Manuel Antonio Weekend

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5 or 6 spider monkeys, at least 8 white-faced monkeys, 6 sloths, 4 pairs of scarlet macaws, 10-20 crocodiles, two large iguanas, numerous miscellaneous lizards, tons of hermit crabs, one baby aguti and two adult agutis, one toucan and a very busy raccoon -- that was the wildlife count from our weekend at the Pacific Coast. We saw most of them within the borders of Manuel Antonio National Park, where the unusual land formation creates calm, greenish blue water with smooth beaches bordered by the palm trees and forests where the animals live. We had the chance to hike through the forest, enjoy the beach, use the pools at the hotel, eat some incredibly good food, shop for bargains at some little stands near the public beach, go dancing and even sing Karaoke. Our driver, Carlos, had some hidden talent! All in all, it was an amazing weekend. Pictures and videos really can't do it justice, but maybe they will give you a little bit of the feel of the place.

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Photos

Up-Close Monkey
This white-faced monkey was almost close enough to touch.

Dinner at the Hotel
This was a nearly-full group shot at our first dinner at the hotel on Friday night.

Kayla at the Overlook
A nice shot of Kayla at the overlook where we caught our first good glimpse of the ocean.

At the Overlook
Brayden, Laura and Whitney at the overlook.

El Rio Tarcoles
This is the Tarcoles River, where we saw a bunch of . . . (see next photo).

Crocodiles
We were on a bridge safely above them.

Laressia and group
Laressia and the rest of the group are on the bridge looking at the crocodiles.

Looking at the Macaws
When the scarlet macaws were spotted, we got out of the bus and started trying to get closer to get some good photos.

Macaw in Flight
I had to enlarge this one quite a bit, but you can see the beautiful colors of the scarlet macaw in flight.

Where's Waldo?
Can you see the macaw sitting in the tree?

Getting Ready
Our group took a few minutes to get ready to enter the national park.

Sloth
We saw a number of sloths in trees like this one.

Hitting the Beach
After a short walk, we set up our area on the beach.

The View
The beach area was beautiful!

Study Abroad at its Best
Alysse, Kayla, Courtney, Laura and Whitney on the beach

More "Studying"
Stephen and Justin relaxing on the beach

ASU Plus One
Abby and Laressia are at the group's "spot," but can you spot the new ASU student in the tree above them? (It's a white-faced monkey.)

Another Sunbather
This iguana was also sunbathing nearby.

Closer View
A closer view of the monkey hanging out near the group. He was depressed because no one would share snacks. (Feeding the wildlife is not allowed).

Hikers
Seven of us took an extra hike to see what else we could find in the forest.

Uphill
We hiked mostly uphill for the first half of the hike.