Summer Vacay

I don't miss a whole lot about school. But I do miss summer vacations. And holidays. Basically I miss the parts of school where you weren't expected to go to school. Ah, that was the life. And now that I'm a worker bee sure it's nice to have money and never worry about finals or papers to write, but when summer rolls around it's hard to not be jealous of everyone else's three months of freedom. Of course when fall inevitably rears its head I'M the one laughing, but until then usually I am bummed that everyone is playing and I'm not. However this summer was pretty great. Despite the fact that I worked through most of it there were several points where I was NOT working and then I just let the good times roll.

One of the good times this year: Costa Rica. The first annual (or...first possibly-annual-at-least-every-two-years) family reunion. Yep. We go big when it comes to family reunions. Costa Rica was a grand ol' time (how could it not be?) full of white water rafting, swimming in pools, kayaking, snorkeling, relaxing at the beach, horseback riding to waterfalls, deep sea fishing (not MY idea of fun, but that's why I didn't go, and apparently for the menfolk in the group it was a highlight), ziplining through the trees, playing games at night, eating tons of delicious food, and watching a late night movie or two. Pretty great.

We went horseback riding first. I expected it to be along the lines of all other times I'd been horseback riding: you plod along single file behind a guide in terrain that's nice but mostly unremarkable. And maybe you'll cross a little trickle of a stream and that will be the high point of the trip. But no. Costa Rican horses know no such restraint. And the trails are not so blase. First of all we started out going down this steep hill. Not so steep you thought you might fall forward off your horse, but steep enough that several of the horses chose to weave back and forth along the trail in a slalom skiing sort of way.

Chill out hopalong, I know the trail.

Then on the parts where the trail leveled out a little or went uphill the horses seemed to be engaged in a bit of friendly competition; anytime they would hear another horse coming up on them from behind they would start to trot to keep ahead. I'm sure if you know how to ride a horse properly the trotting is not a big deal. But when you're not a cowboy (or cowgirl) excessive trotting can be kind of painful but more just embarrassing. Because clearly you have no idea what you're doing as you bounce up and down like an idiot. And also you decided to wear a backpack that is bouncing up and down on your back while you're bouncing up and down on the poor horse's back. And this is why I think my horse decided to move on from the trotting and go ahead and just gallop. Trotting was painful for her. Galloping...not really less painful but at least we get to our destination quicker. So my horse chose to run most of the way. Even though she was breathing like she might die of a lack of oxygen at any moment. Still. She ran. She REALLY wanted me off her back. I, of course, decided to put all my horseback riding skill to the test (aren't you supposed to keep your knees in or something? Try to move with the cadence - like standup in the stirrups at some point?) to at least try not look like the last time I'd ridden a horse was in 1991. I was unsuccessful in this endeavor. And I was sore for the next two days. So maybe my "knowledge" of horseback riding was something I made up in my head.

The slowpokes. Some horse chose to walk parts of the trail. But not me and Chimoka. ....And, on the left, the annoying little girl who kept kicking her horse the entire time. When that didn't seem to yield results she started slapping it on the butt. If I spoke French I would've told her off. Or not. But I would've told her off in my head in French.

But. I DID have fun. And my horse took me to a nice little outdoor restaurant stop for breakfast along the way, then to a waterfall where I swam while she probably tried to take a nap before the long ride back, and then back to the outdoor restaurant for lunch, and then home! So she and I are friends. Probably not pen pal kind of friends, but if I ever get back to Costa Rica and need a ride to a waterfall, I know Chimoka is the gal for me.

Lunch at the outdoorsy cafe. Yum!

And as a final note, may I say that at least MY horse wasn't biting and kicking other horses like SOME people's horses. You know who you are. My horse likes to win fair and square in an old fashioned footrace. Even if it IS up the side of a mountain.