Central America When I was younger my father would always encourage me to save my money to travel. He would say that traveling was one of the most valuable pursuits. To see the world - was to see the beauty of Allah’s creation. It was also a wonderful way to learn about yourself. The two most significant parts of my life – sport and development work – have given me the chance to see much of the world. I am now trying to see the world with my children – but not just seeing it – experiencing it through their wonderful sense of curiosity. Haytham and I spent part of the summer in Spain and Morocco. Now Ruqaya is joining us in exploring the Central American country of Costa Rica. We arrived in Liberia late last night after an unexpected three-hour delay. We rented our car and head out into the dark as the two of us had done in Morocco. The roads near the airport were not lit well, but luckily we only had to travel about an hour to reach a small costal town where we had rented a small house to act as our starting point. Haytham was well prepared scowering the roads for the unexpected goat or donkey. The Morocco experience seemed to have heightened his sense of awareness! He made Ruqaya watch one side of the car while he watched the other. I felt like I was in a spy movie with my two ‘side-kicks’ watching out for trouble. Fortunately for us – we arrived with no major issues. Haytham looked at his sister, ‘It could have been worse! You are lucky ... for today! ’ Ruqaya looked at me with panic in her eyes. I gently reminded Haytham that we were traveling with his 9 year-old sister. Our plan was to be … well … ‘organized’ on this trip. To which Ruqaya firmly responded, ‘Dad we are having an adventure we cannot be organized! I reminded her that she was the one making lists just a couple days ago! ‘Dad we know you sometimes forget things. Plus someone has to be in charge, and I have decided it has to be me!’ she retorted firmly with hands on hips. Our first day in Costa Rica involved visiting some local grocery stores and making some packing lists. Tomorrow we are heading for our first day trip climbing near an active volcano. We have opted to go at in alone. More stories to follow! Thank you Enoch for the first aid kit! Ruqaya has now reviewed it’s contents and feels it is up to standards! You have passed! ☺
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 21:27:56 +0000