5 Year Anniversary

Today was our anniversary...5 years of marriage, how time flies...

It was to be expected that we would like this day to be special, so we decided to visit the Manuel Antonio National Park.

Yesterday we found a small bakery across the street from the beach and we decided to pick up a few snacks and some water for our hike. 

The entrance to the park was $10 (per person) and for an additional $15 per person we could have had an english speaking guide with a scope and tripod, but it was our day and we really wanted to enjoy each others company even at the risk of not seeing all the wildlife we could have.

We had learned from all our previous hikes that if you want to see wildlife you not only need to take your time, but you have to know where to look. Some animals are easy to spot: like the lizards patrolling the entire park, eating at the fruits that fell out of the trees: others are harder to spot: like the slots sleeping high in the tree, the insects...and some are very hard to spot because of their perfect camouflage.

The road takes you through the jungle to this very beautiful lagoon with white sand, calm blue waters and a rocky island that looked like just a short swim away. 

It had to be around noon because the sun was very powerful and without the constant breeze that was present on the public beach the temperature was starting to feel unbearable....a quick dip in the cool water fixed that....We found a shady spot and we enjoyed our sweet snacks we brought with us just to be surprised by a Jesus lizard that was very happy to pose for me...cute thing did not leave until I put my camera away, it must have been very used to tourists doing this sort of thing. 

Before we left the beach I almost stepped on a hermit crab...so needless to say I spent some time taking some shots of him trying to climb out of a sand hole.

On our way back from the beach we noticed a larger group of tourists looking up in the trees, it was a band of white faced monkeys, and just like the lizard earlier as soon as we started taking photos of them they got closer and closer and cuter. 

Some of the other tourist had guides with them that were telling them interesting facts about them, reminding people that as cute as they may look they were wild animals and they were omnivores. The large lizards patrolling the park ended up being their lunch sometimes and some of the monkeys had the scars to prove it.

There was a spoiled little boy that caught my attention, maybe because one of the guides kept on telling him not to show his teeth which may seem crazy to some readers as it did to the mother of that spoiled child that was making all kinds of weird crazy faces to the monkeys in the trees really aggravating one the alpha male.

After trying to warn both the child and the parents and only be met with a "what's the harm in it, his just being a child" the guide gave up and looked apologetic to me...there was something in her eyes that made me step further from that child and follow the alpha male more closely. 

Angry alpha male

I used to spend hour as a child looking at the monkeys, observing them and the way they interacted so to see this in their own habitat was wonderful...but there was something that I have only noticed ones....the group of monkeys started to be more agitated and the alpha male was almost growling, showing his teeth from a branch just above the kids head. He was so proud that the monkey was imitating him...and I suddenly just realized why the guide looked so guilty...the alpha male just urinated on the kids head and before anyone could have any reaction to what just happened the monkey through some fecal mater at the child. It did the trick as far as the monkeys were concerned, the spoiled child making the threatening faces (showing your teeth to any primate as well as many other animals means you want to challenge them) as well as his parents were hurrying to the exit angry and complaining.

As soon as they departed the monkeys seemed to have relaxed and continued the cute display of acrobatics. One of them decided to get closer to the group of tourist and when the guides suggested that no one should make sudden moves his suggestion was taken to heart by all (we just witnessed what happens to those that did not). The monkey was happy to run between a child's legs and back up a tree without ever touching anyone.

After the National Park we returned to the public beach for lunch and some more photos of those fascinating crabs.

In the evening we returned to the hotel and we enjoyed our last night in Manuel Antonio.

We were having our tea on the patio in front of our room when my husband noticed the small lizards above us in the light fixtures...what a nice end to our evening. 

There is something so magical about being surrounded by wildlife anywhere you go in this wonderful country.

Good Night

And Happy Travels

Manuel Antonio

Best sleep since San Jose...

I was worried that the sound of the cars and busses will keep us up (the hotel is meters from the main road), but once it got dark the cars became fewer and fewer and the noise of the occasional car was almost completely covered by the sounds of the jungle above us. We left the fan off; some silly childhood fear that it will take off, especially since it was very close to the bed (probably my only complaint with the room). 

The sun was up and filling our room with light. We spend some time enjoying the nice breeze coming in and the sound of the birds....how peaceful and relaxing.

After breakfast we decided to take the public bus to Manuel Antonio and explore the beach. 

The bus had the fare price noted in the front window and unlike our busses the driver was not only accepting the payments, but was prepared to provide change is you did not have the exact fare. The bus was very clean. 

