Manuel Antonio!

This was by far my favorite weekend ever! We went to the beautiful beach town of Manuel Antonio, and the beauty just took my breath away. We started out on a rather long bus ride, but it was completely worth it. The town was rather touristy, but I can see why, it was gorgeous. Yet again it is going to be tough to go back to classes tomorrow...But I am so excited because one week from today Mom and Dad and Mormor and Hans come!
So on the way we stopped at this bridge to view the alligators. That's right, there are alligators in the rivers of Costa Rica. Or maybe they were crocodiles, I just don't remember. But they were huge, and I think these guys are going in for the kill. When we arrived at our hotel friday night it was pouring down rain, so we braced ourselves for the worst. Our hotel was super nice and included an air condicioner and tv! Luxurious! But Saturday morning was beautiful and sunny, and we went to the national park. It was gorgoues. White sand beaches, lots of animals, trails, trees, and rock cliffs. And it wasn't too crowded either. I cannot even begin to express my joy when we came to this place...all of us girls were going crazy it was so beautiful.
The adventurous ones in our group took a hike up to this incredible viewpoint. We were sweaty, muddy, and ready to jump in the water by the time we finished, but it was well worth the effort. I felt like it was a view worthy of a post card. As amazing as my camera is, it really didn't capture the way that the water sparkled. What an incredible testament to God's power and creativity!
Just because I spend my weekends in beautiful tropical places doesn't mean I forget about all my friends and family back home. I do wish you all were here to enjoy this with me. But don't worry, I bought some postcards.
What better way to finish off an afternoon at the beach than with a giant ice cream sundae? Some chocolate and vanilla...no pun intended.
After an amazing pizza dinner and some serious night time beach exploring (let's just say I feel into a few deep pools of water due to the lack of light, but the stars were amazing) we were ready for another day at the beach. We were going to take surf lessons, but decided to rent boogie boards instead, and they were a blast! Next time we will surf...
Danny and I hit the oceans in our kayak, and it was incredible! We went all the way out to that rock in the background. Coming in was pretty hilarious...let's just say the waves took us by surprise.
When we came in Friday night, it was pouring down rain and dark. So I didn't notice quite as much all the crazy bridges we had to go over. But here is one of about five narrow, one-lane bridges we crossed over where the slats were so far apart you could see the river rushing below you. And this was probably the safest one. Driving is always an adventure in this country. All in all, this was an incredible weekend and I am so excited to take my parents here when they come to visit! It's hard to believe that I have less than six weeks left...yikes.