Pictures from Manuel Antonio

Stole these from Ryan and edited them a bit... I'm also downloading the latest episode of Jersey Shore.  I'll let you decide which of these crimes is worse...

 The Beach at Manuel Antonio

 Views of the coastline

I wish I had a picture of every poorly translated menu I've seen here.  This monstrosity came from a small Colombian restaurant we found while on our way through San Jose.  I ordered "Thorns of Beast"  and it was delightful.  Would you care for an order of Warm Colombian Dogs or Pork Scratching?




Con Amor,
-Bryan

Breaking the Bank

I don't have a picture of it, but as Ryan and I were walking back from the bus station today we saw these giant porcelain piggy banks.  They were literally the size of basketballs and painted horrific colors (even by Costa Rican standards).  It reminded me of a conversation I had this morning so I decided to share it with you:

I'm a bit obsessed with this Excel Spreadsheet I have that lists all the expenses I have (Muchas Gracias Senor Alex Knight).  I can tell you exactly what I have spent on gas, food, groceries, rent, etc. each month for the past 3 years.  Even here I have saved every receipt or typed in my phone every expense I've had ... laugh if you must.  Therefore, I will leave you with these figures to give you something to think about.
 

Average Amount Spent Per Day
Denver - $85.69 (includes rent, car payments, food, etc.)
Costa Rica - $36.67 (includes housing, food, travel, etc.)

Average Amount Spent Per Month

Denver - $2,570.85
Costa Rica - $1,100.00 - While Traveling

Average Amount Spent Per Year
Denver - $30,850.16
Costa Rica - $13,200 (estimated if continuing to travel around)

It's also cool for me to keep in mind that once I rent a place (most go for about $300 for 3 bedrooms), stop eating out every meal, and am no longer traveling around I'll be spending about $15/day.... Anybody else want to move out here?

Realizations

After traveling around Central America for almost a month and combining my past experiences in other countries I continually come to new realizations.

The first thing I learned in Costa Rica is that every experience and place is different for every person.  So many people will say, "I love (insert city name now), you have to see it!" and then I get there and it's terrible.  Or I'll go somewhere no one else even bothers to check out and have a blast.  There is a huge difference between someone staying in a nice resort right on the beach at $100 a night and me sleeping in a sweaty hostel at $10.  Overall though, my time here so far has been stellar.  Great people, beautiful beaches, and constant adventure.

Another realization I've learned is that the minimalist lifestyle really is for me.  I suppose one day that having a wife and kids will require more security but overall I'm so happy living with nothing and still having everything.

I just spent a few days in Manual Antonio/Quepos.  It really was a beautiful beach and I loved staying up on the hill in the jungle a little bit... just amazing views.  As per usual I'm a trip behind on my pictures, so here are a few of my favorites from Nicaragua.

Playa San Juan del Sur

Statue on top of the hill that was lit up at night. 

Nicaragua.... the land of cheap ice cream

If you know me well you know I am a recovering helado (ice cream) addict.  After years and years of Blue Bell abuse in Texas and a daily milkshake from 2009-2010 in Denver, I decided to quit cold turkey upon moving to Central America.  I held strong for two and a half weeks in Costa Rica but my demise caught me in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua.  Eskimo Heladeria is a deviant little ice cream chain in Nicaragua that sells all kinds of tasty frozen treats... at $0.50 a scoop I lost my battle to ice cream sobriety.  Keep my lactose tolerance in your thoughts.

I just arrived back in Jaco, Costa Rica after 5 nights in Nicaragua.  We stayed at literally one of the nicest hostels there that I have ever seen called Yajure.  Beautiful pool, in a mansion, right on the beach (where the best surf break was), AC, hot water, flat screen TV... all at a comfortable rate of $10 a night.  The city itself was decent size for a port city/beach town.  Nicaragua was very, very cheap (my buddy paid $8.00 for a Filet Mignon!).  Though we didn't do much outside of San Juan Del Sur I really enjoyed just chilling out, surfing a little, and relaxing with my friends.  The border crossing was a bit of an adventure and I have a new found respect for borders in Africa as these in Central America are nuts.  I'll be heading south to Puerto Quepos and Manuel Antonio tomorrow so be prepared for another update.  Here are some pictures from Tamarindo for you to enjoy:

Mucho Amor,
-Bryan

 One of the colorful crabs we saw at Playa Grande

 Playa Grande at Sunset

 Ryan Thomas

 Me, Ryan and Riley at sunset at Playa Tamarindo

Las Camas Hostel Mini in Jaco ... if you are ever in Jaco you must stay here

This pic is bananas

So we see this woman walking this monkey down the street in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua and she says "my monkey has been working for tips for charity for the past 5 years."  I'll throw down a real post later just wanted to share this picture with you.  Enjoy!

