Mount Vernon in Monteverde!

I can't believe I've almost been here for a month! I wish I could slow time down, there's too much I want to do in such a short amount of time. This post is dedicated to my trip to Monteverde. I highly encourage you to google image search Monteverde because it's absolutely beautiful and my pictures don't do it justice. Our group left Friday afternoon after classes and endured roughly 4.5 hours on the open road. I kinda thought I was going to die on the last leg of the trip when we were traveling through the mountains, but God is good, all the time;) Our poor bus driver is always making stops because we want to pictures or pet cows or whatever. He just goes with it.

Saturday was a day full of adventure. In the morning, we went on a hike in the rainforest. There were snakes, tarantulas, super poisonous wasps, gigantic leaves with lethal water, and suspension bridges. Pretty much all the cliche things you would expect to find in a rainforest. 

// a gorgeous tree my brave fellow classmates climbed inside of to the top //

// leaves bigger than me //

// crappy group photo - always a requirement //

After our hike, we went to go zip lining at some random place. It's supposedly the longest zip line in Latin America. I'll take their word for it. I've zip lined before, but this was a whole different ballpark. (Sorry, church camp, you still hold a special place in my heart.) At one point whilst being suspended who knows how far above the ground, I thought to myself, "If I were to fall right now, would I be happy with the way I have lived my life?" Sometimes it just takes one second of being uncomfortable  to make you think clearly. Costa Rica has provided me with some beautiful memories so far. I love that I am having the opportunity to develop myself as a person here. Being in this country only makes me thirsty to visit more. Almost 30 days in, and I still can't get over the views. How sad that some people will never get to experience things like this? But yeah, zip lining was awesome and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who wants to live on the edge.

// another crappy group photo //

// me trying to be cute and adventurous at the same time but failing miserably //

// the view from where I zip lined. On this portion, I zip lined in the superman position. I totally felt like a bird, it was magical //

After zip lining, we had ice cream from some amazing heladería and went to a touristy area of Monteverde. I happened to capture this picture; we saw so many rainbows! They made us go around and interview people. Yet another moment I have been pushed way outside of my comfort zone. I mean, at this point, I don't even have a comfort zone anymore. 

We returned to our little hotel after for some delicious Costa Rican comida and went for a night walk. I really enjoy getting to do these things with the people in our group. We're always laughing about something. 

Sunday, we packed up and had a bible study courtesy of two of my classmates. Then we took a little walk to a hummingbird display and left Monteverde. On our drive back, we passed the beach and begged our bus driver to make another stop. He did and I think we all died a little. I felt like I was six again, running to introduce the water to my feet. What a beautiful encounter it was. 

// this was the first time I had ever seen mountains and ocean collide - I was literally breathless for a few seconds //

Overall, the trip was absolutely gorgeous. There are so many things I am going to take with me from this weekend getaway. I will forever remember the beautiful sites I was lucky to witness. God's creation never ceases to disappoint. This world is such a spectacular piece of art and it deserves to be appreciated.