Please prepare yourselves

I debated posting anything about this but if I can help anyone through this experience then it will be a good thing. A few months ago Alana, Becca and I planned this trip to COSTA RICA. I felt 100% safe and confident going here being a Spanish speaker and having already traveled around South America.

I will preface this with the fact that we are safe and sound here right now at the Marriot relaxing and rejuvenating. The first day that we were in Manuel Antonio we were walking down the beach back to our hotel at night (early though like 8:30). We saw two men come out of the jungle and they attacked us and robbed us. It was very scary for us and kinda personal to the details as of what really happened so I will not go into that here. My purpose is to tell everyone to prepare themselves and have a plan.

As we talked it over after we wish we would have had a plan as to what we would have done. All of us reacted on our raw first instincts.

1. One of us ran as fast as we could and got away

2. One of us didn't fight and gave up the purse pretty easily as not to be more physically hurt or raped.

3. One of us fought them, struggling to keep their stuff and got thrown around.

Luckily we were not stabbed or shot or nothing like that happened. It was one of the scariest things seeing those men come out of the jungle and seeing them approaching us. What I wish is that we had

1. MACE. I would have had it out. Ready to spray (not in your mouth like I did when I was 12. Yes that is right. I thought it was Binaca and sprayed it in my mouth and Tarzan screamed it all the way to the faucet where I spent the next few hours drinking my guts out)

2. TASER. One of my friends told me she asked for a taser for Christmas I think. I was like "Really? A taser?" But now I totally get it. This was actually the first time in my life that wish I had a gun on me. I really wish I had power over them to get them away from us.

The point is we feel like we were in a movie. The things in the movies like 'Taken' and 'Broke down palace' really do happen. You always think of what you would do in that situation but then you never really know untill you go through it. The scariest part for me besides right when I saw them coming at us was when I had got to safety, I handed my stuff off to Alana and had to run back in the dark to ....what? Was I going to try to beat up the guys attacking Becca? Was I running back in to find that they had taken her? Did I do the right thing by running?

Well, please prepare yourselves for a situation where you are taken off guard and have a plan for when you feel unsafe. Besides about 800$ cash, iphones, cameras, credit cards and passports, drivers licenses, etc luckily we came out of there alive. We spent the day yesterday at the US embassy trying to a temporary passport for Beccs and lane so we could get back home.

When all was taken care of in that sense, all we wanted was the Marriot and pizza. Anything American and safe...so we came to this AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL HOTEL and we had a great day today recovering, laying at the pool, spa timing it, working out and eating out and FEELING SAFE. Interestingly enough that on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the basic human needs are survival and feeling SAFE.

We have an escort for the next few days until we leave. We will still be able to see some of the country and not be scared for our lives. Please pray for us. I hope this experience can all help us in the future.