Monteverde

Monteverde was by far the best trip that my program planned for our group. The bus ride was three short hours on one lane, dirt country roads through the mountains to arrive at our destination. Because we stayed with our program, we were given great accommodations yet again. We stayed at El Establo; an old stable turned 4 star hotel owned by a nice Quaker couple. Let's just say, the beds at El Establo are my favorite thing about Costa Rica. I felt as though I were literally sleeping on a cloud in a cloud forest. One of my favorite parts about our accommodations was the view from our room. It was complete with rocking chairs to enjoy all of the sights. 

Another big plus about this weekend was the fact that all of our food was provided by the hotel. I am still not used to being pampered by all of these gourmet things! On Saturday morning we woke to find this strange animal outside our hotel room. 

I believe that this animal is called a Tayra, but do not hold me to that face. Our day continued with a canopy tour and a terrifying Tarzan Swing. The zip lines took us flying through shades of green and over lush valleys that took my breath away. 

I have a huge fear of heights and this adventure surely pushed my limits of comfort. I was composed until it was my turn to jump off or a hanging bridge and put all of my trust in the Tarzan Swing. For those of you who have not seen/experienced this, here is a youtube video of some people who I do not know taking the plunge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA5cr5BuO1E

We survived!

The next day a small group and I explored La Selva Biological Reserve. This consisted of a relaxed hike through a cloud forest, with a dense animal population, to a scenic overlook, back down and across a hanging bridge, and onto a path in a humming bird garden. 

This was the first and only time I have seen a snake in Costa Rica. He was a pretty little guy so he was not so bad in my opinion. We completed our journey with some fresh Quaker ice cream, made from the local cows that Monteverde is famous for. This is one of the most adventurous and daring weekends I have had thus far. It is safe to say that I really enjoyed my time in Monteverde.

Volcan Arenal and La Fortuna Waterfall

Our second weekend of excusions brought us to Volcan Arenal. Yet again ISA provided us with a beautiful place to stay at Los Lagos Hot Springs and Spa. We were very lucky to have a few clear days to see the volcano. Apparently, this is a rare occurrence most times during the year because of location of the volcano. We spent the weekend hiking to a lookout point near the volcano (third picture down), exploring the town of La Fortuna, and playing in the pool and hot springs. On our last morning in Arenal, we hiked to La Fortuna Waterfall. It is known for it's extreme height and perfect stream of water falling into the small pool beneath. This hike was the best part of the weekend. We ventured a few km down waffle-like cement and dirt stairs until we reached the hidden waterfall. Although the water was frigid, we all enjoyed a dip in the ridiculously blue water. In the horizontal picture below, you can see my roommate, Alexa, and me looking pretty small in comparison to this massive waterfall. This is the first of many volcanoes that I hope to see while in Costa Rica.

Tamarindo

Tamarindo was my first weekend in a series of three weekend excursions provided by my study abroad program, ISA. Going into these next few weeks I realized I would be pampered with really nice hotels and meals in touristy locations. Tamarindo did not disappoint in these areas. Many of the local Ticos refer to the Pacific Coast town of Tamarindo as "Tamagringo". Upon arrival, it was clear to see why. The main part of town in set on a beautiful stretch of beach lined with resorts and over priced restaurants. Our group stayed in the hotel, Tamarindo Diria. The hotel was complete with three pools and a delicious buffet breakfast. My days were mostly filled with eating good food and reading by the pool. The beach views were spectacular and the sunsets were some of the better that I have seen thus far. Although it may not have been the most cultural of my Costa Rican weekends, it was definitely enjoyable in a relaxing sort of way.

 The beautiful hotel.

 Beach pictures