Amanda Short- May 20, 2013

Everything is better by the beach…even the rain. Though the day started with some rain it ended up as one of the best days of my life filled with new experiences and memories I won’t forget. Breakfast was consumed at Bread and Chocolate where the raving reviews for the cinnamon oatmeal pancakes didn’t disappoint. I was also grateful for a caffeine boost from an iced mocha (see photo below), and yes it was better than it looks.  

With our bellies full Sheryl, Suzette, Glenda and I headed towards the Jaguar Rescue Park where we received the tour of a life time. Not only did we hear stories about the animals living there, but we were also able to get up close and touch some of them. The highlight of the tour was walking into the monkey enclosure and having a baby monkey scale up my leg and into my arms. Then the monkey landed an impressive dismount after gripping my arm with its tail and swinging towards its playground. You could say it was love at first sight! Unfortunately, I only have a mental picture of this moment as due to the ornery behavior of the monkeys, cameras were not allowed in the enclosure because notorious for breaking them.

Other shining moments on the tour included seeing baby sloths, tree frogs, and a toucan. It’s not an experience that can be easily put into words, so if you’re in Costa Rica make sure you don’t miss it.  

After catching a cab back to town with a girl from England and a guy from Florida we met up with two more Purdue students, Joe and Hector, for a mouthwatering lunch. Not only did this lunch fill my stomach, but it gave me a new appreciation for seafood which I have never been fond of. I don’t know if it was because the fish still had a head and a tail or if it was the fresh flavor of the red snapper…probably the later of the two, but either way it was delicious!

Since things aren’t free Sheryl, Suzette and I experienced another first…exchanging money at a butcher shop. Fun Fact, banks are only open five days a week in Costa Rica, but luckily we asked the right man for directions and he offered to exchange the money for us. We were grateful as this allowed us to shop until we dropped.

As evening rolled around we reunited with the entire group of Purdue student to listen to reggae music, dance the night away, and let the moments turn into memories.