Costa Rica:
*The best cup of coffee. Ever.
*An amazing traditional Venezualan breakfast prepared for 21 American World Racers & 6 others
*The best and cleanest shower in 3 months courtesy of an 18 year old boy’s bathroom. (Does that tell you how we’ve lived on the race so far?)
*The best mattress/night’s sleep in 3 months.
*A clear connection to talk with family at home.
*Beautiful beaches and wildlife on the drive into Panama.
*Insisting that the bus driver take me with all our packs across the border. I was just sure he wasn’t leaving without someone coming along for the ride. It was only a 5 minute walk but we had all our big packs still on the bus with most of our stuff.
*Receiving a package from home that went through Panama City, David-Panama, then through the Postal Mail system to Costa Rica-quite the involved process, but the Christmas goodies were such a fun treat!
*Watching The Chronicles of Narnia in reclining movie theater seats for $3 on team bonding day.
*An amazing traditional Venezualan breakfast prepared for 21 American World Racers & 6 others
*The best and cleanest shower in 3 months courtesy of an 18 year old boy’s bathroom. (Does that tell you how we’ve lived on the race so far?)
*The best mattress/night’s sleep in 3 months.
*A clear connection to talk with family at home.
*Beautiful beaches and wildlife on the drive into Panama.
*Insisting that the bus driver take me with all our packs across the border. I was just sure he wasn’t leaving without someone coming along for the ride. It was only a 5 minute walk but we had all our big packs still on the bus with most of our stuff.
*Receiving a package from home that went through Panama City, David-Panama, then through the Postal Mail system to Costa Rica-quite the involved process, but the Christmas goodies were such a fun treat!
*Watching The Chronicles of Narnia in reclining movie theater seats for $3 on team bonding day.
Panama:
*Meeting Ruth Santos, a sister in the Lord leaving to serve on Logos Hope for 2 years. A mighty woman of God. (Ruth is the one in the middle)
*Albin, our initial mission’s contact. Easily the most organized, spirited man in all of Central America.
*One of the best cups of tea I’ve ever had.
*Using banana cables to haul our packs and a porta potty (previously used…please note my pack is the red one…oh my) throuth the banana fields.
*Crossing the stream to enter the banana fields on only a small plank with our HEAVY packs on our back and hiking down and up slippery, muddy slopes to get to the plank. It was risky business, let me tell you. The gate to walk in was padlocked shut and surrounded by razor wire, so we found an alternate route to get the job done.
(seeing the route) – (the razor gate) – (living through the adventure)
*Our amazing friends and squad mates who donated some of their favorite treats to help us survive our jungle experience. Others who loaned us multiple items. You know who you are. THANK YOU!! And precious Angela who gave me a lovely pedicure so I could remember that once upon a time, I was cute. LOL.
*Sharing a single bathroom with 26+ people and the water cutting off for part of each day. BTW bathroom=toilet and bucket of cold water for shower.
*Frozen duro (like fruit with a touch of milk-like ice cream) in a plastic bag sold 3 houses down for 10 cents each. Both the coconut and the Guanabana are amazing.
*Shoving 5 of us on the public bus (squeezed beyond capacity). The bus breaks down 5 minutes later, but friends from church pull up behind and we hitch a free ride from them.
*Squishing 2 people side by side in a truck bucket front seat and cramming 6 people on the back seat bench is less illegal than riding in the truck bed. Curious.
*Taking a truck taxi where we COULD ride in the back and cramming 12 people in it. This truck bed is MUCH smaller than even a Ford Ranger’s bed…oh my. Talk about getting to know your neighbor.
*Enjoying the slight breeze while using the plastic tented greenhouse like bathroom until the breeze blows the sheets a little too far. Oh well. And of course there is a billy goat tied up right next to the bathroom; this is the world race.
*Remembering to check for men gardening the groves behind the open side of the restroom before going.
*Playing tag with a million kids.
*Giggling and making funny faces with kids.
*Having a 19 year old flirt when he thought I was 23…when he found out he had the wrong decade, I think his story changed a bit.
*Finding my Panamanian boyfriend, Ramone, who I think is 7. He likes to hug and kiss my cheek a LOT. He is precious!
