I’M HAPPY TO BE BACK HOME BECAUSE…

Connor: I can share my memories with others

Dani: I want to wakeboard.

Drew: I can talk to people about everything we did.

Ali: I can put my little keychain from Costa Rica in my neat little travel shoebox under my bed.

Melanie: I can be dry and wear clean clothes!

Lydea: I can take long showers and flush toilet paper!

Blake: It is not as humid.

Jacob: We have water pressure.

Stuart: Of air-conditioned rooms.

Steph: I’m not.

Alix: I can sleep in.

Cam: So that I can go back.

Nate: I can have clean clothes.

Zach: There are no tarantulas.

Nick: I miss my family.

Peter: I will have clean clothes.

Jessica: I missed my own bed and my dog.

Katie: My hair will be dry and not in a bun!

Sydney: I can flush paper down the toilet!

Sam: Of the lack of humidity

Mrs. Wooden: I am looking forward to seeing my family.

Miss Anderson: I miss my family and my bed.

I LOVE COSTA RICA BECAUSE…

Connor:  Pura vida!

Dani: You won’t find any place more beautiful to rappel.

Drew: Of all the new foods I tried that I never would have eaten.

Ali: I can look around and see things I’ve never seen before.

Melanie: Wherever you look it is always beautiful

Lydea: After you visit, your perspective on the world changes for the better.

Blake: Of “Turtleing” and Salvador.

Jacob: Of “Turtleing” and surfing.

Stuart: Of surfing.

Steph: Pura vida!

Alix: I tried new things that I never thought I’d do.

Cam: Christopher. Sherwin. Cunningham.

Nate: Of surfing and whitewater rafting.

Zach: Of rafting.

Nick: The whole country is a sight to see and I love the rafting.

Peter: G.

Jessica: There is always something different to do.

Katie: It is so beautiful.

Sydney: Of the friendly people.

Sam: THE PERRITOS!!!!!

Mrs. Wooden: It has many different and beautiful environments.

Miss Anderson: The people are welcoming and friendly and the landscape is breathtaking.

Day 10 - Bug bites, sunburns & bruises

It was hard to roll out of bed so early this morning, especially considering how sore and tired I am. However, by looking at my legs, I can tell it was a successful trip- I can tell you how I got all my bruises from the different activities we did. We left the hotel at 5 AM and we were off for our last adventure on the crazy Costa Rican roads. It only took us about 15 minutes to get to the airport, even with a detour off the highway. We got our bags and said goodbye to Choco.
We found out that our flight was delayed an hour and 15 minutes upon our arrival. This gave us plenty of time to get through security, grab breakfast, and get in some last minute shopping. We also had a lot of time for security at the gate; in Costa Rica, they check your carry-on thoroughly before you get on your flight. We had to throw out any drinks that we purchased in the airport and we had to be checked with a metal detector again. Sam and I got called away to be screened for explosives, so that was fun.

Everyone agreed that the flight back to the States was much longer than the flight down to Costa Rica. I know they are all probably anxious to get back. It didn't help that it took us nearly 2 hours to get through customs, immigration, bag check, and security again. It also didn't help that we had to be in Dallas for 6 hours- and then our flight got delayed.

It was WONDERFUL to arrive back in Cleveland and be greeted by everyone's families.  Mrs. Wooden and I cannot thank you enough for such a great trip.  Our jobs were a lot easier because we had such polite, well-mannered students!  I'm glad that I got to know you all better and I hope that you all enjoy the rest of your summers :)  Pura vida!

Day 9 – Pacuare River

Our last full day in Costa Rica L

Last night, there was one more smaller earthquake at 11 PM local time.  Other than the ground shaking, the evening was uneventful.  We all took extra long showers and enjoyed sleeping in a nice, cozy bed!

 

The morning light revealed the scenery around our hotel, Turrialtico Lodge.  It was absolutely beautiful.  We could see Volcan Turrialba from our breakfast table.  After huevos and gallo y pinto we were ready to raft.  Unfortunately, Melanie had not been feeling well the last two days.  She was out for rafting.  Mrs. Wooden and Chris stayed back at the hotel with her and the rest of us moved on.

