Bananas, Frijoles, & Monkeys Part 2

Part 2 is going to include days 3 and 4 of the excursion. I'm trying to combo up the days because we spent 2 days in each location. It also makes for fewer posts and less writing for me. Yay! We left San Jose, which holds 60% of the entire population of Costa Rica, and made our way to Tortuguero Park. Tortuguero Park is a nature conservation that is a main destination for the green sea turtles to lay their eggs. It also has tons of other wildlife.

On our way to the boat dock (Did I mention that Tortuguero is only accessible by boat or plane?), we stopped at a butterfly garden. At the butterfly garden, we saw the most gorgeous blue morpho butterflies. The outer side of the morpho is where the beautiful blue is. Unfortunately, we weren't able to photograph any in flight because the lighting was poor and they're just too quick! I did have one land on me. Afterward, we went to a banana plantation. We saw the banana runners. These men would wear a harness attached to 25 bunches of bananas and run them from the field to the processing center. Crazy! I also learned that banana plants are not a tree, but an herb.

Once we got to Tortuguero, we were constantly looking for wildlife. At our lodge, we searched for red-eyed tree frogs near the pool and enjoyed watching the montezuma oropendolas. When we weren't looking for animals at our lodge, we walked to the Caribbean Sea. Yes, we were sandwiched between the rain forest and the Caribbean Sea. On our boat rides, we saw iguanas, JC lizards, monkeys, caymans and tons of different kinds of birds. It was pretty tricky because most of the animals (excluding the snowy white egret and the great white egret) have great camouflage. I was pretty good at it, but my hubster had a rough time. He attributed my great skills to looking at Where is Waldo books. I corrected him. I had I SPY books. We really enjoyed the sense of community that we noticed at Tortuguero when we walked through the village.

Bananas, Frijoles, & Monkeys Part 1

My hubster and I are still pretty fresh off from our vacation to Costa Rica. There is so much to talk about! We went through a tour company called Caravan. Throughout our whole trip, we were impressed by the accommodations, our driver, and tour guide. Our tour guide, Jesus, was a walking bilingual encyclopedia. He explained everything in great detail without ever making us feel overwhelmed. He also had the greatest Yogi Bear laugh ever. Our driver, Luis, knew how to navigate through the teeny roads with such ease.

With all that said, back to the other details of our trip. Our first two days were spent in San Jose and a town near near San Jose. We arrived rather late in the evening on our first day, so we didn't get to do any roaming. The next day, we were quickly whisked off to Poas Volcano. With much luck, we were able to see the crater, crater's lake, and the nearby lagoon. The crater is located 2,574 meters above sea level. The lagoon is one of the most acidic bodies of water on earth with a pH level of less than zero. When it rains near the lagoon, it's acid rain. Later in the afternoon, we went to the Gold Museum. We learned how the indigenous people made their unique gold pieces by using clay molds.

Morning After

The morning after arriving home from our fabulous vacation I:

• checked my facebook.
• went through my gmail.
  
• googled future vacations including a trip to Egypt.
• agreed with my hubster that we should save our US trips for when we have kiddos because it'll be more affordable and not as stressful with the kiddos.
  

Throwback Tuesday: Sand in My Shoes - Dido

*Will be back in 10 days!

Catch Up: Last Week's Sub HIghlights

Highlight #1:

Answering the question: "Mrs. Trac, why do you need those glasses?" in front of room of kinders and 4 other adults. You would think the answer, "To help me see," would be enough. Then, I get the follow-up question, "Why do you need them to see?" Oh kinders.

Highlight #2:

A wee one being amazed by my engagement ring. Then, he asks to see "this thing." My answer? No (said as kindly as possible). I ask him why he wants to see it. He responds, "It makes rainbows."

Pair of Ducks

After I do P90x:

I watch Man v. Food


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or I look at This is Why You're Fat


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This pattern can't be good for me. lol.