Don, Kade, and Sierra went to Costa Rica for Spring Break. We spent our time between the volcanically active area of Arenal, in the central highlands, and Manuel Antonio, on the Pacific. Arenal Volcano smokes (and occasionally erupts, though not while we were there), providing a background for a wide range of outdoor activities. We stayed at an organic farm, complete with pigs, cows, chickens, emus, toads, and insects of every description (except mosquitoes, surprisingly). The kids liked the four legged fauna but not the six legged types. We hiked down to a waterfall and swam, went horseback riding, and ziplined through the forest canopy. The kids showed no fear (or instinct for self preservation) in any of these activities.
Manuel Antonio is a typical tropical resort with the added bonus of an adjacent national park. Iguanas would often bask beside us poolside, and we awoke each morning to the sounds of howler monkeys. Sierra became adept at ordering pineapple smoothies at the swim-up bar. We hiked to a beatiful rain forest-backed beach for swimming, where a passing troop of white faced monkeys stole our lunch.
Why didn’t Laura go, as was the original plan? She had stayed home an extra day to coach soccer- when she got back from the game, she found Terra in extreme distress and took her to the vet for emergency surgery to repair a perforated intestine. Nursing and recovery kept her close to home for the rest of the week. Fortunately, the dog is on the mend.