We took the bus about an hour out of Turrialba and got off on a dirt road where we were met by a large Rios Tropicales wagon and tractor.  We left everything on the bus, climbed into the wagon, and made our way down the dirt road and into the valley and to the Rio Pacuare.  At the base, we split into four raft groups and received our gear: lifejacket, helmet, and paddle.  I had the good fortune of rafting with Alix, Cam, Peter, Stuart, Steph, and our guide, Roy.  Needless to say, we had the best team J  Our guides taught us all the commands, what to do if we fall out, how to rescue, and so on.  After a few lessons, we were off down the river!

Rio Pacuare is the #4 rated rafting river in the world.  We started downstream from the Class V rapids; however, we had plenty of Class IIIs and IVs to keep us entertained.  Alix was the only person to fall out of our raft- and she only did it on Class IIIs.  Other than that, she was a great captain!  Between the rapids, there was plenty of time for fun.  In the areas that were deep, we could hop out of the raft and swim.  Also, we could try to pull other people in the water.  It got really competitive between my boat and Mau’s, which had Sam, Blake, Jacob, Zach, and Nate.  Nate was like a ninja/football player: he was so stealth getting on our boat, then he would just tackle people right out of it!  It was all in good fun and made the day even more interesting.  Several of the students said that the rafting was their favorite part of the trip.  It definitely helped that we had some clouds and rain for some of the trip, otherwise it would have been far too hot.

At the end of the line we have to help our guides get the rafts out of the river and onto a truck.  We were met on the banks of the river by Chris, Mrs. Wooden, Melanie, and Choco with the bus.  We had time for a quick change into dry clothes and some time to buy cold drinks before we hit the road to San Jose.

The drive to San Jose was an eventful one.  It should have taken two hours, but when we were a little over halfway there, we hit standstill traffic.  People were parking and getting out of their cars to see what was going on.  Three ambulances drove by us during this time period.  When we finally made it to through, we saw that the accident was less than a mile ahead of us, but we had been stuck for about 30 minutes.  A semi-truck went off the side of the narrow, winding road, into the ditch.  After that, the sun set, it started to rain, and everything was very foggy.  So we should have arrived in San Jose at 6 PM, but instead got there at 7.

Our hotel is very, very nice.  We are staying at Tryp Sabana this evening.  Unfortunately, once we walked in the door, we were told dinner was being served at 7.  We had to quickly go up to our rooms, drop off our stuff, then come right back down.  Despite the rush, it was still an excellent meal at the end of a long day.  After dinner, we had to say goodbye to Mau, Chris, and Mateo.  It was hard for our students, but the three of them had other groups to meet up with this evening and needed to get going.  Tomorrow we have to be ready to leave for the airport at 5 AM, so we all needed to be on our way.

We had a fun 10 days, but everyone is very tired and I’m sure very happy to be heading back to the comforts of home. See you in about 24 hours!!!

Day 8 - On the Road

Today was an incredibly long day.  We had breakfast at 7, had to be packed by 8, and then left for our community service projects.  We didn't need as many workers at Bahia Ballena school, so a few students stayed at the house to work with Mateo.  They worked on the compost at the house, put in a drainage ditch, and helped set up more clotheslines for swimsuits and towels.  They really enjoyed working with Mateo and learning about why nearly all Costa Ricans compost and what the benefits are.

The other group went to the school to paint.  12 students went in one van and we worked on completing one of the classrooms.  It looks great!  We asked Ashley to send us pictures when the next Surf and Service group comes in to finish the job.  Although we didn't get to play with the students today, we did get to work with Jeffe, the 4 year old son of the teacher.  He is adorable and he was a wonderful helper!

We went back to Casa de Surf at 11 for our last meal at the house.  Thankfully it was our last because we found out that the water wasn't working.  This did mean, however, that we would all have to pile into the bus for Turrialba without showering after working all morning...  We said our goodbyes to Gerald, Ashley, Raquel, and our good ol' buddy Salvo.  At this point in time, we met our new bus driver, Choco.  What a character!  Hopefully I can get a picture tomorrow to give you an idea of what he is like.

So far, we've basically travelled in a giant loop.  The beach house was on the coast in Uvita and we had to drive all the way up to Turrialba.  It looks like a straight shot, but Costa Rica doesn't really have highways- just narrow, winding roads.  We had to drive from sea level to an elevation of 9,000 feet winding around mountains and volcanoes.  It'd be like taking a road like County Line across the state of West Virginia instead of taking I-77.  Not a great example, but that's how narrow it is and how much it winds.  Thankfully Choco got us here in one piece in just 6 short hours...

