Costa Rica pt 2

Just a quick update...

Jeff and I are in the town of Tamarindo on the Nicoya Peninsula. This town has been taken over by tourism and condominiums, so the vibe is pretty different from what we´ve seen before. But we´re in a fairly nice hotel that has air conditioning, which is good, because it´s super hot here. On most days we head to the beach with our surfboards in the morning to some surfing and sunning, then have some lunch, sleep for awhile, check out the town, eat, sit around, read, watch tv, and generally be lazy for the rest of the afternoon. I´ve discovered that surfing at sunset is pretty sweet. There are usually nice waves and the view is top notch. Being New Year´s Eve, we hope to see some fireworks on the beach tonight. Anyway, the plan is to stay here a few more days, then head up north for the last bit of the trip, probably at a bay right by the Nicaraguan border where there is good windsurfing and a nice beach. Next Wednesday we come back to Tamarindo in order to catch a flight on a small plane to San Jose on Thursday, then travel through Atlanta, Minneapolis, Regina and ending up in Saskatoon on Friday. So... only one more week left, which seems kind of crazy.

See ya,

Nolan

Costa Rica pt 1

For the few who may read this, here's a few things i've been up to in Costa Rica. Jeff and I flew into San Jose last Tuesday. After a night in the city, we hopped on a bus to the beach town of Dominical. Costa Rica as a whole seems to be pretty laid back, and Dominical takes that attitude and amplifies it tenfold. Before we knew it, exams and studying seemed like ancient history and we found ourselves sleeping in, surfing, tanning, frisbee on the beach, reading, and enjoying our balcony 50 feet from the beach... and for only 8 dollars a night! We booked 3 nights and stayed for 5. The original plan had been to move north along the Pacific Coast, but volcanoes and windsurfing inland has caught our attention, so we are now on our way to Arenal where a still active volcano sits along with some of the best windsurfing in the world. After having our fill of white water rafting, windsurfing, perhaps a canopy tour, and more chillaxing, we'll head to another beach town of Tamarindo. This is a pretty boring account of what we've done so far... the real stories will have to wait until we get back. I hope everyone is having a sweet break.

See ya,

Nolan

ps. what's the weather like up there?

Hi All,

So I've been in Prague nearing 2 weeks now. The time is passing quickly. Generally, my weekdays consist of getting to the hospital at about 7:15 and then being in the OR for a few surgeries until around 12. I then have the afternoon and evening to explore Prague, hang out with friends, sleep, eat, etc. One of the best parts so far has been meeting tons of new people from all over the world. It is interesting to see the cultures interact. We had a barbecue that turned into an impromptu concert with people singing different songs from their homelands. The two Canadians treated the spectators to a heartfelt rendition of O Canada. This week I went to Vienna for a few days to see a concert and check out the city. Everything in Vienna seems to be large and old. There definitely was and is a lot of money in that city. I also enjoyed the falafels, something I haven't found in Prague, yet. So the plan is to hang out here for a few more weeks, then head into Belgium and Holland for about a week before going home in early August.

Nolan

Back Again

So I'm not sure if anyone still reads or will read this thing, but I think there may be a few people. Anyway, I arrived in Prague a few days ago. The trip was pretty non-eventful. I met another med student from Winnipeg in Minneapolis because he was wearing the ubiquitous first year green backpack, so that was kind of cool. Today I spent some time in the OR watching a hip replacement and a knee replacement. Not speaking the Czech language, I feel that most people either view me as a mute who can only shrug his shoulders and make vague arm movements or mentally challenged. Hopefully, I can improve my perceived reputation. Prague is really a nice city. The old part is very well preserved and is super fun to walk around in. Unfortunately, tens of thousands of other tourists also feel the same way. But I guess that's how it goes. There is this clock that all the guide books pump up as being super cool. In reality I think it's a sham, but thousands of people cram into a small area to watch at the top of the hour. I suspect thousands of wallets go simultaneously missing when the clock strikes. I've taken a few pictures, but nothing too exciting yet.