*Scuba diving for $50 for Rachel’s birthday…seeing a live shark under a sunken ship off Bocas del Toro island…AMAZING
*Open Hands 401. Graduated with honors. 🙂
*Playing volleyball with the teens of the church as an advertisement for the evening services held on the volleyball court in the middle of town.
*Taking motorized canoes where the seats were cut from a 2×4 with a machete as we were climbing in the wobbly ride.
*Tamales at midnight on Christmas Eve-along with hot chocolate, fruit cake and fireworks.
*Winning an ink pen, $1, a Snickers bar and a couple of Oreos made in the US from our team’s Dirty Santa Christmas game (White Elephant with ‘real’ gifts)
*Celebrating Rachel’s birthday on the island in the most mall like cafeteria I’ve seen yet. Nothing says bday like a corndog!
*Celebrating Krystle’s birthday with scrumptious chocolate cake.
*The turkey who chased Matt through feedback-hilarious! Mwahhahahaha.
*Albin, our initial mission’s contact. Easily the most organized, spirited man in all of Central America.
*One of the best cups of tea I’ve ever had.
*Using banana cables to haul our packs and a porta potty (previously used…please note my pack is the red one…oh my) throuth the banana fields.
*Crossing the stream to enter the banana fields on only a small plank with our HEAVY packs on our back and hiking down and up slippery, muddy slopes to get to the plank. It was risky business, let me tell you. The gate to walk in was padlocked shut and surrounded by razor wire, so we found an alternate route to get the job done.
(seeing the route) – (the razor gate) – (living through the adventure)
*Our amazing friends and squad mates who donated some of their favorite treats to help us survive our jungle experience. Others who loaned us multiple items. You know who you are. THANK YOU!! And precious Angela who gave me a lovely pedicure so I could remember that once upon a time, I was cute. LOL.
*Sharing a single bathroom with 26+ people and the water cutting off for part of each day. BTW bathroom=toilet and bucket of cold water for shower.
*Frozen duro (like fruit with a touch of milk-like ice cream) in a plastic bag sold 3 houses down for 10 cents each. Both the coconut and the Guanabana are amazing.
*Shoving 5 of us on the public bus (squeezed beyond capacity). The bus breaks down 5 minutes later, but friends from church pull up behind and we hitch a free ride from them.
*Squishing 2 people side by side in a truck bucket front seat and cramming 6 people on the back seat bench is less illegal than riding in the truck bed. Curious.
*Taking a truck taxi where we COULD ride in the back and cramming 12 people in it. This truck bed is MUCH smaller than even a Ford Ranger’s bed…oh my. Talk about getting to know your neighbor.
*Enjoying the slight breeze while using the plastic tented greenhouse like bathroom until the breeze blows the sheets a little too far. Oh well. And of course there is a billy goat tied up right next to the bathroom; this is the world race.
*Remembering to check for men gardening the groves behind the open side of the restroom before going.
*Playing tag with a million kids.
*Giggling and making funny faces with kids.
*Having a 19 year old flirt when he thought I was 23…when he found out he had the wrong decade, I think his story changed a bit.
*Finding my Panamanian boyfriend, Ramone, who I think is 7. He likes to hug and kiss my cheek a LOT. He is precious!
*Scuba diving for $50 for Rachel’s birthday…seeing a live shark under a sunken ship off Bocas del Toro island…AMAZING
*Open Hands 401. Graduated with honors. 🙂
*Playing volleyball with the teens of the church as an advertisement for the evening services held on the volleyball court in the middle of town.
*Taking motorized canoes where the seats were cut from a 2×4 with a machete as we were climbing in the wobbly ride.
*Tamales at midnight on Christmas Eve-along with hot chocolate, fruit cake and fireworks.
*Winning an ink pen, $1, a Snickers bar and a couple of Oreos made in the US from our team’s Dirty Santa Christmas game (White Elephant with ‘real’ gifts)
*Celebrating Rachel’s birthday on the island in the most mall like cafeteria I’ve seen yet. Nothing says bday like a corndog!
*Celebrating Krystle’s birthday with scrumptious chocolate cake.
*The turkey who chased Matt through feedback-hilarious! Mwahhahahaha.
