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Joe, Courtney, and I spent nine days in Costa Rica, hanging out with our daughter Britney; seeing her tiny house, checking out where she works, visiting her extended family and friends in KéköLdi, San Jose, and Desamparados, and doing several sight seeing tours.
Saturday 12/2 - It was a long travel day, with lots of unexpected waiting... but in hindsight, went very well.
Our 4:30am Lyft driver was actually ten minutes early so we were hustling to load and go, so as not to keep him waiting. 
There was a little 'hiccup' getting through TSA. Courtney accidentally left her wallet in her back pocket and had to go back to put it in a bin. This caused a little extra wait, but we had plenty of time. So we had our photo taken at the big Christmas tree.
In this photo, we are on the tram to our gate. There was no rush, but I was anxious.
Once to the gate I could relax and even had time for my first (and only) cup of tea for the morning.
Boarded and ready for take-off.
Our first flight was very bumpy because of turbulence and Courtney was starting to feel a little queasy.
Our wait in Ft. Lauderdale wasn't bad at all, but then once on the plane, we sat for over an hour because of a mechanical glitch. My butt hurt before we even got off the ground for our 2½ hour flight.
Our second flight was much smoother but when we got to San Jose, Costa Rica we had to wait on the tar-mack because our 'reserved' spot was taken by another plane. We ended up getting pulled into a spot, taking a set of stairs down from the plane, and then a bus (photo) to the terminal. This all cost us about another hour of time.
Immigration was a long wait and then the officer gave us a hard time because the address we gave him didn't 'compute' when he checked his computer to verify it.
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Britney met us at the airport as we came out to catch the shuttle to Budget Rentals. We had another long wait and then at the rental office more time was spent filling out paper work, but we were finally on our way... straight to Denny's (at nearly 4pm) where we all chowed down since none of us had had lunch. We were all, also quite thirsty.
Our next stop was Walmart. It is difficult enough shopping at a strange store, but when all the signs are in Spanish, it was really a trick. But what a festive place this was (video), full of Christmas cheer.
We arrived at Tarbaca, where Evelyn and Luis's farm is and where Britney's tiny house is located.
Look at the view (above photo) from outside the little apartment we were renting for two nights.
We sat in the apartment and chatted for awhile, but did not last long. It was early to bed for all of us.
Sunday 12/3 - We all slept quite well, Courtney actually clocked in 12 hours of sleep. I didn't wake until after sunrise. The view at Evelyn's is spectacular in the daylight too.
Our little apartment only had a sink in the kitchen so we went to Britney's to get hot tea and coffee. This is her tiny house kitchen.
Britney sent this photo weeks ago = Home is where the cat is. Her tiny house is very tiny (2.2 meters by 2.4 meters or 10 feet by 14 feet in size). 
So we sat in her covered garden and sipped our warm beverages, and then I did some exploring. 
Looking out our apartment door, Bruno sits (or lays) guard, watching over the property. And again, check out the view. 
Evelyn had many beautiful plants around the house and garage. 
Look at her succulent collection. 
I love their tree (ficus) lined drive. 
Later Britney took Joe and I on a hike around the farm. It was a tad steep in places. 
And we had to do a little bit of bushwhacking.
But look at the view of the farm and Britney's cute tiny house and garden shelter.
Joe relaxing on Pepe and Karen's couch with Blackie.
Picking coffee beans. 
We helped Maria and Karen (Pepe's wife) with food preparation where we could. 
Maria's daughter Gisela, spouses, children, and cousins soon started arriving. And the party was well underway. 
Maria's nephew Manolo arrived with his family (except his wife who was working). Courtney and I both had the pleasure of holding his 4 month old daughter, Fatima.
In the course of the party, she smiled and looked around, had a nap, and then a bottle... and never once cried. What a sweet, precious, and good baby. 
Pepe's son (Jose Alberto) with Blackie. 
What a silly dog.
When the food was ready, us guests had seats here in the shade, and started chowing down. 
There was way too much food, and some a little spicy or with cilantro, for my liking, but we tried to eat what was served.
