Monteverde and my penchant for injury
COSTA RICA | Sunday, 8 June 2008 | Views [697]
Hello once again, dear readers! Things have been lovely here in Monteverde though some drama has unfolded. But everything in its proper order.
Yesterday Chris, Megan, Adam, Tiera, and I went on a three-hour hike through the Santa Elena Reserves and saw some cool plants/animals/insects. My pictures are up from that hike and they are pretty awesome, if I do say so. We didn't see any monkeys or poisonous frogs (we were hoping!), but there was a pet pig named Charlie that snuck up on me and started rubbing against my leg. You'll have to wait until one of the others posts those pictures, because I certainly didn't document the traumatizing incident.
After the hike we headed back to the hostel and hung out through the afternoon. The plan was to try to go on the night hike through the Children's Forest but, once again, the rain followed the sunset and the hike was cancelled. As it was Adam's last night with us in Monteverde we decided to celebrate in style and ended up with breakfast for dinner (sugary cereal for me and Tiera, awesome omelets for the others), a couple of bottles of Bacardi, and a really old version of Trivial Pursuit Genius. At some point popcorn also entered the picture and by the time they kicked us out of the common area at 10pm the floor was covered with our failed attempts at catching airborne popcorn with our mouths. Not wanting to end the evening, we headed to Amigos, a Gringo bar not far from our hostel, and danced for a bit (much to the amusement of the Ticos and fellow Gringos present).
And now for the drama: at some point in the evening I twisted my ankle but didn't really notice until I woke up this morning to a swollen and tender left foot. Adam bought me an ace bandage and once it was wrapped I could put weight on it, but even now it is still quite painful. Megan thinks it will turn into a lovely bruise.
So between the sunburned knees (which a nurse staying at our hostel confirmed are second-degree burns), the scraped shin, the twisted ankle, and the random bruises on my arms I look (and feel!) like a bit of a mess. I no longer blame my mother for keeping me indoors practicing piano instead of encouraging physical activity. My lack of natural grace pretty much ensures I will hurt myself.
Bum ankle and all, I still went on the canopy tour, and I'm glad I did. We zipped through the air (and the clouds!), and the adrenaline certainly boosted my heart rate for a couple of hours. There was some hiking involved as well, and my ankle and knees made it through with flying colors. Sadly, Megan took all of those pictures so once again I have little to show for my efforts.
It's raining again (always raining, stupid rainy season) so we are chilling here tonight. Adam left around 2 and we are all catching buses around 6 tomorrow morning. Tiera leaves us to head back to San Jose (and back to the US in another week!), but I'll see her again this fall. Megan, Chris, and I are heading to Montezuma, a lazy beach town on the Pacific coast, on the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. The trip will involve another multi-part effort including a three-hour bus ride, an hour ferry trip, and another two hour bus. I'm not sure how long we'll stay there. In any case I will be slathered in sun screen (and may even track down a full-body wet suit if my skin doesn't play nice).
Hope everyone is happy and well! Keep your fingers crossed that my body heals and nothing worse befalls me in this next segment. :-)
Tags: costa rica, im a klutz, montezuma
