Manuel Antonio

I realize it's been four months since I was in Costa Rica and I haven't finished telling you the stories of where I went. My only reason is I've been really busy with choir my other blog. Anyway, I've had this post saved as a draft for too long, so here's my overdue account of my day and a half in Manuel Antonio.

I had planned to tell you all the story of Andrea and I getting lost for over two and half hours while we tried to get from Monteverde to Manuel Antonio, but every rendition I wrote seemed like I was stretching a two minute story into ten. So instead, I'll give you the short version. We missed the turn we needed because the signage in Costa Rica is minimal at best, then tried to find our way with only a crappy map. I should mention that we were travelling on Costa Rica's game day against Greece, which would decide the team's fate in the World Cup. We ended up driving through a town and pulling over to ask for directions right as Costa Rica scored the final shootout goal for the victory. I kid you not I got three words out before the entire street exploded with shouts, laughter, and sobs. Grown adults were jumping in place and hugging whoever they could reach. People ran into the street. The flag was everywhere. It was incredible.

This video is over 2 minutes long and there is a lot of wooing, so don't feel obligated to watch the whole thing, just enough to give you an idea of how cool this was.

The video was shot four -- count em, four -- hours after the game ended. And just to drive the point home a little more, I'll tell you that this was one of two road blocks we encountered on our drive. The second one was right in the heart of Quepos, the city closest to Manuel Antonio. Anyway, I took a chance with my directional skillz and they totally paid off! We got back on course and made it to MA. Getting to the hostel in MA was easy since I knew it was on the way to the park and it was a little ways past the hostel I'd stayed in three years ago.

We stayed at the National Park Backpacker's hostel because I read really great reviews on hostelworld. I really wanted us to stay in the same hostel from my study abroad trip, but I couldn't find a booking website anywhere and came upon some depressing reviews of it. Either way, NPB was a decent. We chose to stay in the all-female dorm and were happy to find out we were the only guests that had picked that option. Everyone else had a private room or chose the co-ed dorm. Now, I have to be honest and tell you that I've never slept on a worse bed in my life and that the pool is the only thing I truly loved. The staff was nice and the place was pretty quiet. If there's ever a next time, I'll definitely just take my chances on availability and stay in the Pura Vida hostel, bad reviews be damned! It's where Andrea and I ate breakfast both days we were in town. $4 for gallo pinto, a pancake, fruit, eggs and toast AND free coffee. Yeah, it was yummy and so filling.

The next day was our day in the park. We bought our $10 tourist tickets and headed inside. By this point, we were both pretty desperate to see some animals. We'd seen a lot of undisturbed flora and just wanted to see the fauna. Not five minutes in, we came across a deer walking along the gravel path.

I didn't feel the urgent need to get a close up of this deer because I'm pretty sure I met her three years ago.  But I did get her as she trekked away.

My sister and I were overjoyed at the sight of a wild animal and we hurried along the path hoping to see some more animals. We didn't splurge on the park guide, but we did decide to stay close-ish to a smaller group. Sure enough, we were lucky enough to catch a sighting of a family of squirrel monkeys.

Apparently, squirrel monkeys are spotted every couple of months. And here we were, watching a mom, dad and baby jump and hop around the branches. The guide graciously informed us that the mom was more than likely jumping from branch to branch to teach her young one how to do it. I wish I'd caught some video of this, but after getting a decent couple of shots, I put the cameras down and just watched and soaked it all in.

Baby squirrel monkey.

As if the rare monkey sighting wasn't enough, we also saw a lone howler monkey chillin upside in a tree! It was seriously the closest I've been to a howler, and I've seen them directly overhead of me before. It was an incredible treat.

We finally made it to the beach, where we picked a spot under a tree. We hung up our packs and extended our towels. A raccoon did attempt to get into my backpack, but we caught him before he made any progress.

After a quick dip in the ocean, we decided to relax a little on the beach itself. As I was shutting my eyes to bask in the sun, I heard Andrea shout with excitement. There was a lizard walking nearby! Neither one of us could ID the reptile, but we followed it around for a little bit, which led to a really cool conversation with some Italian Swiss who had never seen a raccoon in their life before.

Thrilled with our wildlife sightings, we took to the waves. The water in MA is amazing. The park's main beach is almost shaped like a bay, so it feels more like swimming in a pool than in the ocean.

One thing we didn't realize was we were swimming during a tidal shift. I'm already not a great swimmer. I can tread and get to point B but I lack confidence in the water. Anyway, at some point I tried to swim through the wave or over it or something and it didn't work.

I was thoroughly tumbled. That's seriously the only word I can think of to describe it. I was tumbled like a rag in a dryer. I washed up on shore smothered in sand. I was so disoriented that I tried to stand up right as another wave came crashing down. You guessed it, I was thrown about again, this time a little too close to the rocks. This happened yet a third time before I finally pulled myself together enough to run out of the water's reach, laughing the whole way.

The best part of the story (for me) is this: Andrea was worried-laughing on her way out of the ocean (you know, to check on me like a good sister and traveling companion). She turned her back on the waves and one of them smacked her right in the back. Seriously, it was comedic the way her body looked when it felt the impact of the water on her back. So she too arose out of the ocean like a sandy mess.

