Costa Rica

One of my college roommates/teammates got married in Costa Rica in Early November.  And we got invited to go to the wedding.  Hurrah! I've never been in one place with so many professional runners all at once.  It was a little overwhelming for a track nerd like myself!

The wedding had been planned for months, however, Clark and I did very little research on what to do and where to go in Costa Rica. We flew into SJO, then booked a shuttle to take us to Manuel Antonio the next day (wedding to take place on a beach in Manuel Antonio).  We remained in Manuel Antonio for the remainder of the time, until we had to be back in Jan Jose to catch a flight to the states.  We had a great time and were able to catch up with friends we haven't seen in a while, and some that we haven't seen in years!

 

Manuel Antonio was a very difficult place to capture pictures. The easiest thing to take pictures of were monkeys, so that's what I did.  Please pardon the numerous monkey photos, I just couldn't help myself.  

 

Our nice shuttle driver stopped along the way from SJO to Manuel Antonio so that we could run out onto a bridge to get pictures of crocodiles resting on sand beds in the river below! It was a little disconcerting, let me tell you! The pictures didn't turn out that well, hence only the photo of Clark returning from taking pictures of crocs.

Lovely scenery along the way.

We arrived to our hotel, and then had a meal down by the pool.  It was Clark's birthday, but instead of cake we ordered ceviche.

We also walked down to one of the many beaches near our hotel (well, within 2 miles) at sunset.  The steep hills in Manuel Antonio were no joke.  My legs were sore the next day from walking down to the beach.

 Sore legs or not, the next day we walked down to the public beach (different from the above photo) where we spent the entire day laying around. Under umbrellas, of course.  It was so nice and relaxing.  We even got persuaded into purchasing some vases from some gentlemen on the beach.  People were constantly walking up and down the beach trying to sell various items: decorative whistles, jewelry, vases, sarongs. I'm just glad we bought vases and not whistles.

The water was so nice.  We didn't want to leave our belongings unattended (even though we really didn't have anything of worth with us. I never brought the DSLR to the beach) so we had to go swimming separately. 

There were lots of surfers out in the water.  Some were really good, like this fella taking a leap over a wave.  He was actually really good and he even rode his surfboard on his head!

 

The next day we met up with one of my former teammates and his girlfriend to hike through the Manuel Antonio National Park.

Here is Clark and Ryan looking for wildlife.

The monkeys were so cute!

 

This one is examining a leaf very closely.

 

These two just caught a lizard.

 

And here they are devouring their catch.

We walked on several different trails in the park, many of which led to the water.

 

At one beach in particular, the racoons were fearless and would scour through personal belongings for food.  We even saw one man get bit as he tried to shoo the damn thing away.  There were several occasions where we had to take long wooden sticks ( as in the picture) and bat at the racoons to keep them away!

The only sloth we saw on this trip.

 

Enjoying a coconut after leaving the park. 

Back at our hotel we heard a ruckus outside of our door.  Up in the trees just above us were dozens of monkeys climbing tree to tree.  It was so neat to see.

So, this is the hotel we stayed at.....

 And this was our view.  You can barely make out water peeking through some trees in the middle of the picture.  Luckily, we weren't far from many restaurants with outstanding views.

Another beach in Manuel Antonio.

Lunch at Cafe Azul.  

Clark and his Big Ass burger.  That was the name on the menu.  And it was a ginormous burger.

On the day of the wedding, many of us were catching some last minute beach time.  We persuaded some of our friends to also purchase some vases from the persistent gentlemen who, just days ago, had persuaded us into buying vases.

That evening the wedding was held on the Manuel Antonio beach.

Amy looked radiant!

Her father has Multiple Sclerosis, and so even though he couldn't walk her down the isle, he stood with her just as she reached her groom.

And after the wedding, we had to get some photos of the SUNDEVILS!

The reception was held back at a hotel, and we had a great time dancing the night away.  Congratuations to Amy and Alistair Cragg!! We are so dang happy for these two lovebirds! I cannot wait to see the professional pictures of this wedding.  Clearly the point and shoot does not make this wedding look nearly as lovely as it was!

It was such a fun trip and it was over too quick.  Some things I learned while in Costa Rica:

1. It's not a cheap destination, don't go there thinking things will be cheap like they are in Southeast Asia

2. Plantain chips with lime are amazing

3. Splurge and get a room with a damn view of the water or something other than trees

4. Pura Vida

5. If you buy a vase on the beach, don't ask the gentleman selling you the vase to carve names or dates into the vase...it won't look as good as you hoped

6. Wal-Mart exists there and it is all too familiar yet...not

7. Learn Spanish

8. Don't listen to anyone who tells you not to rent a car. RENT A CAR

8. Go see Arenal Volcano if you have time and plan accordingly (which we did not)