<Tap Tap Tap>  Ahem.  Hello?  Anybody home?  It’s me. 

Ten years ago RBD and I got married here in New York.  If I do say so myself, it was a pretty great wedding, and I should know since I’ve worked literally hundreds doing the lighting during my 20s and early 30s.  I’ve seen it all, heard every speech.  Strangely, I’ve only been invited as a guest to, like, four.  And all but one was as RBD plus one.  My therapist and I discuss why this bothers me at length.   

The day after our awesome wedding we collapsed into an airplane and flew South, via Miami, to Tamarindo, Costa Rica, a small surfing town on the Pacific coast.  It was our first time visiting Central America.  We stayed at a five room boutique hotel, Los Altos de Eros.  In retrospect the name sounds more risqué a place than it actually was.  The country left a lasting impression.

So as year ten of our length-to-be-determined marriage came up, we thought it’d be fun to go back.  Sort of.  This time we’re heading instead to the town of Alto del Monte, or “Top of the Mountain.”  It lies west of San Jose, the capital city, in the mountainous interior, near Alajuela (see map).  In case we get Lost, spirtually-speaking, the village of Jesus is close by.    

We’re staying at a fru-fru yoga and wellness retreat.  Originally RBD found this place for her sister, Laura, who likes this sort of thing.  We often do vacation planning for our family.  But Laura never went, opting instead to clothe her children and renovate the kitchen — crazy, I know — so we decided to go.  RBD likes yoga, so she’ll enjoy the multitude of classes.  It’s not my thing, as I find it difficult to relax in a room full of good looking people wearing tight clothing, while trying not to pass gas as my insides get wrung out by various twists and rotations.  However, I enjoy other stuff like hiking, meditation, massages, cooking classes, drone flying, and photography — all activities we can both partake of during our stay.  Though I don’t see RBD flying a drone.  (And I see me flying it into a tree.) 

Costa Rica is an equatorial country, which ranks number one in biodiversity per unit of area.  Birding is a big deal, and though I am not a birder it is kinda fun (and harmless) to “hunt” them by snapping a picture.  Other animals, too.  The rainy season, which lasts about seven months, and continual heat create a lush tropical rain forrest that thickly coats the landscape.  With The Pacific Ocean on one side and the Caribbean Sea on the other, many enjoy the diverse beaches and world-class surfing.

However, the sun is dangerously strong, with serious burns occurring in ten minutes on unprotected, light skinned people, even on cloudy days.  The average UV Index peaks (and stays for hours) around 12 this time of year.  We’re staying in the mountains, so it could be higher.  In Miami, a very sunny city, the UV Index tops out at 8 currently, though in summer gets to 11.  One of the worst burns I ever witnessed was a Texan woman who had purposefully sunbathed, dismissing the hotel staff’s warnings not to by saying, “I’m from Texas and am used to strong sun.”  To this day I’m surprised she wasn’t hospitalized, though I am certain all the vomiting and intense pain ruined the trip.  It hurt me just to look at her.  Perhaps the beauty and danger coexisting is part of the charm?  Living in NYC, we’re just so desperate to see and feel the sun by this time of year.  To compare, the UV Index here is a paltry 4.  And that’s a VAST improvement over last few months.  Thus Costa Rica has around 300% more UV than New York.  It’s a massive difference in the quality and type of light. 

We depart on Tuesday, April 16th.

As in past trips, if you want a picture I take then let me know.  I’ll email you a full-size, digital copy after the trip.  If you want something physical, I’m happy to help with that but there is some cost to it depending on size and framing.   

If Costa Rica or my musings about marriage aren’t for you, there are unsubscribe options at the bottom of this email.  Or feel free to send me a note asking to be removed.

Otherwise, stay tuned!  You’re all set.  We depart in two weeks.