colorful winged things in Costa Rica

Things are settling down here a bit... Aruba went for a follow-up exam with the neurologist yesterday and altho she isn't 100%, the doctor sees definite improvement! With time, more physical therapy, and more neuro exams, Aruba will continue to recover well. Thanks again for all your concern and prayers!

So I'm back to post more of our last few days in Costa Rica.... we left the Manuel Antonio area on the Pacific coast (and our villa with that hammock--- I've been missing the serenity!) and headed northeast to the center of the country. We stayed in a cozy B&B, a converted traditional Costa Rican home, called Casa de Las Tias. It's in Escazu, a suburb of the capital, San Jose. With Escazu as our base for a few days, we took some exciting day trips and attended a local festival too! I'll highlight the day trips here, and the festival in a separate post.

We visited Poas Volcano National Park, which is unique among the many volcanoes in CR because you can walk up to the edge of the crater and peer directly into an active volcano! Kinda surreal I thought, or maybe I was just overcome by sulfur fumes? We were super lucky to be there on a clear day--- word has it that many visitors arrive only to stare at clouds, which roll in frequently and completely obscure the view.

Rather than rent a car, we opted to hire a private driver-guide. It was wonderful to spend the day with a local Costa Rican, learning more about the country and culture, and Sal really enjoyed chatting in Spanish with her the whole day!

From Poas, we journeyed on to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Aside from hiking trails thru lush rainforest leading to several (stunning!) waterfalls, there was a butterfly garden and aviary. There we encountered gazillions of the famous Costa Rican Blue Morpho butterfly... when it closes its wings, it's brown... but when it opens its wings, brilliant shades of blue flutter all around--- so pretty! And I made a new friend--- a Toucan landed on my arm in the aviary! We had spotted one on a previous rainforest hike, but only from a distance... like most rainforest creatures, they live way up high in the treetops. So it was special to meet this spectacular bird up close. Gosh, they're pretty! I had a strange craving for Froot Loops afterwards. {couldn't resist}