Hola de Monteverde!

Hola de Monte Verde. I write this from my new homestay with a young couple named Karla and Erick. But more about that in a minute. This past weekend we all went to Manuel Antonio. In Manuel Antonio there is a lot of hotels because it is right on the beach. We had a long drive there but spent the afternoon in Manuel Antonio National Park. It was soooo humid. It was like being surrounded by the heat. Reminded me of being in a tanning bed with no fan. IT was just Sticky. But the constantly sweating was worth it. We hiked first on a trail which was to lead us to a waterfall. But the rain these past few days made the river on the way impossible to pass. But we were able to walk in the jungle. On this small path around twists and turns and over small streams and around huge tree roots. It was pretty amazing. We were drenched by the end and probably smelled horrible but it was such an adventure. It reminded me of walking through the woods back home except I recognized none of the plants and heard the call of unusual birds and animals. We were able to hear and then see two howler monkeys fighting in the tree tops. Back on the main path through the National Park we found more animals. We saw a female 3 toed sloth high in a tree. Further along we saw a paca, a large rodent, scurrying around the jungle floor. We then saw a male 3 toed sloth, it has a dark spot on its back. Javiar, our guide, pointed out some bright colored crabs and we saw a huge bamboo plant (not originally from here obviously, brought over from the Indies). At the end of our hike we saw a 3 toed sloth descending to the ground. It does this once a week to do its “business” then climbs up again for another week. This sloth was in a tree right on the path and was just 5 feet from the ground. Many people had gathered around. It was moving around quite a bit and I got some video, I’ll try to post it. By the time we got back to the van to head to lunch we were exhausted and smelled horrible lol.
After lunch we went back to the park and walked to the beach there. It was beautiful. We walked the beach, just relaxing and tried out the water. On each side of this beach area was jungle and large rocks. We walked to some of the rocks and found small tide pools We were able to see dozens of hermit crabs. Dr. Powell and I happened to be watching one as it pulled itself out of its old shell and slipped into a bigger one. It was amazing.
After the beach, we headed to our hotel. It was on the side of the mountains and had a great view of the ocean (Pacific, by the way). It was very relaxed and felt beachy, very open. We showered (thank goodness!) and then after some time with the internet (yay!) We got ready for dinner. I stayed with Emily again which was great. Because she’s fun and also because she had a blow dryer  lol. Of course all the getting dressed up and fixing of the hair was for nothing because 5 minutes before we left Emily noticed it was pouring down rain. Within 5 minutes of going outside my hair was a puff ball. The humidity there is crazy. We went to this great restaurant that was all open and the back looked into the forest. I had Pizza with tomatoes, olives, and mushrooms. It was just what I needed. Delicious. We also shared some deserts (with coffee, of course!).
 In the morning we had breakfast at the hotel and then went to the public beach. It was beautiful as well, huge rocks on each side and some further out in the ocean. There were many vendors on the beach offering beach chairs and umbrellas, surf lessons and even massages. Emily took surf lessons. She stood up a few times, it was pretty cool to watch her. I took the time to relax and walk the beach and enjoy the sunshine. Emily and I checked out the souvenier shops and then we all headed back to the hotel.
We checked out and then headed for Monte Verde. The road here was horrible. We curved up and around the mountain for almost an hour. I luckily had my audiobooks to listen to so I didn’t hear the crazy stories Sonia was telling. Apparently they were about cars rolling backwards off the road. Which seems pretty likely. The road is barely wide enough for two small cars to pass on. In some places it appears to be enough for only one. And the drop offs beside my window didn’t seem to have a bottom.
We arrived here to a small community outside of Santa Elena and I met my host family, Karla and Erick. Santa Elena is a small community (Kara called it a Pueblo) outside of Monteverde. I met Karla and we drove to their home. It is a very nice house. They have beautiful wood ceilings and walls and the tile around the house is so nice. They have big black tile in their kitchen and in their bathroom the tile is all over the ceilings and walls. In my room there is a computer but I’m not sure if it works There are lots of things piled around it and I’m not sure if its used or not. I’ll have to ask tonight. I unpacked a lot of my stuff which was nice. It will be great to not really live out of the suitcase. I will be with Karla and Erick for two weeks. I have more to write about but no time! Pictures soon I hope!