white knuckled and well fed...cartago, costa rica.

after waiting an excruciating amount of time in line trying to check in with american airlines (while watching two grown men argue with each other in front of their families no less) and stuffing our faces with mcdonalds b-fast...

we made our way to miami, eagerly anticipating our flight to CR.

we arrived in san jose and picked up the rental car.

(insert life lesson: the price they quote you for a rental car is NOT the price of the car+insurance...i think i stopped breathing when they told me the total cost...lesson learned).

then we proceeded to drive to cartago (about 45 minutes away) in the dark on the same night they were opening a new soccer stadium downtown.

it was S-C-A-R-Y.

mr. lesley was a champ.

and showed his amazing driving skills for the first of many times during the trip.

life lesson #2 - driving in CR is no joke.

no lines on the roads+ people walking everywhere+a lot of motorcycles weaving in and out of traffic= 2 stressed out americanos.

BUT...

we made it here.

and met our new costa rican family.

(my college roommate diana's fam who took us in, fed us well, and showed us around)

love this house.

the setup is pretty sweet.

vyria and guillermo

(diana's aunt and uncle)

with my limited spanish and their limited english we were able to communicate quite nicely:)

the next morning...

ingrid, natalie, and karla (diana's cousins) showed us around the city.

first stop?

this little gem.

where we were sure to follow the rules:) ...

and admire the ruins.

mr. lesley was loving. every. second.

then it was time for a little jaunt through the rain forest.

where i got covered in mud, kept my eyes peeled for hearts

(i mean, duh)...

and hung out with these lovelies.

after the hike, it was time to relax.

and apparently, get in some footsie:)

to end off the afternoon, we feasted on our first meal out in CR.

delicious fruit drinks and...

CASADAS (my favorite).

(rice, beans, plantains, chicken, salad, and some sort of veggie).

D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S.

on the way back to the house we drove through some coffee plantations (!)

and they were gracious enough to stop and let me snap some pics.

we spent the rest of the night relaxing and gearing up for our first big drive the next morning.

first days in the land of pura vida= success.