Pick-pocketed in Buenos Aires Argentina

I left Utah on December 4th and flew to Costa Rica. After spending 5 days in Jaco (visiting Sama, seeing the Marina & witnessing a transvestite running frantically from an incoming firecracker), I headed to Buenos Aires, Argentina. I met my friend Liz at the airport (it´s spelled Lies...but for the gringos I´ll just write it as Liz so you don´t think of lies as in lying).

The first day in Buenos Aires we just walked around and saw a lot of the city. Apparently we weren´t being very observant because I took a picture as I was crossing the street, put my camera back in it´s case, and moved it to the back side of my body...BIG MISTAKE. No less than two minutes later I reached for my camera bag to get out a copy of my passport and the zipper is open and my camera is gone. That fast without feeling a thing. But apparently it is very, very common for people to rob you while you are holding your purse or backpack...without you even knowing. You have to constantly be watching your belongings....contstanty. Luckily I had downloaded all of my pictures while I was at home so the only pictures on the card that I hadn´t downloaded were from Jaco. So...I lost the pictures of the marina :( but I´m pretty sure I´ll be back. :)

So yesterday, we walked and walked and walked some more. I bought a camera. I decided on a cheaper one because they seem to be older models than the ones in the US. Yesterday we also took a tour of a building which was cool as we went to the top where there was a light house light and got a great view of the city. Last night we went to a Tango show, which was really cool (and of course really sexy). We´ll be here until Sunday and then are flying to Bariloche. I´ll try to post my pictures soon. Ciao!

Home for Thanksgiving

I decided to make a trip home for Thanksgiving in order to spend a little time with the fam and to re-pack before heading to South America (I needed to get my sleeping bag and some other things). So, I showed up on my parents doorstep last Sunday with out them knowing...a total surprise. Tomorrow I'll having Thanksgiving with my parents, my sister, brother-in-law, three nephews, brother, uncle, cousin and grandmother.

I head up to Salt Lake on Friday to hang out with friends for a few days before flying back to San Jose on Dec 4th and then on to Buenos Aires on Dec 9th.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

New Pix...

Panamá: Bocas del Toro - I spent five days in beautiful Bocas del Toro Panamá with my friend Tara. We also met a good friend Delia on the plane ride over and hung out with her the whole trip.

Costa Rica: Manuel Antonio, Montezuma, Mal País/Santa Teresa - The Manual Antonio National Park pictures were already posted, but I have added Montezuma and Mal País/Santa Teresa.

Panama: Bocas del Toro

Hey people. I'm still alive and well. I'm in Bocas del Toro Panama with my Canadian friend Tara. We'll be here until Friday when we fly back to San Jose. All is well...I guess I am just enjoying my adventures more so I'm not as excited about sitting in an internet cafe waiting for pictures to download. :) But I'll post some more soon.

With love,
Coriannita

Costa Rica: Manuel Antonio, Montezuma, Mal Pais & Samara

I'm a little burnt out on the blogging so haven't written much. But I think that is a good sign...I am thinking about other things that you schmucks at home. :) So the past couple of weeks I have been traveling in Manuel Antonio, Montezuma, Santa Teresa/Mal Pais and I'm now in Samara with my friend Tara who I met last time I was here.

I spent Halloween here in Samara and had a wonderbar (German for wonderful for those of you who don't catch the reference) time...see the photos. I was a cowgirl. I didn't bring a costume and this is the only one I could find a few hours before.

Ok, ok...I have to run so this entry is super short but better than nothing, am I right?

Link for pictures HERE, but I still have more to add.

xoxo, Cori

Costa Rica: Jaco & Playa Hermosa

I've been in Jaco since Monday. My friend Tara is studying in a Spanish school here so I've been hanging out with her and her classmates in the evenings. It's been nice to see a familiar face as I've been homesick this week. I think it's all of this moving around. Packing and unpacking so often is starting to wear on me. I find myself daydreaming of all things domestic...kitchens, the same bed and strangely enough even a garden, which I've never had. I think it's just the routine lover in my trying to get back out. So I think after checking out a few more pacific coast towns, I'll settle in one place for a few weeks and maybe take some more Spanish classes.

Jaco is OK. I don't like it as much as Samara, where I spent time earlier this year. It's a bit more developed, a little bigger, more tourists...and not as beautiful or charming. However, I went to Playa Hermosa yesterday which is a beach 5 km South. It was so beautiful. I forgot my camera so no pictures. It is a black sand beach, so lovely. The waves there are big and apparently 'world class'. So I obviously didn't try surfing there, but just had lunch at a restaurant on the beach and read my book.

Tomorrow I am going to visit Manuel Antonio National Park for 2 days, so I hope to have some great pictures for my next posting. Ciao!

No Honduras For Now

I had planned to go to Honduras today. However, much of the country is under red or yellow alert because of tropical rains (possible hurrican coming), mud slides (blocking roads) and flooding. Apparently 17,000 people have been evacuated (news article). So, I'm going to have to skip Honduras for now. :(

There has been a lot of rain in Guatemala as well. Yesterday on the way back to Antigua from Lake Atitlan we had a lot of rain and a portion of the mountain had come down on the road. I'll try to load the pictures later. But because of all the rain and sketchy road situations, I've decided not to bus it to Costa Rica as I originally planned. Tomorrow morning I fly from Guatemala City to San Jose, Costa Rica. My Canadian friend Tara is studying Spanish in Jaco. So I'm planning to go straight to Jaco, settle in for a day or two and then head down to Manuel Antonio National Park. Tara is letting me keep the majority of my stuff in her room, so I'll only need to take my small backpack which will be a welcome retreat! Although I have lightened my load a bit, some intentionally, some by accident.

I'm bummed about missing Honduras. But I plan to use this time to tour Costa Rica before I fly to Buenos Aires on December 9th. When I was in CR earlier this year I stayed in a small beach town the whole time. So I plan to see the the rest of the country as I'm not sure if I'll be getting back there after South America next spring. Hasta luego.