Costa RicaCosta Rica

Back from the beach

Destination: Jaco

Last night Alex and I got back to San Jose, I spent 3 days in a little town on the coast called Jaco. Jaco was a great little beach town, very laid back and exciting. The people there are very friendly and LOVE to party.

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I left San Jose on Friday early afternoon with Jorge. We had to take a bus for 31/2 hours to get to Jaco. The ride wasn't too bad, except for the fact that I had McDonalds for lunch, and got a mild case of food poisoning. An hour into the trip, my stomach started gurgling and I had to fight off vomiting for the next hour. Luckily we took a bathroom break and I was able to purchase some medicine to settle my stomach.

We arrive at Jaco around 4 in the afternoon and made our way to the villa we were staying at. The villa was rented by Michael a friend of Alejandra, Jorge's friend. They welcomed us into the house and made us feel very welcome.

Jorge and I made our way into town and to the beach, the sun went down around 5:30 but we still wanted to walk on the beach. The town was pretty busy, but the beach was almost deserted. We walked for a few hours talking while Jorge coached me on Spanish. We eventually made our way back into town and had a nice dinner at a placed called the Belmont. I had shrimp again -- very good and very fresh! Later we took a taxi back to the villa to get ready to go out. We all piled into a car and went to a local disco.

The music was incredible, and we danced and drank all night. The people were very friendly to me, It was sometimes difficult because a lot of them do not speak English and I don't speak Spanish, but they never made me feel like I wasn't part of the group.

After a few hours, we made our way back to town and another bar. After many cervezas, we decided to leave and go to the beach. A small group of us sat on a log and talked while the sun came up. It was really a beautiful experience.

We all ended up back at the villa and slept until noon. Jorge and I walked into town to meet Alex, who was returning from Panama.

This was new years eve, so to celebrate, Michael made a delicious Cuban dinner for a big group of people and we brought the food to another house and ate and drank until 11:30. We all piled into cars and made our way to the beach. At midnight we all wished each other a Happy New Year, with a champagne toast.

Afterwards we set off fireworks and continued to drink and talk. It was so much fun. I will always remember that I brought in the New Year on a beautiful beach with amazing people under the starry sky in Jaco, Costa Rica.

The next day, Alex and I got up early and made our way to Manuel Antonio. This place is more Americanized and commercial than most other places in Costa Rica. It is also vey beautiful. Alex slept on the beach while I swam and sunbathed. The water was perfect for swimming. The water was clear and beautiful. I could look down and see fish swimming around my feet. The beach was right off of the rainforest, and there was a lot of animals around us. Sadly, I didn't get a chance to see a monkey (this beach is famous for the monkeys) but i did see several raccoons, lizards, and hermit crabs.

We drove back to Jaco in time to watch the sun go down. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. The ski turned blood red, and reflected on the water and beach. We went and picked up Jorge and Alejandra. Alex drove us back to San Jose. We dropped Jorge and Alejandra off and made our way back to Alex's home. His mother was awaiting our return and prepared us a delicious meal of fried shrimp.

Alex's mother loves to cook, and I love to eat, so we have a perfect friendship! Ha ha!

Today, I am mostly resting and recharging my batteries. Me and Alex might take a ride into the city and explore. I told him that I wanted to go to a fruit stand so I can try all the different tropical fruits.

Tomorrow we are going to do a canopy tour of the rain forest.

Back from the beach in Pictures

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