adventures in costa rica: part 3

Making new friends

We rented an ATV for the day, and drove miles of beach and trails to get to this beautiful cove. 

This is the view from one of the zip line platforms

Halfway through zip lining, we took a break to jump off the rocks!

This is the boat that took us to Tortuga Island for a day of snorkeling

A trip to Costa Rica would not be complete without a little treehouse yoga on a full moon night with howler monkeys going crazy in the surrounding trees! 

pura vida!

maui day 5: revisited

We ventured out early and headed south, then along the north shore to find some waterfalls. We hiked to the "Twin Falls" and then to one above those. It was a truly tropical experience when it suddenly started to pour--warm water and then the sun would burst out and illuminate the forest.

getting a coconut at the end of our hike

The foliage on the north part of the island was very lush, and flowers and plants so vivid. Forests of bamboo lined Hana Highway. Although we didn't make it all the way to Hana, we did experience some of the beauty along the road--as well as the famous hair pin turns and one way roads.

Oh, and I almost forgot--Drew and I both jumped from above one of the falls!

Once again, we made it back in time to enjoy a glass of wine and watch the sunset from the lanai.

"For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods, in whose hands are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, and His hands formed the dry land." -Ps 95:3-5

journal entry, day 5

vacation high

Aloha!

Last week, Andrew & I took a trip to Maui. Seven days was definitely not enough time, but we did have a blast and didn't want to come home. It was so nice to get away, even just for a week.

Looking back, my expectations were super high because I have been dreaming about Hawaii since I was about 10 years old. When we arrived it was pretty, but not the Hawaii I had envisioned in my mind with the miles of white sandy beaches, palm trees, clear warm water, and bungalows. Instead we drove along a winding (and windy) highway with the waves crashing against the rocks below, and bare mountains above. Where was my tropical Hawaii? I came to find out that Maui only has 30 miles total of sandy beaches!

Once we drove through Lahaina and Ka'anapali, I started to feel better when I saw the beautiful beaches and quaint towns with their tropical gardens. When we arrived at our condo in Kahana (see the view from the lanai above in both pictures), I was thrilled to have the clear blue water and palm trees right outside our door. Even though the water in some areas was pretty chilly, it was much warmer than any water in SoCal (I wear my winter wetsuit in the summer when surfing).

After a couple of days of getting acquainted with the island and exploring, I felt right at home and didn't want to leave. My expectations had been surpassed. I kept a journal of our little vacation, and will type out my entries later. Mahalo!

Valley Isle on Dwellable