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Final chapter from our trip in March! From Tamarindo, we traveled to Monteverde in the mountains. The scenery was stunning. Trees, birds, coati, armadillos (yes, you read that right) oh my! The only problem? On our way there I started getting sick. By the time we made it to our hotel, I was down for the count. Not sure exactly what happened but my theory is that while snorkeling, i ingested the murky water which also happened to have thousands of baby jellyfish everywhere. I maintain that I swallowed one….

Anyway, we get checked in, start getting settled and Chris looks out our door and there is a coati! Coati’s are related to racoons, but bigger with longer tails. Oh and they are only found in the Americas. I just missed the cutie! BUT I did get outside (yes still sick) to see all the armadillos. First time I’ve ever seen one up close and you know what? They are cute!! I have to say, our hotel had the most gorgeous territorial views and it faced southwest so the sunset…wow. Not feeling well, I wasn’t sure about heading to dinner but I tried. I wasn’t going to let a tummy issue keep me from enjoying our trip!

The next day I was feeling slightly better so I went with the group to Selvatura Park. We had signed up for a Bridge/Butterfly/Zipline excursion. Ok….so yes, I am afraid of heights, but I had to try the bridges. Well, I didn’t get very far. Someone in our group decided it would be funny to jump up and down on the bridge even though signs were everywhere saying don’t. I turned around and just wandered the grounds while Chris walked the bridges. The whole time everyone was gone I was 50/50 on the zipline just because I felt ill. When they finally all returned and it was time, I went for it! I KNEW I would’ve regretted not going. HOLY CRAP! SO damn glad I did the zipline!!!! For some reason being clasped onto a cable 450 feet up doesn’t seem to bother me. It’s climbing up to the platforms that gets me. Weird? Yeah, maybe so…but the definition of a phobia is it’s an irrational fear. So…meh. The last line was the longest at almost 1 km! This is the only place you can zipline in the cloud forest. So incredibly beautiful. My only complaint? It goes by really fast! But always SO worth it.

After a lovely time in Monteverde (even though I was sick), we took off for La Fortuna and Mt. Arenal. La Fortuna is a small town basically at the base of Mt. Arenal (Costa Rica’s most “famous” volcano). On our way there, we took a boat tour of Lake Arenal which is the largest lake in Costa Rica. In 1979, the lake was tripled in size because of building a dam. Locals and tourists alike use it for fishing, wind-surfing, paddle boarding etc….and, Washingtonians will get this one, – Mt. Arenal was out! Apparently this is a rarity as it’s typically shrouded in clouds and mist. Once at Arenal Springs Resort and Spa, we settled into our room and then wandered around the grounds. Our room had an amazing view of the volcano – the entire property is basically at the base of it. So breathtaking. The grounds held beautiful gardens, a couple of restaurants, a shop and gorgeous pools and hot-tubs which were geothermal warmed! Each evening we spent in one of those geothermal pools – it was heavenly! We spent a little time in La Fortuna where we wandered around, had lunch and walked the park.

All in all, Costa Rica is magical. Awe inspiring. The Ticos (locals), the flora, animals, water, mountains, sights and sounds were so far beyond amazing that I truly can’t wait to go back. When people ask me what I thought of it, the first thing out of my mouth is that I left a piece of my soul there. There was so much to see and do, and we didn’t touch half! My recommendation is simple – if you get the chance, go. Don’t think twice. Just. Go.