Monkeys, Iguanas & Sloths, oh my!

We skipped town yesterday & headed for the beautiful National Park of Manuel Antonio, on the south west side of Costa Rica. We took a bus a nice 4 hours from San Jose through twisting, winding back country. It was surely a rough trip! I managed to keep my lunch down by sticking my head out the window for the second half of the trip, puppy style, & watching out for passing branches :)

We're staying at a great little hostel no more than 100m outside of el Parque de Manuel Antonio. Free coffee, free wi-fi, $10 rooms, no bugs, great deal! A TON of us from Maximo Nivel came here for the weekend & so everywhere you turn, there's someone else you know. Very cool!


We got up early, awakened by the unfamilar noises of surrounding animals, & enjoyed a nice breakfast on the hostels patio. Two plates, a ton of fresh fruit, pancakes, eggs, bread & gallo pinto for c1800, which is roughly $3!

Alisa & I enjoying our breakfast at Costa Linda

Plate #2!

Manuel Antonio is one of the most visited spots in Costa Rica, but also one of the smallest. We got there early to avoid being shut out of its beauty.

We first hiked around the park, going up to Punta Cathedral, where we'd heard we would get the best view. It was breathtaking!

Along our route, we caught glimpses of some reall awesome animals. Spider monkeys, howler monkeys, iguanas & a three-toed sloth.

A mom & baby

Three-toed sloth hiding in the tree

We thought monkey sightings were hard to come by... until we got to the beach. They were ALL over. And serious rascals, to say the least!

Good point! Don't feed them. They'll just help themselves to your food.

These monkeys are thieves! Watch out for your sunglasses B(

Looking precious from afar.

The beach was amazing!!

Beautiful birds of paradise. Really in paradise :)

Tomorrow, I'm going on a canopy tour (ziplining!) & then heading back to San Jose in the evening. A fun filled two days. On Monday we're off from Carpio as the kids have religion classes instead of ingles, so I'm looking forward to taking in the sights of San Jose, maybe even a coffee plantation tour. Pura vida!