--> My first weekend here, I ventured down to Manuel Antonio, which is Costa Rica's most frequented national park, and also one of its smallest! Why is it so highly reputed? The wildlife and the beaches. Walking through the park, you may be lucky enough to see monkeys, sloths, raccoons, butterflies and many kinds of birds among the lush, green rainforest. Then, after about 20 minutes of walking, you reach some of the most stunning beaches I've ever seen. Secluded, pristine, and quiet, with warm water and just enough breeze - talk about a peaceful retreat.
Then, two weekends ago, I went to La Fortuna, a small town lying at the foot of Arenal, one of the active volcanoes in Costa Rica. I went with the two volunteers that arrived the week beforehand - Casey and Karlee. We all get along really well and have similar goals when traveling, which makes weekend trips so fun and stress free. It took us a while to get out to La Fortuna (about 5 hours by bus after waking up at the crack of dawn), but we finally made it, only to be greeted by a SCRUMPTIOUS welcome drink at our hostel! Pura vida, right? We then quickly headed out to go zip-lining - it was my first time, and it was absolutely stunning. Plus, we were the only 3 in our zip-lining group, which meant less waiting and more funky poses (see photo evidence)! Then we headed to some of the natural hot spring rivers near the mountain - the water is heated by the lava flowing under the ground. Some places build pools and bring the naturally heated water in, but we went to a local sanctuary - natural streams with no entrance fee. You just have to be able to find it!
The next day, we woke up early and embarked on what we thought would be a relaxing, relatively flat hike. Hahahahhaha. Boy, were we mistaken. What we got was an extremely difficult hike up to an inactive volcano next to Arenal that now has a lagoon at the top of it. In some parts, the slope was about 75º or more. Pretty ridiculous. But we trekked on and made it to the top, taking in the unbelievable views along the way. Of course, the hike down was no picnic either, but it was all worth it for the experience and the feeling of accomplishment! Finally, we took a quick peek at the massive waterfall near Arenal before heading back to San Jose for another week of work.
In short, I'm having an incredible time exploring Costa Rica. My
internship is not all that I expected or hoped for, but I feel so blessed to
just be able to experience the country that my older sister, Emmy, fell in love
with. I know she's here with me, enjoying the sun (with loads of sun
screen), the wildlife and the people. It really is a beautiful country,
and I just know she's enjoying it with me every step of the way.~~~
This weekend, I'm off to Santa Barbara. Yay for more adventures!
