Arrival February 8th

February 8th - Our Arrival

This is us in the Morning after an overnight flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to San Jose - Costa Rica! Theresa Painted our faces to celebrate our arrival!

We rented an awesome large diesel SUV for 3 weeks. A car rental company dove us for free to a local casino / car rental place (sketchy It felt at first, it really felt like we might be 'taken for a ride' here (a scam), this really turned out to be just my fear from being in a completely unknown place). We were expecting to pay a lot less because my Credit Card company told me the insurance would definitely be covered! But it turns out they have a very particular vehicle insurance system where liability is separate and not covered by any credit cards. So It surprised us how much it would cost, because as it turns out Costa Rica has a very independent insurance system in which no credit card could cover liability! But it turned out later after talking to other vehicle rental places that we got an amazing deal and my credit card still covered theft and damage! having a diesel car saved us a lot of money in gas as diesel prices are about half of regular gasoline in Costa Rica!

This picture was taken going towards Punterenas from San Jose, a reminder that this country is almost all catholic according to wikipedia!

On this first drive we made a few stops in some places, one little mall there was a show store where I wanted to buy sandals, but I had 3 people 'on my back', it felt like, forcing me to buy something! I just want sandals, but I couldn't get them because I had no space to think or even make a decision, so I had to leave! It was obvious that we looked rich to the locals, what a weird feeling! In this part of the country people seem to be more desperate, then the south coast area where we were eventually going.

Me and Theresa really didn't have much a plan it felt like other than to pick up Dan and Rhea at some fairy terminal near Punterenas. We just drive straight and had faith everything would work out! This crazy road we ended up going to through a ghetto style shanti town on the outskirts of Punterenas where the houses were right on the sheer edge of the 'highway', with only 2 or 3 feet of space from the highway! Weird and Bizzar feeling - this felt so '3rd world', like we were in a very poor part of a large city in India!

it just turned out that this road ended up going directly to this makeshift ferry terminal where we were to meet Dan and Rhea! We met this black old dreddy character that had a hilariously groovy glow about him who seemed to be the self appointed parking attendant! We began to really understand this strange freedom in Costa Rica where anything goes, you make the rules! Well right where we decided to make out parking spot, there was this upstairs cafe where Dan and Rhea had been looking down at us! Good Times!, we found each other like clockwork!

The First thing we Did is Jump in the ocean!!

Here I am Making a Sand Castle, and Theresa Dan and Rhea in the background!

One of the first places we stopped was the Crocodile river that happens to be the exact point where the arid dry land turns into the lush wet rain forest region of the south.

Here is a photo of the bridge with Theresa Rhea and Dan. There were Crocodiles everywhere! It was beautiful!

One weird thing was that it seems every local that drive by was a pervert or whistling out perverted degrading comments towards Theresa and Rhea. It was obvious, that at least in this part of the country almost all the guys were sexually repressed and seemed to regurgitate an 'alpha-male' media created sheepish persona of ignorance! I was figuring it was likely that there is a large sexual shadow due to the repression of sexuality and individuality from the dogmatic restrictions of a largely catholicised culture. Gladly we did not get this closed minded behavior as much as we traveled toward the more chilled out awesome friendly south!

We eventually arrived in Jaco! We found a hostile called Kangaroo and went out for the night! It was a Party town and it was Party night! We ate out at an awesome restaurant where we had out own personal musicians sing and play music for us! We then got some drinks and hung out on the beach. We gazed at the Pleaides and then held hand with the collective intention of love, freedom and liberation.

We ended up meeting some very cool people on the street where I played Hacki-Sack! We met this awesome person called Jose, who first made a heart for Theresa out of green reed grass! Then he eventually make us all amazing hats that many people would comment on throughout the rest of the trip!

We partied it up, it was a big eventful night for all of us! Some bizzar things happened that night, which in retrospect some of us partied a little too hard! :)

Input from Dan Damuzi

Rhia and I have been travelling with Dan and Theresa and it's been great ... evolving spiritually together while facing gruelling physical challenges. We just got back from a four day 50 km hike into the rainforest of the Osa Peninsula ... where we spent most of the four days covered in tics and sleeping in tents under the heaviest nightly rainfall I´ve ever experienced.

But the animals were incredible including Scarlet Macaws, Tapirs which are related to rhinocerous but are smaller, sloths, four different kinds of monkeys, wild pigs that will tromple and eat tourists and smell like hell from up to 500 metres away, giant spiders and various other beasties. Dan and Theresa saw what we believe was a Jaguarundi, a small cat related to the Jaguar. Flower petals and leaves of all colours adorn the floor of the rainforest´s temple, while her priests swing from the trees and howl at the abomination of human presence in their midst.

