Maneul Antonio

On Friday, the wonderful Yamy invited the 5 of us to accompany her and her family on a trip to a National Park on the Pacific Coast, called Manuel Antonio. All we knew was that she was going with her brothers and sisters, the bus would arrive at 10am to pick us up, meals were provided, and we’d be back Sunday night. We were told to pack a towel and that we’d see monkeys. Curious and up for an adventure, we agreed to go. You can’t really say no to that, can you?!

So, the private bus arrived Saturday morning a bit later than we anticipated (I think we got our wires crossed...instead of being the first ones picked up we were the last). When we boarded, we were greeted by Yamy’s family...about 35 people! Her mom, brothers/sisters, son, grandkids, nieces/nephews, their kids...the whole gang! Turns out the trip was more than just a spontaneous visit to the beach. They were celebrating Tio Luis’ 50th birthday. On the trip down, we stopped a few times for various reasons - lunch, ceviche, snacks, to pick up more people, etc. The whole trip down took a few hours, and we got to travel on the “new” highway. This carretera was built about 4 years ago and has made travel within the country much easier, so they say, so everyone was really excited we had a chance to see it.

We arrived to our destination, a small hotel in Quepos, the town just outside the national park. On this map, San Jose is right below the red balloon. Quepos is the blue balloon to the south, and Manuel Antonio is on the coast just below it.  So, when we arrived, we hit the pool for a few hours before dinner. All the kids and uncles were playing, and we joined them and got to know some of the family. Around 8, we sat down for the big birthday dinner and then enjoyed cake, karaoke, and dancing late into the night. Like last weekend, I think we gringas provided a bit of unexpected entertainment (for the family and for us!). Molly was a karaoke champ and the rest of us were the last ones on the makeshift dance floor.

crazy palm tree!

storm clouds rolling in

i've been playing with the settings on my new camera a lot!

On Sunday morning, we were up and off to the park early. We tried to mix in with the Ticos as we passed through the park entrance, but the gatekeepers identified us as foreigners in a hot second, so we paid full tourist price to enter. They were confused as to why we, a group of young women who looked like students, were with a family of ‘nationals’ but could pick us out of the crowd right away. (Goal for the year is to be mistaken as Tica. There are quite a few with light hair and eyes! My height might give me away, but it’s probably the clothes. Oh, and the Spanish! I’ll have to work on my slang...)

After short walk, er, hike to the beach (during which we saw a monkey swinging lazily from a tree in the canopy), we settled on the sand under the shade of some enormous trees. 

hike to the beach

la playa!

The water in the Pacific was crystal clear. I could see my toes when I was standing up to my neck! And there were no waves, so it was perfect for floating.  (And don’t worry mom, I didn’t get sunburned!)  

After a few hours on the beach, we boarded the bus back to the hotel for lunch, some more pool time, and then left for San Jose around 4. We didn’t make quite as many stops on the way home, so we were at back home for our bedtime...which seems to get earlier and earlier every day. When the sun (and birds) rise at 5:20am, it’s a lot harder to sleep in!