Alien or fruit? You decide.
While we were waiting for a taxi to pick us up and trek us to our destination, we watched this hilarious bird snatch packet after packet of sugar from a coffee station. "Some people have drugs, some have alcohol," a hotel worker commented, "this bird has sugar."
Our thirty-minute ride to the locale took us through numerous little towns and on bumpy roads that seemed to be one way until a few cars managed to squeeze by us.
tryna be calm as we hurtle towards our deaths
We arrived at our zip-lining start point, and Miranda and I immediately ran to some cages where we found some adorable monkeys. Best part of all--we were allowed to feed them!!! Sometimes it pays to have a pretty younger sis.
I was super stoked to give this lil guy some sunflower seeds, and I was even more excited when he grabbed my finger like he wanted to be my friend. And then... THE GDDAMN THING BIT ME!!!
I may have used slightly more ~expletives~
I was like, da fuq lil monkey, I'm just trying to love you!!!! I'm scarred for life--mentally not physically; pretty sure the freak didn't break skin. But ya I figure there are two potential outcomes.
One, I die a slow painful death of rabies aka the one illness for which I did NOT get a vaccination in order to study abroad.
me in three days
Two, I turn into Monkeywoman or something and will be able to swing from trees.
Neither are ideal.
wut
This guy literally was just grabbing the inside of the car through an open window while we were gunning it up some Indiana Jones-type mountains. It was absurd.
But hey--we got to the first line safely and paired up. Si and I traveled together down 600 meters of line; my mom and Miranda followed; and then my dad came next, solo. It felt like flying, and it was amazing!
We each went alone for two more lines and had a fab time.
Hi it's me!!!
The Stoddard fam above the canopy
One of the guides was interested in the Stoddard girls and wanted to know our names/ages. I asked him to guess which of us was the oldest.
"Hmmm..." he squinted. "Her?" He pointed towards Miranda.
Me and Si:
Wrong. Answer.Don;t
I alerted him to his mistake and he looked shocked. "Really?!! But you're..." and he made a hand motion meaning short/midget-sized.
How dare you
I couldn't deal. Bye.
After our three zipline adventures, we rappelled down a super tall tree (I screamed quite loud) and did this crazy, amazing Tarzan swing. As I was being pulled up to the platform by the rope contraption, one of the guides jokingly called, "Oh no!"
Don't even joke about it.
It was amazing, though. Unfortunately, there's no video of me swinging, because Miranda (the girl that was supposed to be taking the video) saw an iguana and focused the camera on it. Thanks, Moo.
Costa Rica has a ridiculous number of animals. There are iguanas--
And monkeys (hate those b*tches)
Doggies (lost this pic in an unfortunate Snapchat tragedy)
And COATIS!!!
Look at those dudes
So cute!!!
We ate pizza for lunch then conked out for a few hours then ate MORE. I got sangria, because I'm an ADULT (and because my parents gave me permission since I'm legal in Costa Rica).
Moo and I are watching Life As We Know It together and chilling out while Si acts like a loner in the other room.
Last night, I felt quite restless, consumed by thoughts and worries I'd tried to leave behind in Massachusetts and California, so I stepped onto the balcony for some warm fresh air. My breath caught almost immediately, for I found myself entranced by the stars. They glittered across the great expanse of black, like scattered jewels from a torn astral necklace. They shimmered in my peripheral vision, but as soon as I attempted to gaze upon just one, I was distracted by the flitting light of those to my right and left. It was almost enough to make me believe in magic, and in the Greek myths behind the constellations; for the first time, I understood the concept of stars as living and breathing, as objects with depth. I was enthralled.
I lied down on the balcony and stared at the sky and felt m worries seep out of my pores. All of my concerns and stresses about school, and image, and my future seemed to slip away with the realization of their inconsequentialness in relation to the stars above me. I felt at peace for the first time in a while.
I love this place already.
Excited for another beautiful day tomorrow.
With Love,
Aubs
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