There’s been a few recurring inside jokes we’ve been throwing around during the trip, one of them being nature’s tendency to constantly amaze us, and at the same time screw us over.
Today was one of those days where it tried to screw us over. Today we got wrecked by nature.
We got up at around 6am this morning to get into the park as early as possible so we could see animals. Instead, it started to rain heavily and we took some time in making sure we would be prepared for the possibility of getting wet.
We went to the supermarket and bought some food (there’s no place to buy anything in the national park; you have to pack it with you unless you want to pay the admission fee more than once going in and out), took the local bus down to the national park entrance, and paid the $10 admission fee.
We hiked the trail for a bit…
…and we came upon some amazing empty beaches:
We also hiked up Cathedral Point for the viewpoint into the Pacific Ocean:
Found some more empty beaches:
We had one more trail left to do when it just started to pour.
And pour.
Most people turned around and tried to flee for cover. Some gave up and turned around, heading for the exit. What did we do?
“I ain’t neva scurred!”
Either we’re idiotic, stubborn, or both, but we wanted to hike the last trail in order to catch an ocean view of Playa Escondido. The trail, however, turns into a bit of a challenge during what seemed like a tropical storm at the time.
Literally we were caught in a sudden cloudburst of interminable rain; as we struggled to hike a trail that ended up becoming a stream, and then a river…
And after about 20 minutes of hiking all by ourselves, cursing quietly under our breaths we were rewarded with…
…fricking NATURE!
And then we headed back down towards the exit, dejected.
Just kidding: how is this NOT epic enough? Imagine hiking all by yourself in the pouring rain to the point where you can barely see what’s in front of you, in the middle of one of the top 12 national parks in the world. Just imagine it. Because we don’t have to; we actually did it. We got back from the park learning a little more about ourselves today; that all of us are kinda crazy stubborn, that we are up for any challenge, idiotic or not, that we are more than happy to go all in for off the beaten track experiences, and that we weren’t going to give up so easily even when nature stares right at us in the face….right in the FACE.
Ultimately, I feel pretty lucky to have these great group of people monsooning with me as they really are all a team of ultimate badasses. Thanks for never giving up, guys, I’m proud to be traveling with y’all.
Looking back on the last 48 hours it’s hard to believe we came from here:
to here:
- At time of posting in Manuel Antonio National Park, it was 73.4 °F -
Humidity: 100% | Wind Speed: n/a | Cloud Cover: raining CATS AND DOGS
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