I hope that everyone is home and sleeping at this point in the evening. It was a long day for all of us, but things went smoothly. I will post a recap and other information for you tomorrow.
Thank you to our guides, Eva and Adrian, who did a phenomenal job the last 10 days. It is not easy to constantly bring the positive energy, but they were upbeat and ready to give our students an exciting day.
Thank you to our Rustic Pathways representatives, Matija, Maricruz, and Ricardo, who helped plan this amazing experience.
Thank you to Mrs. Wooden, my travel buddy, for being willing and crazy enough to go on this trip with me for a third time. Eva summed it up best- you truly exemplify the "pura vida lifestyle."
And finally, thank you to the students for being open to new adventures and ideas. We do this trip because of you and I am so glad that I had the chance to learn from you and gain a new perspective seeing this trip through YOUR eyes. Your energy drives the trip and I appreciate you getting up early each day, putting on bug spray when asked, following bedtimes, showing up for activities on time, putting up with the constant picture taking... you are awesome. I hope that you can take something away from this experience and apply it at home or wherever your travels may take you!
It's officially been a 19 hour travel day... be on the lookout for photo details in the next few days. Pura vida! And, as the boys would say, buenos nachos! :)
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
In the U.S.!
Just landed early in Baltimore & taxiing to our gate. It will take us a little while to get through customs, but after that, all the texting & phone calls you want :)
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Whitewater rafting
What a day! We were up at 7:30 for breakfast at our hotel. Charlie, the owner, had a typico breakfast ready for us to eat family style. We had a few minutes to apply our sunscreen and bug spray and to check to make sure we had everything packed. Then we headed out to the bus for a 45 minute bus ride to our starting point on the river.
On the way out of Turrialba, we passed several points of interest. First, just outside of town there is a large Firestone factory. This plant employs many people living in Turrialba. The parking lot was full of motorbikes from the workers, otherwise many of them take the bus from town. We also passed CATIE just down the road. CATIE is an organization founded in the 1940s for agricultural research. They do a lot for conservation as well, but their farms/plantations employ the locals while researching sustainable practices and educating students. It's a very large facility. We also passed a lot of coffee plantations and pineapple plantations. The coffee plantations were interesting because they planted large trees in between the rows of coffee bushes. Eva said that this serves two purposes: 1) as a wind/rain block to keep the flowers on the plants (if they fall off, no coffee beans) and 2) a different plant in the soil provides/uses different nutrients, which makes it easier to plant coffee for years to come. Eva also shared some interesting information on the pineapples. Pineapples are terrestrial bromeliads. This genus is typically associated with epiphytes, or air plants, which grow in the trees. However pineapple plants grow on the ground. It takes one year for a pineapple plant to produce fruit, which is incredible considering how easy they are to purchase (side note: the pineapple here tastes COMPLETELY different from back home- so much more flavor!)
We made it to a spot that looked like a public bus stop and had a dirt road right next to it. This is where we met one of our river guides, David. After a final application of sunscreen and bug spray, we said goodbye to our bus driver Marco with just our sunscreen and water bottles in hand. A large tractor attached to a trailer with benches and a roof picked us up. This would be our transportation for the steep, narrow 30 minute ride down to the river. Everyone thought their bench was going to break, but it was set up with what felt like shocks because every time we hit a bump, the seat bounced back. No lower back problems today!
After what felt like a roller coaster ride, we made it to the river. David gave us our safety talk after we were outfitted with a helmet, life vest, and paddle. There are so many instructions and rules to go over, so he gave us the basics before we met our boat guides. They split us up into four different boats:
Boat 1: Eva, Aubrey, Scotty, Colin, Aaron
Boat 2: Adrian, Alex, Griffin, Emma, Leah
Boat 3: Mrs. Wooden, Ben, Katie, Marley, Ryan
Boat 4: Me, Kelly, Justin, Reed, Alyson, Mikala
Once we were assigned, we met our guide and received further instructions: forward paddle, back paddle, lean in, get down, high left/right, etc. Other than that, you're operating on full adrenaline.
The Pacuare River (or Rio Pacuare) flows toward the Caribbean. It is one of the top 5 whitewater rafting rivers in the world, filled with mostly Class III and IV rapids. Our teamwork, or "workteam," as Adrian called it :) was put to the test. Only a few students had been rafting before and it was nothing like this.
We didn't take any pictures today because you can't really stop for photos on the river. Even if you have a waterproof camera or case, you worry about it popping out of the raft. They have two kayaks that accompany us down the river; one is a safety guide and the other is photographer. Some of the students chose to purchase their pictures at the end of the trip. But considering that people pop out of the raft so easily, we chose not to bring our phones or cameras. Colin and Aaron probably got some great footage on their Go Pros.
You are so focused on what's going on with your group that you don't really notice what's happening with the other rafts. It's hard to say if people fell out of the raft during the rapids or fell in on purpose. Kelly fell out of our raft during one of the Class III rapids. Our guide, Diego, yelled "get down," which doesn't so much involve us getting down in the raft as much as it is us falling into it. Well as he said this, you could see Kelly smiling wide as she spun around, facing into the boat, continuing to smile as she popped out. She was smiling floating down the river during the rapid, and smiling as we pulled her back in. She actually said it was a lot of fun :) Mikala almost fell out on one of the rapids, but Diego grabbed the back of her life vest just in time! In the other groups, I can't say for sure. After one of the rapids, half of a raft was in the water... they may say the fell intentionally, but who knows...
One of the coolest features of this river is the lack of development. There are two lodges set up along the river, Pacuare Lodge and Rios Tropicales lodge, and that's it. Everything else is just jungle. It makes it so much more pleasant to enjoy the scenery. There are a few spots where you can see small houses or huts that are only accessible by cable cars going across the river. We saw dragonflies, toucans, kingfishers, and cormorants from our raft. The dragonflies were a hit because they followed us and landed on us the entire second half of the trip. We even named them: Fred and Regina. Why? I have no idea.
The first part of our trip was about 2 and a half hours. We stopped for lunch along the banks of the river and had plenty of rocks to sit on. Each guide had a different plastic barrel in his boat containing the items for our lunch. One boat is pulled out of the water and flipped to create a giant buffet table. We made deli sandwiches, had chips with beans or salsa, fresh pineapple and watermelon, cookies for dessert, and water or iced tea to drink. Rafting is hard work, so most went up for seconds, some for thirds and fourths. Because of the effort you put in, it's probably one of the best meals of the trip. We clean up all the trash and put it into the barrels, reapply sunscreen, then head back down the river.
Another great feature of the river is the canyons. If you Google image search "Pacuare River," you'll see exactly what I'm talking about: high stone walls, waterfalls on the sides, and rope bridges above. We go through two or three of the canyons. The water is so deep here, it's a great spot to swim. Everyone jumps out of the raft, swims around close to the "chicken line," then helps pull each other back in. Justin did a couple backflips off our boat, which was impressive, UNTIL Diego had to one up him and get some serious hang time on his flip. You can't out-do the guides on this trip!
You know the 4 hour trip is ending soon when you encounter two bridges: one old iron train bridge and the major highway bridge running between Siquirres and Turrialba. When we got to the iron bridge, there was a large group of boys on the rocks and the bridge. All of a sudden, one of them jumped into the water: about a 30 foot drop. Next thing we know, two more boys, then another two, follow. Then the whole group is jumping in. We thought that at 2:30 on Tuesday, maybe they should have been in school. Someone in the boat even asked "where are your parents?!" We decided that in Costa Rica, if everyone jumps off a bridge, apparently you're going to do it to.
We went under the highway overpass, then stayed on the left bank of the river in calmer water. We saw the truck up on the bank and the raft ahead of us being carried out: our adventure was over. We helped carry all the rafts out, then took off our vests and helmets. Despite the reminds to apply sunscreen at the start and to reapply it at lunch, we have some very pink students coming home... Marco was waiting for us with all the bus seats covered with garbage bags and our towels. It was just a 10 minute ride to the Rios Tropicales headquarters where we all got showers, coffee and tea, and purchased pictures. While we were waiting on everyone to finish, someone spotted blue jean frogs, or strawberry poison-dart frogs! They are very small, less than an inch long, and there were four of them hopping around on the rocks between the plants on display.
It was about an hour and a half ride back to Turrialba; we gave 4 of our rafting guides a ride back and said goodbye. Incredibly, very few of them slept on the bus ride back. They had a little time before our last dinner together in Costa Rica.
It wouldn't be a day here without a trip to the hospital. We had 2 people get stitches on this trip; tonight, our second ear infection. So the first two days of the trip had a little excitement and now the last night! Eva, Mrs. Wooden, and Ben ate quickly at dinner, then headed to the clinic while the rest of us stayed at El Tomate Rojo. We watched the first part of the USMNT game vs. Argentina (ouch) while enjoying another Costa Rican specialty: gallo. Adrian made it clear that gallo is NOT a taco; this has its own Costa Rican flare. We had tortillas, the option of beef or chicken, black beans, fresh guacamole, lettuce, and pico de gallo. I am not a picky eater and I pretty much love everything here, but this was probably the best meal. Plates were clean at the end. Thankfully, the crew saved room for dessert: warm brownies. Only fitting to have one of the comforts of home right before we head back.
Everyone is packing up right now because we have to be up for breakfast at 5:45. That's 7:45 back home, but either way, anything before noon is painful for teenagers. We'll have our last activity tonight at 9: Rustic Ties, a great wrap up for the group.
If you lost your itinerary, our flight leaves from San Jose at 12:35 PM local time. We will land in Baltimore at 7:30 PM. Please keep in mind that we have to go through customs and immigration, so you may not hear from them at exactly 7:30. We take off from Baltimore at 10:40 PM and we'll see all of you at 11:55 PM in Cleveland!
Have a wonderful night & see you tomorrow! Pura vida!