Once we reached Turrialba, Mau brought us to Pops for ice cream.  Pops was my favorite place my last visit- I think I went twice in the day and a half we were here.  It's family run and they have the BEST flavors.  After that, we walked to a souvenir shop to pick up some goodies.  It took us a little while, but we made our way to the hotel at 8.

Mau decided that it would be best to have dinner first, then get everyone sent off to their rooms.  We were just about to hand out room keys when the entire lodge began to sway and shake.  It felt like a subway was arriving underneath the patio.  We experienced our first Costa Rican earthquake!  Both Irazu and Turrialba volcanoes have been pretty active this week, so it was no surprise to anyone who lives here.  It did, however, cause a LOT of commotion with our group!  We haven't felt anything since, but it will be interesting to see how well we sleep tonight.  If you hear anything about it on the news tomorrow, don't worry because we're fine :)

Rafting will be an ALL day excursion tomorrow.  We are already tired, but I'm sure that our group will muster up the energy for a day on the river.  Choco will pick us up at the end of the river, all the way out in Siquirres, then we'll have to loop all the way back into San Jose.  It will be another long drive, but much better than waking up to leave for the airport before 4 AM to get there on time... oh wait... we've done that before.  Well, now we won't have to do it again.

My apologies for not getting everything to you this week.  I wasn't sure when we'd have wifi and it turned out that the surf house didn't have it.  I will get pictures added to my posts ASAP.  Just remember when you DON'T hear from us, it's good because we're having too much fun :)  See you soon!

Day 7 - Beach Day

A few of us have been wanting to go for a run while on the trip, but our mornings have been too early or our bodies have been too exhausting.  This morning with the late breakfast, we finally had our chance.  Blake, Jacob, Steph, Cam, Ashley and I all got up at 6:30 to go for a run to the beach and back.  We stopped at the beach for a little while to watch the tide coming in and we could hear the howler monkeys in the trees.  We went a little closer and got about 10 feet away from them in the trees.  There was one very loud male and three females, one of which was carrying a baby on her back.  It was an awesome thing to wake up to.  We ran back up the rocky, steep driveway and had plenty of time to relax before the day’s activities.

We had to be at our community service site at 10 AM, so we took our time with breakfast.  Today we went to Marino Ballena National Park, which is right by the school we visited earlier in the week.  Our task was to pick up trash on the beach.  The group was divided into two teams to make things interesting.  We went separate ways from the ranger station and had an hour and a half to get as much as we could.  The students thought it was a lot of fun and really rewarding.  The team I was with found all kinds of bottles and shoes and even things like brooms and a broken clock.  We also managed to find a fluorescent light bulb.  The best find, however, was made by Chris: a purse.  We were SO excited to see what was inside.  Helen Hendricks Urban, of Brussels, Wisconsin, lost her passport, driver’s license, credit card, and 5 colones.  We had way too much fun coming up with stories of how she lost them.  I will be sending all of it back to her, along with a group picture and a letter, to let us know how much fun she provided us with.

Both groups brought back their bags and we compared finds.  Sorry, but my team had the coolest stuff and definitely had the most (one bag was bursting).  We sorted through all the items that could be recycled, then placed the rest in the trash on site.  Many of the students said that they had so much fun with this activity and that they would do it again.  Even though Team 1 won, we all agreed with Mateo that the beach was the real winner J

Our relaxing day continued after lunch with an entire afternoon at the beach.  It was nice to have 3 hours to just surf or swim.  Many of the students had the opportunity to go out beyond the whitecaps to catch some swells.  It was great to see how many of them picked up surfing so quickly!  The only problem with catching swells- you have to paddle that much further out.  Surfing didn’t last too long because we got exhausted much more quickly than usual.

When it was time to go back to the surf house, Mau shuttled groups back.  Cam, Steph, Sam, and I opted to walk back so we could stop at the tourism office- which is the shape of a humpback whale.  We took our picture with the whale, talked to some friendly Ticos, and headed back for dinner.

Our last activity of the day was an intense futbol match.  The guides rented out a local “indoor” (covered) soccer field for us to play.  It was an impressive facility that included nice bleachers, a restaurant, and a dance area.  We divided up into 4 teams and played two different tournaments.  Stuart scored at LEAST six goals- what a soccer star! :)  We were absolutely EXHAUSTED by the end of it.  Such a great workout! 