We got off at the very last stop which is right by the Manuel Antonio public beach and minutes away from the National Park entrance.

The beach was as clean as any resort beach we have seen. The waives were perfect for surfers, but a bit rough for inexperience swimmers (the entire Pacific coast is like that). We found a nice spot and put our towels down, needless to say I was bored out of my mind after 10 minutes so we went exploring. I was never able to spend more then 5 minutes in the sun doing nothing.

Across the road from the beach were all kinds of shops and restaurants. We had a nice slice of authentic Italian pizza and a cold Imperial beer....for dessert, a cone of gelato.

My husband decided to go for a run on the beach and came across a place full of crabs of all sizes, he returned and showed me the spot.

 There were some that were so small you could barely see, and plenty of big ones climbing all over the rock. I decided to climb up to get some better shots, but that meant taking off my sandals for a better grip. 

As much fun as I had taking the photos I could not stop worrying about were I stepped. Between the the uneven hot stone and the risk of being pinched by a crab it was betting harder and harder to concentrate on the shots...so I decided to get off and be content with the shots I had so far.

We spent a few more hours enjoying the area before taking a bus back to the hotel. We had decided before leaving that we would return before the afternoon rain.

When we got back to the hotel it didn't look like rain we decided to take a dip in the pool, and since the pool was all ours and it was more then 1,5m deep it felt perfect for laps, as long as you kept in mind where the stairs were. Funny enough the rain decided to start just as I found my rhythm.

The nice thing about the hotel is that you can get from the rooms to the restaurant without having to step into the rain and on an evening like this that was a great commodity. The restaurant had more tables occupied and just as we placed our order the light went out. Well in a matter of seconds the candles from the table were lit and we enjoyed a nice romantic candlelight dinner.  

The rain was still coming down hard so we asked the waitress for two cups of teas to take up to our room and she came back with the cups and some candles that we could use for the night.

We had our tea on the porch in front of our room listening to the rain.

Good night....

and

Happy Travels

Hotel Plinio

We arrived at Hotel Plinio in the afternoon. Hungry, tired, and hot we could not wait to see our room...but what room should we get?

Choosing between the standard A/C rooms and upgrade was easier said then done. The photos of the upgraded rooms looked amazing, but the idea of being in a room with no windows (just screens) and no A/C when I was boiling in the office was not exactly appealing. The owner suggested we inspect the upgraded room.

There are 2 rooms in this category that are next to each other and share covered patio area with bar stools.


On the ground level of the room there were 2 couches and a coffee table in a living area and the bathroom with a huge shower that could fit a very large number of people.




The stairs, while very steep and only wide enough for one person were very sturdy.





Upstairs, a huge king(?) size bed took-up most of the room and across from it there were two wicker chairs and a coffee table.


The windows were covered by white sheers for privacy and the breeze coming in was very pleasant, not hot at all...that was it, we decided to stay in that room.

After checking in and taking a nice cold shower our bodies decided to remind us that a bag of chips and some chocolate was not an actual meal....so we headed out to the restaurant.

The award winning restaurant was offering an interesting mix of german, japanese and costa rican dishes. I have to admit that as much as I enjoyed the traditional Gallo Pinto (rice and beans) in the first few days after having it with every meal I just wanted something that did not have it as a side dish....so mashed potatoes with frankfurters and sauerkraut (pickled cabbage) was what I ordered. And accept the fact that for some reason the sauerkraut was heated up (I still think my mashed potatoes were microwaved) the food was not bad. We had ice cream for desert and finished with a nice cup of costa rican coffee.

Since the bar was not at all busy, and the owner was behind the bar we ended up chatting up a storm with him. We learned about the observation area that the hotel has, were we can view some wildlife (if patient) and that the public bus can take us to the Manuel Antonio public beach or the National Park for about $1 (2 people). He also warned us that it rains every day for about 30min-1 hour at about 5p.m. after which the rain stops and the roads dry up in about 5min.


We decided to find the observation area and try our luck with the wildlife...unfortunately we must have made a wrong turn because we ended up above the roof of the owners residence (uphill from the hotel) and the only wildlife we found was a poison dart frog...and a beautiful view of a dock far below the property.

There was not too much to do at the end of the day so we decided to call it a day and go to sleep early....Good Night!

Until next time
happy travels

*Note: The hotel is currently under new ownership and is called +Hostel Plinio ...when we return to Costa Rica we will probably check it out.