Hot water, toilet seats, coffee, oh my!

I almost forgot- this may not look like much to u, but these wires going into this shower head ensure that this Costa Rican adventure will not be starting with screams like Guayaquil ...sorry to disappoint u all. Normally, electricity and water don't mix but when in Rome. (Close ur eyes joe)

Sad to say, r complete exhaustion did not allow us to wake up in time for the 8:15 service group, yes u read correctly, 8:15 AM! But we did make it for 10:00 " desalmuerzo" (brunch) at Doris's moms house. "Gallo pinto" comida tipica de Costa Rica. Deliciosa!

Seeing that we already played hooky, Doris thought it a good day to show us downtown San Jose. We r staying in alejuelita, a suburb about 15 min away. We went to the national museum of C.R. And the first room u pass thru is a butterfly atrium. I think I took 100 pics trying to catch the beautiful blue ones with their wings open...arghhhh!

Stopped to grab delicious takeout of more comida tipica: chorreadas(corn pancakes) with crema y queso, arroz con leche, enyucados (something like a potato croquet but made with yuca), and "tortillas" different than mexican but super yummy.

P.S. The coffee is as delicious as Erik had hoped:)

We are enjoying the "modern comforts" this week bc we prob won't have them in sepecue, talamanca ( the last cong we r gonna visit)

....The next chapter has begun

...Costa Rica....5weeks...3  congregations the branch recommended. Overall a good but tiring 1st day of travel.  Started much like the last blog entry 3 years ago: weight problems...no not us, well, yeah us but also the luggage. Up at 4am, at 5:15 was told by delta checkin lady that we would need to take a pound from our 51 pound bag and put it in r 49 pound bag. I'm no mathematical genius but isn't that the same exact cumulative weight for the 2 bags.

We obviously don't know where the camera is:)

Landed in San Jose to a balmy but breezy 82 degrees. We were picked up by una hermanita Doris, 27 años, quick 25 minutes to the house of Gretel y su Hijo Santiago (5 años) where we will b staying the next week and where she had lunch all ready for us....there is nothing like Jehovah's organization!

Gretel

School and service mtg at 7pm (9pm  New York time). Must say it was a little rough ending mtg at what felt like 11pm and then waiting for Erik to talk to the coordinator and other anciano til midnight:) incidentally, the coordinator and his wife( special pioneers), the only other elder and his wife and the only other 3 pioneers are all in pioneer school this week but the congregation of 107 publicadores  seems very loving and we made plans to go on some studies. We stopped to meet Doris's parents on the way home, her dad started studying 6 months ago. Her mom and 3 sisters r very happy. By the time we got home at 11:30(remember  the 2 hour time difference) we had been up 21 hours with 4 hours sleep the night before=a good nights sleep:)