It would take us about two weeks to get the sand out of our scalps.

By this point all of the excitement has made me a little hungry. There are no snack stands in the park, so all I had to eat was my chocolate (read: melted) KIND bar. As I crunched on that almond goodness, Andrea pointed to the coolest animal we saw that day.

A FREAKING CAIMAN CROCODILE! It slowly walked by the tree 15 feet away from our spot. We assumed it was headed out to the ocean, but got freaked by the swarm of tourists that rushed around it. I realize I was also a tourist, but I didn't shout around the animal like the others...I have respect for nature.

Anyway, the poor animal was too scared to venture out further than the tree line, and it eventually retreated back into the trees. That didn't stop the jerky tourists from following it, but I won't rant about that now.

Once closing time got closer, we decided we were hungry enough to pack up and head out. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at a local restaurant that overlooked the main strip of the city's beach and ended the night hanging out on a bar rooftop with the bar owner's children.

I didn't want to leave the next day, but we were running out of money and neither of us could stand the idea of another night on the plank of wood called a bed in our hostel. So we woke, up, had breakfast, found a guy who sold me a daiquiri three years ago to say hello, tracked down a vendor who trusted me enough to buy now pay tomorrow, and said goodbye to Manuel Antonio.

I still miss it.

♥ A

Unfriendly Local Yogis & Zipping Through Trees

The roads to Monteverde are rough. They're rocky and mostly unpaved, but that doesn't stop the people who live up there from driving like Indiana Jones. I could have sworn I banged up the car in some shape or form on the way up the mountains, but thankfully the little white sedan that could made it without a problem.

Looking like a toothpaste ad.

Once we checked into the fabulous Colina Lodge, we realized that we probably weren't going to leave for the rest of the night. To clarify, we got there around 4:30pm: before sunset but well before dinner. Honestly, I think both of us had had our fill of dirt roads and didn't feel like driving 15 minutes into town to search for food when we weren't that hungry (by the way, this sort of became the trend of the trip). Instead, we wandered around the grounds and discovered the largest book exchange I've seen. I mean, I haven't seen many, but this was still pretty large. I almost took the vintage map of Costa Rica but didn't because I didn't want to blow the integrity of the take one, leave one system. Also I try to suppress the HBS whenever possible.

It got dark fairly soon and then it got quiet. So quiet. Not wanting to stay in our room all evening, Andrea and I walked over to the common room/dining area. We were met by what we now refer to as Unfriendly Local Yogis. The Colina Lodge has a full on yoga studio and I guess a group of Tico yogis had come for a weekend yoga retreat.

Quick side bar: the inspiration for my nickname for the yogis comes from none other than Mean Girls.

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They basically looked at us like this when we walked in.

Anyway, Andrea and I thought that if we creepily hung out around the yogis, they might talk to us. Short answer: they didn't.

We watched like begging dogs as the ULY sipped warm, probably organic hot chocolate. Don't ask me why we didn't pipe up and ask for some. We were being ultra polite and shy. Plus I didn't want to offend anyone by pulling back the kitchen curtain and asking. Again, ultra politeness for the loss.

Soon enough the ULY headed off for their night yoga session or a night hike, I'll never know. But their departure meant Andrea and I had the large room to ourselves. We played a few embarrassing games of puppy dog rules dominoes before switching over to Heads Up. We played until my phone died out on us and decided that might be a good time to head back to our room. There, I wrote in my journal while she read until we fell asleep.

But let's get to the actually interesting part of all this: the zip line adventure.

The next morning, we were treated to the best coffee I've ever had in my life and some of that probably organic hot chocolate. We enjoyed it while waiting for our shuttle to take us to Selvatura's (the tour company we booked with) headquarters.

I'm so thankful I didn't pass up the offer of a shuttle because I almost certainly would have gotten lost and been frustrated going up the windy roads. We shuffled in to the check in area for the tour and decided to splurge on a helmet cam. Honestly, it was the coolest decision we made and we got lots of fun video to look back on. I would show you some clips, but I've had the hardest time getting the videos off my dad's computer. It'll just have to wait.

I half expected the weather to be as bad as the last time I zip lined (where I could see nothing but gray clouds all around me...which was still kind of an amazing experience) but my good luck charm Andrea brought some sunshine and no rain.

Isn't auto-awesome great?

After 16 lines, it was time to do the Tarzan swing. For anyone who's wondering why it's called the Tarzan swing, it's because you literally get harnessed onto a rope that the tour operators wrap around you and then you drop off a platform and literally swing like Tarzan. I vividly remembered the Tarzan swing from three years ago. The free fall was longer than I was used to and I embarrassed myself in front of basic strangers by running out of scream half way through the initial fall. There's also a strong possibility I sounded like Regina George at some point but I can't guarantee that since I've basically blocked it out of my memory. I only remember the laughter directed at me.

The last three seconds are what matter.

