We were sad to leave sweatshirt weather behind.  After a three hour drive we arrived at our destination, Samara.  Casa Pacifica was a nice house with a pool and was a short walk to the beach.  However, it did not have a nice view but that was ok because we finally had air conditioning in the entire house!

During the days we did schoolwork, swam and went to the beach.  Our first morning there we heard all sorts of weird noises on the roof.  Mom went to investigate and we found out the answer -- large lizards that are similar to iguanas!  They were climbing and sliding on the metal roof.  The scraping and screeching noises from their claws hurt our ear drums!

On the second night Dad, Mom and I went out for dinner.  As we were leaving our driveway Dad said, "Oh bleep!  The brakes just went out!"  We almost ran over the security guard.  It was a good thing it happened there and not the day before driving down from Monteverde!

We still went out for dinner thanks to our friend Victor.  A mariachi band serenaded us.  I was trying very hard not to laugh!

We left Rancho El Rio where it was very dry.  Traveling on a curvy, bumpy, dusty gravel road to Monteverde took a long time even though it wasn't that far away.

When we first got out of the car we yelled, "Oh man it is cold!  We need sweatshirts!"  I thought Costa Rica was a place where you wore a swimsuit every day.  Not in Monteverde!  It was a nice surprise.

After we got settled into the house we decided we would grab some lunch, visit the Monteverde Butterfly Gardens, and go on a chocolate tour.

The butterfly gardens also had a creepy crawlers section.  Inside there was a giant cockroach named Timmy.  Our guide told us how they have a bad reputation for being dirty and gross.  Actually they have a cute face if you turn them over to look and they are quite clean.  She even put Timmy in her mouth to prove it!  My favorite was the stick insect.  They are so well camouflaged they look exactly like a stick.  They asked me to release a newly formed blue morpho butterfly into the butterfly garden.  I learned that you can touch a butterfly's wings as long as you do it carefully.

The chocolate "tour" was actually learning all about the history of cocoa beans and different ways to make chocolate.  While roasting cocoa beans, he told us different facts such as how beans were used for money by the Mayans 3500 years ago.  The aroma of the roasting beans smelled like brownies cooking!  However, when they were finished they didn't taste like brownies.  He put them through a homemade blower machine to knock the papery shells off.  Next he ground them up and kept grinding until they became liquid.  He mixed this with hot milk, sugar and vanilla.  It was pretty good.  Finally, he talked a bunch about tempering and crystallization.  It was boring and I didn't understand most of it because I was busy thinking about eating the chocolate!

On Wednesday Melvin, our guide, took us to his family's farm.  It is called an Ecología Finca which means it is an ecological preserve.  They work to keep the wildlife and their habitats happy and healthy.  Melvin's sister has a pizza restaurant there and they have a place to feed the birds.  So many birds came to eat off banana pieces.  I now have my favorite bird of Costa Rica it is called the blue crowned mot mot.  Zelmira is also a painter.  She was working on handmade cards and books.  I was touched when she gave me a toucan card she had painted. We went on a long hike.  Along one section we saw puma tracks from the night before.  Melvin was very excited about the prints, "¡Muy increíble!"

Later that day we stopped by the Hummingbird Gallery.  It is a store and cafe with many feeders outside.  Hundreds of humming birds were zipping all around.  It was a feeding frenzy!  There were so many different colors and sizes of birds.  It was a great experience!

The next afternoon I saw that there was a monkey in our kitchen.  We startled each other!  A bunch more monkeys came.  We gave them a ton of bananas and several came into the house to grab one.  It was really cool and funny!

​We sure have done a lot this last week!  Our time at Casa Ramone was over and we moved to our next rental home called Portocito Point.  It is very close by but it is a different kind of house.  The other was fancy and modern.  This one is older but the sunset is a million dollar view.  There is no air conditioning in the main living space but it all opens up to the outside.  We have 20 tent making bats that live in the front courtyard and fly around every night.  Sometimes one or two come through the house!  We also have Ralph and Maude who are black headed vultures.  They look so funny.  Ralph and I are buddies because I give him scraps every morning.  He hangs out on the patio waiting for me.

On Saturday we went on a walk and luckily I saw shaking trees.  Immediately Dad said, "Monkeys!"  There were a whole bunch of white-faced monkeys!  They were leaping through the trees very fast.  Nearby at the hotel there were howler moneys and our friend Coco was one of them!  She climbed down and demanded some banana chips from a guy.

