We went to Costa Rica! I've been thinking about this trip for a while, and we finally made it happen. All kids came, which isn't a given these days. This was the first time to Costa Rica for all of us. I asked everyone if they would rather do a Mexico trip or try something new like Costa Rica. Everyone unanimously voted for adventure in Costa Rica!
Our trip had two parts. The first half we spent in the jungle, second half in the beach. This meant driving and staying in multiple places. A first for us. Driving in Costa Rica is an adventure all by itself. I drove on my mission in El Salvador, and that driving definitely prepared me for Costa Rica driving. We learned really quickly that you don't drive fast because the roads are all narrow and there are a lot of speed bumps. By the end we all hated speed bumps. For example, the first place we stayed at was only 75 miles from where we were, but it took 3 hours to get there. Slow and steady. Lots of really tight spots. I enjoyed seeing more of the country by car, but some of the days of driving felt long. I will give props to the kids. Our car was not big and they all sat in the back for hours with minimal fighting. I was impressed. And grateful.
The drive to the jungle involved super windy roads. Like think of the windiest road you've been on and double it. We stopped on the way at a waterfall/animal place. It was super cool. We saw lots of butterflies, monkeys, sloths, toucans (they are actually scary), jaguar, frogs, and more. We also saw some really pretty waterfalls. There are so many waterfalls in Costa Rica. They're all beautiful, but by the end they kind of started looking the same. Which sounds horrible, but true. Also, as far as I could tell there's no such thing as a free hike to a waterfall. They've turned all the waterfalls into a tourist destination. The lowest we paid was $20/person. Good thing they were pretty.
We stayed at The Lost Iguana. Such a pretty resort. We really enjoyed it. Literally in the middle of the jungle. The hanging bridges park we went to was actually just around the corner. That's where we went our first day. We got to hike all over and cross a whole bunch of cool, long hanging bridges. Kate didn't think they were so cool, but she made it. So pretty. So humid.
We spent some time in La Fortuna. Did some shopping and went to a delicious restaurant. We really liked the food and learned that when you go eat they expect you to take your time. They won't bring you a check for like an hour or more unless you ask for it. Kind of a nice change of pace.
Our activity there was white water rafting. So much fun! Our guides were really good. The rapids were big and fun, but we also had slow times where we could get in and swim. It was fun to see everything from the river.
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| Jake got this new 360 degree camera for work and he brought it on the trip. It was pretty funny to see him with a selfie stick. |
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| Butterfly |
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| Sloth |
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| These actually dive bombed our heads. And the way they look at you was creepy. |
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| The view from our hotel deck. |
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| Never saw the volcano completely without clouds |
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| One of the hanging bridges |
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| Bringing the awkwardness wherever we go. Sitting in the hot springs with the locals instead of paying $100 per person. Win! |
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| Zack found this random tree to stop at on the way to the beach. We turned up this random little road to find it. And of course had to pay. But it was super cool! |
