Costa Rican Vacation - Part 2
Activities:Hiking and beach time at Manuel Antonio National Park: We had a guide take us through Manuel Antonio NP the first time so we knew what we were looking at. It was worth the money to have someone experienced point out the different plants and animals. We would have walked past most of it without the guide. Such diversity. It was amazing.
We went back to the NP a couple of times to hike the trails and go to the beach. The rainforest goes right up to the beach. It’s neat. I’m not used to the forest/vegetation being right up to the water. On 1 of our hikes we encountered some white faced monkeys. We were walking along taking it all in and HC notices some white faced monkeys a few feet away from us right off the trail. They were busy foraging for food paying no attention to us. As HC was taking pictures of the ones in front of her, a monkey came from behind her and started fiddling with her bag. She turned to swat at it thinking it was me messin’ with her. The look she and the monkey had on their faces was priceless!! They were both surprised and shocked. It was hysterical!! It was great. It made my trip right there. I’ll never forget it. We watched this group for 10 or 15 minutes before they moved on. We ran into a few other groups of monkeys each time we were on the beach. It was the coolest.
We also saw Iguanas, Jesus Christ Lizards, and gecko’s. There was also this raccoon like animal called a Coatimundi that walked right past me as I was on a bench reading a magazine. It was very casual about walking on the beach. I guess it was looking for hand outs. I watched as 1 of the park rangers grabbed a handful of sand and gently tossed it in it’s direction. The Coatimundi took the hint and left. The rainforest was just so cool. So much to see and experience.
Canopy tour: It was OK. As HC put it “This is their Kennywood” It was more thrill ride than tour of the canopy. I was expecting to spend more time up there looking at the trees and animals. But we were busy zip lining from 1 tree to another. Now don’t get me wrong, zip lining from tree to tree was out of sight but I thought I’d get to see & learn more about the flora & fauna.
Snorkeling and sightseeing cruise: The water was choppy so the ride was a bit rough. It had been raining the night before and the red tide was out so the water was very cloudy. So we didn’t go snorkeling. But we did spot dolphins and a sea turtle. And there were just a few clouds so weatherwise it was lovely.
Beach time: We spent a bit of time on the beaches. Between Manuel Antonio NP and walking the public beaches. Cancun’s sand was finer and whiter but I like the CR beaches well enough. CR’s beaches were better than Aruba’s beaches which had coarser/grittier sand. And it’s been so long since I’ve been to Grand Cayman I can’t compare. I remember liking it though. The surf was rough since it had been raining and it was “Green” season. (A euphemism for rainy season.) The thing we kept in mind was “it needed to rain in order to keep everything so lush & green.” Besides it’s a “Rainforest” so what did we expect?!?
Sumary: We had a great time in CR. The people, sights, and food really made it memorable. We wouldn't hesitate to go back except for the l-o-n-g list of other places we want to see. "It's a great big world out there!"
Labels: Holiday, travel, vacation
posted by ChowderHead @ 6/04/2007 09:24:00 PM
2 Comments:
It sounds lovely.
I'm really pushing for us to go to Belgium.
PW: I've never been to Belgium. But I know their beer is outta sight!!! And if the Point Brugge Cafe is any indication, their food is good too!
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