Looney Lougees: Costa Rica: Part 2

I was hoping to get our trip blogged a while ago, but with all the holiday's it was a little tricky.
I am determined to get it done today so here it goes.

Cahuita, Costa Rica
On Friday, we took a lovely stroll through Cahuita National Park. It was beautiful, but the best part was seeing all the Capuchin monkeys! About 30 feet from the Caribbean coast, there was a gorgeous path through the jungle. We marveled at all the beautiful sites. For about 30 minutes we didn't see any wildlife, just tons of plants. Then all of a sudden, we came across a veritable monkey highway. A troop of at least 10 monkeys passed above and around us, running through the trees across our path. It was awesome!

Gary captured a good video of a Capuchin monkey eating some fruit!

Playa Cocles

On the way back from Cahuita we stopped off at another lovely beach. We had passed this one several times so far because the main road went right past it. This time we stopped for a bit of good old fashioned exploring. This beach reminds me a little bit of the Oregon coast, except with more foliage.

People out surfing

Relaxing on a Caribbean Beach? Yes, please.


Bratzi We drove up this mountain to a tiny little village that supposedly had local art, but we never found any. However, the view was spectacular, though the pictures don't do it justice. Along with the view we did get to experience a lot of the local roads (including numerous pot holes), but we did run into cute little towns as well. This was a big banana plantation area. Every time we crested a hill, there were bananas as far as the eye could see.

One of many banana plants!

Up and up we go along the bumpy road

One of the many water crossings we ran into. Good thing we have a 4x4!

A cute little tunnel we came across. Just hope no one was coming the other way...

This was apparently a tourist lodge of some sort, though no one seemed to be around to pay any attention to these two tourists.

Rivers, rivers everywhere!

Beautiful flowers!These are the Birds of Paradise.

More Birds of Paradise with a Neon Pinecone.

On the other side of that river is Panama. We never made it over there, but we saw it!

At one point during the trip I suggested we check out this river that we found. It save me from experiencing more motion sickness and get some fresh air and an opportunity to check out the beautiful sites.We parked in a little bit of grass along the side of one of the creeks and made our way down the rocky banks to the main river.

Rocks, Mud, and Fear of Spiders.

This is a picture of Panama. Also, Gary.

An awesome looking bus stop!

Just another gorgeous sunset!

Back to the Beach hut.

When we came home we discovered this little stand off between two lizards.We thought that one had killed the other, but after several minutes they broke apart and went their separate ways!

The next morning we tried to catch the sunrise, but we were a little late...

Can't complain about the view though.

Manzanillo

On Saturday, we decided to travel to Manzanillo. It amazes me how different and beautiful each place is that we visited. We went in the early morning when all was quiet and it was just breathtaking. I didn't want to leave. There were spots all over where you could camp and have a fun weekend.

Beautiful beach

Driving on the Palm Beach.

Yes, even vultures look picturesque in Costa Rica.

So pretty we had to include another shot.

The morning sun breaking through the palm fronds.

Paradise.

This little fellow followed us as we walked along the beach. He was adorable!

Dinner anyone?

Punta Uva

There were a number of beaches within striking distance from our beach hut. Punta Uva was one of the closer ones, but also one of the harder beaches to get to. The entrance was hidden amidst rental properties and hotels. Though once you made it through to the beach, it was quite peaceful.

Just as we were about to leave this beach I looked up and what did I see, but a sloth! One of Gary's hope's was to see one in the wild and his wish came true!

Three-toed sloth!

We were lucky to see him move and munch on some yummy leaves!

Sixaola

On Sunday, we were forced to take a detour off the main road, which wasn't fun, but then we found this cute little festival going on so I'm kind of glad for the detour.

Amazing street food!

On our way out or at least figuring out how to get back onto the main road.

Bridge to Panama. We didn't feel like messing about with Customs, so we didn't cross.

Road Trip to Monteverde

On Monday, we said goodbye to lovely Puerto Viejo to explore the wonders of Monteverde!