Stateside

Monday, January 30, 2006

Four days to go and many more Goodbye's

I have made my reservations for the first few nights and I will be staying at hostel pangea (http://hostelpangea.com) San Jose. I was going to only stay for two nights but then decided to stay a third night as I would like to hang out to watch the superbowl since the Seahawks are going to win! Then I will be off to Montezuma, I'm still deciding between a couple places to stay there however I know it will be on the beach.
Meanwhile I'm still here. And saying goodbye to everyone is a long process but also a really fun one. It's nice to leave for a short time like this (four months actually, I named my blog before I bought my plane ticket) because it's not goodbye permanently but people still like to take the opportunity to let you know they care and they will miss you. Since I'm going to Costa Rica with a firm objective (I'm working on a novel) It is really encouraging to have everyone rooting for me and my success. It is a driving force and when I start to feel doubts I have a huge pool of family and friends that come to mind like a back up generator sputtering to life to keep me going. I'm very fortunate and thank you all. I will be posting as regularly as possible and I welcome all comments.

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Only One Month Left...


I have one month until I leave "on a jet plane." I have plenty of time now to finish up my research and generate a more specific itinerary. "Anonymous" left a comment which made it to my email inbox but I can't find it in a comment box anywhere on my blog so I will print it and respond here.
Comment: "Paige, I hope u don't take this the wrong way, but how old are u? Your blogs seem to point that any investigation on your part is with rose colored glasses. I know lots of people that go to Costa Rica, very few of them go for a family vacation, it is a beautiful land but it's know for it's sex trade catered to fat middle aged american men, and the locals will be your best friend, until you turn your head and they steal anything of value. I would just caution you to be very careful and weary of people. Probably going with a fellow explorer would be a great idea."

I have no illusions, rose colored or otherwise, as to the realities of theft (my traveling partner and good friend was robbed in Rome) or the realities of the sex trade in a foreign country however, these are fairly simple things to protect yourself against. Don't go seeking the sex trade (I never ventured into the Red Light District in Amsterdam alone) and not carrying anything of value is a good start to avoiding these specific examples of why this person fears Costa Rica. I think the intention is good but the point is not that I need to "bring" a fellow explorer as I hope to meet fellow explorers there.

On that note, if any readers have friends living in Costa Rica let me know, I'd like to make some more contacts.