Britney did end up with some of our un-eatened food to take home for leftovers. We had also enjoyed a mojito with the meal. So after, to aide digestion, there was a little dancing (video). I just love Latin music.
It was Ivan's 47th birthday so a delicious torta chilena (cake) was served.
It was the best 'cake' I have ever had.
Most people had to work Monday, so the party started breaking up. One more photo of us with Maria.
We made a stop at the church where we met several of Britney's 'work family.' They were having a Christmas carnival.
We ended up getting a great parking space, so when time to go, we made a quick exit.
Next on our list to visit was Britney's long time friend and colleague, Elmer. Elmer's wife Rocio fixed coffee and juice for us and served it with a tamale and pastry.
We made the white knuckle trek back through the city and up the mountain side to Evelyn's farm.
The puppies greeted us at the apartment and seemed to want some affection, maybe in the form of food. Britney was quick to retire to her tiny house and we all went to bed fairy soon. I am not sure why we were all so exhausted, but the driving had stressed me out, and it is also tiring meeting so many people.
Monday 12/4 - I felt like I hadn't slept most of the night, but must have gotten some sleep because I woke up feeling fairly well rested. The sun was already coming up. My morning tea was enjoyed at Britney's while she watered her garden and we chatted.
We did another little walk around with Joe who took this photo of us near Britney's tiny house.
By 7:10 we had our rented Toyota Rav 4 loaded and were on the road, headed to the Caribbean. Getting through town was nerve-racking because traffic was thick and people drove crazy, especially the motorcycles (video). Entering the longest tunnel in Central America which goes through the national park Braulio Carrillo, many drivers honk their horns (just for fun of it) while driving through.
We hit a nice pit stop to stretch our legs, use the rest room, and we all enjoyed a cold smoothie. 
Once to Puerto Viejo we enjoyed a leisurely lunch at a cute vegan restaurant near the ocean. We girls had the best (build your own) salads. We ate out on the balcony, enjoying a cool breeze and people watching.
We continued our drive along the coast, catching views of the Caribbean Sea. The air conditioning in the car was blasting away, giving me the unpleasant feel of winter and not the hot, humid Caribbean.
We had time to kill so went to the near-by Jaguar Rescue Center located near Puerto Viejo de Talamanca in the Limón Province.
The center is dedicated to the rehabilitation of mistreated, injured, orphaned, and/or confiscated animals, with a focus on monkeys, sloths, other mammals, birds, and reptiles.
We enjoyed a tasty ice cream while walking and looking around. Not all the animals were so exotic.
There was a macaw nest 'box' and information about the McCaw project that we were about to go to. 
This is a photo from earlier, that Britney shared, of her Bribri 'brother' Duaro checking on chicks in a nest box.
He works for the Ara Manzanillo Project, which so far has successfully introduced 45 Great Green Macaws raised in captivity, into the natural habitat.
And below are two beautiful photos he took.
Waiting for the tour to begin. Then it was time for the Ara Macaw tour (which was an informational talk) and then watching the Great Green McCaws get fed.
Walking up to the area where we would be watching the feeding process.
The birds started arriving from all over, out in their natural habitat. They are feed to help supplement their daily intake.
The McCaws started perching in the trees where the feeders would soon be raised. Here you can see a few around this nest box.
More birds kept arriving, some in pairs, flying right overhead. And some landing to wait in trees so close to us.
When the feeders were raised, it was a feeding frenzy.
What a thrill to have these magnificent birds fly so close over our heads as they swooped in to the feeders. 
These are an endangered species that were raised in a protected environment but are free in the wild to come and go as they please. 
They are very beautiful, large, loud birds. And I must say, I think I got some pretty good photos of them. 
As we left, this pair was at the gate to wish us farewell. 
And pose for a picture.
Or maybe not.
We checked in to the Secret Garden AirBnB in Cahuita at about 4:30.
We weren't quite ready for dinner, and several of us felt the need for a shower to cool down and wash off bug repellent.
This was actually our least comfortable accommodation. There was no place to set food and drinks or anywhere to sit other than the master bed.
