February came and went and I just realized I didn’t put out a single blog post…and now it’s already the middle of March! A lot has been happening since the start of 2015 and I wanted to send you a few updates.
So I moved. Again. It was kind of a lateral move for me, some things are better, some things aren’t as great (ie I lost my calming ocean view and a patio full of sunshine).
The kittens are growing. I would venture to say Sunshine is full grown at this point, Lluvia is still pretty small in comparison. Sunshine is full of love and always wants to be pet. Lluvia also gives lots of love… she loves to be pet but more often her love is shown in the way of killing giant cockroaches and bringing them to me in the middle of the night. She’s definitely a mamma’s girl. I have a friend’s son staying with me right now, Travis, and while he tries every day to pet her, she remains curious but aloof.
Since I now live on top of the Manuel Antonio hill (one of the not so great aspects of the move), I’m venturing out a bit more to the local restaurants. I often wondered why Falafel Bar was #1 on TripAdvisor for awhile… I get it now. Fast service, not outrageously priced and good food.
Also got to enjoy a Lost Coast IPA at Barba Roja. They didn’t have Great White, but it was the Lost Coast brand…which is close enough! Gotta take what you can get here.
My friend/awesome tour guide and birder Johan Chaves took Travis and I on a tour around Manuel Antonio National Park. It was a picture perfect day and there were so many amazing creatures to be seen. Always in awe of what Johan can find, the tiniest little creatures and he’s able to spot them in the dense forest! Normally the tour ends at the beach but he invited us to continue and we hiked up to Cathedral Point which had stunning views. Most of the photos I’ve seen in the past were foggy and grey. But that day was beautiful blue skies and an abundance of sunshine.
Speaking of weather, it’s been an odd summer. A lot more rain than normal in January and February and we’re seeing a few clouds this month as well. But it’s still 90 degrees every day so I’m definitely not complaining!
In contrast, did a one night trip to the cloud forest a few weeks ago and stayed at Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel & Nature Reserve. Cold, cold, cold (for this tropical beach girl). But beautiful in its own way. The mist floating through the tall trees, the warm fireplace and the view of the majestic Arenal volcano all create a quiet serenity. The hotel is located outside of San Ramon, about 90 minutes from the airport in San Jose. The local area reminded me very much of Sonoma County with green rolling hills and jersey cows (and as to be expected for the area, coatis everywhere…).
So that’s been my life in a nutshell these last few weeks. I’ll leave you with one last photo of some sweet monkeys playing in the trees…
Chrissy
