We’ve landed in Costa Rica. It is really beautiful here. The clouds form almost at ground level. It is the tail end of the rain season. Everything is in bloom. The bananas and plantain are not ripe, but oranges, papayas and coconuts abound.

Although the country is small, the roads wind and go up and down, so time between cities is a little longer than anticipated. We got a cab from the airport to the gringo town of Jaco, which was a two hour drive at a reasonable price. The driver was very nice. We stopped at a bridge to peer over its side and see corocodiles lying in the river bed, while water buffalo grazed nearby (if I were a water buffalo, I would’ve kept a greater distance, but these buffalo looked good at their jobs).

I’m totally shocked to see what we might consider houseplants growing in the street. bushes consist of exotic wildflowers and ferns. Where, along our streets, there would be trees, here there are cactii. I imagine it makes it more difficult to lock your bicycle.

Our hotel is on the beach, which is too dark to see right now. I’am real excited. about tomorrow.