It has been almost a week since I got back from our weekend in Manuel Antonio and I should be studying for my final tomorrow (I will have officially completed Intermediate Spanish I!) but here goes...
Manuel Antonio
Some info about Manuel Antonio:
-It is the second most popular tourist destination in Costa Rica (Behind Arenal Volcano, which I am going to in March with my program)
-It is on the Pacific Side of Costa Rica
-It is home to the Manuel Antonio National Park, which is only 3km squared in area but PACKED full with wildlife and biodiversity
-It is where Spy Kids 2 was filmed. (SO COOL)
-It's awesome.
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| Me being a happy person in Manuel Antonio |
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| The "Island of Lost Dreams" is really just in Costa Rica... |
Only 5 of us decided to leave Heredia last weekend and book it to Manuel Antonio at 6am. We got to our hostel by like 10am. The hostel had a beautiful view of mountains and valleys, and had a pool and hammocks to relax in.
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| The view from the porch of our hostel-Backpackers Manuel Antonio |
After settling into our room, we decided to spend the day at the beach. Going to the beach is not as simple as going to the beach at home-Manuel Antonio is basically a beach situated at the bottom of cliffs and mountains, so we had to trek up & down some serious hills to get to the ocean. The walk down was beautiful because we could see the ocean and all of the rainforest from the top of the hill.
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| The view during our walk to the beach |
Our day at the beach was really fun and relaxing. We found an area that was pretty secludedt, with tons of rocks and stuff to climb around. We body surfed, lay in the sun, and I took a really nice jog on the beach. It was so refreshing to run on flat land after running on hills so much in Heredia. And I got a nice tan =)
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| La playa bonita |
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| Playing on rocks on the beach |
Saturday
We got to the park in the morning just as it was opening and decided, per recommendation of some of our friends, to get a guide to take us on a tour. It was SUCH a good decision, as William, our tour guide, was able to spot animals from kilometers away and had a telescope that we could see everything through. He knew we were learning Spanish so he spoke to us mostly in Spanish which was great practice. (Interesting side note-tour guides in Costa Rica are as highly regarded as doctors and lawyers. They have to have a degree and a lot of experience.) He was so funny and nice, and with his help we were able to see Capuchin Monkeys, Squirrel Monkeys, Sloths, Tucans, Iguanas, and tons of other really cool things. The tour was only supposed to be an hour and half, but there was so much wildlife out that it ended up being 3 glorious hours!
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| This is some serious actual forest. |
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| William, our super awesome tour guide. He said he would give us a free tour next time we are in Manuel Antonio. |
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| This iguana was really big! |
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| More sloths! |
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| Squirrel monkey! William saw this little guy from so far away (these pictures are taken through his telescope) |
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| Butterflies mating |
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| Tucan! Que dicha! |
After the tour was over, we hiked up a side-trail that went up to the highest point of the park and overlooked the ocean and forest. It was beautiful! We ate lunch up there and then hiked back down to the beach. While we were lying on the beach, a bunch of Capuchin Monkeys started jumping around in the trees above us. It was so cool!!! One had a baby on her back which was really special to see.
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| this was right next to where we were laying on the beach |
We ended up being at the park from open to close, and then got some pizza (Danielle and I had been craving cheese-less pizza since the discovery that we are both vegan) and attempted to go out but were so tired that we just went to sleep.
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| Danielle and I with the "Sin Queso" delicioso |
This week
Classes started at la Universidad this week for the Costa Rican students. It is "Semana Bienvenidos" or Welcome Week, which means that there are so many fun activities going on. There is live music every day outside the cafeteria, and the bands that play are really talented! The campus is so much more lively now that it is more than just USAC students and Ticos taking summer classes. I'm loving it!
Something silly about Costa Rica-since people typically live with their parents until they are married here, couples don't have too much private time together. This results in them SERIOUSLY making out every chance they can be together on campus. And not privately. At all. I have had to side-step some serious make-out sessions on my way to class.
The start of the semester also meant that I got to start meeting up with my language exchange partner! My Tica's name is Amelia, and she is the sweetest. I told her that I want to practice as much as I can, and she told me that I can hang out with her and her friends any time I want and we can speak Spanish the whole time. She is MUCH better at English than I am at Spanish, but hopefully I will improve with her help!
I also am going to help out in on of the University's English classes on Monday nights and be a sort of conversation partner for all of the Ticos in the class. The first class was this past Monday and it was so much fun. There are about 20 Costa Rican students in it and we spent the first class just doing ice breakers (in English) and conversing. They were all so fun and nice, and they want to go out with the me and the other USAC students who are volunteering with their class. At the end of the class, the English teacher had us switch to talking in Spanish so that we could practice.
This weekend
This weekend a group of us are going to Montezuma on the Nicoya Peninsula. It is supposed to be really wonderful there, so I am very excited!! Also, my friend John from Alaska is going to be coming in to Montezuma on Sunday, so I am really really hoping I get a chance to see him.
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