Chau Ciudad Colon...Hello Open Road! :)

These last few days have been in hyper-speed. I gave my final presentation on Mexican Drug War Propaganda and turned in a 10-page paper about the same topic on Wednesday, then Mike got here at 5:30 am on Thursday morning, I had my last day of class on Friday and a going away party that same night as well. It was bittersweet to leave Ciudad Colon--I am so ready to be on the road and make it back to my hometown, but I loved meeting everyone at UPeace and the media department is amazing. Our class of twenty-three students from over twelve countries meshed so well and I will remember all of the eye-opening experiences, both in class and out, forever.

Yesterday morning, we packed up the car and headed down to the Pacific coast for the night. The car actually isn't that full--we have a suitcase of clothes apiece, a cooler, two plastic bins, tent, and bedding are in the back; the dogs are in the back seat and fit perfectly; and there are five surfboards on top of the car. I didn't want to take a picture of the "set-up" until it was in a pretty location, so probably tomorrow in Avellanas. On the drive down to the beach, I could tell that the car was heavier, but it was a smooth ride.

I am writing this blog from Mike and my old neighbors' (Blake and Jamie) new house on Calle Hermosa in Playa Hermosa. Mike and I lived in one half and Blake and Jamie lived in the other half of a duplex in Vida Asana Yoga Retreat for six months right before I started UPeace and we would always joke how ironic it was that we moved in next to one another within a week--she played water polo and is a few years older than Blake, Blake and I have almost matching 4 Runners, Mike and Blake are both passionately obsessed with surfing, and we had two dogs apiece at the time (their dogs are two pit bulls, one of which, Koa, is in a picture with Max below).

We are packing up our respective 4 Runners and driving up north to Avellanas, my favorite beach in Costa Rica, until Wednesday. After that, they'll come back to Hermosa and Mike and I will cross the border into Nicaragua. We're going to be camping in Avellanas, beachfront, so I don't know if I'll be able to find wireless for a couple of days. I'll try though and either way, I'll take pictures and write, then just post them later.

In a few hours, after breakfast and re-packing up the car, we'll start the four-five hour drive up to Guanacaste, the dry province (relatively speaking to Costa Rica) in the northwest of the country. Avellanas is just south of Tamarindo--Ryan and I stumbled upon it by accident on a camping adventure after attempting, unsuccessfully, to find a place to stay with the dogs in Tamarindo (TamaGringo). It is a beautiful beach with sea shells, mangroves, and one restaurant, which closes right after sunset. Down the beach, quite the opposite from the mellowness of Avellanas, is Hacienda Pinilla, a huge JW Marriott project where people like Michael Jordan own homes. The area is known for its teak wood and mangrove-protected beaches, but not it's also well-known among fancy travelers, too. Such is life... Even with the Pinilla, it'll be a relaxing few days in a nice place with good friends before leaving Costa Rica.

Here's some pictures from yesterday during the afternoon rainstorm. The five dogs all hung out on Blake and Jamie's patio, and each found their appropriate lounging spot :)

Koa and Max (the "men") were manning the entrance to the house, to protect us from the thunder

Missy was resting on top of one of our many boards, so comfortable.