Amy and Doug in Paradise!!

Here we are riding on our second bus of the day. We just dropped Amy off at her bus to get to the airport and now Katie, Doug, and I are off on a new adventure to visit Manuel Antonio. Katie and I have already been to Manuel Antonio but we loved it there so much especially the hostel we stayed at called Vista Serena. We made friends with Alex and his brother Conrad who help run the place that is owned by their mom. The balcony there has one of the best views that Costa Rica has to offer. We couldn’t resist the opportunity to spend another few mornings enjoying coffee and warm bread on the deck. 

Amy’s visit went by so fast! It was a whirlwind of fun!! Amy arrived early in the morning and of course we planned to first take her to our home away from home Galileo. It has been so great making friends with Brian and Mer (the owners of Galileo). They are always so welcoming and now that we have been back so many times, a sense of relief comes over when we know we are headed there. Katie and I had already planned ahead and reserved the Arenal suite built for 3, so we were ready for girl time and fun!

We brought Amy back to Galileo and after settling in Katie and I shared the yummy pastries we had picked up from our favorite little soda around the croner. After enjoying them with some freshly brewed coffee. We decided to take it easy watch a movie, wait out the rain, and let Amy rest after her long night of travel. Once we awoke from our nap we took Amy out in San Jose to walk around and see some of the sights and get a feel for the city life in Costa Rica. We went to the marketplace which has become one of our favorite spots to show our friends. At the market we had a delicious meal. Amy’s came with delicious cilantro soup to start. Yum! With stuffed bellies we proceeded to mosey around the market checking out some Christmas decorations and Costa Rican decor. 

Having had enough with the busy streets of San Jose we all head back to relax at Galileo and enjoy a cold beer. Since Amy arrived one day before Doug, Katie and I were able to have one night just us girls and we stayed up late talking and enjoying being together. The last time the three of us hung out all together was 2 years ago!! It was exciting also to look forward to when Doug arrived and we would have our own little travel crew. 

After our long night at Galileo, Amy and I hopped on a bus to Puerto Viejo (which Katie and I had also been to previously but decided it was the perfect place to take Amy and Doug for some fun in the sun) while Katie stayed behind to wait for Doug and then meet us there the next day. My bus ride with Amy was going great until we came to a dead stop in the middle of the pouring rain, in the middle of the road, about 95 kilometers away from our destination. Time ticked slowly by and we realized we had forgotten to pack snacks and there was no bathroom on the bus. As the rain came down harder we had a feeling there was either an accident in the road or there was some severe flooding going on. Realizing that there was nothing we could do but sit there and make the best of it, Amy pulls out her trusty IPod and we rock out in the back seats. About an hour later after we still hadn’t moved an inch we decide to venture outside to go to the bathroom. It’s still pouring rain but its nice to get a breath of fresh air because by now the bus is sticky and hot with all the 

Our rainy nighttime view outside the bus window. I was trying to get a shot of the river flow as we were crossing but it was raining so hard I couldn't stick my camera out the window!

When Katie and Doug came through the next day, the rain had finally stopped! AND all the cars and buses before them had been forging the flooded road all day, so their bus didn't even hesitate and just rolled right through. Luckily since there was no rain, she was able to do what I couldn't: get the camera out the window.

When we finally get to Rockin J’s, Amy and I are exhausted. After a Cup-O-Noodles we are off to dream land all cozy in our little tent for the night (Amy’s first time sleeping in a tent!). The next day the rain began to clear up so we hope that Katie and Doug have an easier time of making it down than we did! 

While waiting for our crew to join us, Amy and I have a nice day of walking around town, enjoying a leisurely lunch by the water, and chillaxin in The Pimp Suite which our crew had rented for 3 nights. It was great complete with comfortable sleeping for four and our own deck hangout area with its very own hammock! Amy and Doug definitely loved chilling in the hammock and embracing the Pura Vida lifestyle. 

