Shortly after New Years Ann and I took a little holiday and headed south of the border to Costa Rica.  Most of our time was spent on the Nicoya Peninsula in a little town called Santa Teresa.  For those not familar with the lay of the land the Nicoya Peninsula is located on the southwest side of Costa Rica bordering the Pacific Ocean.

Needless to say it was a trip of firsts for me…first time to Central America, first time to Costa Rica, first time on a little cessna plane, first time not to puke on a little plane, first time the airline lost my luggage which I still have not gotten back, first time I have ever felt like punching every employee at US Airways, first time surfing, first time I retired from surfing, first time I have ever been soo tan in January, first time I have watched a Green Bay Packers game in a foreign country, first time I have seen wild monkeys, first time I stubbed my toe while staring at a topless sunbather on the beach, and the first time I have actually tried to learn Spanish!

Anyway here are a few pictures from the trip…

 After two flights (Denver to Phoenix and then Phoenix to San Jose, Cost Rica) and one night in San Jose Ann and I boarded our last flight to the Tambor airstrip on the Nicoya Peninsula.  Which was then followed by a forty five minute drive to the villa where we stayed!

 View from the little plane in the air.

 Landing at the Tambor Airstrip and happy that I did not get pukey!

 The Tambor Airstrip…which was the first airport I had been to where the toilets were port-a-shitters!

 After landing and a forty five minute drive on dusty roads we made it to Florblanca….the resort in Santa Teresa where we spent the week.

 The main room of our open air villa.

 A birds eye view of Mal Pais, Playa Carmen, and our beach.

 A close up view of the beach.

 The sun setting on the same beach.

 My first day of surfing…also known as my next to last day of surfing.

 Eventually, I caught one of the smaller waves…

 …and rode it into shore!  Surfing was a blast…but I got sick of being beat to shit by the waves, face planting in the water, and having water in my ears which led to an ear infection.  I blame the ear infection on US Airways for losing my luggage that had my earplugs!

 Aside from surfing and beautiful sunsets like this….

 We even had Howler Monkeys hanging out in front of our villa.

 Relaxing!

 If we were not on the beach we most likely were in town.  However, to get to town we had about a ten minute bike ride on the dust bowl road…thus the lovely face cloth.

 Downtown Santa Teresa where we watched the Packers crush the Seahawks…yeehaw…go pack go!

 After a fun trip in the sun…

…it was time to get back on the plane and head home

 Once again I went vomitless on the little plane (I am getting good)! Here we are landing in San Jose, Cost Rica where we spent one more evening and then made if home yesterday evening.

I would like to say thanks to Ann for being an awesome travel partner and making the trip possible, to Frank for picking me up and supplying me with five Red Vines on the drive home, and last but not least those useless F%$#S at US Airways for taking the time to lose my luggage and being in no rush to try and find it…good on you US Airways!

later, g.