Friday (10/5/12) we left in the afternoon. We rented a van to take us to Manuel Antonio, and the driver was very nice. It cost around $20 for the van for each of us, which was only a little more money than if we took the public bus. We were singing along to country songs and having a great time. My host brother told me about a crocodile bridge that we should stop by on the way. People feed the crocodiles, so they hang out under the bridge. I have never seen them in the wild, and it was kind of scary! But a very neat experience.
Friday night we wanted to celebrate Mariah's birthday. One of our friends had told us to go to Bamboo Jam, a restaurant and bar. We all got dressed up and called a taxi, when the driver told us that Bamboo Jam was closed...we were disappointed. He took us to Mar Luna instead, which was a really pretty place with cute lights and yummy food. I got a hamburger, and we all took lots of pictures in our dressed up outfits. We went to a club/disco. It was ladies night so we got in for free and had free drinks! We were the only ones in the whole place, so it was really fun dancing and singing in our group. We had to take a taxi back to the hostel, and the taxi drivers lied to us and charged us more than necesssary...which was sad. But we learned our lesson. :)
Saturday (10/6/12) we got up and ate breakfast at the hostel. We thought it was going to be a fruit breakfast, and it ended up being bread. That's it. Just bread. We paid $2 more a night for...only bread. But that's okay, another lesson learned. As we were eating, one of the guys that works at the hostel came out to the main room. Not only was he not wearing a shirt and rocking a belly shirt, but he also was still drunk and wearing sunglasses. He asked us what we were doing for the day and we said that we wanted to go parasailing and to the beach. He called someone and told us how much money it would be. Then he proceeded to tell us that he was going to come with us to the beach... At that point we grabbed our stuff and ran to the bus stop.
We got to the park, which cost $10. I was wearing a maxi dress, which was a huge mistake. It was SO hot, and we had to walk for 15 minutes in the park before we actually got to the beach. But when we got there, it was complete paradise. The water was so blue, and the sand was pretty and white.We floated in the water and walked around the beach area. I got to see a huge iguana, which was neat! I also found some beach glass to bring home with me.
After the beach we went to el Avion for lunch. It is a giant airplane! The food was SO yummy. It was American food, which I have been missing. I had fried calamari and a ceaser salad. I shared apple pie with warm ice cream for dessert. Incredible food. The inside of the plane is a bar, which we did not eat in. But it was incredible to see the plane!
After lunch we just went back to the hostel and stayed there all night. I took a nap, showered, and then we studied for history test. We ordered pizza in the hostel and had a nice night there.
On Sunday (10/7/12) Rachel, Mariah and I went parasailing! The day earlier, as we were waiting for the bus to go home, when a guy approached us and asked if we were staying in Pura Vida Hostel. He was the contact person that our drunk friend earlier had called. He said we needed to pay $10 each for a deposit, and return the next day to actually parasail. I felt a little uneasy about the whole thing, but I really wanted to parasail. So we did. On Sunday we went back and found our same friend. He brought us to Charlie, a guy with dreads who was going to help us. We did not see any boat in sight, nor any parachute. I was starting to get worried but Charlie told us to wait in some lawn chairs on the beach. Finally another guy showed up and we got in the harnesses and put on life jackets. I was so nervous, but I was glad I had Mariah and Rachel on my side. Katy was so nice and stayed on the beach to take our picture!
Charlie had tried explaining that he would tell us when to walk, and then we would take steps at the same time and we would slowly drift into the air. We were harnessed onto the parachute and talking to Katy. Charlie and another guy were behind us, when all of a sudden I was trying to walk and I stubbed my toe and we were in the air! I did not even know what happened. It was so peaceful in the air. We could see for miles. I was kind of scared, since if we tipped over, we would just slide out of the harness seat thing, but it was beautiful in the air. I wish I brought my waterproof camera, but I left it at home in Oregon. We even got to see a dolphin when we were in the air! It was a priceless life moment.
The scary part was coming down because we got lowered into the ocean. I was screaming and holding onto Rachel and Mariah's hands. After we were in the ocean, the boat came and got us. The guy in the boat loaded up the parachute and rope. He brought us as close to shore as he could and we jumped out and swam back. It was literally one of the highs of my time in Costa Rica. I would love to go again! The company name is Flyfish Costa Rica, and they have a Facebook page if any of you want great service for parasailing.
Con mucho amor.
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