3x5's

I had so much fun this weekend in Monteverde! I got to know the girls in my group better, which was really fun, not to mention the awesome time we had exploring the mountain. Here are the pictures, as promised!! I'm sorry, but there's a ton...I couldn't pick which ones to show you all! It is hard to capture the beauty in a picture...I'm reminded of the John Mayer song 3x5 that says, "Didn't have a camera by my side this time/hoping I would see the world through both my eyes/maybe I will tell you all about it when I'm in the mood to lose my way with words...You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes/brought me back to life/you'll be with me next time I go outside/no more 3x5's." I can now identify with him! Anyhow, hopefully you can see a little bit through this pictures. Oh, and if you ever have the chance to go to Monteverde, the veiw is definitely worth the two-hour winding drive up a mountain on a bumpy rock road! :-)

The group after the first cable
This is me ziplining through the air...if you're wondering where the jungle is, it's way under me.
This is the longest cable, and we had to go in groups of two so the weight would keep us going to the other side. I went with another girl, and we still got stuck about 20 feet before the platform!
We finally made it...we're waiting to be un-hooked from the cable.
this is at a private forest reserve-it's a mushroom.
They had a hummingbird viewing area-there were tons of them! I was trying to get pics where they were not on the feeder, but I couldn't get a good shot.
Some weird seed or flower, or maybe animal...I'm not sure but I thought they were cool
Just a cool-looking flower at the reserve-everything is green, with more green growing on that green, and more growing on top of that ("Monteverde" means green mountain). So when there's an occasional burst of color, it really stands out and is beautiful!The veiw on the drive home-notice how, if you look into the horizon, it flattens out. That is the ocean waaaaaayyyy back there! I loved how far we could see from the mountain we were on.



The group in front of a cool tree, which didn't show up as that cool in this picutre. :-)
Part of the private reserve we went to

This is a traditional Costa Rican ox cart. I don't think people really use them anymore, but they are one of the marks of the culture.

This is a banana tree outside my hotel room. The purple thing is a banana flower-you pull it off and re-plant it to grow another tree. It's kinda scary looking up close!

OK, that's all for now. There are so many things I want to say, so many observations I'd like to share. I think I am going to start posting more frequently about some things I love and some things that take getting used to (I'm trying to keep that side positive) :-). I will also try to keep it shorter, but knowing how I am, I can't promise that.

Thanks again for your prayers for my host family! Things are back to normal as far as routine goes, and now they are starting the process of healing.

Talk at you all later!