Tomorrow morning we start out early because we will have to change locations.  We will start community service at a local school before 8 AM so we can get back for lunch by 11.  Shortly after lunch, we will hit the road for the long trip to Turrialba.  Turrialba is our last stop on the trip L  Mau will show us around his hometown, then we will prep for whitewater rafting on Tuesday.  Pura vida!

Day 6 – Caño Island

The sun was out full force when we got up at 6 this morning; we knew that it was going to be a scorcher.  When it rains at night, we can typically count on a cool morning and clear day.  It was definitely a clear sky, but much hotter than we were used to.  The first application of sunscreen occurred much earlier than usual.

We ate breakfast and made the short walk down the road to Bahia Adventuras, the group that would be outfitting us for snorkeling.  We signed in, tried on our flippers, and got our lifejackets before walking down to Corcovado National Park, which is just down the beach from Playa Uvita (where we surf).  Our boat launch spot was a little estuary where a small creek meets the ocean.  We had two boats that were out in the shallow water with their propellers up.  We walked out into knee deep water and had to time it up in between waves to get on the boat without falling.  Once on board, our guide stowed our backpacks up front to keep them dry.  From here on out, all we could have out was a waterproof camera.

The boats don’t look like a speed boat, but boy did they cruise through the water!  I think our driver, Cristian, was a bit of a daredevil because we kept going back and forth through the other boat’s wake.  Salvador, our house chef, came with us.  He and I received the brunt of the waves since we were sitting in the back of the boat.  I was soaked and sunburned before we even reached our destination!

The ride out to Caño Island takes about an hour and a half.  On a good day, 10 minutes can be cut off of the trip because the water isn’t as choppy.  It took us a little longer because both boats stopped for whales!  Whales usually aren’t in the area until mid-July; however, we lucked out and came across some whales, the only tropical whales that have baleen.  Later in the summer, they will see blue whales and humpback whales because they use this water as their nursing ground for babies.  We didn’t see the whales breach, but it was still incredible to be that close to them.  A little further on, our group encountered an olive ridley sea turtle; they are very shy and usually dive under after they are spotted.

When we got to Caño Island, we could already see fish from the boat- the water was that clear.  Our guide, Wayne, prepped our snorkels for diving.  Wayne used toothpaste to keep the goggles from fogging up- a cool little trick of the trade that had a bonus of making our snorkels smell great.  He gave us a few instructions and then we were all off the boat to explore!  I had never been snorkeling before and I could have done it all day.  I was blown away by how bright and colorful the fish were; it was far more impressive to see them in their natural habitat than to see them in the pet store.  I can’t even begin to describe some of the colors we saw.

We snorkeled for an hour: 30 minutes at two different locations.  Between the two groups, we saw white-tip reef sharks, a hawk’s bill sea turtle, blue tang, butterfly fish, snapper, several types of parrot fish, puffer fish (Wayne caught one to show us), angel fish, a large trumpet fish, and so many others.  The colors were unbelievable.  All of the fish swam right around us and didn’t even seem to care that we were around.

The boats took us back to a different island that was part of Corcovado National Park.  The sky was overcast and we got sprinkled on for a little while.  The boats pulled up as close to the shoreline as they could and again we hopped out in about knee deep water.  The guides unloaded coolers and started to prepare lunch.  Most of us decided to explore along the beach until it was ready.  It was unreal how many hermit crabs were there!  Jacob and Blake built a little “colony” and put all of the crabs they found into a little hole they created in the sand.  We picked up all kinds of shells and sea glass.

We had the option after lunch to go on a short hike around the island- all of the students opted out of it.  By now, the weather cleared making it perfect beach time or others were simply too tired to do anything more.  One of the guides found some animals just inside the jungle, so Cam, Connor, Dani, Mrs. Wooden, Ryan, and I followed him in.  We got to see our first spider monkeys of the trip.  Spider monkeys are endangered in Costa Rica, mostly due to human development.  If you make too much noise, they will run away from you, unlike the white-faced capuchins we encountered earlier in the trip.  We also saw some more howler monkeys and a two-toed sloth.

