In February, Matt and I went to Costa Rica to celebrate our birthdays (I turned 40!) and to escape the dreary shade of winter. Here's a little bit about what we did and where we went.
COSTA
RICA
2018
M & M: Doin' us a Roadtrip!
Day One
After a long day of travel, we arrived in San Jose around 8pm. Driving at night in Costa Rica is not recommended, but we did it anyway--guidebooks be damned. The late drive to La Fortuna took about 4 hours, and was a harrowing journey of winding roads completely devoid of signage, IN THE DARK!!! We broke down and bought a data plan just to have navigation! $100 well spent. We arrived at our hotel around 1am. After a good night's sleep, we woke up to an amazing view of the Arenal volcano.
La Fortuna Area
La Fortuna introduced us to amazing wildlife (iguanas, howler monkeys, sloths, coati mundis, and birds). We hiked a trail around the volcano, bathed in hot springs, toured a coffee and chocolate manufacturer, and drove around Lake Arenal.
One last stop!
On our way out of town, we sought out a waterfall.
To the Carribean!
We were once again late arrivals to our hotel in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. The following day we went for a walk along the beach. It's a very "hippie" town with a reggae-caribe vibe, popular with surfers.
So. Much. Mud.
An overcast day brought us to Manzanillo National Refuge. The sea was super rough. It wasn't great hiking terrain, as it was extremely muddy.
Illegal Emigration?
Being so close to the Panamanian border, we decided to go to Panama and drove to Sixoala to cross the border. With the guidance of a stranger (we were convinced he was trying to scam us), we simply walked across the border without going through immigration. Probably not smart on our part, but we lived to tell the tale. The border in Sixoala is unique in that one must cross a bridge and walk over a river to get to the other country!
Melissa, Insect Wrangler
An odd highlight of the trip was getting pooped on by a giant grasshopper at an outdoor dinner.
Sloth Love Chunk!
Our main reason for wanting to visit Costa Rica (which may sound pathetic) was to see baby sloths. We did the Insiders Tour at the famous Sloth Sanctuary.
San Jose
We spent our final day in San Jose, the capital, before catching an early morning flight. San Jose is a busy city, and if you are a four-year-old boy and like to chase birds, it is a lot of fun.
