As we enter into our last day we have been blessed with good times and great memories throughout the entire trip. It’s hard to fathom that two weeks have already passed and I can’t say we’re overly thrilled about returning to the cooler weather haha.
We definitely have some great memories to add to the scrapbook of life. The main beach here in Manuel-Antonia is fantastic. Even though it’s high season, you never felt overly crowded on the beach. There’s more than enough room for everyone to have their space either in the sun or shade and have a full, unblocked view of the ocean. Me, being the “it’s too cold” brat for water that I am, had no problem just walking into the water. It’s so gloriously comfortable that we’d spend an hour or more each time out just enjoying the sun and warmth and usually wave jumping and diving. The views from every angle in and out of the water never gets tiresome. It is definitely a joy and privilege and we breathed in every moment we could.
We did a couple of adventures as well. A day of ATV riding through the mountains gave us visual perspectives that you cannot achieve otherwise. We met some great people from all over the world as well which always makes the experience more memorable.
I mentioned the monkeys in our original email. Well, we got to feed them by hand. We walked over to a nearby hotel for a sunset view and met one of the staff there who became a bit of a tour guide for us. Again, I mention how nice the locals are. He brought out a plantain and I was able to feed them by hand. The spider monkeys only inhabit this part of Costa Rica and are so gentle. They do like to grab if you’re not looking but they’re never aggressive. The experience as they gently take it from your hand is like handing candy to a well-behaved child. After this, they would often come by the patio of our house and we had the joy of feeding them again. Pura Vida! (A common statement here meaning Pure Life).
We did a day trip to Nauyaca Falls. This was an adventure in that it took about 45 min to drive there, but then we had to hike just over 5 KM’s each way. This may not sound like a lot but keep in mind your traveling up and down a mountain and there’s no groomed pathways here so it’s on big-rock roadways for part (with extremely steep slopes). The views are breathtaking and we had never seen such a waterfall (Niagara Falls excluded) tucked away in the mountains. Dave went for a dip when we got there (pics attached). We travelled that day with the local from the nearby hotel as he hadn’t been before so we invited him. The nice thing about that is that he knows where and how to look for the wildlife and knows a lot about the plants and trees etc. A great day but we will say, it was a lonnnggg hike! LOL! The timing moving pretty constant was almost 1.5 hours each way. Definitely worth it!
One of our last adventures was a sunset sailboat cruise. SO much fun and all the staff and other patrons shared in the glory and good vibes that accompanied the trip. Some snorkeling and a nice dinner served on the boat was terrific – right along with the never-ending booze. Haha. Met some amazing people there too that we have shared some dinners and other social functions with. I have yet to experience a sunset quite as striking as here in Costa Rica. Simply a painting with articulate detail.
I can say that this was a trip that we both thoroughly enjoyed and after such an amazing time, it’s easy to see why people move here. We are happy to have had the opportunity and to share it with all of you. Usually after a couple of weeks on vacation we feel ready to come home. I will say that we could easily take another two weeks (or more) without batting an eye haha. That’s the joy of Costa Rica and it’s easy for us to share in the Pura Vida that it offers.
We wish you all a wonderful New Year’s and look forward to seeing you upon our return.
Love to all…
