Buenos

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hola! just wanted to let you know that my mom and i are safe and sound in costa rica. we didn't arrive until late thursday night and had to stay in san jose. it was pretty shady there. fri and sat we did a hanging bridges tour through the rainforest, went to an eco-center and spent an evening at the natural hot springs. the arenal volcano, which is still active, heats the water. it was amazing! the volcano was very cool. we didn't see any lava because i guess that's rare, but it was making noises similar to thunder and then a huge puff of smoke came out from the top.

we just arrived to monteverde. we were in la fortuna and we took a van then a boat then van to get here. it was really bumpy, but really beautiful. we are going ziplining through a cloud forest tomorrow and we are hoping to see some more animals. we saw a sloth, but it was sleeping. we also saw crazy colored frogs and snakes and toucans and lizards.

this country is way cleaner then i expected. it is so beautiful and tropical. we've stopped at a few side-of-the-road places and the bathrooms were immaculate! there is hardly any litter and some of the restaurants seem cleaner than the one's at home. on the 6 hour bus ride from san jose to la fortuna i fell asleep for 20 minutes and when i woke up there were so many locals on the bus that they were 2 lines deep in the aisle way. people watching here is incredible!

oh, we climbed to a gigantic waterfall yesterday. we had to hike down and climb over rocks to get to it. it was AMAZING! my mom ended up meeting 2 boys (my mom has game) from arizona and went out with them last night. we will probably meet up again tomorrow when they get to monteverde.

i'm having a blast with my mom. she wanted to stay out later than i did friday night!

they have the best fruit shakes here. guava and pineapple and passion fruit...so good. there are a million stray dogs and i fell in love with one of them. if i was rich, i would have had him shipped home right away. i've never felt a connection like that with a dog before! many of the strays are puppies and they totally just want to play. they are so funny.

i'm looking forward to getting to the beach on tues. we've been on the go nonstop since we got here.

i hope all is well and i love you all!

nikki

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Photos

hot springs
just before eating a fantastic meal and swimming in the hot springs

waterfall
we hiked to this waterfall

cloud forest
me and my mom during a cloud forest hike