After an hour of enjoying the beach by playing coconut baseball and “turtleing,” we got back on the boat for the trip back to mainland.  Our captains saw large groups of brown booby birds and they said that was a sign that dolphins were in the area.  Sure enough, we saw a group of brown spotted dolphins shortly after.  Brown spotted dolphins are much smaller than bottlenose dolphins; they are less than 2 meters long.  We continued along our way and laughed as flying fish kept leaping out of the water in the wake of our boat.  Our boat also came across a sea turtle, which we later realized were two green sea turtles (which are very rare) mating.  The other boat approached and the turtles stayed interlocked.  Wayne told us that the sea turtles only mate once a year, but for 3 days straight… and there was an awkward silence among our high school students.

When we got back on shore around 4, we had the option of going to the beach or to an internet café.  The students made the unanimous decision to go to the beach (sorry parents).  I was pleased that our group was enjoying their time here so much and that they were ok with being “off the grid” for a while.  I think it says a lot about their independence, as well as how much fun they are having.

It started to rain again just as we were finishing up at the beach.  The late afternoon rain meant that we would have a chance at having a clear night.  Chris, Mau, Mateo, Ashley, and Gerald wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and planned a surprise bonfire on the beach for after dinner.  Hate to say it, but it was kind of fun to mess with our group a little bit as to what the surprise was going to be.  We gave them all kinds of crazy ideas and told them all they needed was bug spray and a flashlight.  At 7:30, we piled into our vans and after a short stop at the store for some supplies, we headed north to Playa Hermosa.  It was an absolutely perfect night.  The stars were out and we could see so many of the constellations that are too close to the horizon back in Ohio.  There were also storms to our north and south, so every once and a while, lightning would also light up the sky.  The moon was a golden crescent close to the horizon over the water.  It really was the perfect night.

The boys built a fire and we made Tico S’mores with Chikys (Costa Rican graham cookie with a chocolate coating on one side) and flavored marshmallows.  Some students went crab hunting and caught quite a few crazy looking ones!  We decided one of them was the Chagrin crab because it was orange and black J  Steph found what we thought was a weird crab, until Jacob explained it was a sand flea coated in sand.  He dusted it off and showed us how he uses them for bait when he fishes in North Carolina- very cool!  We also heard a ghost story while sitting around the fire- a ghost story about our own surf house.  Thanks to Mateo, everyone was pretty freaked out coming back to the house.  Hope everyone sleeps well tonight!

Tomorrow we have the opportunity to sleep in!  Breakfast isn’t until 8:45, but given our track record, we’ll probably be up with the sun anyway.  At 10 we will go to the national park to do some beach clean-up and in the afternoon, we’ll get to surf again.  Even though you haven’t heard from us, we’re doing great!  Goodnight!

Day 5 - Cave Exploration

Our guides were not happy with our group because everyone was up with the sunrise around 5 AM.  We all slept pretty well once Sam and Stuart stopped giggling J  All you could hear all night was the roar of the waterfall.  Nobody was bothered by dripping water off the rock or by the giant cave crickets around us.  It was such a surreal experience to wake up in an open cliffside!

We had the most amazing breakfast we’ve had since we’ve been here- banana oatmeal, fruit salad, toast with grape jam, tea, and fresh brewed coffee.  It doesn’t sound all that phenomenal, but it was delicious!  We left with just our water and cameras for a different waterfall further up the mountainside.  Our hike up was much steeper than yesterday, but thankfully, it wasn’t 3 hours.  The only thing we really had to worry about were the soldier ants once Jesse disturbed their nest…

The waterfall had a 25 foot drop into a gorgeous blue pool below.  The water was FREEZING, but most of us took the plunge off the waterfall!  The pool was very deep and Dani said “it was exhilarating.”  It was great to everyone cheering for each other as they prepared to jump.  Mateo swam under the waterfall and started to climb it.

 When we made it back to camp, the Rustic Pathways group we met the other night was there.  They were going to stay there and rappel as well.  Before we all ate lunch together, we had the option to go check out a 600 foot waterfall further downstream.  12 of the students decided to go with Mau, Mateo, Mrs. Wooden, and myself.  It was definitely worth the extra hiking time.  The view was unbelievable!  We held onto a cable going across the stream and took pictures off the edge.  We trekked a little further up to a pool under a smaller waterfall and took a group picture.  It was absolutely breathtaking.