To enter and leave this sanctuary, an acute awareness of the tides is necessary, for there are points and rivers that are uncrossable at high tide, when crocadiles and sharks became very real dangers. On our way out we had to scale the side of a rock while waves washed up to our chests, threatening to pull us into the ocean. It was amazing, frightening and sometimes life threatening, but it was the experience of a lifetime. Thank god we all made it out alive.

Dan Damuzi

The personal introspective aspect of my Costa Rica Adventure So far

Our adventures have been true adventures and unknown crazy experiences. It has been an amazing process of learning and awakening for me! This trip has been almost all about surrendering to love and trusting the divine flow! It seems as though there is a conspiracy to bring awakening and learning how unnecessary my projections are. The experience of travelling Costa Rica has been quite a Journey into the Unknown! In the first week of being here I have gradually come to see that people are people and things are not as foreign as they initially seemed!

In travelling together as two couples we have all been in very close proximity to each other and sharing our deepest feeling becomes inevitable and necessary to flow in the adventure, we have all been going through a process of learning about ourselves and our humanness, learning to love ourselves more deeply!!

The journey for me so far has been a school of love a process of healing! Being in a “foreign” place makes me vulnerable, a space that helps me stay in the moment!

Just being here is amazing!

Unspeakable Amazing Experiences!!!

Hey all! We made it!! An intense hike in and out of the jungle...hiking along the ocean, through the edge of the rainforest and through three rivers (one full of crocodiles and sharks at high tide!) and rainstorms to get there(19.5 kms total to sirena ranger station). It is not supposed to be easy to get to as this area has international support for protection. IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE! I have never seen so much diversity every step brought new sights and standing still is a continual discovery!! We saw a tapir (a beautiful endangered animal that radiates peace and looks like a soft-nosed rinocerous) all four species of monkey (squirrel, howler, spider and capuchin) and other animals you have never heard of! And big electric blue butterflys...macaws in almond trees...etc. etc. We hiked around the Sierena station at Corcovodo and some of the trails we went on had not been used in days....you could tell by the ant highways and thick 3-D spider webs! A few times we were on a ridge looking into valleys on either side of us...incredible. We got to one lookout at the top and all you could see was layer upon layer of the Amazon and the ocean off to the side.... vines everywhere and mud, streams, monkeys and who knows what? howling and roaring in the distance. Nothing is what is seems and the more you stand in one spot the crazier everything seems to get!! We survived and had the scrapes, blisters, bites and ticks to prove it!!! Also lots of pictures and video footage which we will be posting once we get home. It is all so tranformative and magical and time does not exist...

Very grateful for the many manifestations of paradise on earth. As we move out of our mind we enjoy it more and more...fear is only an illusion and peace is right there when we choose it.... Love You :)

Hey...pictures are not loading on the slow computers here...may have to wait until we get back. Love to all, we have our reservations for Corcovado ready for us...off to the waterfall in Matapola today and hiking in the Northern most tip of the Amazon tommorow! Love You All :)

Our First Week in Costa Rica!

Dan and I arrived on Friday the 9th early in the morning!! Our flights were fun and easy going. It was crazy seeing LA from an airplane!!! Never thought I'd go there! WE met up with our friends Rhia and Dan (two Dan's!) and rented a 4x4 huge adventure vehicle (the roads can get crazy!)

We have seen three species of monkey (a squirrel monkey held my hand!!!), many crocodiles at crocodile river, big lizards and iguanas, scarlet macaws....we went snokeling yesterday at Dominical...amazing tropical fish and we caught a glimpse of a large sea turtle. We have been traveling from San Jose where we landed down the pacific coast towards Osa Penincula. It is the most northern part of the amazon and is called by national geographic to be the most biologically intense place on earth!!! there is even jaguars here - most of the penincula is completely protected. we got here last night. we are in the only town with power right now. even with all the animals we've seen so far there is lots of touristy stuff and people(who are friendly and helpful even when we don't know much Spanish!) so we are glad to be remote...I am so excited to go into the thick rainforest! the Ocean and Plants and Animals are utterly magical!! the animals seem to pose for us, the ocean waves are powerful in their ebb and flow and the plants are continually surprising!! it has been so hot and sunny gorgeous!! we have experienced so many adventures internally and externally (really the same!) already. today it rained and it feels healing and cleansing. I spent time on the beach by myself today - very lovely and gave me a chance to integrate and deeply appreciate our experiences. there is actually air conditioning where we are staying now...nice before we do the full on camping in the rainforest(we have stayed in cabinas and camp spots) we will most likely be meeting up with a friend of Dan's tomorrow who lives close to here and then going for a few days hike in the wilderness...

Much love to all and send us your love on our adventures!!! Heaven truly is right here right now!