Poas y La Paz

Today was beyond amazing. First, we went to Volcán Poas, which is about an hour away from San José. To get there, we had to walk up some paths until we got the volcano, which is really a geyser. The last time that it was active was in the 1950s.


After that, we went to La Paz Waterfall Gardens. It was scary getting there, as we were in buses next to a huge dropoff. The park was unbelieveable. I cannot even begin to describe how amazing it was there. The flora was like we were in Jurassic Park, or as Wendy put it “This is like Avatar!” According to the brochure, the Travel Channel called its hotel one of the 10 best honeymoon hotels (and Trista and Ryan from the Bachelorette honeymooned there!).
First, we ate lunch. Let me just say that I stuffed myself silly. The plátanos con miel were deliciosos. Seriously, so good.


Then we went to the animal area. First, there was a butterfly enclosure. There were tons flying around. Next, was the toucans and parrots. The toucans fly on people’s shoulders, and I even got a kiss!

After that, we went to the hummingbirds. There are more species of hummingbirds there than anywhere else (26 types!). None of us cared about the snakes, so we skipped that building. The frog building would have been a bust had it not been for the guide. He could spot those things like no other.
My favorite, of course, was the monkey house. They were soooo cute and one guy kept following me around. We even held hands for a while, no joke!


Next was the Casita de la Paz, which is a replica of old Tica homes. Outside, there was a careta that we rode in. Of course, both oxen decided it would be a good time to poop as soon as we were in the careta. Nice.

There were also “jungle cats” there. There’s an ocelot named Tabitha that plays patty-cake with people (through a fence, of course). There was Torito, the jaguar, as well as pumas and a jaguarondi (basically a wild house cat).

Finally, we went to the cataratas (waterfalls). They were BEAUTIFUL. We walked up and down the mountain path to get to the three of them: Magia Blanca, Encantada y Escondida. My camera had died by this point, so I had to take photos with my iPhone. I need to email them to myself, but my phone won’t connect to the Web, so….hopefully soon.
Pics I stole from Heather's camera :)