Costa My Rica

Quepos Manuel Antonio Reserve

As my first post, I'd like to capture the beauty of Costa Rica, where I traveled recently this past June. I, along with another teacher, took 18 Spanish students to this humid, rainy country. We had a lot of amazing experiences and encounters including beaches, crocodiles, wild animals, hot weather, incredibly kind people, mind-blowing coffee, shopping, and a butt load of rice and beans. The beaches were beautiful. We were not allowed to swim at Jaco Beach, but we were allowed to swim at this haven pictured here.  The sun was warm, the weather was beautiful, and the day was perfect. If you are there though, watch your back since raccoons will steal your Cheddar Cheese Pringles right out of your backpack, those cuties are no joke.

Each morning we'd wake up and begin our day
with a cup of jo. It was piping hot, rich, and silky.
In Costa Rica, they would warm the milk before adding
 it to the coffee to keep it freshly hot. Making it at home in
 my Mr. Coffee maker just isn't the same as a slow-brewed
cup made by the locals.

Speaking of locals, these roadside stands were everywhere. Now, I know everywhere, it seems, since we spent an hour or two in our sweet Marvi coach bus each day. However, this market was big and beautiful and I bought an avocado the size of my head, no not a hyperbole, promise. It cost $4 which was a surprise to me. But, their gas was priced the same as well.

Now, you may be thinking that us rural Americans
may have a lot in common with a Costa Rican. Well, as my boyfriend and step-dad both work in construction. I'm somewhat aware of the process. We encountered a situation handled a little differently than in America. As our giant bus tried make its way across the country, there was only one road. So instead of a detour, a man jumps in the front-end loader (I'm assuming that's what that machine is/does. I know the process, not the machines) and made a road for us--intrigue.

And now, the best part of the trip-- the animals.

 

First off, this isn't a great picture. However, the "animal" wasn't so great either. As I was walking to plant my tree, you know helping the rainforest one plant at a time, I almost stepped on this poisonous-eight-legged death trap.

 

Now, I know that fury octoid was probably enough, but we went on a crocodile  (el cocodrilo, my favorite Spanish word) tour. This boat driver has some sort adrenaline deficiency since he must do this ordeal quite often. Still, I found him feeding this beast awe-mazing. Raw chicken is this little guys' favorite snack-- hm, low carb. 

Look, I know this seems fake like one of those pink flamingos in your yard. (Btw, if you have pink flamingos in your yard, I hope it was from some high school prankster, not decoration). This was a Macaw--it was beautiful, loud, and obviously scary, after all, it's a bird. 

It wasn't just those crazy raccoons that came to visit us on our ocean day. These furry little friends wanted to "hang out" too: lame pun intended. Not the closest picture, but if you can imagine your cutest  pet hanging from a tree, grabbing leaves from your hand, then you've got it. Unless, you already have a monkey pet--then you're just lucky.

Now I suppose I'll close with the end of our trip. We stayed at a beautiful resort at Jaco Beach called Hotel Balcon del Mar. I loved this place. As for a 4 star American resort, it may not live up to many folks' standards. But considering some of the places we stayed along the way, I felt like quite the queen. I mean c'mon, we had air conditioning and hot water. So that was the quest to Costa Rica--I hope you enjoyed it half as much as I did.