Isla Chora

Well, my Costa Rican internet was getting fed up. Ok so where was I? Isla Chora!

yes! Come to this island! The trip was so fun on kayaks and the island was so steep I had to get some views, and you could see why!

The island had many adorable little hermit crab inhabitants that made so much noise as they clanked around (so many!!). I saw friendly iguanas and the cutest little momma racoon too. It was a site to see.

As for the snorkeling, you just have to see it yourself. I saw angelfish, rainbow wrasse, and dozens of other neon and brilliantly beautiful fish among the brain corral around me. There are four different types of reefs around this island so it will have to be a stop again for me!

CRSMT and field trips

  So living in Costa Rica has been amazing in so many ways. So much adventure,  so much to see and so much to study.  That's right I'm here for school too. The workload at the Costa Rica School of Massage Therapy is intensive to say the least. Think of most studying you could do every night... got it? Good, now triple it. Yeah it's ALOT! Sometimes I get out of school and study til bedtime only breaking to strech,  maybe walk for a minute, and eat. But school does not come without perks. For one I LIVE IN PARADISE, COSTA RICA!!! And I can't forget the beloved, field trips. Remember that word? Still amazing! Ok who who am I kidding? More amazing then ever! Sometimes it's just to Playa Sámara

Sometimes they just take us through town to give us some living tips

Sometimes we go to nearby beaches

yeah you know it, I climbed waterfalls on my fieldtrip.

And last time they took us Kayaking to Isla Chora

Cont..

Meetings and the like

   So getting to meetings is Not at all what I thought it would be. The map said 3-5 miles, but little did I know that would not be as simple as it sounds. First of all, my idea of road and the map's idea of road differ greatly. There is a big river in the middle of the road, and bridges are nonexistent. Note here-the river is deep due to rainy season and alligators live here. Also, if I want to find a road that has a bridge, I have to detour several miles. So, my temporary solution is this.....

The "good" detour road was very muddy and full of potholes. I skidded a few times (not an ideal vehicle for this country), went off the road once, and got stuck in the mud once. But I made it, and only an hour late! I wasn't the only one just arriving so I felt better about it. The rain makes the roads so impassible that they do what I would call "meeting cramming" during rainy season. All meetings are at once so when you make it, it's like a mini assembly yay! It appeared confusing to me that they had mikes in such a small hall until I heard the roar of the fans. The roar!! And don't you guys worry, I met a super nice family that has a car and we made arrangements for them to take me when the roads are passable.

What is it like to live in Samara Costa Rica?

Answer time!

You  might live in Samara if:

• You think you are in a real life TV series called Eaten Alive
  
• You buy your laundry BAR (yes it is solid not powder or liquid) in Cilantro Lime Scent
• If you see something in the grocery store you like, you excitedly buy it NOW because it probably won't be there next time.
• You get ecstatic  when you go to a market in another town that has SELECTION so much so, that you take pictures, videos, etc and show them to everyone in Samara because of it's awesomeness!
  (not even kidding-can you believe how huge this market is?!)
• You expect severe carsickness when you go on the bus because the roads are so wild.
  (we were so excited and had no idea how sick we were going to get!)
• You wake up to the sound of howler monkeys every morning!
• You love mornings now (even if you are still sleepy)
• Every day you see several crabs (pinch pinch pinch pinch)
•  Daily trips to the grocery store are no longer a nuisance (PURA VIDA)
• You walk and walk and walk and walk some more every day
• You don't watch TV ever!
• When you see ants or spiders or mystery bugs or lizards in your house you nod to eachother and both continue along your way.
•  You no longer freak out when you walk into a spider web, you just tell the people behind you that you made a nice web-free path for them to walk on
• You recognize, if not know everyone's name, in town
• You pick fruit and peppers everywhere
• You probably have bananas hanging somewhere around your porch (perhaps next to other fruit)
• You eat amazing fruit daily
  Face-sized mango!
  
