Thank you Costa Rica---It's Been a Trip to Remember

 We've had a fantastic time here in Costa Rica!  We are just packing up and getting ready to head to the airport! It's a beautiful day here and while we're sad to say goodbye to this gorgeous country with kind people, we are excited to see our families and friends!

See you Stateside soon!

Back to San Jose!

We left our wonderful beachside villa and headed back toward San Jose!

Along the way we stopped to do some souvenir shopping.  One of the places was a artisan coop, where they also make the ox carts that Costa Rica is so well known for.  These carts are different form other Latin American carts because they are beautifully hand painted!  We were able to see them being cut, assembled and painted. 

Once we reached our hotel in San Jose, students have two options:  they could walk around San Jose with a chaperone or they could attend the cultural evening that they signed up for prior to departure.  Both groups had a fun evening.  Those who went to the cultural night, experienced a view like no other of San Jose and cultural dancing overlooking the city.

Goodbye Monteverde, Hello Carara!

Due to technology issues we were unable to post yesterday.

In a nutshell, this is what we saw and experienced:

·      We left the cloud forest for the beach;

·      Stopped and saw a river full of American Crocodiles---the largest number of American Crocodiles in all of Central America;

·      Toured a forest at sea level;

·      Arrived at our new hotel:  SWANKY!!!  A hotel right on a black sand beach (black sand is from volcanic activity);

·      Swam;

·      Swam;

·      Swam;

·      Went to Manuel Antonio National Park where we saw Howler Monkeys, Squirrel Monkeys and a two toed and three toed sloth;

·      Spent the day swimming and exploring the most gorgeous white sand beach;

·      Had a fantastic evening back at the hotel.

Tomorrow we are returning to San Jose.  We will stop for souvenir shopping.  We can’t believe our trip is almost over!

Up in the Canopy

Our day was magical from start to finish.

We were up early, with 6:00 am wake up calls and a 6:30 breakfast.  Breakfast this morning was toast with a homemade papaya and mango marmalade, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, coffee and juice. 

 Our bus left at 7:30 for the cloud forest---IT WAS ZIP LINING DAY with Aventura Canopy Tour!!!!

We all got harnassed in, helmets on, and ready for instruction!  Then...we were off!

All in all there were 12 platforms during our zip line.  One zip line was a mile long!  We zipped over the canopy--some of us even saw a rainbow as we zipped on by!  At the next platform, most people were partnered up and zipped to their final destination.  As we were unhooked, we were asked if we were participating in.....

The Mega Tarzan Swing!  This was a jump from a platform, that swung out and finally finished on the group below.  Almost everyone participated--students and chaperones alike!

As if that weren't enough....

Some participated in the optional Horseback Riding experience.  The ride went through the rainforest. The terrain changed from meadows to forests, hills and flat land. 

Those who didn't go horseback riding, went into town to explore.  Some spoke with the local people, others observed glass blowing (the family's tradition), visited and shopped in a shop with handmade blankets, purses, wallets.  Some even went to a Sushi bar!  Some students saw an Easter parade go by.  There were lots of tourists out in town and the church was packed with locals. 

Lunch was back at our hotels after our respective activities.  Then, it was off for a canopy walk.

The canopy walk was through the canopy of the rainforest on eight hanging bridges. 

 As we walked through the canopy learning about the epiphytes, strangler trees, and enjoying the views, we were fortunate to see a quetzal. 

Our guide explained that bird watchers come to this forest just to see this bird.  You can imagine how excited and awed we were to see it in person and so close!  It was beautiful!

We returned to our hotels, exhausted but happy.  Dinner was quesadillas and homemade yucca chips.  Tomorrow we're off to the Pacific Coast.  We'll be leaving the mountains and headed down to sea level.

Money, Money, Money, Money!

For those interested in the currency---the local currency is a Costa Rican colon. 

The exchange rate is approximately 500 colones=$1. 

They also take US Dollars.  Sometimes colones will be given as change, sometimes US

A Sneak Preview

What a fantastic day!

