Bananas, Frijoles, & Monkeys Part 4

Almost done! We had a less than exciting stay at our hotel in Fortuna. So when it was time to pack up and go, there was no hesitation to set our bags out in the morning. When we asked Jesus about our next hotel, he would have a sly giggle and just tell us it's nice. Of course, we would try to further inquire. All we got was: "It's really nice."

Our last adventure in the rain forest was hiking through the forest and walking across six hanging bridges. I had this idea that the hanging bridges were pretty stable. Boy was I mistaken. Yes, it's sturdy but by no means completely stationary. As we trotted across the bridges, it would sway. Not just a little sway. Instead, it felt like walking along the deck of the cruise ship as the waves toss it from side to side. My hubster joked that I need to get my bridge legs. I totally did and it was so much fun after that. It was simply the initial surprise that I had to overcome. I learned about the walking palm tree. It's a tree that alternates which side of its trunk that the roots grow on, which creates a walking-type movement. It only walks about an inch a year. We also had a great guide who would get really excited when he saw really rare birds. He also liked the photos that my hubster took.

Driving to Guanacaste allowed us to see a dramatic shift in the landscape. It went from beautiful lush green forest to rolling brown hills. There were no longer any clouds. Just warm sunshine beating on our faces. Warm winds blew across the amber grass. It was just like home! I must admit we were pretty restless at the end of the bus ride. Jesus had explained to us how posh Guanacaste had become. We didn't believe him. It looked so barren. Once we stepped off the bus, we were breathless. The JW Marriott was gorgeous! We had never stayed anywhere that nice before. It was like all of the hotels that Samantha Brown stays at. That afternoon, we went tide pooling and waited for the sunset.

On our eighth day, we simply lounged. We went on the nature walk through the dry tropical forest. Because it wasn't the rainy season, all the trees had lost their leaves. We learned about the naked Indian tree, saw some bats, and collected a bunch of perfect seashells. The afternoon was spent swimming and enjoying our comfy air conditioned room. The evening had to be my favorite part. After dinner, we walked down to the beach and looked up at the stars. We thought we could see a lot of stars at home since we've moved out to the country. We could see even more stars. They crowded the sky, almost overwhelming it. My hubster was even able to identify the Big Dipper and Little Dipper. I simply loved it. It's one of my happiest memories.