On the way out of Turrialba, we passed several points of interest. First, just outside of town there is a large Firestone factory. This plant employs many people living in Turrialba. The parking lot was full of motorbikes from the workers, otherwise many of them take the bus from town. We also passed CATIE just down the road. CATIE is an organization founded in the 1940s for agricultural research. They do a lot for conservation as well, but their farms/plantations employ the locals while researching sustainable practices and educating students. It's a very large facility. We also passed a lot of coffee plantations and pineapple plantations. The coffee plantations were interesting because they planted large trees in between the rows of coffee bushes. Eva said that this serves two purposes: 1) as a wind/rain block to keep the flowers on the plants (if they fall off, no coffee beans) and 2) a different plant in the soil provides/uses different nutrients, which makes it easier to plant coffee for years to come. Eva also shared some interesting information on the pineapples. Pineapples are terrestrial bromeliads. This genus is typically associated with epiphytes, or air plants, which grow in the trees. However pineapple plants grow on the ground. It takes one year for a pineapple plant to produce fruit, which is incredible considering how easy they are to purchase (side note: the pineapple here tastes COMPLETELY different from back home- so much more flavor!)
We made it to a spot that looked like a public bus stop and had a dirt road right next to it. This is where we met one of our river guides, David. After a final application of sunscreen and bug spray, we said goodbye to our bus driver Marco with just our sunscreen and water bottles in hand. A large tractor attached to a trailer with benches and a roof picked us up. This would be our transportation for the steep, narrow 30 minute ride down to the river. Everyone thought their bench was going to break, but it was set up with what felt like shocks because every time we hit a bump, the seat bounced back. No lower back problems today!
After what felt like a roller coaster ride, we made it to the river. David gave us our safety talk after we were outfitted with a helmet, life vest, and paddle. There are so many instructions and rules to go over, so he gave us the basics before we met our boat guides. They split us up into four different boats:
Boat 1: Eva, Aubrey, Scotty, Colin, Aaron
Boat 2: Adrian, Alex, Griffin, Emma, Leah
Boat 3: Mrs. Wooden, Ben, Katie, Marley, Ryan
Boat 4: Me, Kelly, Justin, Reed, Alyson, Mikala
Once we were assigned, we met our guide and received further instructions: forward paddle, back paddle, lean in, get down, high left/right, etc. Other than that, you're operating on full adrenaline.
The Pacuare River (or Rio Pacuare) flows toward the Caribbean. It is one of the top 5 whitewater rafting rivers in the world, filled with mostly Class III and IV rapids. Our teamwork, or "workteam," as Adrian called it :) was put to the test. Only a few students had been rafting before and it was nothing like this.
We didn't take any pictures today because you can't really stop for photos on the river. Even if you have a waterproof camera or case, you worry about it popping out of the raft. They have two kayaks that accompany us down the river; one is a safety guide and the other is photographer. Some of the students chose to purchase their pictures at the end of the trip. But considering that people pop out of the raft so easily, we chose not to bring our phones or cameras. Colin and Aaron probably got some great footage on their Go Pros.
You are so focused on what's going on with your group that you don't really notice what's happening with the other rafts. It's hard to say if people fell out of the raft during the rapids or fell in on purpose. Kelly fell out of our raft during one of the Class III rapids. Our guide, Diego, yelled "get down," which doesn't so much involve us getting down in the raft as much as it is us falling into it. Well as he said this, you could see Kelly smiling wide as she spun around, facing into the boat, continuing to smile as she popped out. She was smiling floating down the river during the rapid, and smiling as we pulled her back in. She actually said it was a lot of fun :) Mikala almost fell out on one of the rapids, but Diego grabbed the back of her life vest just in time! In the other groups, I can't say for sure. After one of the rapids, half of a raft was in the water... they may say the fell intentionally, but who knows...
One of the coolest features of this river is the lack of development. There are two lodges set up along the river, Pacuare Lodge and Rios Tropicales lodge, and that's it. Everything else is just jungle. It makes it so much more pleasant to enjoy the scenery. There are a few spots where you can see small houses or huts that are only accessible by cable cars going across the river. We saw dragonflies, toucans, kingfishers, and cormorants from our raft. The dragonflies were a hit because they followed us and landed on us the entire second half of the trip. We even named them: Fred and Regina. Why? I have no idea.
The first part of our trip was about 2 and a half hours. We stopped for lunch along the banks of the river and had plenty of rocks to sit on. Each guide had a different plastic barrel in his boat containing the items for our lunch. One boat is pulled out of the water and flipped to create a giant buffet table. We made deli sandwiches, had chips with beans or salsa, fresh pineapple and watermelon, cookies for dessert, and water or iced tea to drink. Rafting is hard work, so most went up for seconds, some for thirds and fourths. Because of the effort you put in, it's probably one of the best meals of the trip. We clean up all the trash and put it into the barrels, reapply sunscreen, then head back down the river.
Another great feature of the river is the canyons. If you Google image search "Pacuare River," you'll see exactly what I'm talking about: high stone walls, waterfalls on the sides, and rope bridges above. We go through two or three of the canyons. The water is so deep here, it's a great spot to swim. Everyone jumps out of the raft, swims around close to the "chicken line," then helps pull each other back in. Justin did a couple backflips off our boat, which was impressive, UNTIL Diego had to one up him and get some serious hang time on his flip. You can't out-do the guides on this trip!
You know the 4 hour trip is ending soon when you encounter two bridges: one old iron train bridge and the major highway bridge running between Siquirres and Turrialba. When we got to the iron bridge, there was a large group of boys on the rocks and the bridge. All of a sudden, one of them jumped into the water: about a 30 foot drop. Next thing we know, two more boys, then another two, follow. Then the whole group is jumping in. We thought that at 2:30 on Tuesday, maybe they should have been in school. Someone in the boat even asked "where are your parents?!" We decided that in Costa Rica, if everyone jumps off a bridge, apparently you're going to do it to.
We went under the highway overpass, then stayed on the left bank of the river in calmer water. We saw the truck up on the bank and the raft ahead of us being carried out: our adventure was over. We helped carry all the rafts out, then took off our vests and helmets. Despite the reminds to apply sunscreen at the start and to reapply it at lunch, we have some very pink students coming home... Marco was waiting for us with all the bus seats covered with garbage bags and our towels. It was just a 10 minute ride to the Rios Tropicales headquarters where we all got showers, coffee and tea, and purchased pictures. While we were waiting on everyone to finish, someone spotted blue jean frogs, or strawberry poison-dart frogs! They are very small, less than an inch long, and there were four of them hopping around on the rocks between the plants on display.
It was about an hour and a half ride back to Turrialba; we gave 4 of our rafting guides a ride back and said goodbye. Incredibly, very few of them slept on the bus ride back. They had a little time before our last dinner together in Costa Rica.
It wouldn't be a day here without a trip to the hospital. We had 2 people get stitches on this trip; tonight, our second ear infection. So the first two days of the trip had a little excitement and now the last night! Eva, Mrs. Wooden, and Ben ate quickly at dinner, then headed to the clinic while the rest of us stayed at El Tomate Rojo. We watched the first part of the USMNT game vs. Argentina (ouch) while enjoying another Costa Rican specialty: gallo. Adrian made it clear that gallo is NOT a taco; this has its own Costa Rican flare. We had tortillas, the option of beef or chicken, black beans, fresh guacamole, lettuce, and pico de gallo. I am not a picky eater and I pretty much love everything here, but this was probably the best meal. Plates were clean at the end. Thankfully, the crew saved room for dessert: warm brownies. Only fitting to have one of the comforts of home right before we head back.
Everyone is packing up right now because we have to be up for breakfast at 5:45. That's 7:45 back home, but either way, anything before noon is painful for teenagers. We'll have our last activity tonight at 9: Rustic Ties, a great wrap up for the group.
If you lost your itinerary, our flight leaves from San Jose at 12:35 PM local time. We will land in Baltimore at 7:30 PM. Please keep in mind that we have to go through customs and immigration, so you may not hear from them at exactly 7:30. We take off from Baltimore at 10:40 PM and we'll see all of you at 11:55 PM in Cleveland!
Have a wonderful night & see you tomorrow! Pura vida!
Monday, June 20, 2016
Turrialba
We got to stay up a little later last night to celebrate the victory. Everyone was excited and fired up. The pool celebration was cut short by lightning and an impending storm, but everyone was in a great mood. We did it. So crazy to think that we had the opportunity to watch it in a completely different country. Crazy to think that we ended the drought. Crazy to think about how we're the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit. What a wonderful night!
Everyone slept in this morning, but I couldn't sleep last night. I was excited about the game and still couldn't believe that it really happened. Even on my run this morning, surrounded by a beautiful landscape, a gorgeous beach, I couldn't stop thinking about the game. Cleveland wasn't a joke anymore. We could be proud of our city and have a championship to back it up. Last night someone said to me that sports people are weird. Well, that's me. I'm one of those crazed fans. Running on the beach, looking for howler monkeys and my mind is still on that game. Incredible.
It was a good morning to sleep in and drive. This was our first overcast morning and it actually started raining a little as we left. We ended up leaving around 8:45 and our estimate was that we would arrive in Turrialba some time between 2 and 3. We drove up the coast past Dominical, then went east on the same highway we took to the cave. We continued on past that and kept driving up, up, and up into the mountains. Our first restroom stop was about 2 hours in and you could notice the change in temperature. Costa Rica doesn't have an average temperature because it has roughly 200 microclimates. The mountain conditions were very different from what we experienced in Uvita and you could see the change in the vegetation as well.
We continued to wind through the mountains, making a restroom stop every hour or so if there was a good place to stop... plus someone was always needed to stop :) It was somewhat difficult because in the mountains, a lot of the land is protected for conservation or the roadside is too narrow. One of the cool things about the drive was that every saddleback we drove through was full of wind turbines. Costa Rica has a goal set to be carbon neutral in the next 20 years. All of their electricity comes from wind turbines or hydroelectric plants. They take full advantage of the mountain passes and all the rivers.
One of the larger towns we stopped in was Cartago, which happens to be Adrian's hometown. Cartago is the oldest city in Costa Rica. It was founded by the Spaniards in the 1560s. It has the oldest buildings in Costa Rica; however, none of the original buildings are there because volcanic eruptions and earthquakes have knocked them all down. Cartago is located in a valley below Volcan Irazu, the second highest point in Costa Rica, and also an active volcano (the last eruption was in the 1990s). Cartago is also the focal point of a pilgrimage made in devotion to Costa Rica's patron saint every July.
