McCanns in Honduras

Above: Lucy and Sean on the small stretch of beach between the Caribbean ocean and the jungle.

This weekend we went on a trip with other missionaries at our language school to a beach on the Caribbean coast, Punta Uva. Punta Uva is a small beach town on the northern coast of Costa Rica, near the Panama border (to the west). The school set up the trip and the bus travel (6 hours each way) and we had a great time on a much needed break.

Lucy especially loved the water. It took her a little while to get used to the ocean, but soon she was swimming and squealing with joy. She also enjoyed the pool and the bathtub, only her second “real” bath since we’ve moved here.

Although the beach was small, and the water was filled with coral, we had a great swimming spot. We also got to do some snorkeling, played on the beach, and enjoy some fun time with friends.

All in all a great trip, and a beautiful place for Lucy to have her first ocean swim.

Above: A taxi line in Central San Jose

Another first for us this week was chatting up various taxi drivers. Of course we’ve taken dozens of taxis since we’ve been here, and we’ve talked with most of the drivers, but this week was different as we actually conversed and held long conversations without the driver kicking us out for butchering his language. For some that might not seem like such a big deal, but for us it was an assurance that we might in fact learn Spanish after all.

Above: Lucy, Sean, and Lindsey in front of Volcano Poas.

Sorry for the lack of posting early this week, we’ve just returned from a family vacation to the mountains and volcanoes above San Jose. Sean’s parents, Gannie and Mac, flew down Thursday for a quick vacation and some much needed time with grandparents. We rented a car, escaped the San Jose traffic and rain, and made it out of the city and into the hills.

One of the stops on our trip was Volcano Poas, a volcano with a huge crater, aqua blue lake, and constant steam rising from the depths. Despite the constant sulfur smell, we had a great time hiking around the Volcano.

Above: The family huddled together under one of many waterfalls at La Paz.

Another morning, we headed to La Paz, a park full of gardens, animals, and trails along many waterfalls. Lucy loved especially enjoyed the bird and butterfly houses, the monkeys, and the soothing sounds of the waterfalls, which put her right to sleep. The park is filled with all the nature and wildlife Costa Rica has to offer, and we throughly enjoyed hiking around and exploring all morning.

Above: Mac, Gannie, Sean, and Lucy in front of the toucan cage in the bird house at La Paz.

Despite all the beautiful sights and fun walks, the best part of the weekend by far has been time with family. Lucy has truly loved being around her Gannie and Mac, and we cherish the time we can all spend together as family.

This weekend was a national holiday in Costa Rica, so we took advantage and headed to the beach.

Above: Lindsey and Lucy in our hotel pool with the ocean in the background.

Friday morning, we headed to central San Jose and hopped a bus to Jaco beach. 3 hours later, we arrived in Jaco and caught a cab to Playa Hermosa, a small, secluded beach 10 minutes away. The beach had about 10 small hotels, some restaurants, about 25 locals, and that is it. It was very secluded, except for the dozens of surfers who come for the famous Playa Hermosa waves.

We pretty much spent the whole trip either on the beach, in the pool, eating, and sleeping. The ocean was especially fun because of the huge waves and strong current. We all slept great as the only noise at night was the crashing surf. It was a great relaxing weekend and fun time alone with our family.