Our cave adventure was over after lunch.  We ate quesadillas and took off on the hike back.  It was not near as bad since the majority was downhill.  There were a few people who slipped on the mud going down and we all felt a few muscles in our legs that we never realized we had.  It was a lot shorter trip and we were happy to be done with it… until we realized we had to crawl back into the vans.  We had 2 days of extensive hiking and slept in a cave.  NOBODY smelled great.  We left all the windows open in the pouring rain on the drive back.  It was a race back into the base house for who could get the first shower!

Everyone was really tired, so it was a lot of chill time before dinner.  I sat and caught up on two day’s worth of this blog, while Sam, Blake, Connor, Dani, and Ali helped me remember everything we did!  Some people lounged on hammocks and we watched as there was a new refrigerator, a washer, and a dryer delivered to the house.  Yay for upgrades!

After dinner, we played some games in the soda.  We played an intense, back and forth game of “Pterodactyl.”  It kept going and going until Sam fell out of his chair and EVERYONE was laughing, so we had no idea who the winner was.  We also played a skit game from “Who’s Line is it Anyway?” called “Party.”  We have some great actors in our group!  By the end of all the fun and games, it was 9 and pouring rain, and we called it a night. 

It’s hard to believe our trip is half over!

Day 4 – Extreme Hiking

Our day started out early with breakfast at 6:45.  We left around 7:15 for our excursion to the cave.  Our base house is close to Uvita and the cave location, Diamante Verde, was about an hour bus ride away.  We loaded everyone into two vans like a clown car- we all had to fold in with all of our bags as well.  We wound around on a main highway, then went on a dirt road past several cattle farms.

We started at the base of a very large hillside.  The trek up was daunting because of the sunlight, humidity, and all of the steep sections.  There was a lot of mud and slippery leaves, so a fair share of us slipped and fell J  We had frequent water stops along the way so we could enjoy the beautiful views on the hillside.

When we all felt like we were going to die an hour and 45 minutes later, we reached an opening in the canopy that had a garden.  We took a rest and ate mangos and sugarcane.  Our leader, Jesse, gave us a tour of the location.  Jesse was born in Arkansas, raised in California, and now has been running this hike and operating the rappelling and cave with his family for 10 years.  Anyhow, we got to try a wide variety of fruits and vegetables right off of the plant.  Ali collected a list of items, including peppermint, cranberry hibiscus leaves (a crowd favorite), mustard, wasabi leaves, cacao seeds, peppers, hibiscus flowers, vanilla, passion fruit, sweet lemon, guava, and ylang ylang (smells like Chanel No. 5).  There was also this plant that looked like yellow pinecone that collected water.  You were supposed to put your head under it and squeeze the water out.  It smelled amazing and made your hair really soft.  We loved it after a long, sweaty hike!  Another highlight was the noni plant, used for a variety of medicinal treatments.  It smelled like rotting cheese and we were dared to try it.  Cam took a big bite out of it, and shortly after, spit it out and started rubbing his tongue on his shirt.  It “tasted like cheese becoming cheese in my mouth!”

After our little walk around the garden, we continued for another 45 minutes to the cave.  It was well worth it!  It was located under a large waterfall.  We climbed up and under the waterfall and made our way to the ledges that had our tables, cots, kitchen, and bathrooms.  It was a lot more open than we thought.  It was kind of more of an overhang and it was definitely all about the view.  Sam compared it to a lookout point.  We were greeted by Jesse’s sisters who prepared tea and pineapple for our arrival.  A little later, we had a typical Costa Rica lunch of tortillas, chicken with artichoke hearts, refried beans, fresh guacamole (my personal fave), pico de gallo, and chips.

Now it was time for rappelling!  The clouds were rolling in as we got a safety lesson from Jesse.  There wasn’t enough equipment, so we split into two groups.  Group one got on their harnesses, safety line, and helmets.  They climbed back up the steep path we came down and went off to the side over the waterfall.  There is SO much water rolling over the cliff, but when you got up top, you realized it was just a little stream.  Peering out over the edge you could see that it was about 30 feet of the side of the rock and a 60 foot freefall.  The first group went just as it started raining.  The guides came back and as they prepped the second group, it started pouring.  They said it was no big deal- just rainy season in Costa Rica!  Toward the end, it started to thunder and by the time the last 3 went (myself included- no students), lightning lit up the sky all around us.  It was exhilarating.  I was soaked and cold, but so proud that ALL of the students did it.  The best part, however, was how Mrs. Wooden went first and left Cam in her dust J  Several students said “it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever done!”

