We had a very relaxing and an adventurous time in Costa Rica. Sunrise was at 5am, and the weather was perfect for the mornings and afternoons. It down poured most evenings, but it didn't hinder us from any plans. Since it got dark around 6pm, we found ourselves going to bed early and waking up early! We stayed at a little boutique hotel in Jaco...about an hour outside of San Jose on the Pacific side. There were a lot of one inch to two foot lizards around our hotel. Matt only needed to come rescue me once! 
We hiked around Volcano Poas and visited a coffee plantation one day. Thankfully we were not in a hurry, because the signs and roads are all very confusing. We just started feeling comfortable getting around by the time we went home - doesn't it seem to be that way much of the time. Here we are overlooking the lake at the volcano. 
Matt enjoyed tasting the coffee. On the way home, we stopped at a bridge that attracts tourist because of all the crocodiles that gather below. We saw about 15 of them. The food was really tasty! I couldn't get enough fresh fruit. The manager at our hotel suggested a local 'soda' (mom & pop) restaurant that we ate at a couple of times. We had so much to eat for such a tiny price! 
Another day we took a speed boat about 45 minutes to Tortuga Island. We both enjoyed snorkeling until I saw a creepy, long, skinny eel which all of a sudden made me realize how tired and thirsty I was. I quickly swam back to the boat. We walked around the beach, swam in the warm water, were served a yummy lunch and headed back on the speedboat. 
