my little miss sunshine moment

I said goodbye to the CBC team this morning, which was sad to do, seeing as I only got to hang out with them for a few days this week - but I'm glad that I got to hang out with them at all.

After working it out as a surprise, I ended up going out to Talamanca to meet the team, who thought I wasn't coming at all. I have wanted to go to Talamanca many times in the last three years, and for some reason or another have never been able to go...usually because a van breaks down or there isn't enough time. So...of course it would have it that as Chad and I drove closer to Talamanca, a tire blew on our vehicle.

But, God provides...and a gringo came along in the same vehicle a few moments later to help us out.

So I got to go to Talamanca...and I got to see the Caribbean side of Costa Rica for the first time (after how many years?).

We had a lot of fun out in the jungle. On Saturday we hiked for two hours out to a waterfall, which after walking for two hours in the sweltering heat, felt great. Of course, then there was the inevitable two hour walk back in the sweltering heat to our bucket shower, which wasn't as exciting.

I was really glad that I made it out there as well, because as it turned out, one of the girls on the team was rather ill and had to be brought back for treatment. So, as they needed a driver and due to my prior experience and knowledge of handling a stick-shift, I got to drive the five hours plus home. This is where I must share my "little miss sunshine" moment. For those of you who have watched the movie, you'll understand this. Please picture this with me. The van I was driving is a fifteen-passenger, stick shift...built similarily to a vw van (moreso because it is not boxy like the ones at home). Partway through the week, the van started a new nasty habit - the alarm would go off at any moment while driving....especially when driving on bumpy roads. Well, wouldn't you know it, for the first hour that I was driving, that lovely alarm went off every 2 to 5 minutes...and the button to turn it off? Located under the steering column. A very tiny, very annoying button. So that's bad enough right? Especially going through checkpoints with policemen who are wondering why your alarm is going off while you are talking with them.

Well, that was the first part. The even better experience took place when our van decided to stop starting. And we had to push start. Please picture again with me...10 gringos running along side a van in Costa Rica, praying that the van will start, and the alarm starts again.

I just laughed. Cause what else can you do?

(P.S. Send money for new vans) :)