Things to Remember about Costa Rica

Well it is hard to believe that 26 days have come and gone so quickly...I guess that happens when you are having a good time. Now that I have returned from my travels through Costa Rica, I thought I would share some of my top 5 lists.......................

~Essential Items for Any Backpacking Trip...

1. Earplugs...you never know when the person in the bunk next to you snores like a freight train
2. Flashlight/Headlamp...you will always need to look in your backpack or room when others are sleeping
3. Fast Drying Towel...a wet towel is never fun to carry around
4. Lock...use security boxes whenever possible
5. Flip Flops...good in the shower, for light walking and dress up too!

~Things I Will NOT Miss about Costa Rica...

1. Horribly dusty and bumpy roads
2. Rice and beans every day
3. Bug bites...especially in the mountains
4. Applying suntan lotion and mosquito spray everyday
5. Typing on a Spanish keyboard

~Things I Will Miss about Costa Rica...

1. Fresh pineapple and mangoes
2. Sounds of the surf crashing into the beach and watching surfers all day long
3. Lush cloud forests
4. Warm waters of the Pacific ocean, tropical fish, monkeys and toucan birds
5. The beautiful beaches of Playa Santa Teresa and Playa Hermosa

~Things I Have Learned about Costa Rica...

1. Knowing some essential Spanish phrases would have made travelling much easier
2. Public transportation is not as quick or accessible as first believed
3. Everything...especially the food...is much more expensive than expected
4. Coffee making is quite the complex process
5. The many differences among Costa Rica's regions...especially for such a small country

~New Spanish Vocabulary...

1. Plata = silver...good to know when jewelry shopping
2. Parada = stop...useful when travelling on the public bus
3. Cuanto = how much...used everyday for shopping, accommodations, travelling, ect.
4. Habla ingles? = Do you speak English?...my first question to anyone
5. Banco = bank...always looking for one

It has been a great experience travelling throughout Costa Rica. I have met many interesting people, learned a lot about various regions of the world and received many ideas for future travels...South America is sounding pretty good!!! To keep my travelling addiction under control, I may need to look into a new profession....I just noticed the Lonely Planet is always looking for people to help provide information for their books!!!! Thanks to everyone I met for making my experience a memorable one...backpacking is definitely the way to go...and to all the people who have been following along on my blog....I hope you enjoyed the adventure as much as I did. I look forward to planning my next destination. Until then...

Final Destination...Charlottetown, PEI

Well this is officially my final day of vacation. I headed to the airport around 10am for my 12:30pm flight to Montreal. The flight went without any problems and I arrived in Montreal, where I proceeded to go through customs and immigration...all went well, except I realized when I got home that my luggage was physically searched and everything was taken out and stuffed back in to my backpack....just my luck! I had to go through security for the third time in two days while in Montreal...I guess now I have been declared safe to be in the country and am not a threat to anyone's safety!!! Just when I thought all was going smoothly, I found out my plane to Charlottetown was going to be delayed for 4 hours due to mechanical problems. After a 5 hour wait in Montreal already, adding another 4 hours was not exactly something I was looking forward to....scheduled departure 1:30am!!!! While I was waiting for my flight, I ran into a former co-worker from the PEI Department of Education. He and I went for a drink to catch up and pass the time...there is nothing to do in the Montreal airport, especially when everything closes down at 11pm. Good to see you Rene. My flight finally arrived around 1am and we left Montreal at 1:40am...destination PEI....I actually had the same seat I had when I took this flight at the beginning of my trip!!!! At that time, I sat beside Mildred Dover...former Minister of the PEI Department of Education....I see a trend here! When I arrived in Charlottetown...16 hours after my first flight this morning...I ended up getting a ride to my parents place with a girl I met at the Montreal airport. She just moved to PEI from Halifax and is the new Operations Manager for Cows. This worked out great, as I had absolutely no Canadian money on me...thanks for the generous offer. As of 4:35am I can finally say my trip to Costa Rica has officially ended. It was a great time and I met some great people...now all I have to do is go through my 700+ pictures I took!!!! Until then...