Hot Springs in The Summer

ASSI - Three days into our trip we took a ride North East of Liberia to Las Hornillas a tourist volcanic activity center that has an active crater, hot springs, a water slide, and natural mud bath. There were pockets and mini pools of gurgling mud that actually feels good and is good for your skin at the right temperature. Smelling sulphur opens my passages and feels like I should be breathing it, but the verdict regarding the benefits of inhaling sulphur is out. When I was in St. Lucia we visited an active crater and the guide said the sulphur was healthy for the lungs. However, Marvin who was out tour guide at Las Hornillas said that we shouldn't breath it.

A quick stop in the natural steam room help to prepare our skin for the mud. I couldn't wait to spread the warm mud all over our bodies. As a first timer, I felt a little uneasy when I stepped into the bath of mud. It was comfortable temperature not too warm and not cold. There are two or three pots without bottoms that has the hot mud. We stood the entire time while applying the mud for about ten fun minutes, then we showered all the mud off, and got into the hot springs sauna that was inviting and relaxing. As I see it we had such a wonderful experience at Las Hornillas that when and if you make to Costa Rica you must plan a half day trip there, plus lunch was available for $10.00 and it was well worth it. The usual rice and beans, fish, salad, and juice.

Palo Verde River Tour

ASSI - Palo Verde River Tour was an afternoon excursion planned for my birthday. The Tempisque River is known as a bird sanctuary, with alligators, a multitude of iguanas, Howler monkeys, and White-throated capuchin (white faced) monkeys that were adorable. We spotted a Tinamidae, a Baltimore Oriole, and a few others that I am unable to identify at the moment. The half day trip river tour boat ride was shared with a friendly grandmother who was on vacation with her 14 year old granddaughter and husband Peggy, the grandmother was on her 8th trip to Costa Rica. She and her husband owns a condo near the beach in Playa Hermosa. There was also a family of four on the boat ride with us and all of us seem to enjoy the experience. It was a good start to my birthday.

Lunch was included in the tour. An authentic Costa Rican meal was served complete with beans and rice, mixed vegetables, a salad, beets. corn conch, pita chips, and a papaya juice mix. Digi our tour guide purchased a birthday cake for me, which was a pleasant surprise, and I am most appreciative for the kind gesture. The cake was a fruit cake but very different from the fruit cakes in the states, it was eatable, with small chunks of fruit that was only in the top of the cake. The ice cream help to make it tast better.

Dinner at Ginger's

ASSI - Based on the written reviews posted on Travel Advisor from guest who stayed at Condovac La Costa we had dinner at Ginger Restaurant. The reviews that I read stated Ginger's had the best food of all the restaurants in Playa Hermosa. It is a tapas restaurant better known as A La Cart, as vegetarians there were very few selections for us, but we managed to find a couple of dishes. We had Calamari and Ginger rolls that were good but simply not enough. I really like the decor, the service was great, and it is an open restaurant. There are two large sliding glass panels that were open, so the mosquitoes had a feast. The restaurant is aware that there is a need and was more than willing to hand us a can of insect repellent. We walked from the resort to Ginger's that was about 100 yards left of the resort.

Although there wasn't a large selection of dishes for us to devour, I recommend Ginger Restaurant, the food is served one dish at a time, and if you have about four or five dishes per person your appetite will be satisfied. I am unable to remember the brand of rojo vino (Red wine) that I had but it was really good even better than Shiraz, my wine of choice. I should have written it down. If and when we return to Costa Rica and we are staying near Ginger's I will definitely stop in for a bite to eat.

Costa Rican Animals in Heat

ASSI - The animals in Costa Rica were rather frisky. We captured ducks, donkeys, and dragon flies getting it on or attempting to get a piece and run. Animal and man are more alike than different. The donkey was comfortable with the back position, the ducks preferred the top method, and the dragon fly also enjoyed top pleasure. It was interesting to see, if your mind is as twisted as ours you will be just as amused. As I see it, without sex the world would cease to exist. We also had the pleasure of seeing a beautiful Toucan, Hermit Crabs, and Black Crabs. There were other exotic animals that we encountered but I am without the names at the moment. As soon as I can identify them I will post the pictures.

