Day 6 - The Rich Coast

Saturday, we got to venture out to the coast to the national park, Manuel Antonio. We saw all kinds of wildlife (monkeys, toucans, iguanas...). We got there at about 9am, but since it was the beginning of Semana Santa (Holy Week... kind of like our "Spring Break"), the beach was already pretty full. We were excited to find there was a large tree completely vacant, so we happily plopped down under the shade. Of course, after an hour or so, we found out why this perfect shade tree was vacant. Beach goers started coming up to us telling us that the tree was "toxic." We didn't really believe them (thought maybe there was a mis-translation; how could a national park have a toxic tree just out there on the beach with nothing blocking it off or anything!?) Finally a park ranger came over an explained that the tree secreted a toxic mist from the sap of the branches causing potentially extreme allergic reactions to some people. Essentially, we were sitting under a poison oak tree. Fortunately, none of us were allergic. In fact, ironically, the toxic tree had actually helped us from our real threat: the sun.

Wow this story is starting to go downhill fast. We actually had a wonderful time (despite the fact that several of us wished we would have applied a bit more sunscreen). The water was incredibly warm: like a bathtub. What a bizarre sensation for us Oregonians to walk into the ocean and wish it were just a few degrees cooler. Crazy, eh?

It really was a relaxing day. They have a saying in Costa Rica that they use quite a bit. "Pura Vida." Translated literally, it means "pure life." But it means more than that. It means something like, "all is wonderful" or "I'm living it up." When you ask someone "Como Esta?" (how are you) the response is often "Pura Vida." "Did you have a good weekend?" "Pura Vida." At the beach, I had fallen asleep. I sat up and turned to a guy who was relaxing nearby. I asked him what time it was. He looked out at the water, and with a smile said, "Pura Vida." I said, "awesome," and went back to sleep. That sort of sums up the day.

One more thing: We also made some friends! Check out this little guy who befriended us all day (including visiting me while I slept). Here's him saying hello to Erica.