  
  
• You don't know what bra and underwear are anymore, swimsuit is the only thing you know now
• When it rains (and sometimes when it doesn't) you recognize certain roads are now completely impassible because -why build a bridge when there is a river- silly people think they need to get everywhere everyday in the states.
• You probably know someone (or a few people) that have had dengue
•  If you hear a car with a megaphone on top making announcements, you listen closely because you either could buy some really cheap produce, or your water is going to be turned off tomorrow for workers
• When you feel an earthquake or loose power you don't question anything as unusual
•  When it rains like crazy all the time, you just cover up, laugh a little, and don't miss a beat in your day
  
• When you go to fast food you are impressed by the quality and how great it is that you got it in only 20 mins (how did she do that so fast!?)
• You no longer rush for anything and restaurants are for taking your time
• You eat Casados every day
• You always "glow" from humidity/sweat
• You don't wear jeans because you can wash but it will never dry
• Your only two hairstyles are "messy" and "wet"
• You love love love where you live!

Everyone  is FREE here! People are always about, everyone is smiling and knows your name, and animals and horses roam town all day before they head home to their families (gates are totally unnecessary)

Well I'm done for the day, thanks for reading and Pura Vida todos!

Beaches of Costa Rica

   I've been to a variety of beaches (sorry I can't tell all the names) but here's a few views I just had to share...

yum right?!

Beautiful Ocean view from afar

Turtles hatched last night from here!

Yay for surfing!

I'm not sure what beaches are which for sure but there was Playa Pitahaya, Playa Buena Vista, Playa Samara, and Playa Tortuga. 

Costa Rican Wildlife

   Wildlife is all around me. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't see something awesome such as Congos

Basilisk

Cane Toads

Whiptail Lizards

Iguanas Everywhere!

Ardilla's everywhere

big big bugs and crazy looking bugs, crabs, crabs, crabs, oh and crabs too!

Did I mention Howler Monkeys?

I think I forgot to mention monkeys.

Anyways, Costa Rica is amazing if you didn't catch that. MONKEYS!!!

Cloud Forest

   The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve was my first introduction to how wild and exotic beautiful Costa Rica is. Once again, pictures don't do it justice

the beautiful trails took us on hanging bridges (I know -so AWESOME!) and gave me my first taste of some amazing wildlife including; howler monkeys (as the locals call them "Congos"), an Agouti, and we even saw (very very quickly) what seemed to be a flash of a runnung Jaguarundi. 

These guys will send chills down your spine when they surround you and howl away! Absolutly amazing and wild and beyond words! Just come here-you just have to!

Don't even pretend like this isn't someplace you don't want to go!

Wildlife Rescues

   My arrival came with the most amazing opportunty to go to Proyecto Asis, the most amazing wildlife rescue, that teaches focus on educating people and releasing back into the wild if possible. We volunteered for the full tour plus feed and it was worth every penny.

and if you like animals at all, remember that wild animals are unhappy as pets. Not just the ones that you capture, but if it is exotic, do not get it! These animals were very happy, they were given adequately sized homes, they were fed all their favorite foods, and most were going back into the wild once they were string enough. This place is amazing!

   The second wildlife rescue we got to enjoy was Centro Rescate Las Pumas, a beautiful (and inexpensive) wildlife rescue focused on wild cats. 

The pumas were so beautiful and they were just the funnest cats, just full of personality. None of my pictures or videos do justice to any of this, but it is definately something to see. *diclaimer on the video they don't like you actually playing with the pumas.

Arrival in Costa Rica

     My how time flies! I didn't think it would ever be here for so long and look at me now, living in Central America.  I will tell you a bit about everyday life soon enough, but first, I need to share all the adventure we had my first week in Costa Rica.
     We flew into San José early in the morning, leaving us plenty of time to do as we pleased. First thing I needed was a cell phone,  so the search began.  Our immediate feeling of change was based on security. I never been in a place where things were so strict.  Security guys were everywhere,  the parking lots had security,  and some places have a guard at the front that let you in and locked you in. It was very indimidating and I struggled finding a place for my SIM card, struggled through my Spanish when I set it up, and survived. Now we could move along.
     Driving was it's own adventure but we made it. We stayed at Princessa De La Luna in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. An open-air, amazing place welcomed us to Costa Rica.

Arenal Volcano