Tours Filled with Adventure

ASSI - What a fantabulous time we had in Costa Rica. The day tours were the best of any state or country that I have visited. We had the pleasure of booking all of our excursions through Marvdigi Tours. Our first excursion was a full day of adventure via Adventure Tours. We began with Horse Back Riding, then water tubing down the river, which was followed up with a 17 platform canopy zip line through a beautiful Gorge, we were supposed to have a hot mud bath and hot springs experience as well, but it all came to a medical halt. My other half had a panic attack after rock climbing up the mountain; therefore, we had a different mud bath and hot springs experience on Monday.

As an adrenaline junky, I was on a natural high, zipping across the gorge upside down was the most exhilarating, and I immensely appreciated the entire experience. The Horses were big, strong, and beautiful. We rode the horse from the stables to a water fall about a half a mile to a mile away from the stables. We then loaded a school bus and went deep into the woods, we exited the bus, and all adorned life jackets and received safety instructions regarding tubing down the river. The tubs were wrapped in a heavy covering with a bottom that prevents your buttocks from getting scrapped. The water was shallow on the day we were there; therefore, we bumped into lots of rocks. It felt like bumper cars on a tub or the ball in a ping pong game.

As I see it if you are looking for an experience of a lifetime, you must plan a trip to Costa Rica for a fun filled vacation, or an extended weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed our stay, it would have been nice if other family or friends would have joined us, but we met a number of really nice people who made the trip even better.

Bat Tree

Greetings from The Jungles Of Costa Rica

Panic Attack

Symptoms of a Panic Attack:

racing or pounding heartbeat (palpitations);
chest pains;
stomach upset;
dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea;
difficulty breathing, a sense of feeling smothered;
tingling or numbness in the hands;
hot flashes or chills;
dreamlike sensations or perceptual distortions;
terror: a sense that something unimaginably horrible is about to occur and one is powerless to prevent it;
a need to escape;
fear of losing control and doing something embarrassing; and
fear of dying.
A panic attack typically lasts for several minutes, is one of the most distressing conditions that a person can experience, and its symptoms can closely mimic those of a heart attack. Typically, most people who have one attack will have others, and when someone has repeated attacks with no other apparent physical or emotional cause, or feels severe anxiety about having another attack, he or she is said to have panic disorder. A number of other emotional problems can have panic attacks as a symptom. Some of these illnesses include post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, and intoxication or withdrawal from certain drugs of abuse .

Anxiety attacks that take place while sleeping, also called nocturnal panic attacks, occur less often than do panic attacks during the daytime, but affect about 40%-70% of those who suffer from daytime panic attacks. Nocturnal panic attacks tend to cause sufferers to wake suddenly from sleep in a state of sudden anxiety for no apparent reason and can have all the other symptoms of a panic attack. The duration of nocturnal panic attacks tends to be less than 10 minutes, but it can take much longer to fully calm down for those who experience them.

What are panic attacks?

Panic attacks may be symptoms of an anxiety disorder. These attacks are a serious health problem in the U.S. At least 1.7% of adult Americans, or about 3 million people, will have panic attacks at some time in their lives, with the peak age at which people have their first panic attack (onset) being 15 to 19 years. Another fact about panic is that this symptom is strikingly different from other types of anxiety; panic attacks are so very sudden and often unexpected, appear to be unprovoked, and are often disabling.

Once someone has had a panic attack, for example, while driving, shopping in a crowded store, or riding in an elevator, he or she may develop irrational fears, called phobias, about these situations and begin to avoid them. Eventually, the pattern of avoidance and level of anxiety about another attack may reach the point where the mere idea of doing things that preceded the first panic attack triggers future panic attacks, resulting in the individual with panic disorder being unable to drive or even step out of the house. At this stage, the person is said to have panic disorder with agoraphobia. Thus, there are two types of panic disorder: panic disorder with or without agoraphobia. Like other major illnesses, panic disorder can have a serious impact on a person's daily life unless the individual receives effective treatment.

Panic attacks in children may result in the child's grades declining, avoiding school and other separations from parents, as well as substance abuse, depression, suicidal thoughts, plans, and/or actions.

Dehydration

The majority of the body is made up of water, with up to 75% of the body's weight due to H2O. Most of the water is found within the cells of the body (intracellular space). The rest is found in the so-called extracellular space, which consists of the blood vessels (intravascular space) and the spaces between cells (interstitial space).