<-- Mrs. Wooden!!!

Now it was really starting to get cold in the cave because half of us were soaked.  We put on dry clothes and had some tea and cookies.  The tea was made with the mint, lemongrass, and basil from the garden.  Between the sun setting early here and the storm, it got very dark around 5:30.  There were candles lit all around the ledges and we definitely needed our flashlights on.  There were games of Uno, Crazy 8s, Spoons, Rummy, ERS, and others.  We ate a late pasta dinner, and then sat around as Sam played the guitar and everyone sang along.  Our sense of time was so thrown off because of the dark, so many of us turned in around 7:30 J  It was a very fun, relaxing night and extremely rewarding after a tough hike and a 90 foot rappelling adventure in the rain.

Day 3 – Happy Birthday, Drew!

It was so nice to fall asleep to the sound of rain hitting a tin roof!  It rained for a few hours over night and we woke up to a nice cool morning.  We had breakfast at 7 and met some new people who would be joining us.  Mateo and Ashley are two surf guides who work with the Surf and Service group.  They got in late last night from San Jose after bringing the last group to the airport.  We were also joined by Ryan, a teacher from California who is working with Rustic Pathways this summer taking pictures for them.  After cleaning up, we hopped into 2 vans for the short ride to Bahia Ballena School.

The school is really beautiful.  The teacher lives in the first building, which is connected to 3 others by a wooden boardwalk.  It is all open-air, so the wood is exposed to the elements.  We were split up into three different groups and rotated to different stations for the next two hours.  One station was applying an oil seal to the wood, another was painting a classroom, and the last station, everyone’s favorite, was playing with the students.  All of the students did a WONDERFUL job!  It was so hot and humid, but nobody complained about sweating, the sun, or tired arms from brushstrokes.

At the end of the morning, we said goodbye and thank you.  We had cookies and juice with the students and gave them some of our toys.  Ryan took a nice group picture with our group, guides, and the students.  It was a rewarding and enjoyable morning.

We came back to the house for yet another delicious meal prepared by Salvador- chicken with rice and beans and some other traditional Costa Rican sides, including plantains.  Everyone hung out until we had to leave at 2 to walk to the beach for surfing again.

The waves seemed much stronger today.  Diego told me that they really weren’t all that different, but after talking to some others in the group, I was happy to find out I wasn’t the only one who thought so.  The waves may have been stronger, or we may have just been tired from the work this morning, but either way, we didn’t last quite as long.  Jacob, Stuart, Blake, and Nate continued to dominate the waves, while others opted to end a bit earlier today.  We swam for a while and watched Diego, Mateo, Tito, Chris, and Ashley take to the waves.

We all washed the saltwater away and went up to dinner.  After we enjoyed some burgers for dinner, we dispersed for some fun and games until… Drew’s birthday surprise!  Mau, Chris, and Gerald picked up a birthday cake, Fanta, and a piñata for a birthday party.  We were also joined by another Rustic Pathways group (Costa Rican Adventure) who was also at the beach today.  They all played Mafia together, we sang “Happy Birthday” to Drew in Spanish, and then he got his crack at the piñata.  It was a great surprise filled night!

Mateo gave everyone instructions about our very exciting outing for tomorrow- we will have our hike to the cave!  It will be a long, hot day, but well worth it.  We will have the opportunity to swim at different waterfalls along the way, then rappel down our last waterfall at the cave. 

Each day brings new and wonderful surprises!  We are all having a great time J  Buenos noches!

Day 2 - Sun, Sand & Surf

Thanks to a 2 hour time difference and early sunrise, we were all able to wake up bright and early.  Breakfast was at 7, right across the road at Mono Azul (The Blue Monkey for you non-Spanish speakers like me).  It certainly lived up to it’s name as there were blue monkeys EVERYWHERE- paintings, signs, stuffed animals, etc.  We had a “typico” breakfast which consists of rice & beans, fruit, and scrambled eggs.  They also had pancakes and French toast.  It was DELICIOUS!  I am trying to convert everyone to the rice & beans and Lizano.  Thus far, I know that Mrs. Wooden and Nick are fans.  Two down, twenty to go…

We left the hotel with our backpacks packed for a morning at the beach.  We were fortunate enough to be staying close to Manuel Antonio National Park.  Chris and Mau opted out of the guided tour because there would be enough people around that we could stop were the other groups were and get all the information.  And it was well worth it!  I keep trying to tell this group they are so spoiled compared to the group from two years ago.  We spotted howler monkeys and white-faced capuchin monkeys not even 20 feet into the park, we saw squirrel monkeys up close and personal, and we saw at LEAST 6 sloths, some of which were only 15 feet or so off the ground.

