crossing off items on his list...

well, costa rica was good to Little Man (& his momma & sister too!). not only did he cross off the "to see" items on his list from last week, he was even able to check off his add-on's! what else did he want to experience?

4. toucans

5. & swimming in the pacific

but first, back to the original list...

#1. sloths were a very big deal on this journey. we saw 3 of them, all in the wild & both the 2 toed & 3 toed varieties, one quite close up!this guy lived up to his name as he literally creeped across that wire, making for a wonderful photo shoot & some dangerous traffic conditions on a curvy mountain road...#2. howler monkeys...would you believe we had more howler monkey action in the roma zoo last july than in the costa rican rainforest? but we did see (but sadly, did not hear!) one lonely guy in all his glory in manuel antonio national park...#3. a volcano...poas to be precise...after a walk through an enchanted cloud forest, we saw...

more clouds!

but for one very fleeting moment we could see the crater. you will have to take my word for it~ this is a view into the volcano...in spite of the dense cloud cover there is nothing quite like standing at the edge of something that immense with the wind howling & clouds rushing over you. eruptions?...no, thank you very much! (but our guide did park with the car facing the entrance for fast escapes...)

#4. toucans...not in the wild on this trip, but we did see 2 different types at la paz waterfall gardens. one guy was quite open to photo ops...very much the ham even though we had interrupted his napping attempt!...#5. the pacific ocean...after a hike through manuel antonio's rainforest, we spent a most appreciated afternoon swimming in this secluded cove& sunning (napping) on the beach with a friend...a little exploring for good measure...& finally, a spectacular sunset...my list??...it really did parallel Little Man's quite nicely! throw in a hike in the rainforest along waterfalls...with guide who spoke italian quite nicely & i am one happy girl!

we returned last night with a heartful of wonderful memories & bags full of coffees...(yes, at one point we were surrounded by coffee...i wish i could post the smells!!), but the best thing we brought home from costa rica...Baby Girl!!!...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

places we stayed on this trip...hotel mar y luna in quepos...room with 3 beds & a private bath (but cold showers!) that was a real budget friendly experience...

& hostel pangea in san jose...this was a really hip establishment with a rooftop restaurant, free internet & a pool (+ a hot shower one night!)...Baby Girl truly knows how to plan travel...she handled all our lodging, food & travel within costa rica, all on a sweet dime!