Waterfalls, hostels, and paradise

---

Well it's been a while since I updated the blog so I figured I would let you know what has been happening.

First stop this weekend was a farmers market with my host sister and her husband! I never knew how many other types of fruits and vegetables there were in the world. I saw so many different types and even tasted a few new kinds as well that were delicious!

This weekend we went to Inbioparque (an educational park that exists to educate the public on the different ecosystems that Costa Rica has) and it was really interesting because Claudia, the director of the program used to work at the park. We saw hundreds of different species and learned a lot about the different ecosystems. I saw my first cayman crocodile and also my first iguana there.

We also traveled to the coffee plantation where we learned a lot about coffee and how it is made with the really complex processes involved. After that my favorite part was getting to taste all of the different varieties of coffee and coffee flavored products at the gift shop! It was like Sams Club (R) for coffee!

When we got back, a few of us decided to take a weekend trip out to the beach because this Monday was the celebration of the patron saint of our town and we didnt have school. So Saturday night we went out to Puntareneas and the next day we continued on by ferry and bus to get to the coastal town of Montezuma. It was really kind of freaky because the night before there was a torrential downpour and a lot of the rains got washed out and some bridges were washed out and we either had to go around them or go on a really small temporary bridge!

When we got there it was simply incredible. Talk about paradise heaven! It was like the picture perfect vacation town with the gorgeous beach and tropical weather. We stayed at a local hostel that was really cheap and we had a blast meeting all of the new people from different countries that were in town. Also the ocean was so much fun to swim in and relax and enjoy the fun waves! We saw so many different types of crabs while we were there too!

The next morning we tried to get out of our hostel room (there were five of us in a dormitory style room) but the last person inside the room somehow managed to lock the door's deadbolt and that could only be unlocked from the outside! All of the windows had bars on them too so we couldnt get out of the room until finally a person walked by and we passed the key through the window so we could escape! It was so funny to see his reaction when we explained our problem.

Montezuma is a city that is famous for it's waterfalls so we went to go see them. Well the path was really wet from the rain and I completely brained my head on a thick log. Next thing I know i'm off the path halfway down the hill my head looking at the river and rocks by it while I am clutching two branches! It was quite the adventure to continue on after getting helped up as my balance was completely off and ever move gave you a throbbing headache; I didnt want to miss the waterfalls through so I continued on. It was so worth it to see the amazing waterfalls because they were simply incredible to look at.

On our way back the driver of the bus was scared he kept saying we were breaking the temporary bridge! It was pretty freaky when one part of the tires were not on the bridge at all and off the side, and when we kept having to back up so they could make temporary repairs to the bridge. however we continued on and had a ball that night at the patron saint's festival that night back at San Ramon.

It was one eventful weekend.

---

Photos

DSCF4892
the market in town that has so many new fruits and veggies

DSCF4894
really spicy peppers in the market

DSCF4899
Did everybody see the coconuts? My host brother bought one for me and we drank the water inside, later we split it open and ate the inside of it!

DSCF4900
The red fruits is so good! It's Lichi and it looks like a sea anemone but when you peel away the first layer there is the gelatinous flesh inside that you can eat.

DSCF4905
coffee tour

DSCF4916
our guides enacting the process

DSCF4942
Inbioparque one of the entrances to an ecosystem

DSCF4944
us trying out a way to relieve headaches

DSCF5025
my first iguana...I also saw my first monkey but couldnt catch it on film

DSCF5057
me at the petting zoo

DSCF5075
It is the beach at Puntareanas I'm so glad I didnt stay there because the beach was really dirty and gross

DSCF5082
the ferry for the ride over to Montezuma

DSCF5096
us on the ferry

DSCF5111
the view from our hostel...right on the ocean

DSCF5136
an overview of the area we stayed at (top of the trail for the waterfalls)

DSCF5145
Kayla and the waterfall in the background!

DSCF5158
My picture perfect beach moment of where we were

DSCF5161
The washed out bridge after heavy rain

DSCF5162
our temporary bridge that we broke while crossing!