One thing everyone in my family can agree on is that we love the tropics.  However, I’m pretty sure that I love them more than everyone else.  Whenever someone suggests something like, “Our next trip should be to Italy” or “Let’s go see the Louvre,” or even, “I think Spain sounds fun,”  I say, “Nah…I’d rather go swimming.”  Clear warm waters and tropical plants are unmatched by anything society has to offer.

We took a trip to Costa Rica in 2005.  Our flight was altered due to fog covering the runway in San José, so we headed south to Panama City.  The airline booked us into the Continental Hotel at around 11:30 p.m.  It was a smoking hotel and I found myself hacking every few minutes.

The next day we flew back into San José and took a private bus to the coastal town of Manuel Antonio.  Our bus driver, Jerry, was very tolerant of the 5 noisy kids in his vehicle and even let us eat lychee fruits in the back seats.  As I recall, we sang at a deafening volume for close to 5 hours.

The house we stayed in was in the jungle, but just a short 4 minute walk to the beach.  When I stepped outside it was foggy and cool but the sky was beautiful, serene.