Costa Rica -- The Last Two Weeks

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted on this blog. I'm back in the US already! I do have a good reason, though. I was incredibly busy my last two weeks in Costa Rica. Basically, I embraced nature tourism with a vengeance, and I spent the last two weeks of my trip going to different venues around Monteverde every morning or afternoon, looking at animals, taking long walks, etc. What Costa Rica lacks in culture (there's not much going on there), it more than makes up in "la naturaleza." And so I decided to just run with it.

I did a lot of hiking. The highlights of that include spending 7 hours in the St. Elena Reserve, and seeing wild boars, which make an incredible loud noise when they realize humans are around. I also spent about 5 hours walking around Bajo del Tigre, which is a part of the Children's Reserve, which is the largest park in the area. We saw a woodpecker and a toucan, which is unusual in Monteverde, but possible during November because they are moving from one habitat to another. I did a zipline, of course, which was a lot of fun, but more like an amusement park than eco-tourism. But worth it nonetheless. I also hiked up the tallest peak in the area, and got great shots of both Arenal on the Caribbean side, and the Pacific Coast.

The trip to Costa Rica was great for improving my Spanish. I spent tons of time with my host family, talking to them in Spanish. This is actually the first time on one of my language trips where this happened, and it really did help a lot. It also helped to have children in the house because Andrey and Alexandra (ages 11 and 5) basically talk at my level. Andrey, in particular, was great because he would adapt to his language to fit mine, and could explain things in Spanish really well for my level. The whole experience with the Castro Rodriguez's made the trip worth it, to tell you the truth. Costa Rica is a great country, but it's not necessarily a great country for learning Spanish. But, ironically, because of this family, my Spanish improved immensely.

Photos are coming!!!