We went to the beach!
Our trip started on Sunday. We took a bus just two hours from San Jose (stopped to see some crocodiles) and ended up on the Pacific Ocean side of Costa Rica in the province of Punta Leona.
On the first day we walked down to the beach from our hotel room and spotted some critters along the way, including scarlet macaws and this little guy:
I wasn’t able to snap any pictures of the scarlet macaws but we saw them quite a few times and they were beautiful. It was incredible to be able to see a bird like that outside of a zoo and at one point flying right over my head!
The best I got was this photo when I heard a bunch of them rooting around a tree for fruit.
Another critter we saw on our stay: this raccoon trying its best to steal someone’s lunch!
On the second day it rained a lot but we did get to see this gorgeous sunset.
And we checked out the butterfly garden that morning!
Those spiders you see in the gallery above? They were all over the place but I didn’t notice them until one was right over my head! Here you can hear me scream once I saw it:
The third day we checked out another beach nearby called Playa Blanca. It was my favorite by far. The sand was so bright and the water was clear and turquoise.
While we waited the recommended 15 minutes after applying sunscreen (safety first!) we grabbed some sticks and drew in the sand.
Then we went swimming! The waves here were big and close to the shore so we didn’t have to swim too deep to catch them. I don’t know how long we were riding waves, diving under them, and letting them crash over us for, I was just having so much fun. Yes, I did get water in my nose and ears but it was worth it. There were some moments I was scared, like when a big wave would crash right over me and I would find myself on a rocky part of the ground. Other moments were amazing, like when I’d catch a wave right before it broke and it would lift me up a few feet off the ground and put me gently back down. For me, it was exhilarating. The fear of the waves brought with it adrenaline and enough cautiousness to make sure my feet stayed on the ground.
And then it was time for our last meal there. We showered, got dressed, and headed to the hotel buffet for lunch, which included this delicious cheesecake.
Then we got back on the bus and headed back to San José. It was such a great 3 days at the beach, which were needed after a packed first week of classes. I’ll leave you with this photo, a panorama which I photobombed at Playa Blanca.
Pura Vida 