I'd spent the entire tour freaking out over this swing. I repeatedly told Andrea how nervous I was about it. I even made her do it before me! Not a good tour guide moment. Eventually, it was my turn. As much as I wanted to turn around and say "HELL NO I'M NOT GOING THROUGH WITH THIS AGAIN!" I stuck it through. And you know what? It wasn't as bad as I remembered. The fact that I could see below me was probably a big help. I also turned my scream into a shout to avoid any humiliating guttural noises. Andrea caught video of it but I don't have it on my computer yet. 

The unexpected adventure came at the end of the zip line tour. For the last line, which was about a mile long, we would get to pair up with a buddy. Obviously Andrea and I were excited because we'd get video of the two of us gliding through the canopy. As they set us up, the guides kept telling us to recline further and further back. I was totally skeptical of them because they'd been flirting with us about thirty seconds beforehand. I completely missed the cue that took us from flirtation to serious instruction. This ultimately would bite us in the butt. 

We set off on the line and were both instantly overcome with excitement, awe and wonder. That obviously meant we sat straight up so we could get pictures. Even though we were blatantly deviating from what we were instructed to do, I thought we were keeping up great speed. My eyes were watering from all the wind! Maybe a little bit from the awe and wonder. Before I knew it, I could see the landing platform. There was just one problem: we were beginning to slow down. 

Volcano Land: Arenal Part I

I have to tell you guys, I went back and read my post (from when I studied abroad) on my old blog...and it sucked. I took hardly any photos on my own and barely left the resort my program was lodging us in. I guess there was no reason to go explore (except, you know, the fact that I was in Costa Rica for a once in a lifetime experience) since the resort had it's own really nice thermal pools and a trail to a volcano viewing deck. Also I was hungover basically that entire weekend -- something I wouldn't admit three years ago but now seems too pathetic to not share. It's strange how much I've growing up I've done from 21 to 24.

Here are two photos I have from my last trip.

Pretty sweet view.

I printed this one out and have it up in my office because I love the colors in it so much.

HashtagHungoverPhotography.

Anyway, this time was different. First, ain't nobody got money to pay for resort room rates right after graduation/marriage. No one. So I booked a room through the amazing Airbnb. Next, I took photos and even made it to the national park instead of Andrea and I luckily made it out to the town of La Fortuna without a hitch. We dropped off our bags and car and walked around town for a bit. I was slightly hungry so I suggested we split a lunch meal (at like three in the afternoon). We got some of the most yummy chicken nachos I've ever consumed in my life. We followed up the nachos with Pops, a Costa Rican ice cream chain, and ate our melty treats in the town square.

Oh hi there, volcano.

Neither of us were really hungry come dinner time, so we figured we'd at least check out one of the cool looking bars in town. I sipped on a rum and pineapple slush -- and I mean that in the best way possible -- while my sister and I chatted with some friendly locals. They were probably wasted (or on their way) by the time we sat down, but they were all typical Tico-nice regardless. I don't remember any of their names, but one of the guys made a lasting impression on Andrea while talking about footbal and futbol. She and I commented how football is kind of boring to watch because it's a constant start and stop and so slow whereas futbol is fast paced and dramatic. And you know what this guy did? He defended football. He said it's slow because it's strategic.

I'm gonna borrow my sister's reaction real quick and say that I've never heard a football fan defend futbol before. And here was this man who loved futbol (is my lack of calling it soccer pretentious yet?) defending this American sport to us. Take notes, people!

We were back in our room by 9:30pm and I was asleep by 10. The next morning I felt like I was flashing back to every bad drinking decision I made three years ago. But before you judge, know this: I wasn't actually hungover, I was just beyond dehydrated. I think I literally sweat out all the moisture from my body the day before. That's what happens with the humidity is high and you forget to drink water, I guess.

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After our beautifully plated breakfast (more than I expected from a hostel), Andrea and I drove out to Parque Nacional Volcan Arenal. We decided to hike up to the observatory point where we could have watched lava flowing had it been 1992 before then looping down to see a 400 year old tree.

After taking in the panoramas that no camera can ever really capture (I suggest clicking through to see the original size of this pano shot), we began the trek to the tree.

Pretty sister.

Baby face central.

Half way through the hike we heard rumbles. At first, Andrea thought they could be airplanes but before we knew it, we heard the sheet of rain start to fall. The weather and rain were warm enough that we could handle walking through it without jackets. We also had the umbrella of treetops to catch most of the falling water. Eventually, though, the rain became strong enough to break through the leaves and we were forced to throw on our jackets. We ended up getting caught in the middle of a decently strong rain but luckily neither of us was upset by it. It was really awesome to be there with my sister. I never once had to worry that the hike was boring her or that she wasn't enjoying herself because of the rain or lack of wildlife sightings. She was perfectly content walking through the jungle, sometimes in silence.

Looking redder than normal.

We came around to the huge, old tree. There's actually not a whole lot to it if you're not easily amazed at old things, but for us a 400 year old tree was worth seeing. 400 years! That's older than the US. This tree was a seedling the year Pocahontas got married (that's just about the most interesting fact I could find about 1614) and survived countless years of volcanic activity and human exploration. For me, that's beyond cool.

This is just half of our day in Arenal! I still have to tell you about the warm river, driving around the lake and eating some pasta I'm still sort of dreaming about.

Until Friday!
♥ A