We had a true Costa Rican experience yesterday. We visited a cloud and rainforest in the mountains that featured waterfalls, toucans, hummingbirds, newly hatched butterflies, a jaguar, snakes, orchids, and a red-eyed leaf frog. This city lady felt right a home as we walked for a few hours.



I could have stayed there for days, weeks, years. Now, that doesn’t sound like the typical urban me. However, there was one big draw that made this place easy to get used to, Internet everywhere. I could Tweet, Facebook, and Instagram everything I saw, instantly. I loved it.








All was going well until we got to the waterfalls. Some of the walkways and flights of stairs were suspended on the side of the mountain. I could see two or three hundred feet straight down. I went into a quasi panic mode. I don’t like heights.
I had to turn around and make my way back alone. Everyone was way ahead of me so there was no way I was catching up to discuss my delimma. I just turn around and got the heck out of there. Unfortunately, I made a wrong turn and had to climb 26 flights back to the starting point. I was sweating from nerves and exhaustion. Every once-in-while, I passed someone and asked them how much higher I had to climb. I was exasperated as their estimates got longer and longer. I finally made it to the top and waited for the leaders to find me.
i explained what happened to the group leader and she summoned a van to take me to the place where everyone was supposed to meet up after the nature walk. As I climbed into the vehicle, she said she had a little surprise for me. Without asking, the driver took me for a very curvy drive down the mountain again till we got to the bottom. Then before me, was the last waterfall that I would have missed. He snapped a pictures of me showing that I made it and then drove me back up.
I decided to commemorate my very own personal experience by treating myself to a mask made by the Boruca Indians to ward off the Spanish conquistadors.


Everytime I will look at the mask, I will remember my heart-beating adventure.
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Ron and Andrea Hein, our traveling buddies. They live in Los Angeles and New York. 
This is their buddy Billy O’Connor.
Our new Manhattan friends, Paul and Sandra Graf.
Ronny and Barry Baker of Chicago. They met at the University of Illinois. She picked him out of the yearbook. Her friend found out who he was and introduced then. The rest is history.
Joe and Kandy Ginsburg of Chicago. Her mother met him in an elevator and said “I’m fixing you up with my daughter.” He called her the next day and said, “I’m asking you out for tonight. I’m giving this one shot. If you are available, fine. If not, just forget it.” She went. Love at first sight even though she couldn’t remember his name.
Andrea and I snuggle with the coffee beans.











