While the majority of our accommodations during #fosteradventure will be a combination of hostels, backpacking lodges, budget hotels and the occasional hut or treehouse, the past two days were a small indulgence. (I heard about the deal via Jetsetter, which I would highly recommend to find smaller, boutique hotels at a major discount). We have enjoyed the unique aspect of every place we’ve stayed so far but being at Oxygen Jungle Villas truly felt like a honeymoon.
The infinity pool view never gets old.
On Friday, we started early with a hike that led to a waterfall in the jungle near our hut. The trees were huge and everything was so lush – we have seen so much green in Costa Rica! We were able to see a lot of different birds, spiders and other bugs but could not find the famed howler monkey though we could certainly hear them!
Crystal clear waterfall from our morning hike.
Checking out the creek and looking for creatures.
After a pretty sweaty hike, we headed back to the hotel for some coffee and relaxation. As an aside, I am amazed that we have yet to encounter iced coffee anywhere! It's so hot in the rainforest but everyone still drinks hot coffee all the time. Last night I dreamt of Dunkin Donuts but I'm hopeful we will find a South America replacement soon.
We stayed by the pool for most of the day to read, swim and take in the view. We've been pretty lucky with the weather so far - the rain has been mostly limited to late afternoon and overnight even though it's the rainy season.
Obligatory infinity pool shot. (In fact, almost identical to the one shown on the hotel website!)
After a light lunch by the pool - my first salad since we've been in Costa Rica (not a hugely popular menu item here it seems) - we were lucky enough to spot some pretty amazing wildlife. We caught the below video of what appears to be a goldfinch (I am reading The Goldfinch so obviously I decided that's the type of bird we saw) taking a cue from the humans and cooling himself off in the pool.
The highlight of my day (and maybe the trip so far) came unexpectedly as we headed back to our hut. I'd been half-joking to Alex that I wasn't leaving Costa Rica until we saw some monkeys and finally my wish was granted. After catching some movement in the trees, we grabbed our cameras and started looking upward. Suddenly we realized there were 3 monkeys all jumping from tree to tree and practically putting on a show for us. Alex was quick enough to snap some shots and even got a video so I can relive this moment over and over again.
Don't mind me.
Checking us out.
MONKEYS!!! I can now leave Costa Rica without regrets.
After our exciting monkey viewing interlude, we continued our day of relaxation with a wedding gift from our friends Ali and Caleb - a couples massage before dinner. What a perfect end to our "honeymoon!"