Mountain Marathon (Costa Rica Style)

Oh my goodness, what a run this morning! I woke up at 5 a.m. to go running at 5:30. (Before leaving, I heard Howler Monkeys. (Monkey sounds!) I ran from CPI up to the Monteverde Reserve. Let me emphasize up. It was a steady 22 minute climb from the bottom up to the reserve, and wow was it a killer. The climb was nearly relentless in its ascent and my foot was hurting pretty bad. Once up at the top, I looked around the reserve a little and began descending. While my foot hurt on the way up, I could not have predicted how bad it was going to hurt on the way down. Ouch. I can hardly walk now. De ninguna manera, la carrera fue fantástica! I am so glad I went. La naturaleza is beautiful on the run.

Vista de Monteverde al atardecer. Me encanta : )

For those of you that tuned into my blog last year, I am still a true believer in the adaptation of the dogs here in MV. They tend to be much shorter than most dogs. My theory last year was that they adapted shorter legs to decrease wind resistance and increase aerodynamics here on the mountain when the winds start to blow. Thus, most dogs in MV have really short legs to keep them low to the ground. Science teachers, correct me if I’m wrong.

Today was another busy day in the office with too few persons trying to accomplishing too many tasks. I really like the spirit of this office though with everyone helping each other to accomplish the montón of tasks in front of us. It makes everything more manageable and we have our share of laughs and conversations. It’s really a great place to work. I am continually amazed at one woman, Arelys, who somehow manages to keep every group’s information, itinerary, placements, food and housing organized and in order. She really is an incredible woman, and CPI is so fortunate to have her!

Meggie, Muni and I went for sushi last night in Santa Elena and in the middle of dinner, a transformer blew in town and the whole restaurant went dark. We finished our food by candle light. ¡Qué romántico! After dinner, Meggie and I visited the SuperCompro for provisions for the week. I bought cheerios and whole grain crackers. Initially, before embarking on this trip, I was concerned with eating too much. Now, I am almost concerned I am eating too little! I plan on living on Cheerios this week. Don’t tell my mom.

Anyway, tonight I plan on relaxing and making some calls to loved ones as long as the internet connection holds out. It’s really raining here right now, which means I’ll be nice and soggy by the time I reach my apartment. : )

Buenas noches amores,

Jessica Lynn