Costa Rica

I am now officially three months behind in blogging, and we'll be home in two weeks! We were eager to explore a bit more outside Panama and planned to meet my parents for Semana Santa in Costa Rica. We found a location that would be a good half way point from Panama and San Jose, and made our plans. Meanwhile, immigration laws in Panama changed and my contact at the Embassy advised us not to travel. That caused some stress, but in the end, we decided to risk it. We didn't anticipate, however, that Panama wouldn't let us drive our car out of the country. We quickly figured out plan B: park at the fire station and catch a bus to Manuel Antonio.

It was a magical long weekend of exploring, eating, and enjoying time together. The house we stayed in was brand new and had its own pool. Mangos were raining from the trees around. We celebrated N's 6th birthday. Of course, her name was spelled 'Nahomi' on the cake, even though I ordered it by text! We visited the national park and spotted a couple of sloths. We rented a tent at the beach and sipped pipa fria. E and I got a date night, and the girls hunted eggs in the house. The weekend ended too soon.

Coming from Panama, southern Costa Rica struck me as lush and green. There was a lot less clear cutting and farmland than right across the border. It's interesting to compare the two countries that share so many natural resources yet approach them very distinctly.

For as many photos as I take, you'd think I'd be better about getting group shots!