By the time we went to dinner it was pouring down rain.  We decided to take our umbrellas and walk anyway.

The next day we took a long drive on a curvy, bumpy, narrow road up and down a mountain.  We were going to a place where you can learn some trapeze tricks.  Before we began learning about the trapeze he invited us into his house.  It was incredible because artists from all over the world contributed to decorate the house.  They built furniture, painted murals and built his bathtub and showers.  Jonathan, the owner, and his wife are both acrobats.  He used to own large trapeze training schools all over the US.  His wife is a famous performer and still travels all over the world.  Her specialty is arial acrobatics (silks).

At first I thought it was terrible.  It was scary climbing the ladder because it was really narrow, hurt my feet and I had to climb to a high distance.  Then when I had to grab the bar it stretched my arms out because it was so far away.  After the first try I was ready to do it again.  We all did it 6 times and the grand finale was the grab and catch!

As I was relaxing at home exhausted from the trapeze Mom and Dad noticed Coco and her baby coming to the door.  A door to Ryan's room is outside by the front entry and he hadn't closed all the way.  Coco discovered and she and her baby went in!  So Ryan got a banana and lured her out of the room.  It was easy to do. 

On Thursday in Spanish class we want shopping for ice cream.  Daniel wanted us to learn how to order our own food in Spanish.  "Yo quiero un chocolate helado por favor."  After our break we all had a cooking class.  Everyone participated to make arroz con pollo.  It is a Costa Rican traditional cuisine made with chicken, rice, onions, red peppers, cilantro and spices.  The chicken was good but I didn't like all the other stuff that was in it.

Instead of going to a new place we decided to go to the sushi restaurant again.  I was excited to hold the kitten and found out her name is Colita.  That means little tail in Spanish.

After finishing dinner we all went to the beach.  I like to walk on the beach at night.

No Spanish class on Friday!  Dad and Ryan left to go have a scuba class.  Sleeping in was terrific!  Before they took off we had a visitor.  It was a monkey and she was friendly.  We gave her a banana.  Mom and I went swimming all day.  By night time Mom was as red as a lobster

Here are some toucan facts:
1.  They are related to woodpeckers.
2.  Their bill is hollow and lightweight.
3.  They like to stay in small groups and are playful with each other.
4.  Mated pairs like to be left alone.
5.  They are not endangered.
6.  Their diet is made up of very ripe, hanging fruit that they snip off, throw into the air and catch it with their bill. They are frugivores but will sometimes eat small lizards and snakes.
7.  Toucans nest in natural tree cavities or ones made by woodpeckers.  They like to be up high in the canopy layer.

We have seen Chestnut-mandibled Toucans and Firey-billed Aracari.  I really want to see a Keel-billed Toucan they have the most colors!

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I had a private lesson in Spanish Tuesday because Hazel was absent.  I still had a good time though.  Daniel, my instructor, is a lot of fun!  Hazel showed up the next day.  We have become good friends!  It is much easier to learn when she is there.  Hazel and I are making a video about the local news in Dominical.  It is called Pur A Vida.  Our job is to be the news reporters.

Luckily, we have a heavenly pool to jump into when we get home.  It is very hot and humid here!

Strolling along, Mom and Dad encountered some Howler monkeys and ran back to get Ryan and me to see them.  There was a mama with a baby on her back.  My mom thought it was very cute.  The howler monkeys are bigger and louder than I expected.  

There are four different kinds of monkeys in Costa Rica.  They are spider monkeys, white-faced monkeys, squirrel monkeys and of course howlers.  My favorite is the squirrel monkey but they are endangered.  I don't think I will see one in the wild.

​I forgot to mention at the sushi restaurant a few nights ago there was a cute, tiny kitten that was two months old.  It was sleepy and very calm.  I would like to spend time with it again.  I haven’t learned its name yet but I will.
 
We went to the Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary.  We saw many animals.  There were monkeys, birds, raccoons, a coati named Bobo, baby sloths, and an anteater named Gonzo.  There were some sad stories about why the animals were there.  One day I would like to volunteer there and feed the baby sloths, play with the monkeys and pet the anteater.
 
We are now going to Spanish class.  It is from 9:00 until 1:30!  I have one classmate and her name is Hazel.  She is 8 years old and is from Texas too, but she now lives in Costa Rica.  Our teacher is named Daniel he Is nice and funny.  I thought it was going to be hard however it seems to be easy.