This morning we have gone zip lining, some went on the Tarzan jump, and everyone either went horseback riding or perusing the town!  And that's just been this morning!  We're on a lunch break and then off to a canopy walk in the rainforest!!!

More to follow later!  All are doing well and definitely keeping busy! :)

A Walk in the Rainforest

Our afternoon was spent walking...in the rainforest, the Reserva Bosque Nuboso Santa Elena.

Our guide taught us about the flora and the fauna.   Those who wanted to, could touch a millipede that was found!

We continued on, looking up, listening, and paying attention to where we walked.

We didn't see any big animals (those at the very back of the line saw the Costa Rican version of a wild turkey---it looks VERY different!), but we were treated with one final surprise....

There, right behind our bus, was a.....

TARANTULA!

We couldn't have asked for a better ending to our day!!!

We're having a terrific time here in Costa Rica!!!!  We made a stop for snacks at a local convenience store and headed back to our hotel.  We have been having an evening with dinner, talking, and sharing.

Tomorrow holds more excitement....but you'll have to visit our site tomorrow to see what adventures we have! :)

A School Visit

We were lucky enough to visit a local school--even though it was a Saturday.  It is an elementary school:  Escuela La Cruz in Santa Elena.   They prepared a special presentation just for us.

We learned a bit about their school system and what school life is like in this small, rural town. 

Students go to school from 7:00-12:00 and then from 12:30-5:00 pm so that the building can be maximized and the class sizes minimized since one teacher instructs all of the students in one class.  There were sixteen students in one class and the grades included first through six grades. 

The school is responsible for feeding students both breakfast and lunch for only $1 a day per child.

They have a computer lab with computers donated by a Costa Rican company.  It is their hope to one day have iPads and be able to access curriculum on the internet for each student at various academic levels.

We were also treated to a special dance presentation by some of the children. 

 At the end, some of us joined in and danced as well!

As a fundrasier, the school sells homemade marmalade and jam.  We all sampled the sweetcake and marmalade/jam after our presentation.  

And then bought many of the jams....friends and family back home--look forward to sampling this yummy treat!

Some also went out to the soccer field and kicked the soccer ball around or just enjoyed the sunshine.

What a beautiful visit and opportunity!

Day 3: Part 1: Arenal to Monte Verde

This morning we were greeted with SUNSHINE when we woke up!  The warmth and light was amazing!!

We loaded the bus with our packed bags, ate breakfast, and prepared for our journey!  We left the Arenal Region today and headed toward Monte Verde.  But, boy was there a lot that we experienced between our morning bus boarding and our afternoon checkin at Monte Verde.

As we drove along the road, the bus slowed for us to see a man feeding the white nosed coati.  These are like raccoons.  Our guide knew these were all females and juveniles because they were in a group.  The males are almost always by themselves.  Yesterday, we saw a male.  It should also be noted that one should NOT feed the coatis because they can bite.  This was a lesson for all of us in what NOT to do as a tourist.

We then drove on a bit more--through winding roads, with beautiful vistas.


We had a mid morning stop at a German Bakery--yes, I typed that correctly...a German Bakery.

Our guides shared with us that the country is 93% of Spanish descent, 1% native, 3% Asian, 3% German or Quaker.

We will all tell you, it was a DELICIOUS stop!!!  Students had croissants, nutrolls, fresh pretzels, and bread--the smells alone were worth the stop!

The view, was also quite dynamic!

We were back on the bus, saying our final goodbyes to Lake Arenal.  Lake Arenal is the same lake that we kayaked on yesterday.  The lake is 33 square miles--it is man made--and up to 100 feet deep in some places!

We bid one final farewell and then we were in our next region:  Monte Verde!

The scenery quickly changed from volcanoes and the lake, to rolling hills.  It has been recognized by National Geographic as one of the best cloud forests and one of the nicest places to visit.

We pulled up to our next hotel and checked in.

We also had a delicious lunch of chicken, beans, eggplant spread, homemade chips, salad with cucumbers, and fresh pineapple.

There's a lot more to tell...stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 to follow!