Off to our treehouse!

We were really excited to end our trip at the Arenal Volcano - the only active volcano in Costa Rica.  When we were searching for hotels Steve stumbled upon a treehouses hotel, and we immediately fell in love.  We ended up changing our itinerary to accommodate their availability.  We made the long trek from Monteverde to Fortuna (the tourist town outside the volcano).  We arrived late afternoon and spent no time driving to the Fortuna Waterfall for a steep hike and a cool dip in the water.

On the way down

 Had to jump in!

 When in Costa Rica.......

 The locals "built" this Tarzan rope to swing into the river.  We spent a few minutes watching them and their sweet tricks.  Steve even tried it out.  It was much higher than the picture depicts.  I wussed out.......wah wah

 Finally we were on our way to our treehouse!  And here it is!  

 Pretty cozy inside, but who wants to stay inside when you have wildlife all around?

 We had to switch treehouses for the 2nd night, but they were both great.

 We spotted this mama and baby sloth on the hotel grounds.  So neat to watch!

 They even had a night security guard who took the guests on night hikes.  He spotted this red-eyed tree frog and let us play with him.  We had a great time!  Steve was so excited, because he really wanted to see lots of colorful, poisonous frogs.  This guy wasn't poisonous but definitely colorful!

 No drinking and frogging Steve!

 Trying to kiss my prince (Ok, I'm deathly afraid of frogs....strange...I know).  But when in Costa Rica......

 Then we went hiking on the grounds and Steve actually spotted this guy!  A REAL poisonous dart frog.  Woohoo!  They're actually really small!

 These leaf-carrying ants were everywhere.  It took awhile to get accustomed to seeing these large pieces of leaves moving at your feet, but it's pretty amazing they can carrying these leaves that are so much bigger than they are.

 The "waterfall" on the grounds

 The grounds were beautiful with exotic flowers.  Here's a few of my favorites:

 We wanted to do a sunset hike of Arenal volcano, so we hired a guide to take us there and then to the hot springs afterwards.  Unfortunately the view of the volcano is usually blocked by clouds and they haven't seen lava flowing in over a year.  So our expectations of seeing either were low.  A view of the volcano from the base:

 Even though it's only 5,300 feet tall, it looks very majestic in the landscape of Costa Rica.

 A lake in one crater on the hike.  This is where Will Smith shot parts of "After Earth", so the locals are pretty excited about that.

 I love love love this picture!  Our guide, Juan, brought his son on the hike.  One of my favorite things about Costa Ricans is their family values.  Since we ate at the local joints, we'd always see families together enjoying each other's company or parents walking their kids to school in the little towns.  I think this captures their family spirit!

 We ran into these cows on the hike, and one (with horns) starting charging us.  I actually screamed!  Who would've thought the scariest animal in Costa Rica would be a cow?

 Almost there.....

 View of Lake Arenal from the observatory point (as high as they let you go just in case.....)

 We decided to start our hike back before sunset, since there were so many clouds.  But we saw this over our shoulder and saw a little of the sunset.

 We woke up the next morning and said goodbye to our treehouse casa.  It was everything we thought it'd be.....amazing!  From the coffee delivered to our porch each morning, to the yummy homemade breakfasts, to the hiking around the grounds, we absolutely loved it!  We were hesitant to drive to our final destination - San Jose.  Since our airplane was leaving so early in the morning we didn't want a 3-hour drive at 4 a.m.  So we decided to book a room downtown and see what San Jose had to offer.

 Our hotel was charming and in a good neighborhood near the financial district.  Unfortunately it down-poured the entire day, so we only did a little sight-seeing.  This was the view from the hotel - definitely a disappointment after our previous destinations.  Oh well.  It was only a half-night, since we had to leave at 3 a.m. for the airport.

We were ready to get home and squeeze our babies!  We really missed them but are extremely grateful we were able to take this trip of a lifetime.  Costa Rica - we'll be back.....next time with the kids (in a few years).  We may just need to buy some property there!  Haha!

On to Monteverde.......

We were really looking forward to heading up to the mountains and visiting Monteverde, which is in a cloud forest.  Although we were forewarned about the terrible roads, we had no idea what we were in for.  Luckily we rented a 4 x 4 P.O.S. vehicle to get us through the bumpy, rocky roads.  We'd see a sign reading "Santa Elena 5 km", so we'd get excited, but when you're driving 5 km/hr it takes forever!  We finally arrived (after a few wrong turns) Thursday evening and checked into our hotel and went out for a nice dinner.  The next morning we headed to the Monteverde Reserve (the reason people come here).  We had a very knowledgeable guide that showed us all the flora and fauna this place has to offer.  So beautiful!

I loved the enthusiasm of our guide and his passion to conserve the forest.  It always amazes me the way the ecosystems work, and Costa Rica is a place they really care about the environment and conserving it.

Our own hike to the top of the forest.  The clouds just sit between the mountains, and it's amazing!

