We arrived this morning in Manuel from Quepos, where we landed yesterday. Quepos was the last (and most logical) stop for us on our bus route from Montezuma. The Lonely Planet guides recommend staying in Quepos as a cheaper alternative to staying in the Manuel Anotonio area itself but, while I agree that you can save some money, I completely disagree that it's a worthwhile (or even enjoyable) place to stay. We stayed for one night before making our way into Manuel.
Arriving into Manuel via short bus-ride, we tumbled off the bus, burdened by our heavy packs. The mid-morning heat was at it's most mercurial and I started to sweat almost as soon as we started walking. We visited four or five upscale hotels along the main road until our curousity was satisfied and our shirts' appetites had moved from whet to wet. We had decided before arriving here that this area would be one of the few along the trip in which we spoiled ourselves, and we are fine paying the relatively high cost of our current hotel because of the luxury it affords us.
We will be staying in this area for three nights, which will give us enough time to visit the nearby national park, which is the main draw for the area, and also grant us some time to visit the other beaches in the area. The private beach we just returned from was small, secluded, and quite lovely. Although it was a bit rocky, it was a novel experience to be able to lay on hard-packed sand in the glowing heat of the sun and not be able to see another person. Robyn even took this opportunity to let her European side get some air and went topless while we relaxed there.
On our returning walk we got to see another group of white-faced monkeys traversing across the tree limbs overhead. I can speak on Robyn's behalf when I say that neither of us will even tire of watching their very-sapien movements and seeing the curiosity in their faces upon seeing us. We got to watch about eight monkeys slowly make their way across our paths and move on to eat and explore elsewhere in the forest. Because we were going to the beach (and assumed others would be there, who we obviously pre-suspected would likely steal anything left unattended) we did not have our camera on us, so pictures of the animals will have to wait. Fortunately we plan to take the tour of the park tomorrow morning, where the camera will be charged and utilized fully.
Until then, I leave you with the view from our hotel's balcony.
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