Today, we checked out of our really nice hotel in Estrellos Este and headed towards Manuel Antonio National Park. I was looking forward to seeing some animals so we left a bit early to try to see them when they are still active. This was probably a little too ambitious since it gets hot so early in the day around here. We made it to Manuel Antonio, where they had a gated area to limit the number of people in the park to about 600 and then you could hire a really expensive guide to help you find animals. So, we got started with the guide, who took us down the main roadway to the beach. He was able to spot all the animals probably from doing the tour multiple times. We saw sloths, capuchins, a large guinea pig like animal, raccoons, birds, and lizards including the famous Jesus Christ lizard that walks on water. It was pretty fun, but super hot. I think that we must be getting a heat wave in Costa Rica because during the day time, it gets up to 95 degrees, and in the sun, it is pretty miserable.
Manuel Antonio is a very small park, and they let way too many people in it. There is pretty much one main trail that is open which is about 1 km, and it is a road. The beaches are really crowded and the people there feed all the animals, which you aren't supposed to do. Overall, I was disappointed with the feel of the park. I expected to get into nature a bit more and avoid the crowds, but I guess this wasn't the right place to do it.
In the evening, we arrived in our lodge in Ojochal. This town is off the main roadway quite a bit and is very undeveloped. There are a few hotels and a few restaurants and that is all. The lodge we are staying in has two bungalows, so we have the place to ourselves. It's very quaint, and the grounds are very nice. There are flowers everywhere and the pool is great after a long day.
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