Total body water = intracellular space + intravascular space + interstitial space

Dehydration occurs when the amount of water leaving the body is greater than the amount being taken in. The body is very dynamic and always changing. This is especially true with water in the body. We lose water routinely when we: breathe, as humidified air leaves the body, when we sweat to cool the body, and when we urinate or have a bowel movement to rid the body of waste products.
In a normal day, a person has to drink a significant amount of water to replace this routine loss. If intravascular (within the blood vessels) water is lost, the body can compensate somewhat by shifting water from cells into the blood vessels, but this is a very short-term solution. Signs and symptoms of dehydration will occur quickly if the water is not replenished. The body is able to monitor the amount of fluid it needs to function. The thirst mechanism signals the body to drink water when the body is dry. As well, hormones like anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) work with the kidney to limit the amount of water lost in the urine when the body needs to conserve water.

Dehydration occurs because there is too much water lost, not enough water taken in, or most often a combination of the two.

Diarrhea: Diarrhea is the most common reason a person loses excess water. A significant amount of water can be lost with each bowel movement. Worldwide, more than four million children die each year because of dehydration from diarrhea.

Vomiting: Vomiting can also be a cause of fluid loss; as well, it makes it difficult to replace water by drinking it.

Sweat: The body can lose significant amounts of water when it tries to cool itself by sweating. Whether the body is hot because of the environment (for example, working in a warm environment), intense exercising in a hot environment, or because a fever is present due to an infection, the body uses a significant amount of water in the form of sweat to cool itself. Depending upon weather conditions, a brisk walk will generate up to 16 ounces of sweat (a pound of water).

Diabetes: In people with diabetes, elevated blood sugar levels cause sugar to spill into the urine and water then follows. Significant dehydration can occur. For this reason, frequent urination and excessive thirst are among the symptoms of diabetes.

Burns: Burn victims become dehydrated because water seeps into the damaged skin. Other inflammatory diseases of the skin are also associated with fluid loss.

Inability to drink fluids: The inability to drink adequately is the other potential cause of dehydration. Whether it is the lack of availability of water or the lack of strength to drink adequate amounts, this, coupled with routine or extraordinary water losses, can compound the degree of dehydration.

Heat Stroke

Heat stroke is a form of hyperthermia, an abnormally elevated body temperature with accompanying physical and neurological symptoms. Unlike heat cramps and heat exhaustion, two forms of hyperthermia that are less severe, heat stroke is a true medical emergency that can be fatal if not properly and promptly treated.

The body normally generates heat as a result of metabolism, and is usually able to dissipate the heat by either radiation of heat through the skin or by evaporation of sweat. However, in extreme heat, high humidity, or vigorous exertion under the sun, the body may not be able to dissipate the heat and the body temperature rises, sometimes up to 106°F (41.1°C) or higher. Another cause of heat stroke is dehydration. A dehydrated person may not be able to sweat fast enough to dissipate heat, which causes the body temperature to rise.

Those most susceptible to heart strokes include:
infants, the elderly (often with associated heart diseases, lung diseases, kidney diseases, or who are taking medications that make them vulnerable to heat strokes),
athletes, and outdoor workers physically exerting themselves under the sun.

Symptoms of heat stroke can sometimes mimic those of heart attack or other conditions. Sometimes a person experiences symptoms of heat exhaustion before progressing to heat strokes.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

nausea,
vomiting,
fatigue,
weakness,
headache,
muscle cramps and aches, and
dizziness.
However, some individuals can develop symptoms of heat stroke suddenly and rapidly without warning.
Different people may have different symptoms and signs of heat stroke. But common symptoms and signs of heat stroke include:
high body temperature
the absence of sweating, with hot red or flushed dry skin
rapid pulse
difficulty breathing
strange behavior
hallucinations
confusion
agitation
disorientation
seizure
coma

Heat Exhaustion

Heat exhaustion is a milder form of heat-related illness that can develop after several days of exposure to high temperatures and inadequate or unbalanced replacement of fluids. Those most prone to heat exhaustion are elderly people, people with high blood pressure and people working or exercising in a hot environment.

Warning signs of heat exhaustion include:

heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness, dizziness, nausea or vomiting

The skin may be cool and moist. The victim's pulse rate will be fast and weak, and breathing will be fast and shallow. If heat exhaustion is untreated, it may progress to a medical emergency. Seek medical attention and call 911 immediately if:
symptoms are severe, or
the victim has heart.
Otherwise, help the victim to cool off, and seek medical attention if symptoms worsen or last longer than 1 hour.

Heat exhaustion treatment
Cooling measures that may be effective include:
cool, non-alcoholic beverages, as directed by your physician
rest
cool shower, bath, or sponge bath
an air-conditioned environment
Lightweight clothing
Based on a CDC Prevention Guide for Emergencies and Disasters