mariposa

it´s about a 40 minute walk from downtown Atenas to my little white house up the road. my bag slung heavy on my shoulder as i chanted all the way from the bus stop...¨left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot...¨
The rain was welcoming as it mixed with sweat, and i know somewhere deep inside that it´s time to go back to reality. After spending an amazing weekend on the coast of Costa Rica, it´s difficult to snap out of eden´s dream.
Alex, one of the guys who runs Hostel Vista Serena, took 3 of us snorkeling on Saturday. We hopped in his van, which takes two tries just to start the thing, and bumped our way down a local dirt road. He parked, and we began the trek through the jungle, slinging our snorkeling gear over our shoulders as we dodged the rocks and mud. Soon, the trees began to clear, and the ocean was finally before us. Hiding our belongings in the bushes, we raced across the black sand and into the pale green water, which is warmer than any shower i´ve had in the past week.
It´s about half a mile to the rock...maybe a 20 minute swim. With fins on, it´s good exercise. The little rock just offshore is tugged by the strong rip current, and i dig my fingers into the crevasses of the rock to hang on. My body has bruises from getting dragged against it in the current, but it was all in good fun. so many fish! colors i´ve never seen before...black and aquamarine tails, red and grey, stripes, spots...and all the fish hover lazily around the reef, laughing merrily as we clumsy humans labored in the current.
After a while, raindrops began to fall, and we swam back to shore, reaching the van just as the skies opened up. We stopped by the infamous Hotel Mariposa, one of the most expensive hotels in manuel antonio. Running through the rain, we hopped into their jacuzzi. The pool area is surrounded by almond trees, and has an amazing view of the ocean and the coming storm. we wished we could have spent a night here, but at $250 a night...we´ll just make do with their pool services, haha.
I´m back in Atenas now, under the thunder and jungle canopy. I already miss the lazy boho atmosphere of the coast, but i´m fond of this city and i can´t wait to get started on my internship on wednesday. I´ve met several people who have worked with turtles in this country, and they´ve got my blood pumping.
Off to the market to get some ice cream...and mail evelyn´s package for her host family! :)