Tama'gringo'

I am currently in Tamarindo.  Easily the most touristy beach town in Costa Rica.  It has been fun learning to surf on the easier waves here and meeting a lot of cool/interesting people.  I'm still running around in my crew of 4 guys.  So cool seeing how close you can get to someone after just a week of traveling with them.  I'm still loving this place though... sunshine, beaches, local food, Spanish, and very relaxed culture.  Here is a little list of things I've done, seen, or realized recently:

1. Don't take sandals to the beach or they will be stolen ...adios Reefs and Chacos :(
2. I could eat rice and beans and/or ice cream every meal for the rest of my life
3. Mosquitos like my friends a lot more than they like me... thank God!
4. Doing workout videos from my laptop on the beach causes quite a scene
5. I still have a major crush on Mexican chicas
6. Money isn't everything
7. A little charm goes a long way when bartering
8. I can literally sleep anywhere and in any condition (hot, cold, bad mattress, bugs.. no problemo)
9. I miss my friends but not necessarily America
10. The Cowboys beat the Broncos and you can call it a preseason game but I'll still celebrate.

Enjoy a few more pics!

Mucho amor,
-BP

 My traveling buddy Riley

 The hostel dog in Jaco named Puzzles.  She literally just follows you around town and will wait for you outside of places until you're ready to leave. 

Cliff jumping in Montezuma

Beaches of the Pacific Coast y mas...

Mal Paiz was amazing.. great surf, clean beaches, nice places to stay.  I'm sure I'll write more later, but for now enjoy these photos of the beaches I've seen and a few other cool pictures. 

 Jaco

 Mal Paiz

 Montezuma

 Playa Hermosa (Black Sands)

Port of Jaco

Big thanks to my new buddy Steve for having his smaller digital camera out in places my nicer SLR doesn't need to be.

I'm On A Boat!!

Not as cool as the song said it was... After taking the sketchiest boat ride ever we made it to Montezuma.  The place was super small and a big change from Jaco.  My hostel for the night included Ryan and I sharing a full-sized bed with barely enough space in the room to walk around it or set our bags.  I should have taken a picture of it, but we had to walk up these steep stairs around tree trunk and it felt like we were staying in a tree house.  Again, not as cool as it sounds....

Montezuma, which everyone we met said "you have to check out" was ok, but we're staying in Mal Paiz/Santa Teresa now and this by far has been my favorite place.  I've been meeting a ton of people from Denver and Colorado oddly enough (Por ejemplo.. people from FoCo, Ballpark lofts, more FoCo, Cap Hill... clearly they're out to look for me).  However, I met two guys from Orange County that I've been traveling with who both came out here on their own.  It's been a blast having a little foursome to cruise along with.  Sorry this blog post was not funny at all, I only blame myself.  More pics to come soon I hope..

-BP

Me llamo Kelly Slater

Finally made it to the beach.  I've been staying at this sweet hostel in Jaco owned by a guy named Chabo.  He's Hungarian and quite possibly one of the chillest people I've ever met.  It is very much a beach house and I've already made some pretty cool new friends and travel buddies.  Costa Rican beach towns are a hub for European and American travelers and surf enthusiasts alike.  At this point I'm still a pretty awful surfer but I can consistently stand up on the board and ride a wave in from time to time.  I was humbled yesterday jumping out at low tide with all the surf pros in the big waves and had my leash come off my foot and board tossed back to shore... pretty embarrassing walking in board-less back to the beach.  We're planning on taking a speed boat 2 hours north up the coast to Montezuma.  I hear its a lot cheaper, not quite as massive waves, and a really fun place to hang out.  Since I'm no Kelly Slater it'll be nice to keep getting my feet wet and learning.

I'm about to jet to get some sweet shots of the sunset, but for now you can enjoy a few of my photos from San Jose.  

-Bryan

Cheesman Park... in Costa Rica???

One of my biggest fears with backpacking around a country for a few months is losing my boyish good looks, gaining 38lbs, and becoming a slob.  Well, fortunately my travel partner is as vain as I am and we both love working out.

In case you haven't heard of it, Beachbody's Insanity is basically P90x on crack. (If you watch TV for more than 10 minutes I'm sure you have seen this annoying gem of a commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMSbQnYRhao).  Jumps, squats, pushups, running in place... no weights, great results.. right?  Well, I've got the program videos on my computer so Ryan and I venture out to El Parque National (National Park) in the drizzle of the afternoon, cover up my laptop, and get to work.

Aside from the fact that I was wrapped up in how much this workout was destroying my body (who knew fried food for 3 meals a day was a bad thing?), I was getting a real kick out of watching the Ticos (local Costa Rican men) staring at us wondering what the heck we were doing.  Now the women were still staring at us, wandering head first into park monuments, but the looks from the men were making me laugh.  It didn't take me long to realize that those stares were looks of admiration than bewilderment.... "Welcome to the National 'Gay' Park of Costa Rica."  You're welcome for the eye candy boys, I guess....

-BP

Bienvendios Gringos

Highlights from the day include:

• Ryan's dad waking me up at 5:10AM saying, "It's your big day and you boys are just gonna lie there and sleep through your alarms?"
• Ryan making it to Costa Rica but his bag not
• Watching Costa Rican girls trip over curbs and run into poles while looking at us (apparently white guys are a big deal.. who knew?)
• Experiencing our first rainy season downpour
• Spanish only everything
• Looking around tonight and realizing I'm actually here and that this is my new life for awhile
• Seeing this shark week picture :http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150279091911893&set=a.10150279088541893.352323.34919176892&type=1&theater

Hopefully, these posts don't become few and far between as the days go on.  Thanks for all the love while we were moving, come visit soon.

- BP