We decided to head back up the coast to Manuel Antonio National Park. We’d read that it was extremely busy and suffered a bit from the “party set”, so we were a bit hesitant. The busiest part of the season had passed so we had our fingers crossed.
On the way Ronnie was keen to visit the Stone Spheres at Sierpe. Michelle wasn’t so excited. There are over 300 stone spheres left by the indigenous inhabitants of this region. Many have been looted or moved so a lot of information has been lost. They were said to be status symbols for the people who lived here. Like a fancy car in the drive these days, stone spheres were used to show off to the neighbours. In the public areas they also appear to have astronomical alignments (one of Ronnie’s favourite subjects!).
Before we could visit the indoor and outdoor museum at “Finca 6”, Ronnie managed to lock Michelle in the outdoor toilets. Eventually a security guy was found to unlock the door and release a stressed Michelle.
Many spheres were buried by sediment from flooding of the surrounding estuary.
The partially buried spheres below seem to be aligned due East to the sunrise.
Then we got to the town of Manuel Antonio. It wasn’t nearly as bad as we’d been led to believe, and we actually enjoyed being able to easily walk to restaurants etc.
Manuel Antonio is famous for its surfing, so Ronnie and Michelle decided to try it for the very first time. We both eventually managed to get up regularly, Michelle from the very start. That was despite the waves really being too big for beginners. We had great teachers though. You’re never too old to try something new!
The next morning we visited the National Park with a guide. Without the guide, we would hardly have spotted anything. Many of the photos below were taken with Michelle’s phone camera through the guide’s powerful telescope.
At the end of the trail there was a bunch of white-faced capuchin monkeys
There is a lovely beach within the park. No facilities allowed.