We wound back up in the mountains and an hour later, found our way going back down on switchbacks. Turrialba is another valley town in the shadow of a volcano. Turrialba's volcano was a little more active in May, with ash blowing over the city. You can still see clouds of ash, but the winds have shifted and it is staying primarily in the mountains. We checked into our hotel, Turrialba Bed & Breakfast, which is right off of the town square. This is my fourth time in Turrialba and the fourth place that I've stayed: it's really nice and I love the proximity to town. Once we got settled in, we walked to the square and had a chance to shop. Most students are all stocked up on food, so after a very short trip to the market, we went to Pops for ice cream, where we found another Rustic group. We then ventured to a souvenir shop where the students found they highly sought after hammocks. It was a short walk back to the hotel and we relaxed, read, played cards, or played pool until it was time to meet for dinner at 6:15.
The restaurant was a short bus ride away- only about 10 minutes. We went to El Tomate Rojo, a place that catered all of our meals last trip when we stayed at Mau's house. We didn't have a lot of activity today with the long drive, so I think that no one was as hungry or just really tired.
When we came back we got our instructions for tomorrow: breakfast at 7:30, leaving for rafting at 8. We have about an hour drive to where the rafting will begin, be on the river for about 4 hours, then we'll end near the town of Siquirres, which is in Limon province. It will take us 2 hours to drive back to Turrialba. Our last day here will be a full one.
Going to bed early... need to be ready for a day of Class V rapids!
Everyone slept in this morning, but I couldn't sleep last night. I was excited about the game and still couldn't believe that it really happened. Even on my run this morning, surrounded by a beautiful landscape, a gorgeous beach, I couldn't stop thinking about the game. Cleveland wasn't a joke anymore. We could be proud of our city and have a championship to back it up. Last night someone said to me that sports people are weird. Well, that's me. I'm one of those crazed fans. Running on the beach, looking for howler monkeys and my mind is still on that game. Incredible.
We continued to wind through the mountains, making a restroom stop every hour or so if there was a good place to stop... plus someone was always needed to stop :) It was somewhat difficult because in the mountains, a lot of the land is protected for conservation or the roadside is too narrow. One of the cool things about the drive was that every saddleback we drove through was full of wind turbines. Costa Rica has a goal set to be carbon neutral in the next 20 years. All of their electricity comes from wind turbines or hydroelectric plants. They take full advantage of the mountain passes and all the rivers.
One of the larger towns we stopped in was Cartago, which happens to be Adrian's hometown. Cartago is the oldest city in Costa Rica. It was founded by the Spaniards in the 1560s. It has the oldest buildings in Costa Rica; however, none of the original buildings are there because volcanic eruptions and earthquakes have knocked them all down. Cartago is located in a valley below Volcan Irazu, the second highest point in Costa Rica, and also an active volcano (the last eruption was in the 1990s). Cartago is also the focal point of a pilgrimage made in devotion to Costa Rica's patron saint every July.
We wound back up in the mountains and an hour later, found our way going back down on switchbacks. Turrialba is another valley town in the shadow of a volcano. Turrialba's volcano was a little more active in May, with ash blowing over the city. You can still see clouds of ash, but the winds have shifted and it is staying primarily in the mountains. We checked into our hotel, Turrialba Bed & Breakfast, which is right off of the town square. This is my fourth time in Turrialba and the fourth place that I've stayed: it's really nice and I love the proximity to town. Once we got settled in, we walked to the square and had a chance to shop. Most students are all stocked up on food, so after a very short trip to the market, we went to Pops for ice cream, where we found another Rustic group. We then ventured to a souvenir shop where the students found they highly sought after hammocks. It was a short walk back to the hotel and we relaxed, read, played cards, or played pool until it was time to meet for dinner at 6:15.
When we came back we got our instructions for tomorrow: breakfast at 7:30, leaving for rafting at 8. We have about an hour drive to where the rafting will begin, be on the river for about 4 hours, then we'll end near the town of Siquirres, which is in Limon province. It will take us 2 hours to drive back to Turrialba. Our last day here will be a full one.
Going to bed early... need to be ready for a day of Class V rapids!
We're in Turrialba!
I will write about our day later, but I wanted to let everyone know that we've arrived safely in Turrialba. We got here around 2:30 and we're just settling in. We'll be leaving in a little bit to explore the town, get ice cream, search for hammocks, etc.
The wifi was down at the hotel last night and this morning, so I didn't get a chance to update on the game. WOW! What an experience! These students are going to remember this for the rest of their lives.
We found the game in English after halftime. The satellite gets the ABC station from Miami, so we could listen to the commentary. The feed, however, was on a 10 second delay from the Spanish language ESPN. We kept watching in Spanish and didn't have to understand the language to know what was going on: we won the championship. WE. WON. THE. CHAMPIONSHIP.
We were gathered in our rooms and as the game went on, no one was sitting: we were all huddled around the TV. You could hear the screams of excitement when we hit the three at the end (I have no idea who made it- LeBron? The TV screen was so small I couldn't even tell), when they missed their shots, when LeBron got fouled. There was an absolute UPROAR when the final buzzer sounded. Mrs. Wooden and I screamed and hugged each other. The boys sprinted out of their room and jumped into the pool. I cried. And cried. And cried. All of us were overcome with emotion in our own way. It felt like a dream: was this really happening? We all believed it could, now it finally did. WE DID IT.
I hope that everyone in Cleveland had fun last night and stayed safe! What a great moment for our city!
The wifi was down at the hotel last night and this morning, so I didn't get a chance to update on the game. WOW! What an experience! These students are going to remember this for the rest of their lives.
We found the game in English after halftime. The satellite gets the ABC station from Miami, so we could listen to the commentary. The feed, however, was on a 10 second delay from the Spanish language ESPN. We kept watching in Spanish and didn't have to understand the language to know what was going on: we won the championship. WE. WON. THE. CHAMPIONSHIP.
We were gathered in our rooms and as the game went on, no one was sitting: we were all huddled around the TV. You could hear the screams of excitement when we hit the three at the end (I have no idea who made it- LeBron? The TV screen was so small I couldn't even tell), when they missed their shots, when LeBron got fouled. There was an absolute UPROAR when the final buzzer sounded. Mrs. Wooden and I screamed and hugged each other. The boys sprinted out of their room and jumped into the pool. I cried. And cried. And cried. All of us were overcome with emotion in our own way. It felt like a dream: was this really happening? We all believed it could, now it finally did. WE DID IT.
I hope that everyone in Cleveland had fun last night and stayed safe! What a great moment for our city!
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Last day in Uvita
Happy Father's Day! We had a little extra time to sleep this morning and the group took full advantage of it. Breakfast was at 7:15 because our community service project was just up the road. We left at 7:45 for Playa Hermosa. Normally the Rustic groups clean up the beaches in the national parks; however, with 3 other Rustic groups currently in the area, Bahia Ballena was looking pretty good. Playa Hermosa is a busy beach located between Uvita and Dominical and it is particularly busy on a beautiful day like today. Lots of families celebrating together.
We split up into groups of 4 and 5 and we were assigned different sections of the beach. I worked with Ben, Ryan, Marley, and Alyson. Our area was primarily in the shade around the entrance. They have a couple little stands selling coconuts, ceviche, popsicles, cold drinks, etc. 90% of our trash was plastic straws. They put a hole in the coconut and give everyone a straw to drink the coconut water. The coconuts get tossed in a pile because it's organic waste. But the straws were everywhere. We found a lot of candy wrappers and bottle caps as well. Once our area was clean, we moved toward the beach. We found one Croc shoe, a plastic letter "A," and other odd items. Other groups found a large metal bucket, boots, shoes, plastic clothespins, and a plastic toy cow. Our bags were pretty heavy considering that most of it was small plastic items and wrappers- all that stuff adds up.
We took a break to use the bathroom, to drink more water, and to eat bananas and ice cream. The groups got back together and we moved down the other side of the beach. This time around the weirdest things my group found were a child's flip flop and a toothbrush. The three hours of work went by quickly thanks to each other's company, watching the thousands of hermit crabs move around, following the trails of leaf cutter ants, and looking for iguanas sunning themselves on the branches. We ended up with 4 FULL bags of trash, primarily plastic and foam, and actually had some of the Ticos applauding our efforts.
A few of them swam with the half hour of free time before lunch. Lunch was special today because of Father's Day: it was a special chicken and rice dish that is a traditional Costa Rican meal. We are celebrating our bus driver, Marco, today because he can't be home with his two kids and we can't be home with our families. Marco takes very good care of our group!
Surfing lessons didn't start until 3:30, so everyone participated in their favorite past times until then: playing cards and swimming in the pool. Today was probably the hottest day since we've been here, so they didn't last as long in the pool or playing cards outside. We met briefly to recap our community service experiences. It was encouraging to hear them reflect on how just little things, or on how just a little bit of time, could make a big difference. Hopefully they are compelled to do some projects back home based on what they saw and felt over the last week.
We hopped on the bus up to Dominical for our last surfing lesson of the trip. It's been great to see the students' interactions with their surf instructors. They have actually grown pretty close in just a few days, some of them with their own handshakes and inside jokes. We had better weather than yesterday. It was very hot, but there was a nice breeze on the water and eventually the clouds rolled in. The downpour waited until our last 5 minutes on the beach.
Our lesson was from 3:30 until 5:30, resulting in a race back to the hotel to see the game. We had to stop at the grocery store first to pick up snacks for the game and for the bus ride tomorrow. We managed to make it in and out of the grocery store in under 15 minutes (an absolute miracle with our hungry crew) and only missed a few minutes of the start of the game.
The game was on in every single room until dinner at 7. It was a pleasant surprise when we showed up at the restaurant and they had the came on for us! We enjoyed our salads and lasagna through the second quarter. Another Rustic group came in and their leader had on a LeBron jersey. He's a Spanish teacher at Brady Middle School (Orange's school district) and was born and raised in northeast Ohio. Small world! It was nice to enjoy part of the game with other Cleveland fans.