We didn’t spend too much time swimming this first day because the ocean was a bit crazy and the currents were strong from last nights storm. We liked our dip though and were thinking about getting ready for dinner by the time Katie and Doug showed up. Katie and I had never treated ourselves to a meal at Rockin’ J’s before, always opting for the rice and beans or peanut butter sandwich option but since we had our friends with us we decided to go for it and it turns out that Rockin’ J’s has some of the best food in town. Once our bellys were full we all headed back to hang out in our super cool Pimp Suite. Lots of laughs followed and Doug got ear fulls of girly gossip. Our little crew got along famously though despite poor Doug being outnumbered by 3 gorgeous ladies.

The next day was absolutely gorgeous and everyone was pumped for our first real full day at the beach! We rented bikes so that we could ride down to one of our favorite spots further away from all the other tourists. Playa Chiquita is one of my favorite beaches in Costa Rica. It is a little cove with gorgeous waves, white sand, and a perfect palm tree lazily leaning in towards the sea. We staked our claim for the day at the palm tree and enjoyed hanging out, swimming in the surf, and no dream day in paradise is complete without an ice cold beer! 

After a great day we decide to head back to our Pimp Suite for showers and dinner. On our way back up the beach trail Doug hears some loud noises in the trees and spots a large pack of Howler Monkeys. We all stop in the trail and stare up at them for so long we make our necks hurt! There was a little baby monkey in one tree and its mother had already made the leap to the next tree over. The baby cried and cried because it appeared to be to scared to make the jump. After much pleading with its mother, the baby got its way and the mother monkey found the easiest way by just pulling two close branches together with her tail making a bridge for the little one to crawl across. Luckily, Katie always with her trusty friend Lumix was there documenting every minute! These are just a few of the pictures of these amazing creatures, she took a ton! Katie paid a price for standing right underneath the monkeys to capture the action, a monkey peed on her! Its not easy living in paradise!  It was so awesome that Amy and Doug got to see some monkeys in the wild! A perfect ending to a perfect beach day! 

Poor Katie! Our fearless photographer! Monkey pee! Ew!

Mommy reaching for baby. If you look closely you can see the baby towards the bottom left of the picture.

Once everyone was all cleaned up and ready for dinner we took our bikes on a cruise around town to debate our options. We wanted something affordable yet tasty. We did a full lap of town and even sat at one place then leaving after realizing it was out of our price range. For all of our hard restaurant hunting we were rewarded by finding the perfect spot with a view of the water and two for one delicious cocktails! What luck! The dinners were all scrumptious and Doug especially loved his steak and salad with its own special Caribbean flavor. A nice night walk home and we headed downstairs to mix in with our fellow hostel guests and meet other travelers. 

Morning comes again and another great beach day begins. This time we head to the beach closest to Rockin J’s, taking a nice stroll through the jungle along the sea to get there. Its a nice day and we enjoy a more relaxing time napping, collecting seeds and shells, and some swimming. 

Later Katie is inspired to begin a project to alter the Pimp Suite. All of Rockin J’s is covered in amazing works of art including mosaics, paintings, and an array of quotes and sayings. When we first heard that we could make a mosaic of our own we were excited to leave our mark on one of our favorite places in Costa Rica but we never had the time. This time Katie was determined and stayed up late night to begin the fun project of painting part of the Pimp Suite. Katie, Doug, and Amy each painted a picture or saying leaving their special mark forever in the Pimp Suite, even waking up early to complete their masterpieces! I hope all the people who stay in the Pimp Suite after us enjoy the color and love that was added to this special place. 

Katie putting the final touches on her masterpiece in the early morning.

Some of our favorite phrases from our trip. 

Doug representing the Ville and adding a nice palm tree too!

Katie's work of art! California is always in our hearts! 

Amy's favorite phrase of the trip that turned out to be quite inspirational. It's possible!

 All good things must come to an end and unfortunately this is where Amy’s trip ended. The next morning we woke, packed up, took one last long look at the gorgeous view and headed out to catch our early morning bus in order to make it back in time for Amy’s afternoon flight. We all had so much fun and it was great to see Amy be able to step out of city life and relax and for Doug to travel further than Mexico and take his first bite of traveling abroad. It was sad to say good bye to Amy but here we are heading off on a new adventure! 

I am so happy that we have been able to share our trip with some important people in our lives. All our visitors made it possible for Katie and I to do and experience things in Costa Rica that we wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise. I hope to do more traveling with more friends in the future. There is so much beauty and greatness to see in this world.