Day 5 June 17 Manuel Antonio- Blue Monkey

Morning came too fast today.  We were sleeping nicely in our comfy bed but we were on a schedule and had to get moving we reluctantly got up, dressed and head to breakfast so we could depart for Manuel Antonio.  Today would be our longest drive of the whole trip, about six hours, including a stop for lunch.  With our comfy bus that wasn’t a problem thought since we could nap.  Of course I learned quickly that with this group it was not good to fall asleep.  They have a tradition of taking pictures of people when they fall asleep.  This is especially alarming to me since when you fall asleep sitting up on a bus you don’t always look too attractive.  I think I might have dozed off a couple of times but I’m not sure if they caught me and took pictures.  I know John Earl, his wife Roxie and Scott all got caught, as well as several of the girls who somehow figured out to crawl up in a tiny ball in their seats as they slept.  Along the way we stopped for lunch and then stopped at the Rio Tarcoles River to see the giant crocs.  The bridge crossing the river is a popular stop for travelers since the crocs are easily seen along the banks and in the river.  Shortly after that we spotted two Scarlet Macaws flying along the road.  We stopped and people got some very nice photos.

As we got closer to Quepos/Manuel Antonio the excitement was building.  This area has the prettiest beaches in Costa Rica and three types of monkey species, some only found there.  The monkeys are known for hanging out at the hotels and on the phone wires so we were on the lookout.  Before checking into the Blue Monkey Hotel, we went to the beach to have a look and stretch our legs.  Once back at the hotel we checked into our rooms and then met for dinner.  One good thing about the Blue Monkey is that they have a resident Black Lab named Chula and a couple of cats that hang out in reception.  I was having doggie withdrawals so it was nice to have a dog to play with.  Later in the evening we settled in and got ready for our beach time in the morning.  Manuel Antonio National Park features beautiful white sand beaches and lots of monkeys so I was really looking forward to my visit.  This is where I was going to prove to Scott that this area had lots and lots of monkeys.