After instructions for tomorrow, it was a mad dash back to the rooms to continue watching the game. With every big play, you can hear loud cheers from the first and second floor. I'm going to wrap this up and post it before the end of the game so I can enjoy a little of it :)
Tomorrow we head up to Turrialba. It will be a 5 to 6 hour drive from Uvita. There aren't any big highways in Costa Rica, so it's kind of like driving through West Virginia only using back roads. They get to sleep in after the game and we'll leave around 9 AM. The plan is to bring boxed lunches to minimize the amount of time spent off the road. We hope to arrive in Turrialba between 2 and 3 PM, which will give the students a few hours to explore the town and shop for something other than Oreos and Milanos.
I'm not sure what the WiFi connection will be like at the next hotel, but I will let you know ASAP when we arrive in Turrialba. Pura Vida and GO CAVS!
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| Playa Hermosa |
We split up into groups of 4 and 5 and we were assigned different sections of the beach. I worked with Ben, Ryan, Marley, and Alyson. Our area was primarily in the shade around the entrance. They have a couple little stands selling coconuts, ceviche, popsicles, cold drinks, etc. 90% of our trash was plastic straws. They put a hole in the coconut and give everyone a straw to drink the coconut water. The coconuts get tossed in a pile because it's organic waste. But the straws were everywhere. We found a lot of candy wrappers and bottle caps as well. Once our area was clean, we moved toward the beach. We found one Croc shoe, a plastic letter "A," and other odd items. Other groups found a large metal bucket, boots, shoes, plastic clothespins, and a plastic toy cow. Our bags were pretty heavy considering that most of it was small plastic items and wrappers- all that stuff adds up.
We took a break to use the bathroom, to drink more water, and to eat bananas and ice cream. The groups got back together and we moved down the other side of the beach. This time around the weirdest things my group found were a child's flip flop and a toothbrush. The three hours of work went by quickly thanks to each other's company, watching the thousands of hermit crabs move around, following the trails of leaf cutter ants, and looking for iguanas sunning themselves on the branches. We ended up with 4 FULL bags of trash, primarily plastic and foam, and actually had some of the Ticos applauding our efforts.
Surfing lessons didn't start until 3:30, so everyone participated in their favorite past times until then: playing cards and swimming in the pool. Today was probably the hottest day since we've been here, so they didn't last as long in the pool or playing cards outside. We met briefly to recap our community service experiences. It was encouraging to hear them reflect on how just little things, or on how just a little bit of time, could make a big difference. Hopefully they are compelled to do some projects back home based on what they saw and felt over the last week.
We hopped on the bus up to Dominical for our last surfing lesson of the trip. It's been great to see the students' interactions with their surf instructors. They have actually grown pretty close in just a few days, some of them with their own handshakes and inside jokes. We had better weather than yesterday. It was very hot, but there was a nice breeze on the water and eventually the clouds rolled in. The downpour waited until our last 5 minutes on the beach.
Our lesson was from 3:30 until 5:30, resulting in a race back to the hotel to see the game. We had to stop at the grocery store first to pick up snacks for the game and for the bus ride tomorrow. We managed to make it in and out of the grocery store in under 15 minutes (an absolute miracle with our hungry crew) and only missed a few minutes of the start of the game.
The game was on in every single room until dinner at 7. It was a pleasant surprise when we showed up at the restaurant and they had the came on for us! We enjoyed our salads and lasagna through the second quarter. Another Rustic group came in and their leader had on a LeBron jersey. He's a Spanish teacher at Brady Middle School (Orange's school district) and was born and raised in northeast Ohio. Small world! It was nice to enjoy part of the game with other Cleveland fans.
After instructions for tomorrow, it was a mad dash back to the rooms to continue watching the game. With every big play, you can hear loud cheers from the first and second floor. I'm going to wrap this up and post it before the end of the game so I can enjoy a little of it :)
Tomorrow we head up to Turrialba. It will be a 5 to 6 hour drive from Uvita. There aren't any big highways in Costa Rica, so it's kind of like driving through West Virginia only using back roads. They get to sleep in after the game and we'll leave around 9 AM. The plan is to bring boxed lunches to minimize the amount of time spent off the road. We hope to arrive in Turrialba between 2 and 3 PM, which will give the students a few hours to explore the town and shop for something other than Oreos and Milanos.
I'm not sure what the WiFi connection will be like at the next hotel, but I will let you know ASAP when we arrive in Turrialba. Pura Vida and GO CAVS!
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Boat tour & surfing
We'll start with the bad news first: one of us got seasick and the conditions weren't great for snorkeling. The good news: we had a fantastic day nonetheless!
The day began with a typico breakfast at 7 AM. We then applied our sunscreen and got our belongings for a 7:45 departure. The ride into the town of Uvita is a short one: just 5 minutes down the road. In town, we stopped at Bahia Aventuras to meet our boat guides for the morning. Alejandro and Dean discussed boat safety, what we could potentially see out in the ocean, and our itinerary. We got our life jackets, then boarded the bus for another short ride down the road to Bahia Ballena national park. We wouldn't have access to our bags during the tour because they are stored in a dry area in the front of the boat, so they had wet packs for us to place our cameras, phones, etc. This way, we could keep the bag near us, then take out our electronics when it was safe (when we were stopped) to take photos. There is no marina at Bahia Ballena because it is a protected area, so the boats backed up along the shoreline and we waded out to hop in.
We had two boats for the morning with 10 people on one and 11 on the other. We stayed together, but not close, so we could cover more water when looking for animals. Our first stop was the whale's tail reef formation for which the beach and the national park are named after. The tide was low, so people could walk out on the formation. There is a 800 meter sandbar that connects mainland to the reef formation. At low tide, it actually looks like a whale's tale from above. The entire reef is natural except for one cement pillar that represents the high water mark. Our guide grew up in Uvita and said that the only time he has seen it completely submerged was after the earthquake/tsunami in Japan a few years ago. He said even with high and low tide, the pillar was submerged for 10 days.
The boats headed north along the shoreline and we weren't having much luck finding any wildlife, so we turned out toward the open ocean and a shrimping boat. Dolphins like to trail behind these boats to get something easy to eat. This was a great move by our guides because it didn't take long for us to spot a pod of dolphins. There were 4 or 5 of them and Alejandro told us they were tropical spotted dolphins. Costa Rica has two species of spotted dolphins: Atlantic spotted dolphins on the east coast and tropical spotted dolphins on the west coast. The best part was that two of them were babies. We saw the babies jumping out of the water. Alejandro said that they were learning that behavior from their mother and that dolphins do that as a social behavior or to slap/stun the fish they want to eat.
Then we turned south toward Piedra Ballena. Along the way, Emma and Katie spotted an Olive Ridley sea turtle swimming near us. Once it heard the engine, it quickly ducked under the surface. They are not an endangered species, but they are vulnerable. It is not uncommon to see them in Costa Rica. Ben had a great eye and saw a devil ray jumping out of the water. Right when we all turned and looked, it happened again. No one knows why they jump out of the water, but the two most widely accepted reasons are that it is to get rid of parasites or it is showing off to a potential mate.
As we approached Piedra Ballena, it was clear that the island was inhabited by hundreds, maybe thousands, of birds. A flock of brown pelicans flew low in formation right in front of us and continued around the island. We saw brown booby birds (no blue-footed ones: those are very rare to see in Costa Rica), white ibis, and frigatebirds. White ibis normally nest in marshes and near rivers, but the water is too high during rainy season, so they come out to this island to nest. We saw another olive ridley sea turtle, then made our way past the Three Sisters rock formation closer to the shoreline.
Because of the conditions, we could not snorkel around the rock formations. There was so much rain in the last few days that the rivers brought a lot of sediment into the area. Alejandro said you would only be able to see an arm's length in front of you, so from the boat we looked at the Window Cave formations. (Note: I have tried to get more pictures to load, but it is taking forever. I'm tired and the Chromebook is not taking them from my camera, so you'll have to wait for these pictures until I get home. I'll have my phone for other excursions so I can get pictures on here, but anything on my camera is just not cooperating right now)
Playa de Arco was just around the corner and the boats dropped us off here for a little break. All the beaches in Costa Rica are protected and public, so anyone can have access to them. This beach, however, is very difficult to get to: it isn't close to any homes or roads. We had a pristine beach all to ourselves. We quickly noticed that there were so many more sand dollars, shells, crabs, and hermit crabs along this beach compared to the more touristy ones. We dropped off our water bottles and life jackets and could swim for a little while. The rip currents there are not like Uvita or Dominical, so we could swim out a little farther.
After some swimming, we were called in for a snack: fresh cut pineapple and watermelon. The students stood around the cooler and made quick work of the pineapple. Shortly thereafter, there was a commotion in the trees. A group of white-faced capuchin monkeys was fighting with a group of howler monkeys. This commotion quickly carried over to the students as they started jumping and hollering like the monkeys themselves. We got the group to calm down and stay quiet because the noise would either cause the monkeys to go away or it would increase the aggressive behavior of the capuchins. Alejandro had us stand at a safe distance to take pictures and video. These two groups continued to chase each other down the treeline of the beach, with our group right behind them. Several of the monkeys were carrying babies on their backs. We did not get to hear the sounds of the howler monkeys, but we were able to watch both species leap and bound from branch to branch. It was incredible.
The excitement wore down and we spent the rest of the time playing in a waterfall or the stream cutting through the beach, climbing rocks, trying to catch the different crab species, or taking pictures. After over an hour of playing at the beach, it was time to take the boat back just 5 minutes to Uvita, where we would end our tour. We washed the sand off our feet, then went straight to the hotel for lunch at 12:30.
We had a little free time between lunch and surfing, most of which was spent at the pool. All free time is either at the pool or playing card games: they never get sick of it. We left for Dominical at 2:40 to meet with our surf instructors.
Because of the tide and rip currents, we went a little further north today to a different protected beach. I didn't see the name of the beach, but we were behind "Hacienda Baru Lodge and Wildlife Refuge," so you can check that location out on Google Maps :) The students were getting more and more confident in their surfing, to the point where they asked if they had to surf with instructors, but today was a major reality check. With the tide and a storm coming in, the waves were stronger and more frequent. It looked like they were stuck in a washing machine today. However, it was a good adrenaline rush and they were all happy with their progress. It started pouring in the middle of the lesson, so I didn't get as many pictures today. We had to end our lesson a little early because the storm got stronger and we could see lightning on the horizon. There weren't any complaints because we stopped for ice cream on the way back to the hotel.
