"Are you serious?"

My bad. I left out WHY the trip was so unforgettable. Or maybe I did it to make you read my blog. Who knows. Yes, the reason you came here was to get all the warm and gooey details that confirm all of your suspicions that Srin is, in fact, a romantic-y person. Now, I am not saying he's Mr. Romantic, but he did take the big plunge and did it with some style.

My man proposed to me. Srin actually proposed TO ME! YAY! It was exotic and unexpected. Wholesome and adventurous. It was nothing of how I imagined and inexplicably better.

Our first night in Arenal was long and late, with a so-so dinner. Not a good night "to do it", he said. Second day was all sorts of not the right day. The man was carrying a diamond for goodness sake, and we were traipsing all over the rainforest...or shall I say way above the rainforest. He risked a bye-bye diamond. So second night was out. Though, it was this night that Srin got a nice scare. We had talked earlier in the day about counting how many colones (Costa Rican dollars) we had left. Sooo, when Srin popped in the shower, I grabbed his wallet from the safe and pulled out the bills (mind you, I was the only one who had pulled any cash from the ATM so far). When he saw me, Srin was visibly upset that I was in his wallet. Normally, I would give attitude back but for some reason, I just shrugged it off and thought to myself, "whatever...it's MY money. And, since when did he care if I was in his wallet?!??!?!" and that was the last I thought of it as I took a long, hot shower. Come to find out, the ring was in HIS WALLET!!! Srin was certain his five months+ of keeping this secret had just crumbled before him. Alas, I had no idea until the next morning.


We awoke to rain pounding the forest and clouds covering the entire volcano. After mentioning "maybe it will pass in an hour" at least two times, we both decided there was no way we were spending our last day in Arenal in the hotel room. So, off to go hike in the rainforest we went. With the bugs and rain and all. I was wearing my lycra yoga pants, a black tank top, and yes, ladies, a bright red bra, straps showing and all. Ghetto fabulous. No makeup and bed hair. It was totally me. Topping it off with my old Aggie lacrosse raincoat, Srin and I headed into the forest.


We hiked, slipped, and reveled in the serenity around us. On our way back, my wonderful man mentions something about the path being closed. To my surprise, he saw a sign that said this path was closed and still took me on it! Of course, he was glad I didn't notice because there is NO way we would have gone down a path without knowing the reasons for which it was closed.





And, I guess I now know why he was so glad I missed the big sign. Upon exiting the rainforest, I complained about being hot and sweaty and bug-bitten while Srin was mumbling something about the rest of my birthday present. With a goofy shy grin, he held the most astonishing rock in his hand. "Mamta Patel, will you marry me?" It was music to my ears. Words I never thought I would hear. With my mouth propped open and eyes fixated on the sparkle coming from the man's hands, I proceeded to say...."Are you serious?". Yup. Not "yes". Not "oh my gosh". I said "Are you serious?" I, then, of course said YES and bear-hugged the man I was going to marry! Locked in baby!!! The man is now LOCKED IN!

And that's how it went down. There were no rose petals, no cheesy music, and no "down on one knee". It was rustic and quaint. Exotic and memorable. Simple and surprising. It was precisely what defines "us".

Although I spent the last six months wondering what the hey was wrong with me that my man didn't want to marry me, he had spent that same time trying to find me the perfect ring that represented the both of us. I love my ring, for it is simple and elegant with just enough glamour and sparkle to make me feel like a million bucks. Thank you, Srinidhi, for making me the happiest woman on Earth. I cannot wait to see what our life has in store for us, with the many adventures I am sure we will take including having a family of our own.

Friday, November 27th, 2009 at Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

We have posted our pictures at www.picasaweb.com/mamta02 if you wish to hear and see more of our trip.  Thanks for sharing this with us!