Enjoying the last few hours

It is currently 1:20 here in Costa... and in 2 hours, I am supposed to be awake and helping to pack up the bus. Considering that I still have to pack, it looks like I'm not getting any sleep! Our bus is leaving Limon at 4 in the morning to drive to San Jose, where our flight departs around 11 ish. Then I'll be back in Houston around 4:20 in the afternoon! It's going to be a looooooooooong sad day.

Sarah and I with our coconut milk

Today was so much fun though. Definitely a perfect last day. When we woke up, 8 or 9 of us went to the public bus station and hopped on a bus to Cahuita, the beach we went to the other day. It was a really chill day there because a lot of people still had work to do. Since it had stormed the last couple of nights, there was a lot of sediment and sticks floating around and the waves were pretty rough. Eric, Jessica, and I ended up going on a little hike through the national park that the beach is in. We ended up coming across 6 howler monkeys! When they first started howling, we didn't see where they were and it was a really scary sound. Jessica tried to grab my arm for me to protect her, but I kept backing up because I was a little scared myself. Oops. After the beach, there were still a few things that I wanted to do in Costa before I left. I bought some coconut milk straight out of a coconut, had my first cup of coffee ever, bought a few more souvenirs (including my favorite Costa Rican candy Choys!), and then went to the Limon soccer game. I don't remember exactly who they were playing, but it was a blast. After the game, I ate my last meal at Burger King because I wanted something fast to eat and I didn't have a lot of money left. I got back from eating, finished up my last assignment (whoop!) and then Eric and I rematched Jessica and Sarah to find out who the spades champion would be. Eric and I ended up winning of course. It was been so much fun playing spades with them and hanging out. We have kinda formed our own little group with the 4 of us, and they are definitely 3 of my most favorite people on the trip.

Eric and I at Coco

I also bought my last legal beers tonight... for another year at least. Imperial and Bavaria Negra have been the beer of choice, and it's going to be so weird not being able to buy alcohol when I get home. I meant for this post to be really long, but considering that I've only gotten 5 hours of sleep total in the last few days AND I still have to pack AND Jessica, Sarah, Eric, and I are hanging out pulling an all nighter, I'm going to have to stop this post for now. Tomorrow night when I get back to Houston I'm sure I will have a really long post about how much I miss everything. I already am in disbelief that I am leaving Costa in less than 12 hours. I'm going to miss this country so much. But I can't wait to see my family tomorrow! Here are a few more random pictures from throughout the trip...

Shelly and I with our matching clothes

Next time that I post I will be back in the USA! I guess it's only fitting for me to give one big thanks to the country that has provided me with THE BEST experience of my life. So thank you Costa Rica. I will be back soon. PURA VIDA!!!!


PS Sarah is the coolest person ever!!! jgfldkjvbmc,gjklfbkmv