We had about an hour to shower (or swim and play cards) before dinner. We played a few more games before bedtime.
One of the best parts about these trips is getting to see the students' new perspectives. I absolutely love whatever small group or one-on-one time I can get with them so I can hear what they have to say. During the surf lesson, I was swimming with Marley, Aubrey, Alyson, and Mikala because they were done for the day. We were just talking about the trip and Marley goes "Yeah... I'm more of an indoors girl. Like Netflix and cereal." We laughed about it, but then she continued "My mom said that this trip is the total opposite of me, but I'm so glad that I'm here. Everything has been so fun." So even with bug bites, scrapes, and other inconveniences, they are having a great time. This is what makes all the planning worthwhile.
Tomorrow we'll have community service and some more surfing. The Cavs game is on at 6 PM local time, so we're hoping to catch some of that. There is a big screen in the restaurant; it's been really busy the last few nights, but we're hoping that they'll let us watch it together in there.
The day began with a typico breakfast at 7 AM. We then applied our sunscreen and got our belongings for a 7:45 departure. The ride into the town of Uvita is a short one: just 5 minutes down the road. In town, we stopped at Bahia Aventuras to meet our boat guides for the morning. Alejandro and Dean discussed boat safety, what we could potentially see out in the ocean, and our itinerary. We got our life jackets, then boarded the bus for another short ride down the road to Bahia Ballena national park. We wouldn't have access to our bags during the tour because they are stored in a dry area in the front of the boat, so they had wet packs for us to place our cameras, phones, etc. This way, we could keep the bag near us, then take out our electronics when it was safe (when we were stopped) to take photos. There is no marina at Bahia Ballena because it is a protected area, so the boats backed up along the shoreline and we waded out to hop in.
We had two boats for the morning with 10 people on one and 11 on the other. We stayed together, but not close, so we could cover more water when looking for animals. Our first stop was the whale's tail reef formation for which the beach and the national park are named after. The tide was low, so people could walk out on the formation. There is a 800 meter sandbar that connects mainland to the reef formation. At low tide, it actually looks like a whale's tale from above. The entire reef is natural except for one cement pillar that represents the high water mark. Our guide grew up in Uvita and said that the only time he has seen it completely submerged was after the earthquake/tsunami in Japan a few years ago. He said even with high and low tide, the pillar was submerged for 10 days.
The boats headed north along the shoreline and we weren't having much luck finding any wildlife, so we turned out toward the open ocean and a shrimping boat. Dolphins like to trail behind these boats to get something easy to eat. This was a great move by our guides because it didn't take long for us to spot a pod of dolphins. There were 4 or 5 of them and Alejandro told us they were tropical spotted dolphins. Costa Rica has two species of spotted dolphins: Atlantic spotted dolphins on the east coast and tropical spotted dolphins on the west coast. The best part was that two of them were babies. We saw the babies jumping out of the water. Alejandro said that they were learning that behavior from their mother and that dolphins do that as a social behavior or to slap/stun the fish they want to eat.
 |
| Tropical spotted dolphins (sorry I can't edit pictures on the Chromebook) |
As we approached Piedra Ballena, it was clear that the island was inhabited by hundreds, maybe thousands, of birds. A flock of brown pelicans flew low in formation right in front of us and continued around the island. We saw brown booby birds (no blue-footed ones: those are very rare to see in Costa Rica), white ibis, and frigatebirds. White ibis normally nest in marshes and near rivers, but the water is too high during rainy season, so they come out to this island to nest. We saw another olive ridley sea turtle, then made our way past the Three Sisters rock formation closer to the shoreline.
 |
| Piedra Ballena |
Playa de Arco was just around the corner and the boats dropped us off here for a little break. All the beaches in Costa Rica are protected and public, so anyone can have access to them. This beach, however, is very difficult to get to: it isn't close to any homes or roads. We had a pristine beach all to ourselves. We quickly noticed that there were so many more sand dollars, shells, crabs, and hermit crabs along this beach compared to the more touristy ones. We dropped off our water bottles and life jackets and could swim for a little while. The rip currents there are not like Uvita or Dominical, so we could swim out a little farther.
After some swimming, we were called in for a snack: fresh cut pineapple and watermelon. The students stood around the cooler and made quick work of the pineapple. Shortly thereafter, there was a commotion in the trees. A group of white-faced capuchin monkeys was fighting with a group of howler monkeys. This commotion quickly carried over to the students as they started jumping and hollering like the monkeys themselves. We got the group to calm down and stay quiet because the noise would either cause the monkeys to go away or it would increase the aggressive behavior of the capuchins. Alejandro had us stand at a safe distance to take pictures and video. These two groups continued to chase each other down the treeline of the beach, with our group right behind them. Several of the monkeys were carrying babies on their backs. We did not get to hear the sounds of the howler monkeys, but we were able to watch both species leap and bound from branch to branch. It was incredible.
The excitement wore down and we spent the rest of the time playing in a waterfall or the stream cutting through the beach, climbing rocks, trying to catch the different crab species, or taking pictures. After over an hour of playing at the beach, it was time to take the boat back just 5 minutes to Uvita, where we would end our tour. We washed the sand off our feet, then went straight to the hotel for lunch at 12:30.
We had a little free time between lunch and surfing, most of which was spent at the pool. All free time is either at the pool or playing card games: they never get sick of it. We left for Dominical at 2:40 to meet with our surf instructors.
Because of the tide and rip currents, we went a little further north today to a different protected beach. I didn't see the name of the beach, but we were behind "Hacienda Baru Lodge and Wildlife Refuge," so you can check that location out on Google Maps :) The students were getting more and more confident in their surfing, to the point where they asked if they had to surf with instructors, but today was a major reality check. With the tide and a storm coming in, the waves were stronger and more frequent. It looked like they were stuck in a washing machine today. However, it was a good adrenaline rush and they were all happy with their progress. It started pouring in the middle of the lesson, so I didn't get as many pictures today. We had to end our lesson a little early because the storm got stronger and we could see lightning on the horizon. There weren't any complaints because we stopped for ice cream on the way back to the hotel.
One of the best parts about these trips is getting to see the students' new perspectives. I absolutely love whatever small group or one-on-one time I can get with them so I can hear what they have to say. During the surf lesson, I was swimming with Marley, Aubrey, Alyson, and Mikala because they were done for the day. We were just talking about the trip and Marley goes "Yeah... I'm more of an indoors girl. Like Netflix and cereal." We laughed about it, but then she continued "My mom said that this trip is the total opposite of me, but I'm so glad that I'm here. Everything has been so fun." So even with bug bites, scrapes, and other inconveniences, they are having a great time. This is what makes all the planning worthwhile.
Tomorrow we'll have community service and some more surfing. The Cavs game is on at 6 PM local time, so we're hoping to catch some of that. There is a big screen in the restaurant; it's been really busy the last few nights, but we're hoping that they'll let us watch it together in there.
Friday, June 17, 2016
The Cave: Day 2
Our wake up time was supposed to be 7 AM for breakfast at 7:30, but when you're sleeping on a 4 inch mattress and the sun shines in at 5 AM, it's tough to sleep that long. This was my third time at the cave and I managed to sleep through the night, but others weren't so lucky. Pretty much everyone was stirring at 6 AM and said they hadn't slept at all.
We had the typico breakfast: rice & beans with eggs, pineapple, and papaya, then prepared for our day. The group put on their swimsuits, applied their sunscreen/bug spray, then made sure they had their water bottles filled. We packed up our pillows, sheets, and sleeping bags and stacked the mattresses- you couldn't even tell that we were there. We followed our guides out of the cave and went to a waterfall to swim. This was another grueling hike because the waterfall was up the mountain from where we were staying. So we hiked straight up for 3 hours yesterday, then hiked straight up again today. Thankfully, this excursion wasn't as long, but we were pretty close to the summit. The stream had a pool that was about 9 feet deep under a small waterfall. We couldn't jump in because the trees had grown over the edge. The water was refreshing and everyone swam with the guides or spent time catching tadpoles in the shallow sections. After about an hour, we put on dry clothes and prepared for our descent.
People were complaining about sore calves this morning, but it will be interesting what they'll say tomorrow after our excursion back. We took fewer stops (pretty much just one long stop in the garden) because physically it wasn't as exhausting; however, all those little steps and muddy patches that we had to climb up yesterday, we now had to stabilize our legs going down. Each student had their own little strategy, some that worked better than others. Scotty had an interesting time in particular. There is now a count for how many times he slides while hiking. He hasn't fallen down (much), but he's in the 30s for the number of times he's lost his footing. He says it's his shoes, but his friends seem to think otherwise... it's become a bit of a game for them :)
Marco picked us up in the bus at the bottom of the mountain. After a quick bathroom stop, we went back to Uvita. All but three people slept on the short ride back. We went to Sibu Cafe in Uvita for lunch, which the students gave reviews like "we should eat here every day!" Everyone had a salad, watermelon juice, and the option of quesadillas, burritos, or sandwiches. If they wanted, they could spend their own money on milkshakes. I didn't think anyone was leaving hungry until we went across the street to the grocery store and many of them stocked up on Oreos, Frosted Flakes, and other American snacks again. A few of them are opening up to the Costa Rican snacks, which is nice to see.
We had a short amount of time back at the hotel to shower, nap, swim in the pool, or, in my case, blog. Then we went out to Bahia Ballena. This is one of the beaches that is a national park. The tide was starting to come in, so after a safety talk, we went out about hip deep to swim. Some of the group stayed on the beach to play hacky sack, others decided to sit and read. There were live sand dollars everywhere; many of the students saw live ones for the first time today. They were all pretty small, but they were all over the place. We also followed snails and tried to catch a few crabs.
