Final Day...

So I woke up early once again and left to see the Doka Coffee estate, Poas Volcano, and the La Paz Waterfalls. 

We climbed the mountain up the to coffee place. 

Welcome! Coffee Coffee Coffee. 

Pretty flowers all over the estate. 

Our guide explaining how coffee grows. 

The guy on the right was an actor from Argentinean actor how I became friends with! 

Another flower. 

Inside the processing plant. 

The separating. 

The drying. 

Wow. Yes, all full of coffee beans. 

This sums up my feelings about this whole tour. 

We then learned exactly what each blend is and how long the ebans are roasted for their perspective tastes. 

After spening about $40 in the gift shop (oops) we left and climbed farther up to Poas. 

Unfortunately, clouds came in about 2 minutes before we made it to the top. So, while we waited for the cloud to clear (which never happened), we decided to take some senior photos. Considering the clouds and all, we though it was perfect. Below is Sarah, Anna, and Kelsey. 

Flowers around the edge. 

Thanks for stating the obvious. What kinda of people would go into an active crater? 

Kate reenacting the Titanic. 

Me searching for any sign of being able to see anything. Negative. 

This is what we were supposed to see. Dang it. 

We then climbed up farther to see the lagoon. This is what we could have seen.

It was pretty cloudy when we got up there. The clouds went away for about 1 minute and we were able to see the lagoon! I didn't have enough time to enjoy the view and snap a picture, but trust me when I say it was cool. Below is the cloudy view. 

We then hiked back down. This whole time we were in the rainforest. 

We then took a very scary bus ride to the La Paz waterfalls. They have a whole resort next to the natural falls, which included this included a trip to see animals! Below is the entrance to the bird exhibit.  

In the butterfly exhibit. 

We saw butterflies hatch. It was seriously a once in a lifetime experience. Apparently, only 2% of caterpillars make it to the butterfly stage. At this place, 30% make it. we almost saw one die until we asked our guide to save it. 

Next = monkeys, my favorite. How cute? 

Look to the right corner and see that crazy long tail!

Hummingbirds were darting around next to their feeders. Fact of the day = they eat four times their body weight. 

We saw snakes next. It was hard to take pictures. Below is a mammoth next shedding his skin. They were all behind glass. Next fact: the diamondback rattlesnake is on the most deadly snakes in the USA.

Ranas (frog in Spanish!) finally. I had not seen one yet all trip!

How cute! And little!

Cats were next. These two were just sitting in the sun relaxing. Sounds like my kind a life. 

FINALLY A JAGUAR! AHHHH! I was so mad we didn't see one in Tortugeuro. Granted, it was caged, but it was beautiful, big, and looked soooo soft. 

We had some lunch, and then hiked down to the Waterfalls. We wanted to swim in them, but they are protected, so we couldn't. We enjoyed them, nevertheless. The first one was magnificent. 

 

The river was clear and quick. 

Next next waterfall was over 200 feet. Wow. 

The whole second waterfall. It looks little, but it was huge. 

A view of all three water falls. Yes, it was incredible. It did remind a bit of home, the greenness and all. 

More jungle views. 

Just before we left, these little fellas came to meet us! They are like raccoons. They were very friendly and got creepily close. They seemed to like me. Kelsey (aka mom) was concerned over Sarah and I's proximity. 

We made it back to San Jose, went home, packed, and then met up one last time. On Sundays, 75% of things are closed. We found one place to get some food, hang out, and relive the trip. 

The bus ride home was bittersweet, as we all went our separate ways. Kelsey, Anna, Maureen, Jake, Kristen, and Angie are staying longer. So it was only Sara, Andrew and me actually leaving on our bus. 

I went home one last time, and went and snuggled with my homestay sister Sara. We watched Grey's Anatomy, talked about our days, and hung out. When she comes to the US she is visiting me. And when I go to Switzerland, I am visiting her (if she is there, she is a big world traveler). 

I fell asleep early to prepare for a 3:30 AM alarm.

I am home now, and I am freezing in the Northwest. Never will I forget my amazing trip. The weather was great, the Spanish was great, the laughs were great, the people were great, and the excursions were great. I have more confidence now than ever with my Spanish. One day I will return to Costa Rica, and hopefully visit more of the country. The people are very friendly, and loved to talk to me when they realized I spoke Spanish. It is a great country, and I encourage people to see and experience the Tico type of life. 

PURA VIDA!