Enjoying the Pacific coastline of Costa Rica

White sand beach on the Pacific Side, Punta Leona

Our last two days have been at a lovely resort on the Pacific coastline of Costa Rica.  This is the sunny dry side with the gorgeous beaches and there are even monkeys in the trees!  We really enjoyed swimming on the white sand beach and also in the large pools.  

Can you spot the monkey?

Unfortunately, one of the ladies on the trip became ill yesterday at 5 a.m. in the morning.  She called the front desk and they notified our tour guide.  The guide called the Red Cross ambulance. Since I am the Friendship Force exchange director and responsible for the trip, I rode the ambulance with her to the local clinic in the nearby town of Jaco.  She was having some problems breathing and they thought she has pneumonia.  Since they did not have an x-ray machine, they decided to give her an IV with some nebulizer treatments.  After a series of three 1/2 hour treatments, she was able to breathe better. Whew!  They gave her a prescription for antibiotics and an inhaler  with a strong recommendation for her to get an x-ray when she returns to the U.S. to rule out pneumonia.  I found the health system very responsive, however the clinic looked clean but crowded and the building looked pretty sad.  But, for all this treatment, the final bill including the prescriptions was only $200!  (It will be cover by her trip medical insurance).

Today is our last day here and it has been great.  We had a wonderful tour of the capital, San Jose, and even visited the beautiful National Theater Building.  But wait - a big surprise!  The Alajuela Friendship Force club, whom we hosted last November contacted us.  They came to our hotel here in San Jose and transported us to their town, about 45 minutes away.  They had a huge lunch for us complete with a DJ and dancing. They are quite a bunch and told us we were always welcome to visit them.  I have never been hugged and kissed so much! Upon returning  from this great event, we had a an Farewell Dinner at our hotel, the Autentico.  Very nice!

WOW - This has been a super trip with the Friendship Force and this great group of people.  We had a terrific homestay in the agricultural area, Turrialba, followed by a big welcome from another club in Alajuela.  The tour  was first rate and everyone loved our guide, Jonas.  We had a super time zip lining, river rafting, visiting a native Indian reservation, and floating down the Tarcoles River.  We're so glad we took this great opportunity. Traveling with Friendship Force is the best!