The next few days were spent traveling from Panama up to San Jose, Costa Rica, then back down to Drake Bay, Costa Rica.

We took our last drive through downtown Panama City. I can't say that I was sorry to leave that city behind, due purely to the trash & poverty we drove through. However, I must say that the country of Panama, as a whole, was a very exciting experience. I have heard from friends around town here in Coco that there are some beautiful places to visit on the Caribbean side of Panama, as well as many other treasures to be found throughout the country.

We set out early to board our 11:20 am flight, and the drive would take us down the Pan Am highway one last time. We had to return the rental car before our flight, so it was important that we arrive on time. It never seemed to fail that we would get lost while driving around Panama, and this small trip across town, one that we had done a few times before, would be no different.

Compared to the drive out of the airport a few days before, the drive in was relatively quick and painless. We dropped the car off, no problem, boarded our one hour flight, and soon found ourselves in my temporarily adopted home country of Costa Rica.

Even though we wouldn't be headed to my town of Coco for a few days, I was overwhelmed by a sense of relief when we landed. It felt familiar somehow, comforting, and gave me a goofy smile. This would be stamp number two for my Mom's passport, and I believe stamp number three for my Dad. I'm not sure what my count is...

We returned to the hotel which I had stayed at on my trip down to Panama, the Hampton Inn in San Jose. Lunch time was approaching, and there is a Denny's just across the street, maybe only a few hundred feet away, if that. The weather was decent when we checked into the hotel, but that quickly changed, just for us.

We put our bags down, cleaned up a little, and it wasn't long before we were back in the lobby, staring at the now raining weather. We convinced one another that it wasn't raining too hard, and since we had such a short distance to go, lets just go for it. Ooops.

It took us all of about a minute, maybe a minute and a half, to reach Denny's. We can laugh about it now, but we got soaked, and were dripping from head to toe. The eyes staring at us couldn't have been wider as we splashed our way past the hostess, the guests, the waiters, the cooks, and filed into the bathrooms. We did manage to dry off a bit with the hand dryers, but their air conditioner didn't help and made for a cold lunch.

As a little extra bonus, after we finished lunch and returned to our hotel, not only was it no longer raining, but we found umbrellas sitting next to the front doors. We should have figured they were there. Most hotels have them sitting around somewhere for their guests to use. Regardless, it does make for a fun story, and even better memories.

That afternoon Mom & I hit the casino while Dad read a book. Mom is a great gambler, and did pretty well at the slots. I, on the other hand, was broke in under 10 minutes. Guess that part of us doesn't run in the blood. It's probably more of a learned trait, and I have never been big into gambling, but I did enjoy the time goofing around with my Mom. How could I not? She lite up like a Christmas tree when she heard there was a casino around the corner. Like a kid in a candy store...

In the morning we caught a shuttle to Aeropuerto Intl. Tobias Bolanos, a modest airport on the other side of town. We were headed to Drake Bay on the southwest coast of Costa Rica. This is where my Mom's fear of flying started to get the better of her, although she handled it with quiet nobility. My Dad has no such issues, as far as I know. Perhaps he was just being strong for her, but it was cute to see them sitting next to each other, barely talking, with my Mom's grip fastened tightly on the armrest, my Dad's hand on hers.

There was a last minute change of plans before we boarded our mini-plane. Due to heavy storms, the road between Drake Bay and our hotel had been flooded that morning. We would now be flying into Sierpe, about 20 miles north of our original destination. The airline was kind enough to provide a free water taxi, and send us down the Sierpe river. Sounds like a deal to me.

It turned out that the water taxi was more of a water tour. After waiting around in Sierpe a few hours for others to join our party, we boarded one of three boats that would be traveling with us. Due to the road conditions, supplies for local villages had to be floated in, rather than trucked. Two boats for supplies, one for people.

Soon after our launch we saw a crocodile sunning on the river's bank. A local man sitting behind me saw it long before I did. I suppose this particular crock is a pretty common sight at that spot. The captain cranked the wheel, and we drifted along side as it slipped into the water.

We continued on, and after a while, the boat started to head directly towards the mangroves. Us tourists all looked around at each other, as if to say, "Did the captain fall asleep? Where are we going? Turn!" He obviously knew something we didn't, and piloted the boat directly through the brush and into a small tunnel.

This was a special treat, and a unique experience for me. It was so peaceful inside, so quiet, and so interesting to see the mangroves from the inside-out. Our boat bounced off the sides as we drifted slowly through the watery forest. It was magical, and an unexpected addition to our tour.

Once we reached the Pacific, we turned south and traveled along the coast. Some of our passengers were locals, and needed to be dropped off at their respective villages. This was another special bonus we received from our detour.

At each village we visited, the entire community would come out to greet the boats. Some passengers would debark, help unload any supplies they brought, hand everything out amongst the villagers, and wave good-bye. It was a beautiful day, a beautiful moment, and a beautiful memory.

The captain pulled an impressive 180 as we were dropped off on our beach, in front of our hotel called Jinetes de Osa. As remote as this place was, it immediately felt like home, and surprisingly had some fantastic food. Dinner that night was exceptional, but we were a little nervous about not having AC in our room. Turns out we didn't need it. The ocean breeze kept us comfortable, the rain played a tin symphony on the roof, and we all found a great night's sleep.