After a little rest we headed out to look around and get dinner.
Britney really liked this painting we saw, especially since the toucan was properly depicted.
We were a few blocks away from the Caribbean sea, so swung by it to take a look.
We ended up at a sports bar/restaurant so Joe could watch the Monday night football game. All the restaurants we ate at were open air and we usually sat outside for the better breeze.
Service was very slow, but we weren't really in a hurry, and the drinks were cool, refreshing, and tasty.
By the time our food came, we were quite hungry. It was a great meal but more than most of us could consume.
Leftovers were later eaten for breakfast.
Tuesday 12/5 - Britney and I were the first up as usual. The community kitchen didn't open until 7am, so we went for a walk and then headed to the bus stop which opened at 6am. I really enjoyed my tea, and Britney her coffee.
We still had to wait for the kitchen door to be unlocked when we got back to the AirBnB, so did some computerizing.
The cat seemed to be well aware of the daily routine and waited with us. Once the door was opened, the worker fed her and we got more tea and coffee and heated up our leftovers.We had an 8am tour of Cahuita National Park, with the entrance to the park only a short 100 yards from our AirBnB.
Of course we were snapping photos before our tour even began.
Kasho (a handsome, knowledgeable young man from the Bribri people) was our guide. 
Just inside the park entrance, there was a 'spat' between two male sloths and one 'ran' the other off from the tree they were in.
This one was actually moving quite fast to get away from the larger, more dominant one. 
Kasho usually led the way and had very keen 'jungle eyes' so spotted things we never would have seen without him. 
We were very fortunate to have great weather and be able to see tons of different wildlife. Here is a very large male iguana with two females just in front of him.
This is a hook-billed kite.
We heard more than saw the Howler Monkeys. We also saw several more two toed sloths, and one three toed (have the smiley face), an Eyelash Pit Viper, Raccoons, Leaf Cutter Ants, Blue Crabs, several more Iguanas, a Basilsk lizzard, several different butterflies, spiders, and I got a few bug bites, an indication that there were also mosquitoes. 
The philodendron were huge, growing up the trees and spreading out all over the tree branches. Some of them had their leaves flat against the bark of the tree, kind of like what you see on the smaller tree to the right. 
We caught glimpses of the Caribbean sea and coast just off the main trail we were walking. 
Being on a tight time schedule, we decided it was about time to turn around. 
We took a rest first, out at the beach. 
Courtney took our selfie, minus Joe. He sometimes goes off on his own. 
Oh, and I believe this is a huge ficus tree Britney took our photo at, to show the prop roots that grow down from the trunk or horizontal branches. 
Back at our AirBnB we packed up and then hit the road for KéköLdi where Britney's Bribri family live. Thankfully it wasn't a long drive. We did hit a little jungle rain fall while on the road. 
Juanita had a few ladies helping her to make a big meal for us. We sat and talked and enjoyed fresh juice.
We played with cats and dogs, especially the six week old kitten Mi. She was so cute, hard to believe someone dumped her there three days earlier. Juanita has 9 cats and 7 dogs, almost all dumped there because people know she will take them in and care for them.
It was also fun watching chickens and iguanas outside the open, un-screened windows (video).
Kasho took this photo through his binoculars during our morning hike, of the male iguana trying to impress the females.
And this iguana was seen right near the teaching center where we had parked. You can see his mate just below and to the right of him.
Once the meal was prepared, we enjoyed this beautifully presented and very tasty Arroz con Pollo - Bribri style. Juanita was so careful to prepare something that wouldn't upset Courtney's stomach.
Then Keysuar (and his 18 month old son Namu) gave us a short, informal tour of the rain forest plants in the area around his and Juanita's homes.
What a cutie Namu was.
And he was so familiar with the forest around his home.
I thought this spiraled vine was very cool.
We also got to see where Keysuar is building his house.
These two silly dogs, who had accompanied us on the hike, were enjoying rolling in the sawdust piled next to the work site.
Courtney took a great selfie of all of us when we 'dropped' Keysuar and Namu off at their temporary house (above the teaching center).
