Pura Vida- Part 3

The best part of our vacation started when we go to the pier and bought fresh coconuts and ice cream. We were about to get on this boat with our 36 new best friends to travel to the town of Tortuguero and do some 'luxury' camping.

Once on the boat, we put on these fashionable vests and were off on the canals. Our trip took about 90 minutes by boat, all the while looking out for birds, alligators, and monkeys. The Carribbean coast of Costa Rica was much more humid and had a lot of new creatures for us to meet.

Once we got to our destination, we checked into our little cabin and hubby relaxed on the rocking chair outside. We had no air conditioning in the room and no TV, so there was nothing to do but go to sleep and enjoy the cricket sounds- once we got this unwelcome roomie out of our room.

The next morning, our alarm clock came in the form of these little guys. Do you see the howler monkeys on the top of the branch? They scream like crazy and it was really fun to see them hop from tree to tree right outside of our room.

We were also really excited to see the giant iguana on our walk around the property. We asked the hotel staff to take our picture with him, but he's hiding:

There he is:

Later that day we took another boat ride and saw this cute turtle along with more animals. It was really great to explore Costa Rica along the canals and swim up right along the animals. It seemed like we were the visitors in their habitat and they did not seem to care that we were around. It was also great to be in a country that values the environment and conservation so much- something that we can all learn from.

Later that evening, we had the special treat of watching a Costa Rican Independence Day parade in the small town of Tortuguero. The town is right along the water and there is not a single car there. All of the school children made lanterns for Independence Day and put on a parade for the entire community. The kids were so adorable and wore their uniforms and were so proud of their lanterns!

We also walked to find the beautiful Atlantic Ocean when we were in Tortuguero and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the ocean at night....typical honeymoon picture!