchanging the details of their particular sexual exploits, and expressing how hot they thought one of the flight attendants were. They were concocting brilliant schemes of how one of them could fuck her in the airplane bathroom. “Just tell her how hot she is and buy her a drink. She wasn’t having any of it. The disdain showed so plainly on her that the back of the plane could see it. But the booze addled brains of these faux alpha male idiots didn’t see it, or didn’t care, so they kept at it for the duration of the flight.
All they could talk about was how much pussy that they were going to get and how fucked up they were going to be. They made allusions that all they were going to pay for was booze and T&A. I was pretty sure the only way these guys could get a woman to touch them was with a monetary incentives. Although one made it clear that they were married, which had the dual effect of proving the previous statement wrong, while simultaneously cratering my already low opinion of these particular primates
They were sitting in the emergency exit row, and I’d be lying if I didn’t continually think of pulling the lever and doing the world a favor by getting rid of these two. There are few things that annoy me more than loud drunks that can’t handle their booze: bigotry, idiocy, and inconsiderateness. They managed to get check marks in all of them. The last straw was this faux alpha male bullshit. They had all of the social aberrations of an alpha male, but none of the physicality or intelligence to back it up.
If these guys were ever confronted by someone they’d shrivel up.
As soon as we landed and taxied to the gate, moron two got up and ran to the back of the plane to release the 6 bottle of gin he drank. I along with rest of the plane stood up to collect our stuff so we could get out of there. I was also standing because I’m a small giant and don’t comfortably sit on planes. This fat hobbit tries to get back to his seat spouting insincere apologies and excuse mes. After passing me to get to his seat he says loudly to his friend “Jesus Christ, haven’t any of these fucking hic… morons ever been on a goddamned plane before. HIC… Standing around like idiots.”
I felt myself glaring down at him. All of the animosity towards the two of them were pouring out of that look. In my periphery I saw the other guy glance at me, as he stammered for the guy to sit down and shut up. It was the only time either of them seemed to be aware of how obnoxious they were being. We were stuck next to them until we were through customs and I was happy to see the end of them.
We were carted off in a microbus to our hotel, which looked like Scarface’s mansion. At first sight of the hotel all the negative feelings just kind of melted away. This is an 8 day trip where we’re here to experience new things and get away from the daily grind.
By the time you read this(all tens of you) I will be in the air on my way to Costa Rica with my amazing girlfriend and some friends. It has been an insanely busy year, and we’re looking forward to a little much deserved R&R. I will maintain my shooting schedule, but doubt with any sincerity that I will be able to post while I’m down there. If I can, I totally will, but I’m not going to stress about it. Take care, and I’ll see you on the flipside.
I stand corrected, this was my last sunset in Costa Rica. I definitely wanted to spend more time there, but the powers that be decided that it would be at the air port. Our flight was delayed 4 hours. We passed to time in a restaurant eating, drinking, and going in shifts to duty and gift shops.
