Rio Celeste and the Hidden Surprise Round 2

We knew it would take a while to get there, but we wanted to show my family Rio Celeste.  There is nothing else like it, especially in the dry region of Guanacaste.  Instead of the 3.5 hours we thought, the GPS took us all the way around a longer way and we finally got there after 4.5 hours.  It was lightly sprinkling and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous!  We've missed the mountains! Linds and Richard rented galoshes, based on the reviews of people coming out of the hike, and it was a good thing!  Sooo much mud!  The slow motion videos of Jade splashing in the mud puddles are awesome.  We hiked the 300 steps to the beautiful waterfall and took in the breathtaking scenery.  On the way out of the hike, the storm hit.  The rain came down in massive drops and we were soaked to the bone in a matter of seconds.  We could mostly avoid the mud before, but it quickly became impossible to walk on the path without our shoes getting entirely caked in mud.  I was surprised that it was cold; we haven't felt cold this whole trip!  

After Linds and Richard poured a cup of water out of their galoshes, we loaded up in the van and headed up the road a bit to the Hidden Surprise.  We weren't sure it could happen with the huge rainstorm, but Grammy and Adam were still determined to go have some fun!  They are so much alike:  always up for adventure. The rain just added to it!  Some of us stayed in the van, some of us went to swim in the turquoise river.  Grammy loved it! The sad thing is that because of the rain, the water wasn't even turquoise; it was BROWN!  Ugh.  

We had a long drive home in our wet swim suits, but broke it up with a stop to Walmart.  Nothing kills a vacation like stopping at Walmart!  We'd been  having so much fun living off of what they sell at the little markets in the villages, and going to Walmart made it feel like cheating.  Our little fantasy bubble had burst.  Before my parents had come they asked what we needed and they would bring it.  I couldn't find any face wash, mosquito repellent, notebooks, or chocolate at the village stores, so I had my mom bring some.  Then we went to Walmart and it was all there.  Bah. I felt disappointed. I felt like the challenge of trying to live without stuff was over.  We could just get it at Walmart! I didn't feel like I was in Costa Rica anymore; I felt like I was home, but I didn't want to be home. 

On the other hand, they served a super cheap, delicious meal at their little cafeteria.  My dinner of beans, rice, and squash cost 2 bucks.  Nice job Walmart.