Monday, October 29, 2012

Costa Rica -Pure Vida

Costa Rica... in pictures.  It would take days for me to write about all the incredible things we got to do while we were there. 

Day 1 - Fly to San Jose, Costa Rica
  
In the van on the way to Arenal.  




Our group arrived in Costa Rica after a quick uneventful flight.  We had charted a van to take us to La Fortuna where the Arenal volcano is located.  It was a beautiful ride up into the mountians of Costa Rica.  The scenery was incredible, rolling hills, lush tropical rain forest, and green as far as the eye could see. Along the way we stopped for lunch and fruit stand for a quick snack.  The food and fruit was incredible.
The hotel


The spa



The hot springs at the hotel

Hot springs

Garden area outside of our little hut


 The first day was spent exploring La Fortuna, relaxing in the hot springs and dinning on local cuisine.  The next morning two of girls and I were up early to do some waterfall repelling.  The rest of the group grabbed a taxi-boat-taxi ride to our next destination. 
The ladies

Maya, Myself, Ashwini


First waterfall 109 ft
After the repelling we loaded up our stuff and caught a taxi, to a boat, to another taxi to get to Monteverde. 
The volcano

More volcano

The lake

Our water taxi



 Once we arrived in Monteverde we met up with the rest of the group and had dinner.  We stayed in the this fantastic hotel on top a hill over looking the town.  After dinner at a local hotspot we hit a touristy bar for a nightcap.  The bar was situated in a tree, therefore it was called the tree-house bar.   We had really good adult hot chocolate and dessert.

View from the hotel




Treetop bar



 The next morning we were up bright an early to give zip-lining a try.  Monteverde is know for its cloud forests, so we were able to zip through the clouds. We were able to take a practice run on a small zip line and it was a blast I was ready to get this started!  Then we took a tram up the mountain to the first line as we slowly ascended the mountain my excitement started to wan and turn to straight fear and trepidation. After the tram we had to hike up a 15 story tower.  At this point I was second guessing my ability to make good decisions in my life!! How do I get myself into these situations.  At the top the wind was blowing so hard that the tower and the zip line were shaking, or maybe it was me shaking so hard everything around me was swaying!  I was petrified, I wanted to run back down that tower and never think of doing anything that involved heights.  But I had come too far and paid too much money to walk away from it now, so I decided the only way to get this over with was to go first.  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH and it was awesome, best thing ever, so incredibly fun!!!!! I just couldnt get enough of it!!
Post zip-lining high
Baby practice run            




























                                                           
  

After zip-lining we packed up our stuff caught the bus and headed down to spend the last few days of our trip on the beach in Jaco.  We spent the last three days surfing, eating, relaxing, exploring the town, and checking out Manual Antonio. 
Surfing

Riding the baby waves

Manual Antonio




The morning we were heading back to the US and earthquake struck up north of us.  Thankfully we all made it home safely.  All in all it was a fantastic trip and I would highly recommend visiting Costa Rica.
 

Until next time...
Victoria