Manuel Antonio Park: Exotic Mammals, Beaches, Lizards...Sloth Porn?

Written by Kyle about Costa Rica. Feelin' amused

Before we begin, everyone say hi to 2 new on-your-own-pather's as they join us for a week on their vacation: My sister Kristine and her boyfriend Jim:

Sorry, this is the best picture I have at the moment. We'll get you in more embarassing ones later, anyway...

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White Water Rafting in Wild Costa Rica

Written by Bessie about Costa Rica. Feelin' normal

Coming to Costa Rica is wild. The roads are bumpy, animals surround, and it rains cats and dogs hours out of the day as it's "winter" here in paradaise. The great part of these things together though, is that it makes for adventurous rafting.

It began the way most exciting things do down here, with a bumpy ride. We tromped through Palm Oil plantations and organic spice farms smelling fresh cinnamon, vanilla, mint and of course, eating leaves.

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Canopy Tour: Take 2

Written by Kyle about Costa Rica. Feelin' excited

For those of you meniacal followers (or stalkers), remember that we have done a canopy tour once before in El Salvador which you can read about here. Not being the type of people to just do something once, we decided to go ahead and do it again while we were in Costa Rica. Besides, you seriously can't walk a block without seeing at least 10 signs showing happy people flying through the jungle on their canopy tour. All that advertising just wears you down and it's impossible not to give in. Eventually, you open up your wallet and just go for it.

For those of you uninitiated to the world of ziplines and canopy tours it basically goes like this: you wear a snug harness and a good-for-nothing plastic helmet, then you basically hang on to a steel wire as you fly through the air through trees, past waterfalls, monkeys, and jaguars (ok, not jaguars, but that would be cool!).

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Winter Thunder Stormy-ness

Written by Bessie about Costa Rica. Feelin' scared

It's the middle of the night, and I left the comfort of my husband's spooning arms because I can't sleep. It's not loud neighbors or howler monkeys calling out into the wild keeping me up, it's an absolutely tremendous thunderstorm. This storm is more than a fierce, competitive bowling game, it's mother nature breaking every dish in the house.

It's "winter" here which I think it's unfair to call it, since for me, winter conjours up visions of snow covered pine trees and seeing your breath in the cold, bone-chilling air. In Central America, "winter" comes in June, July, and August and means hot, sunny days balanced with the absolutely most powerful Thunderstorms you can imagine. Daily. Huge dark, looming storm clouds fill the horizon of a perfectly blue sky, and an absolute deluge of water covers paradise. Heed my warning if you ever consider a summer vacation to Mexico or Central America in the summertime. These storms chew up smiling, fun-craving, umbrella-carrying, gringos for breakfast.

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Beachtown Bliss: Montezuma, Costa Rica

Written by Bessie about Costa Rica. Feelin' happy

There's a small coastal town in Costa Rica that grew to what it is today because of nature-lovers, surfers and hippies decades ago. Montezuma used to be accessible only by a delicate blend of gravel roads and ferries that took hours to get to, and now adays there are regular speed boat taxis (and still buses on gravel roads) that make this town all too accessible, but still delightful in my eyes.

What lures people here? Well, personally I love a chill beach town, and you thrown in some healthy hippie restaurants serving homemade hummus, lentil creations, and all sorts of whole-grain everything, and I'm there like dressing on salad. The thing that really built Montezuma up to what it is today is it's reputation as Montefuma, which translates to smoke mountain, nick-named because of a different kind of plant lovers (read doobie smokers) that also flock here.

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