One Last "To Do"

So I got the big city vibe (Costa Rican style, of course), some quality outdoor adventures in rainforests and on volcanoes and had some awesome beach time (complete with coconuts).  All the was left on my Costa Rican "to do" list was to visit a local outdoor market.  Since I didn't have a map of the city, I thought it might be a hard task to achieve, but lo and behold, my sense of direction pulled through and I found a great 5ish block outdoor market just a couple blocks from the bus station.

I am fascinated with the food of different countries, so I always love seeing what the markets look like...even if it does make me jealous that we don't have something equally as fabulous in Seattle (although the Pike Place Market is pretty cool).  I loved all the colors and displays of fruit and veggies lining the street...

 

 ...and the other vendors with carts full of other goods walking around the streets. You needed a Santa hat or a purse in addition to fresh produce?  This was the place to be!

I said my goodbyes to San Jose before catching a cab to the airport for the flight back to the U S of A.  Costa Rica, I will be back! What a great get away to help kick off the next chapter of this adventure called life! 

You had me at "balcony with hammock..."

Any Costa Rican adventure should have a bit of volcano adventure, but also some beach time to relax.  After some research, I happened upon the city of Manuel Antonio, which offered some great views of the beach along with a National Park (should I want it) and some great restaurants.  Home was a villa, which included "balcony with ocean view and hammock" in the description...when I saw that, I was sold.  I loved the hillside home!

The place was more of a 1-bedroom condo, so it was nice to be able to enjoy a morning coffee with a visit from a frog (I wasn't quite sure if it was poisonous, so I kept my distance, but I still appreciated it) and spend more time than I like to admit hanging out in my hammock and reading a book.  There were even monkeys playing in the nearby tropical trees and hanging out on the nearby roof AND a gecko that came to visit in the evenings.  It was truly divine!

When I finally decided to venture outside the confines of my ocean-view villa, I found a restaurant that had an entire airplane inside of it.  That's right.  There was just an airplane hanging out in the middle of this really cool and funky restaurant overlooking the water.  I decided to splurge and got an amazing ceviche and a whole red snapper fish (the special).  I think it was the best meal I have had in quite a while.  Everything was so fresh and all the flavors melded together so well!

I went for a walk to explore the area and found some amazing things including adorable villas, the most awesome "X-ing" sign (apparently you need to watch out for sloths, monkeys in addition to people), places that had more monkeys than people (extra amazing!),  banana trees and beautiful murals.

Surfing was something I wanted to learn, but I was just not quite feeling it, so I instead opted for enjoying some beach time with my favorite...coconut water!

It was tempting, but I resisted the urge to swim in the crocodile-infested waters!

While one last walk down the beach, I couldn't help myself when I saw some brightly colored sarongs with exotic animals and "Pura Vida".  I even negotiated the price down by less than half.  I am getting to be a pretty good negotiator! :)

Volcano Trekking!

First and foremost, the Costa Rican countryside is absolutely beautiful and the people are also gorgeous inside and out.  I had an amazing bus ride through the hills of the country on my way to Arenal, an area known for its adventure and amazing views of the nearby volcano.  Along the way, I met a kind student who not only suggested great restaurants in the city, but also encouraged me to open the bus window as far as possible so that I could get the best shots of the scenery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

First up was a hike around the volcano, so I stopped in the town for a quick lunch before heading back to my hotel to get picked up for my afternoon adventure!  I had a perfect view from my 2nd story table to see over the town and the food was incredible.  There was even a pretty little river AND I saw a wild gecko just hanging out on some bushes that I found.  

 

 

 

  

 

The first night, I went for a hike on an inactive volcano...I was a little sad that it was only 2 years ago you could see lava flowing down the side, but alas, we can't have everything we want in life.  During the trip, I learned so much about the plants, wildlife, and the history of the surrounding area. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We hiked up to a spot that had a 360 degree view of the cloud-covered volcano, the lake and the lush landscape.  It was incredible!

 

 

...and then we hiked even higher to get an even better view of the lake!

 

 

Before the night was over, we stopped at an amazing natural hot springs (with over 20 different pools and some waterfalls as well!) for some light swimming and relaxation.  The grounds were beautiful and the poorly lit pictures barely do the place any sort of justice. 

 

 

During the trip, I met two amazing sisters from southern California whose brother was spending an extended amount of time in the country.  They were even kind enough to give me their contact information in case I needed anything for my upcoming trip to LA!  The world is a truly beautiful place, so I love great reminders like this.