And I got a photo of the family (including Alina).
We went up to say goodbye to Juanita and she gifted each of us girls with a basket and bracelet.
Alas, it was time to get to our next AirBnB, Colina Secreta 'glamping.' It was about a 40 minute drive, and again up some rather windy, narrow roads.
We stayed at the Hemingway tent. Talk about glamorous camping... this was over the top.
We had a big tent, that was under an even larger roof shelter that included a kitchen and the bathroom. We had a covered deck and a Jacuzzi as well. And we were up in the rain forest with nature all around.
We were all hot, grubby, and tired. I was first to shower, getting the bug spray, sun screen, plant juices, and jungle dirt off of me.
Joe enjoyed the cold Jacuzzi, while Britney relaxed in the hammock.
Courtney later joined Joe in the Jacuzzi, saying it was quite refreshing. A great way to cool off.
Dark descends quickly in the jungle.
I love my family.
I stayed in the tent after my shower because I didn't want to put on bug spray.
We ordered drinks and a Charcuterie Board that seemed slow to arrive, but was absolutely fantastic. It really hit the spot and was the perfect dinner after having eaten a huge and late lunch.
Wednesday 12/6 - I slept well, even with the pop-up showers and howler monkeys waking me occasionally during the night; and I woke to a relaxing (not so rushed) morning. We went to breakfast (a three course meal) at 9am.
The presentation of the food was beautiful, and it was all very tasty.
Once again packed up, we headed on a very long (and somewhat nerve racking) drive back to San Jose. It rained (quite hard) for some of the trip.
I am surprised I was able to take a nap, but it is one way to get through the drudgery of the drive. Pain pills (for my sciatica) and Dramamine also helped.
Once at the outskirts of San Jose, we went to Los Guido to see where Britney worked. We met and visited with some of Britney's co-workers and saw her office and the rest of the complex (including the tutoring center). This is an earlier photo she sent me, of many of the staff she works with.
We dropped Britney off at the bus stop (so she could go home and care for her cat, guinea pigs, and garden). Courtney then navigated us to our next AirBnB, a wonderful 3 bed/2 bath condo at the top (tenth floor) of a high rise condominium complex.
Getting through security to get into the complex, finding
our correct parking place, and then getting to our correct 'unit' was
all a challenge, but we had videos from the owner and Courtney did very well communicating with her Spanish. 
And just look at the view we had.
It was a nice place, with a large pool, exercise equipment, and several playgrounds. But we didn't have time to enjoy any of it.
We dropped our bags on beds and before too long headed to dinner (on foot) before it got dark, which was a good thing because we had troubles finding our way out of the complex.
There was a big mall kind of adjoining the condo complex. We quickly found the food court and each of us went to a different restaurant. In this photo, Courtney can be seen at the Canton and Joe at the Grill.
I went to the Blend and got a big Cesar salad with grilled chicken. Joe's hamburger was so ginormous he could barley bite into it.
Courtney commented that it was odd ordering Chinese while speaking Spanish. 
After dinner we all needed to walk it off a little, therefore we made our way down the row of mall shops. There were lots of Christmas displays and decorations so we got a selfie by this one.
We managed to find some ice cream so ate that while we walked back to the condo complex. This time we found a shortcut through a different locked gate.
We had a beautiful view after dark.
It was nice to be with more typical housing accommodations, but I didn't even take advantage of the shower. Just about all we did all day was sit (a lot in the car).
Thursday 12/7 - I had gone to sleep at 8pm so was wide-eyed and bushy-tail at 4am. I arose to the same view as the night before and watched the sun slowly wake the sleeping city up. I was able to make good progress on this blog, but still was way behind on getting all my photos edited and posted in the correct spots.
We were at Walmart at 8am where we met Britney who had taken two busses to get there from her house. She again did great navigating while we made our way around the city and NW to La Fortuna. It was a long 3½ hour drive to get to Mistico Park and I was getting tired of spending so much time riding in the car.
