A jammed packed 3-day weekend full of frolicking under waterfalls, a zip line tour, beaches, parks, monkeys, and crazy escapades with our good friends John, Missy, and Carl.  They happened to visit over Costa Rica’s Independence weekend celebrations and during one of their biggest, organized labor strikes.

Most of the major cities have road blocks preventing passage to and from the main road.  It caused massive delays and problems for those traveling in the country.  They open the road blocks for 15 minutes every two hours.  Luckily, it only delayed our guests 75 minutes, but it still made it a 4.5 hour bus ride.

For those of you interested in reading about the strike: Costa Rica Shaken by rare and unruly unrest, labor strike, Celebrity Cruise Cancels Arrival due o Labor Strikes, & Local Publication: Tico Times Reports No End in Sight

Fortunately, Quepos decided to move forward with the Independence Day celebrations despite the strike.  Missy, Carl and I walked around town while Matt and John took luggage up to the apartment.

We caught the very electrifying Luz de la Noche (light of the night) parade where kids make all sorts of artwork then decorate them with lights.  If you look closely, you can see a giant ship, a marlin, a house, and many other creative designs.

MANUEL ANTONIO NATIONAL PARK

We got up early, made a light breakfast and headed to Manuel Antonio National Park. My nature loving friends had a field day with all of the local flora, fauna, and natural habitats.

Of course, the monkeys put on a fabulous show for all spectators. Their escapades were enjoyed by all!  If you look closely, the monkey in the lower left corner has a baby on nursing, we think she was only a few weeks old.  Also, check out the faces of John, Missy, and Carl as the monkey family approached them – pretty funny.

We even got to witness a thieving raccoon trying to steal some lunch.  That would be the photos below Matt and Missy showing off their coco logo (they didn’t steal that) 🙂

It was a big exercise day, we climbed 48 floors and walked 17,000 steps which is 7.1 miles.

ZIP LINING ESCAPADES

Carl talked us all into going on a zipline tour.  And not just any tour, but the longest zipline in Central America with El Santuario Canopy Adventure Tours.  Flying over 3.6 kilometers across 10 zip lines that are both above and through the tree canopies.  We ascended 14 tree platforms, climbed up airstairs, scrambled over 6 hanging bridges, and rappelled down a tree.

It was a fabulous adventure!  We were all impressed with all of their amazing safety measures, professional guides, and beauty of the entire experience.

Crazy air-stairs, bridges, and walkways built into the tree canopies.

After we all got suited up, we joined the other 18 people on our tour.  It sounds like a huge tour, but we only saw the other people at the water stops, otherwise it flowed really nicely.  Look carefully to see John, Missy, and Carl flying through the air.

A little craziness ensured.  Carl decided to go upside down on one zip.  Matt and Missy both needed to be hauled in on the longest zip – they focused on enjoying the scenery instead of tuck and roll 😊

The super cool thing about this tour is that we did not have to worry about anything, including stopping.  They have a proprietary mechanism that stops all participants at the platform.  Takes a lot of relief off of you when all you have to do is hold on and enjoy the ride.

LITTLE TOURISTY PICS

We always find time to take a few touristy photos.

BAHIA COCAL

We took another long walk to the small fishing village just outside town.  Then, we hopped on the ferry to Bahia Cocal and walked the beach.  It was a great hunting expedition for sea treasures.  Top photo with Lemberger’s in front of ferry dock.

Another full day of exercise with 51 floors climbed, and 12,120 steps walked or 4.8 miles total.

HIKE TO WATERFALL

We were hoping to send John, Missy and Carl on the Monkey Mangrove Tour with Chino, but because of the strike, the roads were closed.  So, plan B was a hike to the Manuel Antonio Estates waterfall.

Our gated community at Manuel Antonio Estates consists of 9 apartments and about 15 homes.  Each are independently owned and used as rental properties.

As you can see from the map below, the apartments are on the opposite side of the waterfall.  We walked up and down many steep streets before arriving at the end of the road.  We made a left at the large dirt pile and an immediate right at the first water run off which leads down to the “cascada” or waterfall.

We had the place to ourselves for the first hour and enjoyed frolicking in the refreshing water.

As we were about to leave, 3 people arrived and showed Carl and Missy a hidden ledge under the falls where you can stand and get the perfect photo.

On property, 83 floors, 11, 989 steps, 4.9 miles

There were these super cool walking palms that we saw on our zip line tour.  Our guide told us that the palm tree is constantly striving for sunlight.  They grow new roots in the direction of where they want to go and then let the back roots die off so they can move.

We had such an amazing time with John, Missy and Carl.  Wonderful stories made, lots of laughter shared, good food, and long-lasting memories.  It is desperately hard to put into words how much it meant to have them visit us in Costa Rica, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!