CharmingGeek.net Funness

Would a real man preach? Would a real man cry? Would he tell you that he loves you? Would he bleed for you and die? Would he love you like a brother? Would he help you understand…
that getting on your knees makes a man?
~Acapella Children
John 2:15

It seems Harris Teeter is a great place to hang out on a late night.

Safe? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good.

~C.S. Lewis

Deep thought:
If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?

In case you were wondering, I am back in the States now. It’s great to be back. I’ve just been avoiding the blog. My new shoes are wet.

Hello again web, and the developed world! We got back to San Jose yesterday after I picked up two more days of rafting. We took one day on the Reventason and the last day on the muy hermosa Pacuare. The Pacuare was awesome, with class four rapids, one of which I got to guide, and beautiful canyons. It was a relaxing and exciting day. Now all that’s left is a fancy dinner and a flight home. As beautiful as this place is, I can’t wait to get to the States. I’ll post my pictures ASAP. Lots of love…

Ok, so I swam in rapids for 2 days, learned about swiftwater life saving, tossed some ropes to some not-quite-drowning friends of mine, and then hit the r?os. First a day of rafting on the Pejibaye and then two days on the Sarapiqui. Then in a moment of complete anticlimax, I left the shores of the Savegre for the Cl?nica B?blica in San Jos?. I still don?t know if it was the beans or the water, but I?m blogging right now because some GI issues have me tied down at base instead of on the river where I should be.
Ooh, and the rivers are so beautiful! I?ve seen more wildlife in the past week than in any other week in this country. Costa Rica has some of the best rafting in the world, and in the calm spots, these whitewater wonderlands are crystal clear. I can?t wait to get back out there. Meanwhile, I hope the other guys are having fun.
?Pura Vida!

?This crazy Tico keyboard! Wow, electricity! How exciting is that?
Yesterday I finished walking across Central America. From the Atlantic (or Caribean) to the Pacific. And boy are my feet tired!!
Two weeks of rafting coming up.
Wow, I haven?t blogged in a month. There?s so much to say!
Starting in Lim?n, we began marching west, carrying clothes, food, everything on our backs. Hiking an average of 12 miles a day, we started the 280ish mile journey from coast to coast. Mud. There was lots of mud. I don?t know why RAINforest never made me think the ground would be wet. Most of the trails we followed were more like very narrow swamps. I have never before stepped in mud up to my thigh. I completely destroyed one solid pair of hiking boots, one poncho, and three pairs of socks. And you know what? It?s really cold in the mountains here. After climbing 3000 meters of tropical peaks, I was glad to have packed long underwear.
I can now say that I?ve eaten gallo pinto (beans and rice) for 12 meals in a row. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Nothing but beans and rice. I?ll never be able to look at that plate again.
We passed through dry forest, wet forest, rainforest, cloud forest, paramo, and bamboo forest. We slept in a boxcar. We slept on a mountain, and in 30 days, I had two hot showers and two sets of clothes. My legs have never known such a workout or such dirtiness.
The Ticos are wonderful people. Early in our trip, we were faced with crossing a half kilometer of rotting railroad bridge, stepping from one tie to the next, in the rain, carrying 50 pound packs. The locals made several trips across that bridge, holding our hands and helping us make the journey over the rapids below. Another day, when one of our group members could walk no farther, the Tico in the first car to pass offered a ride to the next town. Our homestays were excellent. (Um, beans and rice? no thanks) I want tico children.
Along the way there were many adventures, too many to list here.
See you all when I get back to the States.
Pura Vida!

Buenos dias from Costa Rica!
I’m in San Jose ahora and having mad fun.
For the past 2 weeks, I’ve hit some of the best surf spots in the country, learning to ride the waves, short board and long. The Pacific is beautiful, you guys. It’s a little overcast most of the time, but the water is warm, and the waves are enormous. At night, the whitecaps glow green with phosphorescence.
Soon we’ll be starting a hike from Puerto Limon on the Carribean coast, all the way across to the Pacific again, but first, here’s a little bit of what’s been going on.
After an unexpected 12 hour layover in Miami, I flew into San Jose at about 9am local time, June 17th. I met 17 other students and a number of instructors on a mountain overlooking the capital city and we spent 3 days getting to know each other while earning first aid and CPR certification. Then we split. I went with a group of 9 students to Playa El Rey, a secluded beach near Playa Dominical. We spent three days there in the home of Don Juan, getting our first taste of Pacific surf. From El Rey, we took a taxi to Playa Bejuco, apparently a vacation home for many ticos. It was a pretty wild beach with great rip tides. Three days at Playa Bejuco (with running water this time), and on to Playa Santa Teresa. The trip to Santa Teresa saw us on a couple of Taxi rides, a couple of busses, and a ferry from Puntarenas to Paquete. Santa Teresa was pretty secluded, but the water was drinkable and the waves were fantastic. A couple of 10 foot swells really gave me a pounding, but I had a chance to perfect my surfing on some of the more manageable waves.
Now it is time to wash clothes, repack, call home and start the 30-day cross-country hike blisters and mosquito bites, here I come!

Wow! Today has been a busy day…er…yesterday was a busy day.
Gardening and cooking…I made bread, lemonade, a cheesecake…I don’t even want to get into everything we did in the yard. Put together a grill at my granddad’s…went swimming. Is this really boring? Richelle called tonight, and I was all excited because I had such a good, busy day.
You know what would make my day better? If somebody would e-mail me. Too much to ask?
I’ve got to get a haircut in the morning.
And I have to go to sleep now.
You know what’s really dissapointing? Now that I’m using Stat Smarts to moniter my visits, now I know that no one reads my journal entries.