We looked around up at the Park headquarters and got some photos of Arenal volcano off in the distance. I thought the cloud cover was a bit low (couldn't see the top of the volcano) but as it turned out this would be our best view of it.
While up at the overlook visitor center we had another tourist take our photo.
Joe had booked himself for a different excursion than horseback riding with us girls. He left for his zip line and repelling excursion and we ladies had 90 minutes to 'kill' so enjoyed a lovely lunch together at the park restaurant. This photo is of the pretty coffee plant they had in the corner.
We met Collin, Evan, and Laura (comrades who would also be on the ride with us) while we waited for the shuttle. Once at the horseback riding ranch we met Alonso and Mario our two guides. Courtney was on Vallo, I was on Indigo, and Britney rode a grumpy but spunky little mare named Abuela.
Our guides (one lead and the other brought up the rear) can be seen behind Britney in this photo.
We headed out on a very rocky road and sometimes going at a fairly fast pace. In this (video) we are just trotting along. 
The ride was basically all uphill to the overlook, and then all downhill back to the ranch. 
Here we were approaching the overlook.
This was to be a 90 minute ride, but about 20minutes of our 'riding' time was spent at the overlook.
Look at Britney's grumpy Abuela.
In the photo below, Abuela was out of character.
At the overlook, we took time for coconut water and photographs, and another view of Arenal Lake and Volcano.
And Britney ate some of the 'meat' when it was cut open and offered to her.
In this group photo, you can see the far off volcano on the left of us and the closer lake to our right.
Below I put side by side the two photos (our view) that I had taken of the volcano and lake.
And here is a closer look at us three girls and our horses.
I
was astonished and impressed by our sure footed horses who would sometimes
trot (and even canter) on the rocky terrain and paved roads.
But it was
also a little scary, in that I would never take Amiga that fast over
that kind of terrain, especially downhill!
Our horses were hosed off after our ride. Britney's little Abuela looked happy for a change.
We took a few minutes to look around the ranch while waiting for our shuttle. This is a three year old that they are going to start training for trail rides.
And this little calf was only six days old.
We took the shuttle back to the park headquarters where we all enjoyed chips and a cold beverage while waiting for Joe to pick us up. 
I really enjoyed the citrous taste of the ale I had. 
We saw this sign driving back into La Fortuna, where we then had a little troubles locating our AirBnB.
It was a two bedroom house with an open living/dining/kitchen area. We were all dirty and tired so took advantage of a hot shower.
The master bedroom. 
The place was also air-conditioned, with the temperature
setting giving us something to disagree on. When we get hungry, thirsty, and
tired, we (especially I) get grumpy. 
Too tired to go out to dinner, we walked up the 'alley' and did carry-out quesadilla's with fries, from Ketchup's restaurant only one block away.
I had had a cup of tea earlier, and after this late dinner, stayed up until after 10pm.
And then my sleep was interrupted by Joe turning off and on the air conditioner several times during the night.
Friday 12/8 - I slept later than usual and then we all hit the ground running because Joe had booked us on an all day excursion starting quite early. We had a brisk walk, several blocks to the Red Lava travel agency office where we arrived several minutes before our 7am instructions had said. While on the way, I took this quick photo of the valcano because it seemed we could see more of the top of it. There is always a cloud over it because the heat from the valcano causes water vapor to condense.
We ended up having a bit of a wait at the office because the shuttle, who had picked up others on our tour, had to wait for some who were running late. This cute little dog kept us entertained and we girls also took photos of us at this wall just outside the office.
Our first stop was actually back at Mistico Park. And we soon started the 2½ hour Hanging Bridges (6 total) hike.
We only went two miles, so much of the time we were stopped, looking at (or for) animals. Our guide Chris was very knowledgeable and had good 'jungle' eyes. If he thought he saw something, he would then use his binoculars, and finally his zoom lens to get a great view of it. We took turns looking through his scope at various animals and he used our cameras to take photos of them. 
Chris told us lots of information about the animals. This is a broad billed motmot. The male uses it's two tail extensions to sweep out the dirt from the hole it digs in the side of the hill. When finished, these two extensions fall off. 
