Megan and Beth and the cheeky monkeys

Alrighty, so I thought I’d take a little break from Structural Adjustment Programs and Emigration in Nicaragua to update the blog.

First, the Megan and Beth trip. Unfortunately this is going to be fast...Not because their trip wasn’t important, but because there is so much to update and because the trip was so long ago that I can barely believe it actually happened.

So, the short story is...

They came. We ate cookies and drank tea. We went to Cahuita and befriended some locals, danced salsa and merengue, and played truth or dare. We had our own happy hour with chips, salsa, avocado, and cheese doodles (And rum & coke in a can, of course). Then I got a stomach bug/parasite/who knows what. Meg and Beth went snorkeling while I slept. They saw a shark! I drank herbal tea. We made it home to Curridabat. They went on a canopy tour (Why thank you, Marbella tours!). We all went out to Tavarua.

Did I miss anything? Oh yes, Beth got jumped by a monkey in the National Park. We were watching the little creeps circle us (picture a cute, furry version of the velociraptors moving in for the kill in Jurrassic Park), when one of them ambled over, grabbed the plastic bag of water bottles Beth was holding, and sunk his teeth into it. Then, he looked up at Beth with a so-whatcha-gonna-do-about-it expression. Beth looked back. I swung my towel at him, making traditional Costa Rican monkey deterrent noises (ie clicking and hissing...very silimar to the way men try to pick up women here), and started walking. I guess he let go...probably not because of anything we did, but just because he didn’t really want any bottled water.

I was sad to see Meg and Beth go, but happy to have more lotion, girl scout cookies, claritin, and tea (thanks for the care packages, Mom). I hope they had fun...I know we certainly did. I hope that this small jaunt has been a helpful practice leg for Beth’s around the world adventure, especially since now she knows how to defend herself from cheeky monkeys.

Chris mentioned repeatedly how I never seem to stop laughing when I’m with them, despite the stomach problems. It’s true – not even intense stomach cramping could ruin our fun. I mean, I love Meg. Always have. And we always have fun together, love talking, and don’t consider time spent reading as insulting to the other. And, of course, I’ve liked Beth since I met her. But, as Beth and I concluded at one point, it’s a beautiful thing when you realice that your friends’ (from home, high school,etc) friends from college, are exactly the friends you would have made if you had been with them at college.

Got that?
Basically, it means I love Beth too.