Monkeys, crabs and spiders...Oh my!

Jan 9:  88 degrees

For the last several days, we have been cohabitating with ants and crabs in our room.  This doesn't bother us because it was expected.  This morning we had one more friend.  A huge banana spider in our shower.  It just took one glance to one another to know that neither one of us was going to try to remove it.  Today, we go to class without a shower.

Once we exit our apartment, we realize that we left our bug spray out on the outside table and it was stolen.  Nooooooo!!!  It is so expensive and we were so careful about not leaving it on the playa.  It's a necessity and a luxury, so the price for bug spray in Costa Rica is silly (like more than $13 for a standard bottle).  One more bottle of bug spay equals two long trips on the bus to visit other towns.  Ugh.

As I wait for Mandy to head to class, I decide to go outside and check out the beach for a quick moment before we are stuck in class for the next 4 hours.  I start to make my way when I notice a family of monkeys in the trees above.  I run back to the apartment and shout, "Monkeys, Mandy! Monkeys!".  Mandy comes running out and for about 10 minutes we watch this family migrate across the tree tops.  It is about 7:30am and we are amazed that we are the only ones outside watching this.  There are about 6 babies stumbling from branch to branch above.  What an awesome way to start the morning.

Mandy learns of a Costa Rican superstition in her Spanish class today.  Apparently,  Costa Ricans (Ticos) pay special attention to the first 12 days of the year.  They view each day as a reflection of each month of the year.  For instance, if it is hot on January 2nd, then they believe they will have a hot February.  If it rains on January 3rd, then they will have a rainy March, etc.  I suppose this is just like us with Ground Hog Day except they don't sound as crazy as this American ritual.

This evening, Mandy and I end our night on the beach.  We grab a couple of beers and a flashlight (we actually brought a couple of small ones with us). I know, a couple of regular Girl Scouts.  We actually learned how helpful this is on the beach after sunset during our last trip here.  Anyway,  there is a small dirt path and stairs just behind our apartment that takes us down to the beach.  Here, we find a log and sit.  The tide is so high now that the water is only about 15 feet from us.  During the day, we can walk down the beach to the neighboring town.  We wouldn't dare try that now.  The water is far too high.  Instead, it feels as though we are on our own private little beach.  We talk for a little bit but it is accompanied with long bouts of silence.  We are listening to the waves coming ashore, viewing the brightly lit stars and noticing how vibrant the moon is.  It strikes us how much the moon is muted by city lights.  Tonight, it is lighting up the sky.  We take a deep breath.  I know that each of us is seizing the moment.

monkeys in the trees right outside our apt near Tamarindo