Manuel Antonio

This weekend was action-packed!  On Friday, our Spanish professors took us to downtown San José to show us around.  It was a fun trip; I especially enjoyed the Mercado Central, which was a huge indoor maze of stands selling souvenirs, produce, meat, and prepared foods.  We didn’t have time to go into any museums, though, so I’m definitely hoping to come back downtown soon to check out a museum or go to a show at the Teatro Nacional.  Equally as important as seeing historical buildings: stopping at Pop’s (a Costa Rican ice cream chain) for helados (ice cream); coconut ice cream is The. Best. Thing. Ever.  

El Teatro Nacional

We then returned to ACM for lunch, and to sing happy birthday to Danny, one of my fellow students.  For the occasion, Iveth (the building attendant) made a homemade cake filled with pineapple, peaches, and walnuts.  Yum yum yum yum!  Most of the group left Friday afternoon for the beach, but I stayed back for the Rosary.  It was so nice to meet even more members of Vicky’s large family, and to get to know the others even better.  I continue to be impressed by the emphasis placed on family, and especially by the care shown to the young children in the family.  There is almost a mindset of “it takes a village to raise a child; ” there’s no need for parents to pay for childcare while they’re at work, because Grandma or Great-Aunt or several other relatives are eager to watch the kids.  

I woke up early on Saturday morning to go meet the other ACMers at Manuel Antonio.  I love how, with a little bit of foresight, it’s possible to take a bus to almost anywhere in Costa Rica.  The system of public transportation is extensive.  In comparison with Ecuador, however (where I lived last January), buses and taxis do cost more, and I was surprised to see how many people have personal cars here.  The streets are always pretty congested, even at 6 in the morning when I’m heading to the bus to go to school.  According to Vicky, in an effort to cut down on congestion and pollution from cars, the government recently passed a law that assigns each vehicle one day of the week when it can’t be driven into downtown San José.  She said that this has helped somewhat.

After arriving at Manuel Antonio, we were fortunate to run into our friends at the bus stop as they were heading to the beach; even though many of us bought cell phones to use in Costa Rica, we didn’t have service in Manuel Antonio.  That was one thing I realized during this weekend trip: it’s nearly impossible to coordinate a group of 17 college students who are staying in two different hostels, without cell phones.  We’re just not accustomed to having to make plans far ahead of time, because at school you can always send someone a text!  This weekend was a good exercise in communication skills, though, and a reminder of the pre-cellphone era. 

You could tell these monkeys were used to people - they came so close!

We headed into the Manuel Antonio national park, and hiked through the forest to the beach.  Along the way, we saw several monkeys.  This was our first “wildlife” experience of the trip, so it was exciting to see the monkeys even though we know they’re very common here. 
 Other wildlife encounters included some feisty raccoons that tried to steal our things, and a big iguana sunning himself on the beach amidst all the people.   Besides the exciting animal experiences, the beach was beautiful.  The waves were just big enough for some fun bodysurfing, and the water was warm and clean.  I can’t believe I get to be in this beautiful country for four months!

La Playa