Costa Rica
My dad and I got back safely, no thanks to American "Our motto is: Why be punctual?" Airlines.
Costa Rica was really nice; we saw a lot, including tons of wildlife and, of all things, painted cow statues. They are having a charity thing where artists painted cows and they are in San Jose's parks and you can look at them and then they will be auctioned off for charity. Dad and I visited a couple of city parks and I took pictures of the ones I liked. It made me feel less gawky when I saw Costa Ricans doing the same thing.
Wildlife! Let's see: 3 species of monkeys, an otter, an opossum, sloths, both species of toucans, scarlet macaws, basilisk lizards, a turtle or two, caimans, crocodiles, lots of other birds including anhingas, roseate spoonbills and a jacana, a blue morpho butterfly and a bullet ant.
I can't even begin to explain how blue a blue morpho in sunlight is. Like a flying blue mirror.
I learned that:
- if you accidentally let your camera get soaked in rain it won't work for 2 1/2 days.
- sloths are actually kind of cute.
- all-inclusive resorts are fairly useless if you're not a drinker.
- if everyone around you is using a green umbrella and you are using a red umbrella with Mickey Mouse on it you feel really self-conscious.
- Manuel Antonio National Park is really really humid.
- birdwatching is a lot more enjoyable when someone who knows birds is pointing them out to you.
- opossums look offended when you're watching them with flashlights pointed right at them.