This is a Giant banded anole.
Chris also told us a lot about the plants and their importance to the jungle. I just love this 'Monkey Ladder' vine, which even humans can climb if the rungs are large enough. 
Below is the 'Brocolli' tree. The tree grows to 240 ft and is among the largest trees in the world. The flowers are an important source of nectar and pollen for honey bees and bats. 
In addition to all the information and sightings of plants and animals, we got to see spectacular views from some of the six hanging bridges (video). 
In this photo, you can see one of the bridges in the distance.
Looking down at the tree tops below, a creek even farther below us can be seen.
The bridges also presented opportunities for photos of us crossing them. 
Behind Courtney (taking the selfie) is Britney, Joe, and then I.
Woah, hang on Joe.
The bridges would really get to wobbling back and forth as people waked across them, making walking difficult at times. 
Courtney had started out a bit nervous, but soon was crossing the bridges like a pro. 
As we were getting to the end of our last bridge, Chris spotted movement up in the trees. It ended up being a big tree limb that fell and hit the trail just ahead of us.
This explains what this worker (who was repelling) was probably doing when we had crossed another bridge earlier (below photo).
We also came across these workers cementing the other half of the sidewalk we were passing by on. I am amazed at the work required to haul cement mix and water all the way out into the jungle to make the very nice paths we were using. 
After another group photo in front of a waterfall...
And Courtney's selfie with her sister...
Oh, and one more photo of some amazing prop roots, as well as this photo Courtney took of a waterfall while on a hanging bridge. 
We headed through this tunnel, taking us back to the park headquarters.
The 12 of us (counting Chris) got back on the shuttle and then went to El Silencio private reserve for a refreshing pineapple treat.
Using his machete, Chris carved two of them into a very pretty display.
It didn't take long for us all to devour it. 
After dropping two ladies off, the rest of us more adventurous folks continued on to do the Arenal Volcano hike. In the sandy parking lot, Chris drew a picture, telling us the history of this and two other volcanoes we could see the mounds of in the distance. Notice the low cloud cover on Arenal volcano. 
It wasn't a long hike, but quite rugged, and 1.2 kilometers up a step slope.
Here is Courtney at the farthest up we went. 
We rested at the top and enjoyed the view and the breeze. The temperature was also cooler at this elevation. All these volcanic boulders you see were spewed here during the 1968 eruption.
Britney enjoyed conversing with Chris (in Spanish) throughout our day of adventures, comparing notes on what birds they had seen, where they had been, etc.
Britney was a fantastic translator, navigator, and escort for our whole eight day vacation.
Courtney taking a selfie while I snapped a photo of her and Joe to show the low cloud coverage at the top of the volcano.
Going back down was almost as difficult because of the footing and the steep steps down. My knees were starting to protest.
After a short wait for the shuttle, which you see arriving in this photo, we all got in and headed to our next destination - lunch.
My silly family peaking through the letters outside the Rain Forest Cafe. I guzzled the water before our food came and we had a very tasty fruit drink as well. It was a slow, leisurely, enjoyed, much deserved, and needed lunch.
Back in the shuttle (with only six of us tourists), we were headed to the La Fortuna Waterfall. After a look at the falls from higher up, we hiked down a ton of stairs to the bottom of the falls to see this view of it. You can see a few people (bottom right of photo) in the pool of water.
Our selfie pro with the pool and falls behind her.
Courtney and Joe went for a cold swim in the river a little down stream from the pool the water fall was cascading into.
There were much less boulders to climb over and the current was safer. 
Britney and I (not wanting to get wet or cold), watched and walked around.
After drying off it was now time to go back up all the steps (514 to be exact).
Phew!!! There was definitely some stopping to rest a few times. And now my knees were really aggravated. (For two days following this, my calf muscles were also very tight.)
For our last destination, we were shuttled to the Hot Springs Resort and Spa. 
Chris served us rum and soda and we all relaxed in the rejuvenating water.