After about a mile and a half, we reached the playa (beach, not slang for player).  It was BEAUTIFUL!  It was a gorgeous, white sand beach and since it is completely protected by the parks system, it is flawless.  It was this nice little cove with rocks on either side and the water was so clear.  No fish, no grass or seaweed, just beautiful blue water.  This location got even better once the monkeys started coming out of the trees.  About 10 white-faced capuchins hopped down and prowled around our bags looking for food.  Chris said he’s seen one unzip a backpack, take out a Snickers, then unwrap it and eat it in a tree.  He’s also seen one take a sandwich out, unwrap the aluminum foil, pick out the tomatoes(!), then finish the sandwich.  They are sneaky, so we took our pictures and tried to hold our ground without getting too close to them.  For the next hour and a half, we just enjoyed being in the water.  It was great to see how all of the students stuck together.

 Chris suggested checking out another beach just around the other side of the cove.  It was a short walk and the waves were awesome.  He taught us all how to body surf and it was rather entertaining.  Chris, Blake, and Sam even had a short football game with a coconut J

Although it was hard to leave, we knew there was more fun ahead.  We rinsed off and headed off to lunch at Mono Azul.  We packed our bags and got on the road to Bahia Ballena!  Mau made a stop to get us some ice cream sandwiches- the best some of the students ever had, so I’ve heard.  Everyone also got to pick up drinks, cookies, candy, and miscellaneous items they forgot at home.  When we got to the road for the house, we had to say goodbye to our friend Jorge L  The roads at this point are too narrow and too steep for his bus.

The Rustic Pathways base house for Surf and Service is an awesome compound.  We had to walk up a very steep hill, but, as always, the view from the top is INCREDIBLE.  We can see the tops of all the trees and the ocean on the horizon.  Rustic rents the house during the busy summer months.  Students are in and out of here every Tuesday.  We met Gerald, who has 5 years of experience with this program, Salvador, who is the house chef, and Racquel, who is the house manager and cleans and helps with meals.  We had just 15 minutes, then it was off to the beach!

We made the 20 minute walk to the beach for a surfing lesson from 3 – 5.  We met up with Tito and Diego, who work with a lot of the Rustic groups.  Tito explained all of the basics in just 15 minutes, then we took to the water!  We were split up into 3 groups, with Chris being our other instructor.  Jacob and Blake had prior surfing experience, so I was very nervous when I was placed in Blake’s group and he said he wanted to watch me fall L  We were also with Drew, Cam, Ali, and Lydea.  Now, I am a very competitive person, so normally I don’t like anything that I’m not good at.  But I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED surfing!  I don’t think that I’m alone on this.  We all swallowed our fair share of salt water, got some board rash, and fell off too many times to count.  However, there were so many more smiles and laughs than complaints.  I was impressed by Blake’s surfing, but I must say that Ali was my group MVP.  She took to surfing like a fish to water!  Diego was very proud.  Chris said that Jacob, Nate, Steph, and Alix all did very well.  Nate credits his success to snowboarding, but I think he’s just being humble.

After our lesson, Gerald and Salvador had water and fresh cut pineapple and mango for us.  So good!  We played volleyball on the beach and looked for small crabs and snails in the sand until the sun fell just over the horizon, only half an hour after our lesson was over.  The group made a happy, but tired, walk back to the house for dinner.

Now we are all sitting here talking, playing card games, and listening to music.  It’s such a mellow Tico lifestyle!  Everyone is in good spirits, used to cockroaches, and adjusting to the humidity.  These 20 students are truly a dream to work with!  I’m glad that everyone is having a great time.

Tomorrow we are going to a very small school in the village.  We will paint and teach the students some English.  In the afternoon, we will head back to the beach for some more surfing!  Pura vida!