We just spent an entire night at the cave and yet the commotion before dinner was about bugs in the room. They were surrounded by cave crickets and glow worms all night, held Golden Orb spiders yesterday, now there are running and screaming over a simple problem... Once the dust settled, they showered and played card games until dinner at 7:30. Tonight, it was a taste of home: pizza. The restaurant has a brick oven for making thin crust pizzas. They could choose between cheese, pepperoni, or veggie pizza. There was also a special treat for dessert: a chocolate fountain with fresh fruit and marshmallows. I don't think any of them have had chocolate fondue before because they created these giant kebabs of marshmallows, drenched the entire skewer in chocolate, then tried to carry back to the table/eat it over a plate that was far too small for the monstrosity they created. It was quite the sight. It is absolutely fascinating how much they eat. Please do not worry about if they are getting enough to eat for all the activities because they are not shy about seconds, they take breaks to eat Frosted Flakes during hikes 30 minutes after breakfast, and they ask about trips to the grocery store. I am so sorry for all your grocery bills back home.
Half of them are absolutely exhausted and were ready for bed at 6:30. The other half has caught their second wind and there is no sign of stopping them. We'll play games for a little while before bed. They will need all the energy they can get because tomorrow is another physical day, but we'll be in the sun the entire time. We are going on our boat tour of Cano Island. If the conditions are right, we'll get to snorkel and swim for most of the morning. In the afternoon, they'll have another surf lesson.
We had the typico breakfast: rice & beans with eggs, pineapple, and papaya, then prepared for our day. The group put on their swimsuits, applied their sunscreen/bug spray, then made sure they had their water bottles filled. We packed up our pillows, sheets, and sleeping bags and stacked the mattresses- you couldn't even tell that we were there. We followed our guides out of the cave and went to a waterfall to swim. This was another grueling hike because the waterfall was up the mountain from where we were staying. So we hiked straight up for 3 hours yesterday, then hiked straight up again today. Thankfully, this excursion wasn't as long, but we were pretty close to the summit. The stream had a pool that was about 9 feet deep under a small waterfall. We couldn't jump in because the trees had grown over the edge. The water was refreshing and everyone swam with the guides or spent time catching tadpoles in the shallow sections. After about an hour, we put on dry clothes and prepared for our descent.
People were complaining about sore calves this morning, but it will be interesting what they'll say tomorrow after our excursion back. We took fewer stops (pretty much just one long stop in the garden) because physically it wasn't as exhausting; however, all those little steps and muddy patches that we had to climb up yesterday, we now had to stabilize our legs going down. Each student had their own little strategy, some that worked better than others. Scotty had an interesting time in particular. There is now a count for how many times he slides while hiking. He hasn't fallen down (much), but he's in the 30s for the number of times he's lost his footing. He says it's his shoes, but his friends seem to think otherwise... it's become a bit of a game for them :)
Marco picked us up in the bus at the bottom of the mountain. After a quick bathroom stop, we went back to Uvita. All but three people slept on the short ride back. We went to Sibu Cafe in Uvita for lunch, which the students gave reviews like "we should eat here every day!" Everyone had a salad, watermelon juice, and the option of quesadillas, burritos, or sandwiches. If they wanted, they could spend their own money on milkshakes. I didn't think anyone was leaving hungry until we went across the street to the grocery store and many of them stocked up on Oreos, Frosted Flakes, and other American snacks again. A few of them are opening up to the Costa Rican snacks, which is nice to see.
We had a short amount of time back at the hotel to shower, nap, swim in the pool, or, in my case, blog. Then we went out to Bahia Ballena. This is one of the beaches that is a national park. The tide was starting to come in, so after a safety talk, we went out about hip deep to swim. Some of the group stayed on the beach to play hacky sack, others decided to sit and read. There were live sand dollars everywhere; many of the students saw live ones for the first time today. They were all pretty small, but they were all over the place. We also followed snails and tried to catch a few crabs.
We just spent an entire night at the cave and yet the commotion before dinner was about bugs in the room. They were surrounded by cave crickets and glow worms all night, held Golden Orb spiders yesterday, now there are running and screaming over a simple problem... Once the dust settled, they showered and played card games until dinner at 7:30. Tonight, it was a taste of home: pizza. The restaurant has a brick oven for making thin crust pizzas. They could choose between cheese, pepperoni, or veggie pizza. There was also a special treat for dessert: a chocolate fountain with fresh fruit and marshmallows. I don't think any of them have had chocolate fondue before because they created these giant kebabs of marshmallows, drenched the entire skewer in chocolate, then tried to carry back to the table/eat it over a plate that was far too small for the monstrosity they created. It was quite the sight. It is absolutely fascinating how much they eat. Please do not worry about if they are getting enough to eat for all the activities because they are not shy about seconds, they take breaks to eat Frosted Flakes during hikes 30 minutes after breakfast, and they ask about trips to the grocery store. I am so sorry for all your grocery bills back home.
Half of them are absolutely exhausted and were ready for bed at 6:30. The other half has caught their second wind and there is no sign of stopping them. We'll play games for a little while before bed. They will need all the energy they can get because tomorrow is another physical day, but we'll be in the sun the entire time. We are going on our boat tour of Cano Island. If the conditions are right, we'll get to snorkel and swim for most of the morning. In the afternoon, they'll have another surf lesson.
The Cave: Day 1
We left Luz de Luna yesterday morning at 7:30 AM for Diamante Verde. It is about an hour and a half drive back north toward Dominical, then we get on a highway going east toward San Isidro. We stopped at the Diamante Verde office to use the restroom, apply sunscreen/bug spray, and to refill water bottles. We got back on the bus for a 5 minute ride down the road to the trailhead.
Greta and Paulo were our guides for the hiking adventure. The trails, cave, and waterfalls are all on private property. There are three families in the area that put in all of the steps, take care of the garden, and put in the kitchen, bathrooms, and all the plumbing at the cave. The hike up is extremely difficult- now imagine carrying all of the construction equipment and materials! We took frequent water breaks because it is 3 miles straight up the mountain; there aren't many switchbacks at all and most of it consists of muddy, narrow stairs.
About halfway up, we stop at a beautiful garden. We met the gentleman takes care of the garden and tends the horses that carry the materials and food for part of the trail. They had fresh bananas hanging in bunches for us to eat. After our snack and a few pictures, Paulo brought us around the garden for a tour.
The first plant he picked a leaf and told all of us to take a little piece. We waited until everyone had one, then he told us to taste it: it was AWFUL. In English, it's called "Jack--- fruit," which is extremely bitter, leaves a terrible taste in your mouth, BUT, it helps with upset stomachs. The fruit of it apparently tastes much better, but the leaves are awful. Next, thankfully, he gave us star anise leaves, which taste like licorice, so that helped a little. We also got to try some basil.
Paulo then picked a yellow/white fruit off one of the trees. He told the students that many people eat it to help prevent and treat cancer. It's called noni fruit. The students were eager to try it out, but were quickly grossed out when they found it tastes like curdled milk or, as one of them described it, "rancid blue cheese." At this point, things were looking up and we had the chance to try guava right off the tree, peppermint, and lemongrass. We picked the peppermint and lemongrass so we could make tea in the cave that evening. We also tried kale and cauliflower leaves right off of the plant. Paulo cut a small piece of bark off a tiny tree and passed it around the group- it was cinnamon and smelled so good.
A fan favorite is always the beehive ginger, or "shampoo plant." We don't eat this one... what happens is plant collects water in these little pockets, then you place your head under the plant and pour the water out. Your hair smells AMAZING and it's nice and soft. The students made more than one visit back to those plants! Another favorite was the cacao. Paulo also took the fruit right off the tree, which was interesting because cacao fruit grows off the trunk, not the branches. He cut it in half and we each took a seed that was surrounded by the white flesh of the fruit. The seeds are very bitter and roasted because cocoa is made. However, you can eat the white part of the fruit and it is delicious.
Our last stop in the garden was a two story shelter with a straw roof. It had a beautiful view out into the hillside. On the second floor, the students discovered very large spiders (note: I thought the boys screamed a lot when they had a bug in their room the other night, but yesterday, they were screaming and running in all directions away from the spiders). Katie said they looked like the spiders that pop up when you Google "scary spiders" during an image search. What was even more shocking was when Eva went upstairs, picked it up, and brought it to show the group. She said it was a Golden Orb spider and that they are harmless. The females are much larger than the males; the males can only mate when the female is eating because she would be distracted from eating him. Eva said that these spiders are known to catch hummingbirds in their web and eat them... they are very big spiders. Several students got over their fear and let the spider crawl on them as well. Mrs. Wooden is afraid of spiders and you would never know- she had it crawling up and down her arm. After facing our fears, we left the garden to finish our hike.
It took another 20 minutes or so going uphill to get to the cave. We got settled in on our mattresses and played card games until lunch. They made hearts of palm soft tacos with fresh guacamole, so good after a long morning hike! We received a rappelling lesson from Jacob, another guide, after lunch. They outfitted us with our harnesses and helmets, then the group was split into two for our rappelling adventure.
The students did very well! Everyone decided to rappel and they did a fantastic job. We have to hike to the top of the 100 foot waterfall, cross a stream, then stand on the top waiting our turn. Between the stream and the moss, it is very slick up top. Many students slipped starting out, resulting in some minor scrapes and bruised egos, but it was smooth sailing once they were past the face of the cliff. I have never seen anyone smile as much as Justin did- you couldn't wipe the grin off his face if you tried. He was the first student to go and he was awesome. Colin and Aaron got some footage on their Go Pros and I tried to get pictures of everyone as they rappelled down.
After everyone went, we had some time before dinner, so we went on another hike down to Diamante Falls, the tallest waterfall in Costa Rica (note: I tried to do some fact checking and this looks like the correct info- over 600 feet tall). We stayed behind a cable to peer over the edge; you could see the coastline and Cano Island from the top. We moved up the stream to swim in a small pool above the falls, then left. The students only swam for a few minutes, but in that time a cloud came over the mountain and completely blocked our beautiful viewpoint.
When we came back to the cave, they had coffee, tea, and Costa Rican cookies to hold us over until dinner. The tea was refreshing and they quickly ran out. The card games continued until our pasta dinner at 7:30. One of the most entertaining parts of the evening started just before dinner: Aubrey and Mikala were making "Blair Witch" style videos on Aubrey's phone. Ben ran in to scare them and, just like that, they got the idea of filming a horror movie in the cave. It started out with those three, Marley, Ryan, and Justin, then after dinner it was an all out group effort and everyone had a part. It was hilarious! This group is so creative and found a wonderful way to entertain themselves! The sun had been down for quite some time (usually there's sunlight from 4:30 AM until 5 PM), so we had an early night and went to bed a little before 9.
