(Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica)
When I woke up on October 17, the weather near Manuel Antonio National Park seemed a little cooler than the day before. There were clouds in the sky and I enjoyed breakfast without any discomfort from the heat. Other members of my group were going to explore the village of Manuel Antonio and the nearby beaches that day, so I thought I would brave the elements and join them.
I grabbed my “Bungalow Bill” safari hat (complete with neck protector) and multiple bottles of water, slathered on plenty of sunscreen, and went to the designated meeting place so that we could catch the local bus. As I left the protective canopy of the hotel, however, I was forced to change my plans. The sun had just come out and I realized that, for a heatstroke-prone person like me, proceeding to the beach would be foolhardy. I later discovered that the temperature alone was in the mid-30s and that the Humidex was making it feel like an unbelievable 45’C.
After passing on my regrets to the others, I resolved to stay close to the hotel and minimize my heat exposure. However, I was still restless. I remembered that the hotel had given us a free pass to the butterfly preserve across the street. This was not the type of venue that I would normally attend but, given my limited options (the hotel was beautifully situated but several kilometers from other attractions), I somewhat reluctantly decided to give it a try. I rationalized it by saying that one needs to be open-minded when travelling and that there might be some interesting surprises.
Still wearing my enormous safari hat, I took the very short walk to the preserve. It was a large, multi-tiered, outdoor (but “caged”) facility in the middle of the rain forest. A small service building to the side was actually air conditioned, although the butterfly area itself was very much in the sun. I roamed the butterfly area carefully, taking breaks in the air-conditioned room to rehydrate and cool.
It was a good thing I wore the hat, because I was really walking among the (sometimes rather large) butterflies. They were everywhere, whizzing by my head and making me feel like I was being swarmed by small bats. The colours of both the butterflies and the plants were exceptional; I was taking pictures at a furious pace. My initial reluctance had given way to appreciation for this unexpected opportunity.
My water soon ran out, however, and I returned to the hotel. Lunch was next on my agenda and I was craving something different: most of the options on this trip had been either Costa Rican or American. After some quick online research, I found what appeared to be a highly-rated but humble Vietnamese place nearby on the main road to Quepos. At least, I hoped it was nearby, given that buildings in Costa Rica don’t really have addresses. Everything is described in relation to landmarks. Hoping that the “near the soccer field” description was accurate, I set off with my hat and even more water.
After about 15 minutes of walking and determining that I was “near the soccer field”, I decided that I would turn back if the restaurant was not around the next corner. Thankfully, it appeared and I was able to have a nice dish of “sweet and spicy chicken”. I also felt mentally recharged, as I had managed to do some limited exploring despite the searing heat and humidity. I headed back to the hotel to chill out before the evening’s scheduled activities. Soon enough, the rain came!