SubscribeToday we had previously decided was going to be our day off from the sanctuary. Luckily, it also turned out to be the day with some of the nicest weather we have had so far. For the second day in a row there was no rain and the sun was shining.
We got up and got ready at the same time we always do, 6:30am. Then we went downstairs and made fried eggs and toast for breakfast. Jonathan, the lovely hotel receptionist/go-to-dude informed us in Spanglish that the bus was not coming today because the roads were too washed out because of all the recent rain. He ended up flagging down a car for us and got us a free trip to Montezuma. Jonathan really is great. He knows little English, but we talk to each other in broken sentences. He has everything, cokes, beers, bandaids, he can turn the air conditioning on for you, ect. But I digress.
Luckily enough, the car Jonathan flagged down was driven by an older American woman. We found out she is from California and she lives half of the year here, in Costa Rica, on a farm she owns. She is one of the many nice and interesting people we have met on this trip.
Montezuma wasn't too long of a drive from Cabo Blanco so we got there pretty early in the morning. We spent the first bit looking through shops, trying to find some nifty gifties for our wedding party. It wasn't long before we ended up on the beach. It was breathtaking! I (Zoe) had never swam in the ocean before, and wow was I missing out. Matt and I jumped in the waves for awhile and relaxed on the beach. Then we went to get brunch. This town is loaded with cool restaurants, and most of the menus are in English. We stopped at the restaurant with the best view. I was adventurous and got spaghetti with clams. Matt got the "Montezuma sandwich" which had corn, avocado, tomato, lettuce, onion, and a sweet sauce on it. They were both delicious. Costa Rica is famous for it's wonderful fruit juices since fruit is so plentiful and it's literally everywhere. We got a banana mango fruit smoothie and it was heaven in liquid form.
Then we went back to the beach of course. On our way, an American couple asked us how our trip was going, and they told us they had been on the same plane as us in Detroit. What a weird coincidence. We also met another middle aged man who talked with us about his stay here in Costa Rica. He was really amazed at all the animals we got to volunteer with, and he has been going to a language school for the past month. I swear even Americans are friendlier in this country.
The water here is warm and comfortable. The waves were powerful but we conquered them. The sand was mostly smooth, but Matthew managed to find a rock to stub his toe on...
We were going to take a horseback riding tour but we needed to get into town earlier for that because of the tide schedule. Maybe another day since Montezuma is so close.
We managed to find gifts for all of our wedding party (we hope you like them!) and we wish we could afford to get gifts for everyone that helped with the wedding. But alas, we need to be smart with our money since we need to buy food for another week or so. We ate again before we left town, this time at a different hotel bar that shows American movies during the evenings. We got guacamole on garlic toast (oh yum) and then a banana flambe, which may have been one of the best things we've ever eaten. While we were eating we saw some local wildlife, like some black iguanas and their type of blue jay, which looks a lot like ours but has plumage that sticks up on its head and a wider tail. See our pictures for those. Before we left I bought my husband a scorpion necklace because it seemed appropriate. I got a butterfly necklace because that has been the thing that surprised me most about the area. You can't go anywhere without seeing a butterfly, and they all are so beautiful. Both of the necklaces are handmade out of coconut.
Our last stop in Montezuma was its famous waterfall. We didn't go swimming in it because we were tired and we realized we were already burnt at this point (even after 2 coats of sunscreen!!) but we took a few pictures and we were on our way. We took a taxi back to our hotel, and on our way we saw one of the other volunteers, Harry, walking in the road, so we gave him a lift.
Overall, this has been our best day here. It was great talking to the locals and the foreigners too. Last night we saw some capuchin monkeys in the palms outside our hotel. And today while we were relaxing in the hammocks by the beach once we got home we heard a whole pack of howler monkeys. We haven't sighted them yet, but they aren't too far off. It's amazing to see so much wildlife here. Crabs waltz into the hotel lobby in the evening, iguanas climb down trees next to restaurant patios. It all feels so normal and spectacular at the same time. I believe this trip will help both of us realize how wonderful our surroundings are, even in the suburbs of Detroit.
Adios,
Zoe and Matt
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