Some Costa Rican wildlife...

Here are just a few things that we have seen while in Costa Rica.
This was definitely a highlight of our trip. After three hours of hiking in the Monte Verde cloud forest and not seeing much except lots of insects and some birds, we headed back to the lodge to wait for our ride when one of the workers pointed to the roof and said "monkey!" We jumped up in sheer excitement and sure enough a small group of Capuchin monkeys was hanging out behind the restaurant and jumping on the roof. Whit and I snuck around back to get a better view. My camera battery for my good camera had died earlier during our hike so I was not able to get any good photos but just watching them was amazing. It seemed to be a big male and a female that had a baby on her back...too cute! The male was jumping all around from branch to branch looking for some easy roof access. A couple times he must not have seen us because he jumped onto a branch about 10 feet in front of us. I could have watched them all day!

A fer-de-lance (literally "iron of the lance") pitviper is one of
central americas most venomous snakes. Luckily we saw this one
from the other side of a bridge, but it still gave me the creeps.

A crazy caterpillar.

A little lizard.

Forest frog...not sure of the variety.

My favorite pic of the whole trip. A blue jeans poisonous dart frog...
they are about an inch long! So cute!

A Chestnut-mandibled Toucan in its nest. We got to see these birds
twice, once in Escalares and again in Monte Verde (this pic).

Crazy rainforest bugs!


A cool plant spiral...natures art!

Another chestnut-mandibled toucan...in Escalares. Apparently they mate
for life and are often found in pairs. And sure enough after
looking around a bit we found the other bird a few trees away.

Another variety of toucan... the Fiery-billed Aracari.

Pura Vida...

Hola amigos! Greeings from Costa Rica! I thought I would be able to post some pictures by now but the computers are pretty slow down here and I think it would take a long time so you will just have to wait. :) But everything is going great. We are still in Dominical, I can see why people get stuck here for a long time. Our plan is to leave on Thursday and head up north to Santa Teresa. So far we have spent most of our time chillin´on the beach and in the water, and eating. The food here is amazingly good although I think that is because of the tourist demand for a variety, but regardless we have been eating like kings and everything is so fresh. We went snorkeling yesterday, kayaking tomorrow, and horseback riding to the waterfalls on Wednesday. I know, I know...such a rough life. Hopefully we will get in a surfing lesson as well. Well, back to the beach for now. I will right again soon and possibly have some pictures to share. Adios.

Pura vida...

Hola Amigos!! We made it to Costa Rica!! We are staying with some couch surfers in San Jose and they have been so hospitable. Paulo and Camilo. Paulo was nice enough to meet us at the bus terminal downtown, which was so great because it was VERY busy down there and we certainly stuck out. :) So, Whit and I went to the local market and bought stuff to make pina coladas and guacamole for them...Mmmm! We have not seen much since the city of San Jose is very big and a typical city, but our plans are to take a bus to Dominical tomorrow where my friend Mike lives. And the beach!!!! I will hopefully be able to write again soon. I hope that all is well at home! Much Love!

Last days in the Big Apple...

Wow! What a great trip and an amazing city! Our last couple days were wonderful and after a couple colder days the weather was back to beautiful again. Saturday and Sunday involved a sunset stroll across the Brooklyn bridge, a visit to Chinatown and Little Italy, a great flea market where of course I couldn't pass up some jewelry, Coney Island (what a trip) for a hot dog and a side show. Then it was off to dinner with my dads cousins, and what a dinner it was...more seafood than I could hope for...Mmmm! We spent four hours chatting, laughing, listening to stories, eating and drinking. A perfect end to a perfect NYC vacation. And tons of thanks to Ali for putting us up for an entire week and for showing us all, ok not all, but most of the sites. We couldn't have done it without you! Now its off to Costa Rica for me. I will be meeting up with Whitney in Atlanta later today and then hopefully catching a flight to San Jose, CR in the morning. I will keep you all updated.

Back to the city and some more exploring...

Well, nearing the end of the week and it feels like we have been here a month. We have seen so much and still have so much to do. I am sure we won't get to everything we planned but we will try. Here are a few pics and a quick recap of the last couple days... Museum of Natural History, the farmers market at Union Square, dessert at Rocco's pastries (the canollis were amazing!) for Ali's birthday, a stroll around Greenwich village, wings and beer at 1849, a Mets game, and to top it off some live Irish music at a bar around the corner.

A trip to Long Island with a very old friend...

Its been almost twenty years since we have seen our old friend Steve that we knew in Guam. He is still the hilarious, kind-hearted Italian we remembered. Mom and I took a train out to Hicksville, Steve picked us up and that was the start of a great day. We went to Jones beach and played some frisbee, sat in the sun and I got a small start on my tan for Costa Rica... now I hopefully won't be the whitest girl down there. :) After the beach we went for some good old fashioned NY pizza...Mmmm! Then it was off to some wineries for a little tasting. We had such a great time with our old friend and reminiscing about the time we all spent in Guam! And it was nice to get out of the busy city for a day. Thanks Steve.

After only 48 hours...

Tuesday was another long day in the Big Apple. We started by sleeping in, again, since Ali's place is surrounded by very tall buildings the daylight never quite reaches you and that makes it easy to mistake 11 am for 7 am. :) But once we finally made it out the door it was a great day. We started by taking the Staten Island Ferry in order to see the Statue of Liberty from a bit of distance rather than fight the crowds. She was a lot cooler than I expected and the ferry ride was well worth it. Then we decided it was time for a cold beer and what better place to go then one where your choices are light or dark ale and they serve you two at a time! My kind of joint. McSorley's is one of the oldest pubs in NYC, est. in 1854, apparently Abe Lincoln put a few back at this ale house. And our last venture of the day was a lovely italian dinner and a show on Broadway.

A little taste of the BIG APPLE...

It was a long day of traveling yesterday but we finally made it to New York City!!
Ali took the day off today and showed us around this crazy place. We started with bagels and coffee in Washington Square Park, with the flat iron building behind us and a great view of the Empire State. Then we took a trip to Trader Joes...holy crap...the line to the checkout was wrapped around past the cheese aisle which was at the back of the store. I was freaking out a bit until Ali told me that was a slow day! Aaaahhhh! After getting back to Al's place and packing some snacks, we were off again... Upper west side, Riverside park, the Dakota building (where John Lennon was shot), a lovely rest and snack in Central Park, Lincoln Center, Time Warner center, Times Square (Whoa!), and finally a delicious dinner that came with free unlimited carafes of wine. It was a high of 84 degrees today and supposed to get warmer by Wednesday, might have to bust out the shorts! And although my feet are a bit sore and I am ready for a refreshing nights sleep, our first day in the Big Apple was awesome and I can't wait for more days of adventure. To be continued...