So Much To Catch Up On

Since I arrived in Manuel Antonio last Friday everything has flown by. Every chance I get to write a post I've been pulled away to an event or activity by my friends. It's been quite paradise but also gone so quickly, that I have a hard time keeping up.

Right from the start, I made friends. Within 10 minutes of being at the pool, I actually met a couple, Eli & Sydney, from the Bay Area. To make it even better, Eli is actually from Marin County; he went to Redwood High, a school less than 10 minutes from my old hs. We graduated the same year, and know a couple of people in common (shocker). The rest followed; we would meet people who knew people and sooner or later we had a group of 10 or more.

Our first adventure was a walk-through Manuel Antonio National Park, a beautiful forest filled with animals and four beaches to choose from at the end of the walk. I had been there before, so I was able to lead the group and give some background that I know about the area. It was here we experienced our first monkey moment, witnessing a Capuchin Monkey come up to a group's bag, unzip it, and proceed to try and steal their items. I have to admit, it was quite amusing. We ended up making friends with the group whose stuff was almost stolen and as my friend Antonia said "merged forces."

Coincidentally, the three of them were going on the exact same Catamaran cruise as the rest of us. We saw them at the front before walking on the boat, and from that moment we were glued to each for the rest of the day.

Now we're caught up to Monday, where we spent most of the day at the pool, revitalizing ourselves from the cruise. Two people from the group had gone to their next destination, and by Tuesday we had lost a third who went back to the states. The rest of us spent most of our Tuesday in Dominical, a small village about 30 minutes south of Manuel Antonio. It has incredibly clear beaches, but the main attraction is Nauyaca Waterfalls, located in a cannon 260 feet wide and waterfalls over 100 feet tall. The hike to the falls is not for the faint of heart.

So that's my quick catch-up, I'll give more details on the Catamaran Cruise & Nauycaca Waterfalls in a later blog, as both are two I highly recommend.