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 It’s January, Costa Rica’s rainy season is officially over and the NFL Playoffs are upon us. Inside the BoDog wager center the energy is building to a feverish level in anticipation of the heavy action on the weekend games.
One of the many perks of working in the sports betting industry is getting to live here in San Jose, Costa Rica. As much as I love the intensity of my day job, there is competition close at hand. There are tons of beaches at my disposal to distract me during my days off. To make sure I had enough energy to handle the intense atmosphere of the wager center in the coming weeks I decided to grab a couple of the other BoDog girls and take a road trip north up the Pan American Highway to the state of Guanacaste. The name ‘Guanacaste’ actually comes from the name of the giant trees that rule the Northern Pacific region of Costa Rica. Reaching heights over 130 feet and with a diameter of six feet, the shade it provides is a welcome relief in a region that sees almost 300 sun-drenched days in a year.
So, with a full tank of gas, hot spicy Latin tunes blasting from the Jeep stereo, a cooler of the local beer, Imperial (the Budweiser of Costa Rica), and the warm breeze flowing through our hair we headed off to paradise. Our rush to the beaches was obviously shared by a few others as we all clawed our way out of rush hour in the city. Eventually, the open road and lush jungle had us all grinning from ear to ear in anticipation of the excitement ahead.
 As we dropped down to the beach and headed further north, the landscape made its first metamorphosis. As the temperature rose and the air became dryer the climate began to resemble that of Southern California. As excited as I was to be heading north, I was also glad to know my cell phone still had a signal. It was a Saturday with two NFL playoff games on tap I had to get our top book manager on the line and find out where we stood. Once you get a taste of this business, you’re always thirsting for more.
We called in frequently throughout the day for updates on the score. Part of our adventure became ducking in and out of cell phone service areas along the mountain roads that weave in and out of the massive coffee plantations the region is known for.
My girls and I passed the Punta Arenas intersection and traveled deep along the winding road to Liberia, the capital of Guanacaste, roughly 125 miles north of San Jose. As we rolled through the capital, we were all feeling as lethargic as the monkeys we’d just seen dangling from the roadside trees and decided to track down some refreshments to restock the now empty cooler. I took charge and enlisted the aid of a local chico. He was hanging out along the dusty road that, I guess, passed for Main Street in this town. In my broken Spanish, I requested a local watering hole so we could grab a cold drink. Or two.
 My friends were absorbed in some bartering deal for indigenous pottery and sculptures to add some spice to our apartments back in San Jose, so I decided to slip off and get the ice cold beer for the last leg of the trip to Playa Panama – our beach of choice.
We chose Playa Panama, ‘playa’ meaning beach, for the view, and the amazing landscape only added to the experience. There were cliffs and dry hills covered in huge cacti, with the gorgeous warm blue water of the Pacific past them in the distance. This had all the criteria to be labeled prime hammock country!
That night we managed to check out a little bit of the nightlife at Playa Del Coco, a funky little village full of thatched-roof bars and discos. We started with a feast of local seafood and then spent the night drinking and dancing in an escape from the stressful life we lead here in Costa Rica. Yeah, right.
I spent the next few days along the shore of the Pacific exploring a few other beaches, including Playa Hermosa. I just can’t imagine anything more enjoyable than returning from a cooling swim to walk along the shore. Tropical drink in hand, covered head-to-toe in Coppertone with the crystal blue ocean lapping at your feet. The experience as a whole was unforgettable.
 After four days of fun in the sun that really only felt like one short afternoon, we had to head back to San Jose and the wager center. Being away through Wildcard Weekend had me itching to be a part of the excitement of the wager center on game day again. Even with the call center buzzing we’re all able to watch every minute of the action on the TV sets that fill the office. I was so enveloped in the games on the TV that I hardly felt the burn of the 20 or so bug bites that I brought back from Guanacaste. At first I was worried that the local insects were singling me out, but the other BoDog girls were quick to inform me that their country has over 350,000 different species of insects. I suddenly didn’t feel so bad.
That’s all for now. The next time you hear from me, I’ll be reviewing some of the local eateries and nightspots here in San Jose. There’s bound to be some more wild times and plenty of photographic evidence that I’ll share! Hopefully you’re as excited about the Super Bowl as I am. Good luck on all your wagers on the big game.
Suzy Jackson
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