Some Costa Rican History

Life has been good over here. Nothing too out of the ordinary...just trying to enjoy my last few weeks. It's amazing that I leave in a month! Because I am leaving so soon, Cory and I have been trying to take some day trips around San Jose.

Two weekends ago we went to Braulio Carrillo, a nearby rainforest. It is the largest area of protected land in Costa Rica (about the size of Rhode Island) and only 45 minutes from the city! We spent 3 hours hiking and exploring....and getting ridiculously wet and muddy. Some parts of the trail were nothing but mud and at one point we had to cross a stream that ran into the nearby river! It was worth it, though, as the jungle was beautiful. No animal sitings...just a millipede, which was disgusting.

This past weekend we went to the cultural center of Costa Rica...Cartago. Cartago was the first capital, but after a volcano eruption and two bad earthquakes it was moved to San Jose, a geographically safer area. Cartago is still a good sized city but it is home to several beautiful churches and even some ruins. Take a look:

Las Ruinas de la Parroquia- built in 1575, destroyed by earthquakes in 1841 and 1910. Now only the outside walls remain and the center was turned into a garden.
Basilica de Nuestra Senora de los Angeles- An absolutely incredible church. Originally built in 1635, but underwent a massive makeover in 1926 after near total destruction in the 1910 earthquake.
We also went to the large fruit market in the center of town...we bought some apples and mangoes and had a picnic in the park. After seeing all that we could see in Cartago (there were a couple other churches, an old library, and a school) we hopped on a bus and headed to Orosi, a small pueblo about 40 minutes away. There is no tourist draw to Orosi, except that it is beautiful and has hot springs. When you think of a little pueblo in Central America, it is probably what you picture...small town, friendly people chatting in the streets, soccer game going on in the middle of town, rolling green hills with streams and waterfalls, etc. We spent about an hour there just walking and talking to the locals and soaking up the "tranquila" attitude.

We did find a little church- Iglesia de San Jose Orosi, the oldest church still in use in Costa Rica (built in 1743).

After following a random dirt trail in search of a good look at the mountains and river we discovered a suspended bridge that was made for pedestrians to cross the river more easily. An old Tico man told us it was an "hamaca" or a swing. So we began to venture across and quickly realized why it was called that....the thing started to sway over the rushing river! I was slightly terrified. We decided not to cross it, but turned around and went back as quickly...and carefully as possible. :)

It was fun to see more of the quaint, historic Costa Rica for a change (not that I don't love the beach and rainforests). This country has so much to offer and, ironically, my list of places to see here is longer now than when I started! I will be coming back often, for sure!

In other news-
My sister is coming to visit in few weeks!
I went to get a hair "trim" yesterday and ended up with hair shorter than I have had in years...I am going to have to get used to it, but it's not too bad.
Only 4 more weeks left of school.
Us girls have discovered a jazz cafe nearby that has incredible concerts- latin jazz = awesome.
Still no job for when I return home....please be praying for me!

I love friends.

April was a crazy month, but in a great way. This past week I had yet another break and even more visitors. Cory (a friend from Cedarville) flew down here last Thursday after spending a few weeks in Guatemala doing intensive Spanish courses. She will be here through June and is living down the street. Alyssa (another CU friend) flew in last Saturday to spend a much needed vacation with us at the beach. On Sunday we hopped on the bus for the long trek down the Pacific Coast to a little town called Uvita.

Uvita is a small town which is home to Parque Nacional Marino Ballena, a national park that is home to various species of turtles, whales, and dolphins (we didn't see any of those...it's not the season). After a 7 hour bus ride in the heat (miserable) we made it there, checked in at the hostel, and left for the beach as soon as possible. We spent the rest of the day at Playa Uvita.
On Monday we went in the national park and took a long walk down a beautiful beach to get to the "whale's tail." When the tide is low you can walk down a sand bar to a rocky point where the water is clearer and the wildlife spotting is supposed to be better. There are also great views of the mainland from there- beaches lined with jungles and backed by mountains. It is called the "whale's tail" because the aerial view of the rocky point and the sandbar looks just like the tail of a humpback whale (which is ironic because it is one of the few places in the world where these whales mate). Pretty cool. Anyways, we walked out to the point, swam around, explored, and enjoyed the sun. Then we walked back to the hotel to drop off our stuff and headed up the mountain to a little waterfall and swimming hole. After a whole day of being in the sun it was nice to swim in the shade!

On Tuesday we took a bus to Dominical, a bigger beach town about 20 minutes away. We checked out the shops and then relaxed on the beach for a bit. Then we took another bus another 10 minutes north to Hacienda Baru, a rainforest preserve that is known for its great wildlife spotting. We spent the day walking through the trails. Unfortunately, we didn't see any monkeys or sloths (that was our main goal), but we did have a few run- ins with coatis (huge, scary raccoon- like animals) and toucans. The rainforest was beautiful! One of the trails led us up the mountain to an incredible lookout...it was well worth the exhausting climb!
On Wednesday we decided to spend a little money and do something out of the ordinary- we took a horse tour to some more waterfalls! With a group of about 15 people and 3 guides we ventured into the mountains with our horses. My horse, Osa, loved to trot and gallop. Alyssa's horse, Frijolito was a jerk (he actually kicked someone and the guy had to go get stitches), and Cory's horse, Ballena, was a slowpoke. It was quite the experience! We rode for awhile and then stopped at a house to be served breakfast. Then we continued to the Nauyaca Falls, a beautiful place where 3 waterfalls come together. It was absolutely gorgeous! We were able to swim in the falls and then the guides climbed up them and hooked up a rope so others could jump of the falls into the water below. I am terrified of heights so I said no way, but Alyssa and Cory were brave enough to do it. It was crazy! We were also able to climb up to the higher one to check it out. After spending awhile relaxing in the falls we mounted the horses again and rode back. Along the way we stopped again to eat lunch. It was such a fun day!

On Thursday, unfortunately, we had to come back to San Jose. Luckily, though, we had the morning to explore some more. We took a bus to Playa Ventana, a gorgeous beach with caves that look like little windows. At low tide you can walk all the way through them to the ocean. The beach was backed by mountains and nearly deserted. It was a great way to spend the last few hours of vacation!

Yesterday (Friday) we spent the whole day with Alyssa's cousin, Seth, who is also teaching near San Jose. We hung out in the city for awhile and then saw his school and church and house. This morning Cory and I took Alyssa to the airport to saw our goodbyes. It has definitely been a long, fun week, but it was so good to be around good friends. God has definitely provided amazing people in my life here in Costa Rica, but nothing beats quality time with old friends. It was truly a blessing!!