We are all back safe and sound and I will write about today's adventures later this evening! Heading to the beach for some swimming in about 15 minutes... Pura Vida!
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
"They all need chin straps!"
Another long, but fulfilling day today. We started out much earlier in order to take advantage of the best surfing possible. The students were at breakfast at 6:15 AM, decked out in their suits and rashguards, sunscreen and bug spray already applied. Several of them said they were tired, but they did get a full 8 hours of sleep... they will quickly realize how important sleep and rest during free time really is!
We headed north to Dominical to meet our instructors from Dominical Surf School. They had 7 guides again today, so plenty of one-on-one time for each student. The waves weren't as intense this morning, which made it great for catching easy waves at regular intervals. The group looked even better on Day 2 of surfing and they even got some great footage on their Go Pros this morning. Mikala was back out there with her waterproof bandage, having the time of her life :)
However... we had yet ANOTHER split chin today. Ryan took it like a champ and while the rest of the group stopped for groceries, he went with Mrs. Wooden & Eva to see the doctor. Six stitches this time, but it was decided that this group definitely needs football chin straps for surfing! We're used to the typical board rash, scrapes, and bruises, but two days of surfing and two split chins is some kind of record.
Because we went to surf so early in the morning, we had about 2 hours of free time before lunch. We used this time at the grocery store to get trail mix and granola bars for tomorrow's hike, then came back to the hotel for another crazy game of Marco Polo. It is great to hear all the laughter and the students getting along so well. From pool games to card games to riddles on the bus: all of them are having fun and entertaining one another. This doesn't mean that we don't get requests for WiFi passwords every day; however, they are doing well enjoying one another's company and making the most of the beautiful scenery and amazing activities around them. Can you imagine being totally off the grid for 10 days? What a breath of fresh air!
We had porkchops, potatoes, and salad with Arnold Palmers for another filling lunch. There was another Rustic group at the restaurant- they just arrived today for the surf & service trip. It was interesting to see another group's dynamic and we were all a little quieter because of our guests.
After lunch, we headed back to Senderos Mau for the last time. Students dug a hole for a septic tank, continued erecting walls, applied stucco to the outside of buildings, put plaster up inside, and mixed cement. Everyone was ready to help out today because they were familiar with their jobs. Groups were even bragging about who the "Plaster Masters" were or who was part of the "Goon Squad;" they took great pride in their work. The students were also more connected with the residents and many of the children stopped being shy and came over to play or even help out with the work. We took a group picture, then came back to the hotel for showers before dinner.
Dinner was fantastic because it was carb-loading for tomorrow's hike: spaghetti and garlic bread with salad. Several students went for seconds and even thirds- it's a hungry crew! We were treated to fruit for dessert; the watermelon was a familiar sight, but we had the opportunity to try new things. Many students had starfruit and guanabana for the first time. The texture of the guanabana is a little different (most described it as slimy), but it tasted so good that Katie was trying to figure out how to smuggle seeds back into the country... they were very upset that it's not more readily available in the States.
After dinner, we met to recap our community service at Senderos Mau. We were asked to describe our different tasks from the last two days, then discussed questions like "How will this help short term/long term?" "Was the project different from what you expected?" "How did you connect with the residents?" and "How did you perspective/outlook change?" Some of the answers drew laughter, but I hope that overall the students understood the importance of what they did and come home with a greater appreciation for what they have. We didn't just dig a hole in the ground: they need a septic tank in the community to keep everyone healthy and to keep the water supply clean. We didn't just throw plaster on the wall: it seals the surface so the elements won't destroy the houses we worked so hard to construct. Reed gave an incredible answer about humility tonight. When asked about a change in perspective, he discussed how initially one might pity this community or think that they could become dependent on assistance. However, as he got to know the people there, they all worked together to help each other out. They are very happy and hard working. I can't do his answer justice, but I thought he did a wonderful job sharing how he felt after the last two days.
Everyone is now packing for tomorrow. We will have breakfast at 7 AM, then drive about 2 hours to Diamante Verde. The Cave is located on private property, so we'll wind through on back roads, then get to our trailhead. It is about a 3 mile hike up the mountain. They estimated anywhere between 1.5 to 3 hours to make it up (past experience: it will be closest to 3 hours). We'll eat lunch, rappel down the waterfall, then eat dinner. It gets dark early, so we'll use our flashlights and headlamps to play cards until bedtime. After that, we hike back down and take the bus back to Uvita.
We will NOT have WiFi at the Cave. Or outlets. It is RUSTIC. However, we do have bathrooms and a full kitchen- no worries! At the earliest, I will have the next blog post up in 48 hours. Pura vida!
P.S. This post had to be finished/partially retyped 20 minutes later due to screaming boys- a bug of some sort was in one of the boys' rooms and I have never heard such screams! The cave crickets tomorrow night should make things interesting... ;)
We headed north to Dominical to meet our instructors from Dominical Surf School. They had 7 guides again today, so plenty of one-on-one time for each student. The waves weren't as intense this morning, which made it great for catching easy waves at regular intervals. The group looked even better on Day 2 of surfing and they even got some great footage on their Go Pros this morning. Mikala was back out there with her waterproof bandage, having the time of her life :)
However... we had yet ANOTHER split chin today. Ryan took it like a champ and while the rest of the group stopped for groceries, he went with Mrs. Wooden & Eva to see the doctor. Six stitches this time, but it was decided that this group definitely needs football chin straps for surfing! We're used to the typical board rash, scrapes, and bruises, but two days of surfing and two split chins is some kind of record.
Because we went to surf so early in the morning, we had about 2 hours of free time before lunch. We used this time at the grocery store to get trail mix and granola bars for tomorrow's hike, then came back to the hotel for another crazy game of Marco Polo. It is great to hear all the laughter and the students getting along so well. From pool games to card games to riddles on the bus: all of them are having fun and entertaining one another. This doesn't mean that we don't get requests for WiFi passwords every day; however, they are doing well enjoying one another's company and making the most of the beautiful scenery and amazing activities around them. Can you imagine being totally off the grid for 10 days? What a breath of fresh air!
We had porkchops, potatoes, and salad with Arnold Palmers for another filling lunch. There was another Rustic group at the restaurant- they just arrived today for the surf & service trip. It was interesting to see another group's dynamic and we were all a little quieter because of our guests.
After lunch, we headed back to Senderos Mau for the last time. Students dug a hole for a septic tank, continued erecting walls, applied stucco to the outside of buildings, put plaster up inside, and mixed cement. Everyone was ready to help out today because they were familiar with their jobs. Groups were even bragging about who the "Plaster Masters" were or who was part of the "Goon Squad;" they took great pride in their work. The students were also more connected with the residents and many of the children stopped being shy and came over to play or even help out with the work. We took a group picture, then came back to the hotel for showers before dinner.
Dinner was fantastic because it was carb-loading for tomorrow's hike: spaghetti and garlic bread with salad. Several students went for seconds and even thirds- it's a hungry crew! We were treated to fruit for dessert; the watermelon was a familiar sight, but we had the opportunity to try new things. Many students had starfruit and guanabana for the first time. The texture of the guanabana is a little different (most described it as slimy), but it tasted so good that Katie was trying to figure out how to smuggle seeds back into the country... they were very upset that it's not more readily available in the States.
After dinner, we met to recap our community service at Senderos Mau. We were asked to describe our different tasks from the last two days, then discussed questions like "How will this help short term/long term?" "Was the project different from what you expected?" "How did you connect with the residents?" and "How did you perspective/outlook change?" Some of the answers drew laughter, but I hope that overall the students understood the importance of what they did and come home with a greater appreciation for what they have. We didn't just dig a hole in the ground: they need a septic tank in the community to keep everyone healthy and to keep the water supply clean. We didn't just throw plaster on the wall: it seals the surface so the elements won't destroy the houses we worked so hard to construct. Reed gave an incredible answer about humility tonight. When asked about a change in perspective, he discussed how initially one might pity this community or think that they could become dependent on assistance. However, as he got to know the people there, they all worked together to help each other out. They are very happy and hard working. I can't do his answer justice, but I thought he did a wonderful job sharing how he felt after the last two days.
Everyone is now packing for tomorrow. We will have breakfast at 7 AM, then drive about 2 hours to Diamante Verde. The Cave is located on private property, so we'll wind through on back roads, then get to our trailhead. It is about a 3 mile hike up the mountain. They estimated anywhere between 1.5 to 3 hours to make it up (past experience: it will be closest to 3 hours). We'll eat lunch, rappel down the waterfall, then eat dinner. It gets dark early, so we'll use our flashlights and headlamps to play cards until bedtime. After that, we hike back down and take the bus back to Uvita.
We will NOT have WiFi at the Cave. Or outlets. It is RUSTIC. However, we do have bathrooms and a full kitchen- no worries! At the earliest, I will have the next blog post up in 48 hours. Pura vida!
P.S. This post had to be finished/partially retyped 20 minutes later due to screaming boys- a bug of some sort was in one of the boys' rooms and I have never heard such screams! The cave crickets tomorrow night should make things interesting... ;)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
"Shredding gnar..." and a little bit of skin in the process
What an eventful day! We are so proud of the work ethic and positive attitude they all had today!
The time change meant nothing to our students. They were so tired from the night before that they slept every possible minute they could... 7:15 didn't feel like 9:15 to them at all. Some rooms woke up with the sounds of monkeys and birds at 4:30 AM; other rooms woke up at 7:13 when I knocked on their door before breakfast. We had a "typico" breakfast at the restaurant: rice and beans, eggs, queso blanco, and fresh fruit (papaya, pineapple, watermelon). Some students stuck with more familiar items like pancakes, toast, and Froot Loops. The coffee and fresh squeezed juice was also outstanding. They quickly cleared their plates and we received our instructions for community service.
At all times, students are required to carry the "Big 5." This is VERY different from the Gurney "Big 5," and the consequence of forgetting them isn't "getting benched," but instead being exhausted and ill equipped for the day's activities. All students must have the following: 1. Close toed shoes (for hiking and construction work) 2. Sunscreen (it's full sun every morning) 3. Raincoat (it's pouring every afternoon) 4. Bug spray (there's always insects) and 5. A full water bottle (hydrate, hydrate, hydrate). We constantly remind each other to continue to reapply sunscreen and bug spray, as well as to keep drinking water. So far, everyone is doing a good job.
