Jaco, Costa Rica

After a 16 hour bus ride from Tegucigalpa, we finally found ourselves in Costa Rica and a little bit of culture shock. First of all, we spoke almost no Spanish there. We were disappointed to learn that almost everyone speaks English. Second of all, we were back with American prices, which we had been warned about, but still had a hard time stomaching after the last several weeks of our lives. And while we would not necessarily say that what we saw of Costa Rica was first world, it sure wasn't third world either.

We decided to take it slow and instead of trying to see too much in one week, just stay in the same general area and enjoy some relaxation and sun. After arriving in the capital city of San Jose, we drove about 2 hours south to the closest beach called Jaco. This is where most of the locals go, especially on the weekends. We like locals, and at least this time around, didn't want to spend our whole time in completely touristy areas. You can see a couple pictures of the beach below.






One of our favorite places to eat was a place called the Taco Bar. This place was fantastic. First of all, there were swings instead of stools going all the way around the outside of their tables. As if that is not cool enough, they have a big salad bar type thing for you to load up whatever kind of taco or burrito you order. Their fish tacos were pretty phenomenal, as were their smoothies. Plus, the people were really nice. What's not to love?

Our hotel had a really nice pool and was a few blocks from the beach, so we got lots of good sun and swimming in. Breakfast came with the room, and it was tasty every morning. Our room even had a fridge, so we boughtt stuff for PB&J's and our lunches were set for the entire week. Lisa read two and half books in the time we were there, which was pure joy for her. It was a great opportunity for us to take some time, rest up, and begin to process through the last few weeks of our lives. We thought and talked about the kids from Nueva Suyapa several times a day and already miss them quite a lot. We truly wish that we could have brought them with us.