As advertised, it was the ultimate experience combining nature and luxury. Hot springs were sprinkled about the sprawling property in the lush rain-forest, and included secret pools and waterfalls with varying temperatures. Each pool was designed to blend seamlessly with the surroundings, and several had small details like man-made waterfalls where we could sit and let the water pour over your shoulders. With pools of different sizes, shapes, and temperatures (ranging between 86°F and 104°F), we could choose the pool that suited our mood. 
Joe, who had planned all our excursions, was especially enjoying this one. And our muscles really needed it after our 'stair climber' experience. 
This was the coldest pool, which I couldn't get in, but Courtney did to cool off when we had first arrived. 
This photo, from off the internet, gives you an idea of how the pools looked so natural, and one poured into the next. It took us awhile to discover the 'chain' of pools because we were sticking to the two hot ones where we had started out.
We eventually sat in several different pools and really enjoyed the jacuzzi. Our visit was from 3-5:00 but I could have stayed longer. We did get poured on for a little while, but were wet and in the water, so it was no big deal. Our only difficulty was that we only had one towel (Joe brought) between the four of us. We had assumed towels would have been provided, so that was a disappointment.
Our last shuttle ride took us back just a block from our AirBnB. We had left in such a hurry (almost eleven hours earlier) that we didn't get the gate locked correctly. So Britney had to climb the fence to get in on the other side to get it to open with the key.
Britney had an on-line English class to teach from 6 to 7 and I was in desperate need of a quick nap, so we all rested. Joe ended up going shopping and got dinner for himself. Once Britney was done with class, we two went to a restaurant Tracy and Teresa recommended and got carry out dinner for us three girls.
It was late again by the time I went to bed.
Saturday 12/9 - Just about every morning of this trip, we were up and on our way quite early. I am an early bird but like to sit quietly at my computer, sipping my tea, and eating my toast. And I think for someone who is on vacation, this seems especially desirable. Luckily, this morning we had a little more time than usual because Britney was teaching class from 9-10:00 and we weren't going to checkout until 11am. So I was trying to get work done on this blog. I was feeling guilty however, because I was in a beautiful country and new location where I might never be again, and I was sitting inside at my computer, instead of enjoying the warm air and sights of the city. So before Britney's class, we three girls went on a little shopping expedition. Courtney was the only one to purchase a souvenir. 
I really enjoyed this park we walked around which was in the central square of town. 
My girls were willing to pose so I could also capture a photo of the park.
We started our long drive back to San Jose just after 11:00. I was so tired of riding in the car, that I was a rather grumpy backseat passenger. And I was so thankful when we finally came to a stop for lunch.
We were taking the 'back roads' home and it felt like we
were out in the middle of no-where. In this second photo, Britney is
pointing out the sign for the electric car charging station, not at the
horse.
At long last, we arrived at our hotel. We got checked in, unloaded all our luggage, and then Britney went with Joe to drop off the rental car. They actually found an office near the hotel, so Britney then took the shuttle to the airport, and caught two different busses to get home. What a trooper she was during this whole trip.
Courtney and I sat out in the courtyard while waiting for Joe to walk back.
We were by a pool and just around the corner from our room, which was quite handy. 
Joe went for a swim when he got back and then we all got ready to go to dinner.
It was a five block walk to the restaurant which was right across the street from another 'central' park with this pretty light display. 
The beer helped take the edge off my grumpiness and the food was great. Our waitress knew English, but Courtney ordered in Spanish, and was complimented for a job well done.
I hit the hay, yearning to be home.
Sunday 12/10 - We enjoyed an unusual complimentary breakfast and even had time to sit by the pool. Ours was a later flight, so we took the airport shuttle at 11:00. There was one other person with us, seen in the front passenger seat of this photo.
We were all sitting on the plane, ready to go, but our flight was delayed because our plane was overweight. So we had to takeoff on a runway going in a different direction, which made us an hour late.
Our connecting flight to Nashville was also delayed so we had time for dinner and I even had time for a little nap while waiting at the gate. It was already 9pm, my bedtime. It was wonderful to finally collapse into bed at Courtney's at 2am. I was done with traveling, but Joe and I weren't home yet.
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