 A "strangler" tree that actually wraps itself around another tree and chokes it out.  I was in heaven learning all these unique adaptations the plants and animals here have!  Science teacher's dream come true!

 Waterfall in the reserve

 People come here hoping to see this bird - the Quetzal.  Costa Rica has been working on increasing their population, although they are the national bird of Guatamala.  Beautiful birds! 

We finally found some cool bugs

 Suspension bridge in the reserve

 So lush!  I don't think pictures even portray how lush and green everything in Costa Rica is!

After our day at the reserve we decided we'd try a night hike to see the scary animals.  Not gonna lie, I was scared!  They said most animals are nocturnal and being in a wooded forest with no sense of direction didn't seem like a fun time.  The noctural animals include jaguars, tarantulas, snakes, frogs, bats, and many more.  Yikes!  As the sun set I was nervous for awhile, but soon we saw quite a few other groups, so you never feel  very "alone".  

Bell bird sleeping in a tree (this bird's call is so loud and unique!)

 Hard to see, but that's a kinkajou (it looked much bigger in person)

 FINALLY!  A tarantula!  I expected we'd be dodging large bugs left and right, including tarantulas on our trip.  Not the case at all!  But at least we saw one.

It was tough to get the pics at night to work, but we also saw a green pit viper in a tree, a 3-toed sloth, and an agouti.  After our frightful night we headed to a great dinner at a local restaurant for some casada.  We left the next morning for Arenal - the only active volcano in Costa Rica.

Mucho Gusto Costa Rica!

The trip we've been waiting to take for 10 years creeped up on us quickly this summer, but we were ready!  Way back when we were planning a honeymoon we were looking into going to Costa Rica, but there weren't all-inclusive hotels, and the US tourism there wasn't booming yet, so we opted for an all-inclusive Jamaican resort, hoping one day we'd make it to Costa Rica.  Fast-forward 10 years later, and when we were planning our BIG 10-year anniversary trip this was the only place I thought about!  Luckily we've had numerous friends and coworkers who've traveled there and were able to give us some tips.

After months of planning ourselves (we're not vacation package people), we were so ready to hit the beaches.  Luckily Steve's parents offered to watch the girls for 8 days without hesitation.  We decided we'd stay in 3 places - Manuel Antonio (the Pacific beach), Monteverde (cloud forest), and Arenal (active volcano).

Although many people recommended to not rent a car, we knew that was the only way we'd be able to see all 3 places without spending hours on local buses or expensive taxis.  Needless to say, the car was returned in one piece, and the transmission still intact (somewhat).  Steve learned real quick how to maneuver the hills, curvy streets, and large trucks just like a local.

After a 2-hour drive we arrived in Manuel Antonio and our sweet hotel that was a 5-minute walk to the beach and next door to the park.  Guess all those TripAdvisor reviews paid off!

 Our pool friend

 Our little bungalow porch with a hammock next to the pool

 We spent no time checking out the beach

 On our way to lunch we spotted these monkeys walking the power lines and dropping fruits on the tourist vans below.  Pretty funny!

 Enjoying a mojito at the restaurant on the beach

 Our lunch view

The next day we spent at Manuel Antonio Park with our guide.  Right away he spotted this 2-toed sloth.  We knew we were in for a sweet day of spotting wildlife!

 So awesome!  I know they say sloths sleep 22 hours a day, but every time we spotted one they were on the move....slowly....but moving.

 Howler monkeys - these guys are so loud!

 Golden Orb female spider (the male is a tiny dot above it)

 Squirrel monkey in the park

Beach in the park

 Did someone really unpeel a banana right in front of these monkeys?  Yep, that was Steve!

 The capuchins surrounding us!

 Even the aggressive raccoon came out!  This raccoon stole a couple's lunch next to us at the beach.  They have no fear of humans.  It was hilarious watching the guy chase it while swinging a log at the raccoon.

 Crazy cool crabs everywhere!

 Pacific ocean from our hike

On our last night in Manuel Antonio we went out with the hotel staff and guests for dinner and drinks.  We went to a Mexican restaurant that had an oldies cover band.  We had a great time and were sad to say goodbye to the beach and the wonderful people!

 Steve and his buddy, Jonathan, who worked at the hotel going out in style!  Although it was a fun night, we had to get up early for our canopy tour zip line!

Our most anticipated trip was the canopy tour.  When Jonathan recommended this tour (the longest zip line in Central America and 3rd longest in the world), it was a no-brainer!  The tour was amazing (our favorite on the trip)!

Ready to do this!

 With our awesome guide, Jackson

 We all had to try upside-down - scary as hell!

 Good thing this line is held together by a zip-tie and duct tape.

 Steve coming in after the longest zip line (about 3/4 mile long) and being airborne for a minute and a half.  Yikes!

 Steve going upside-down too

Although there are lots of these tours in Costa Rica I'm glad we chose this one.  Freaking amazing!

Up next:  Killer drive to Monteverde (cloud forest)