Anyway, this morning we went to Senderos Mau, a small village that is named after our friend Mauricio Carazo, a program director for Rustic Pathways. He found this small community that needed help with construction projects. In Costa Rica, everything is very expensive for the locals due to tourism. There are several families living on this small parcel of land, but it is difficult for them to find the time and materials to build their homes. We helped here two years ago and the changes are astounding: 3 more houses have been built, 2 houses are finished with improvements, and the 2 houses that we worked on our completely finished. It was incredibly rewarding to see how the hard work paid off.
Upon our arrival we met with Oscar, who is a community leader. He helped to split us up for several projects this morning. We mixed concrete for several projects: flooring, constructing cement block walls, and for applying stucco finish. Some students worked with drills to help put up dry wall. Others sanded walls and started painting with primer. It was HOT. Personally, I drank at least 4 liters of water in about 3 hours of work. We took frequent water breaks to sit in the shade and students were on or off rotation for completing the tasks. We also took a game break in the middle of the morning: I can't believe how many of them have never played "Boom Chicka Boom!" Another favorite was a version of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" in Spanish.
Everyone thought they were stuffed after breakfast, but they all came back to the hotel hungry for lunch. We had 15 minutes to change for surfing in the afternoon, then enjoyed a delicious lunch of rice and beans, potatoes with ground beef, and salad. Yet again, plates were clean. After lunch, we were right back on the bus!
Marco, our bus driver, took us 20 minutes north to the town of Dominical to surf. We were met by our guides in town and followed them out to the beach. The tide was starting to come back in, so there was plenty of space on the beach AND large waves coming in- great conditions for surfing. We had a lot more space and more guides to work with this year; there were 2 or 3 students to each guide- plenty of one-on-one instruction. The two hour lesson started on the beach. We drew surfboards into the sand and practiced our technique: do you get up with figure 4? Hawaiian style? What foot is placed in front? Once the students were ready, they grabbed their boards and headed out to catch the waves!
This group is SO impressive! ALL of the students managed to stand up on their boards! I have never seen a group pick it up so quickly. Ben was particularly impressive: he could jump and change his foot position while on the board! Kelly and Emma rode waves all the way into the shore. Colin and Alex worked on venturing out a little farther. Justin and Katie got to the point where they could pose for pictures on the board. Mikala was also a talented surfer. She was so into the surfing, so didn't even notice that she cut her chin... and kept surfing. Her instructor sent her in and she still didn't even feel it. After checking her out, our guides decided it would be best to take her to the clinic to be checked out. Smiling the ENTIRE time, she got 3 stitches in her chin. AND she's excited to put a waterproof band-aid on and surf again tomorrow. Now Mikala has an awesome story to tell after "shredding gnar," or whatever it is the boys keep saying. What a tough girl! We finished surfing in the pouring rain and it didn't seem to phase anyone. They are very excited to get back out there again tomorrow!
The crew stopped for ice cream on the way back to the hotel. The workers laughed at our weak attempts to order in Spanish, but they were very proud of the students for trying. We learned what "scoop" is in Spanish and got a little grammar lesson. I forget everything because 6 years of German isn't doing me any good down here... props to our students for practicing their Spanish during the summer!
Most of the group decided to swim when we came back to the hotel, even with the rain. They played a rowdy game of Marco Polo, then headed to their rooms to shower for a presentation on Costa Rica. Eva & Adrian explained the history of Costa Rica, the culture, the government, and the importance of the environmental movement. It was very informative and they shared a lot of information that the students didn't know... so when they come back, quiz them on why it's called Costa Rica (from Christopher Columbus in 1502, the indigenous people wore gold and jade on the Caribbean coast), what the money that used to go to the military is used for (Costa Rica got rid of the military in 1948 and now the money goes toward education and health care), or which of the 3 R's is most important (reduce: cut back on the use of a resource FIRST, then be concerned about reusing it... recycling is expensive and energy intensive).
They had a few more minutes to play card games, then we dodged raindrops to head over to dinner. Tonight, they had chicken with rice and a tomato sauce, black beans, and salad. The juice this evening was a refreshing lime/basil/mint concoction. Everyone was eager to return to their card games for free time before lights out.
We'll meet briefly at 9 PM and get to bed early since everyone is worn out from community service work and paddling during surfing. Breakfast will be even earlier tomorrow so we can get to our surf lesson by 7 AM. We'll surf for another 2 hours in the morning, play at the beach, then come back for lunch. We'll be back at Senderos Mau for community service in the afternoon.
We have a few bruises, scrapes, bug bites, and stitches, but all is well! They are doing a wonderful job of embracing the Tico culture and Pura Vida lifestyle.
Goodnight!
The time change meant nothing to our students. They were so tired from the night before that they slept every possible minute they could... 7:15 didn't feel like 9:15 to them at all. Some rooms woke up with the sounds of monkeys and birds at 4:30 AM; other rooms woke up at 7:13 when I knocked on their door before breakfast. We had a "typico" breakfast at the restaurant: rice and beans, eggs, queso blanco, and fresh fruit (papaya, pineapple, watermelon). Some students stuck with more familiar items like pancakes, toast, and Froot Loops. The coffee and fresh squeezed juice was also outstanding. They quickly cleared their plates and we received our instructions for community service.
At all times, students are required to carry the "Big 5." This is VERY different from the Gurney "Big 5," and the consequence of forgetting them isn't "getting benched," but instead being exhausted and ill equipped for the day's activities. All students must have the following: 1. Close toed shoes (for hiking and construction work) 2. Sunscreen (it's full sun every morning) 3. Raincoat (it's pouring every afternoon) 4. Bug spray (there's always insects) and 5. A full water bottle (hydrate, hydrate, hydrate). We constantly remind each other to continue to reapply sunscreen and bug spray, as well as to keep drinking water. So far, everyone is doing a good job.
Anyway, this morning we went to Senderos Mau, a small village that is named after our friend Mauricio Carazo, a program director for Rustic Pathways. He found this small community that needed help with construction projects. In Costa Rica, everything is very expensive for the locals due to tourism. There are several families living on this small parcel of land, but it is difficult for them to find the time and materials to build their homes. We helped here two years ago and the changes are astounding: 3 more houses have been built, 2 houses are finished with improvements, and the 2 houses that we worked on our completely finished. It was incredibly rewarding to see how the hard work paid off.
Upon our arrival we met with Oscar, who is a community leader. He helped to split us up for several projects this morning. We mixed concrete for several projects: flooring, constructing cement block walls, and for applying stucco finish. Some students worked with drills to help put up dry wall. Others sanded walls and started painting with primer. It was HOT. Personally, I drank at least 4 liters of water in about 3 hours of work. We took frequent water breaks to sit in the shade and students were on or off rotation for completing the tasks. We also took a game break in the middle of the morning: I can't believe how many of them have never played "Boom Chicka Boom!" Another favorite was a version of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" in Spanish.
Everyone thought they were stuffed after breakfast, but they all came back to the hotel hungry for lunch. We had 15 minutes to change for surfing in the afternoon, then enjoyed a delicious lunch of rice and beans, potatoes with ground beef, and salad. Yet again, plates were clean. After lunch, we were right back on the bus!
Marco, our bus driver, took us 20 minutes north to the town of Dominical to surf. We were met by our guides in town and followed them out to the beach. The tide was starting to come back in, so there was plenty of space on the beach AND large waves coming in- great conditions for surfing. We had a lot more space and more guides to work with this year; there were 2 or 3 students to each guide- plenty of one-on-one instruction. The two hour lesson started on the beach. We drew surfboards into the sand and practiced our technique: do you get up with figure 4? Hawaiian style? What foot is placed in front? Once the students were ready, they grabbed their boards and headed out to catch the waves!
This group is SO impressive! ALL of the students managed to stand up on their boards! I have never seen a group pick it up so quickly. Ben was particularly impressive: he could jump and change his foot position while on the board! Kelly and Emma rode waves all the way into the shore. Colin and Alex worked on venturing out a little farther. Justin and Katie got to the point where they could pose for pictures on the board. Mikala was also a talented surfer. She was so into the surfing, so didn't even notice that she cut her chin... and kept surfing. Her instructor sent her in and she still didn't even feel it. After checking her out, our guides decided it would be best to take her to the clinic to be checked out. Smiling the ENTIRE time, she got 3 stitches in her chin. AND she's excited to put a waterproof band-aid on and surf again tomorrow. Now Mikala has an awesome story to tell after "shredding gnar," or whatever it is the boys keep saying. What a tough girl! We finished surfing in the pouring rain and it didn't seem to phase anyone. They are very excited to get back out there again tomorrow!
The crew stopped for ice cream on the way back to the hotel. The workers laughed at our weak attempts to order in Spanish, but they were very proud of the students for trying. We learned what "scoop" is in Spanish and got a little grammar lesson. I forget everything because 6 years of German isn't doing me any good down here... props to our students for practicing their Spanish during the summer!
Most of the group decided to swim when we came back to the hotel, even with the rain. They played a rowdy game of Marco Polo, then headed to their rooms to shower for a presentation on Costa Rica. Eva & Adrian explained the history of Costa Rica, the culture, the government, and the importance of the environmental movement. It was very informative and they shared a lot of information that the students didn't know... so when they come back, quiz them on why it's called Costa Rica (from Christopher Columbus in 1502, the indigenous people wore gold and jade on the Caribbean coast), what the money that used to go to the military is used for (Costa Rica got rid of the military in 1948 and now the money goes toward education and health care), or which of the 3 R's is most important (reduce: cut back on the use of a resource FIRST, then be concerned about reusing it... recycling is expensive and energy intensive).
They had a few more minutes to play card games, then we dodged raindrops to head over to dinner. Tonight, they had chicken with rice and a tomato sauce, black beans, and salad. The juice this evening was a refreshing lime/basil/mint concoction. Everyone was eager to return to their card games for free time before lights out.
We'll meet briefly at 9 PM and get to bed early since everyone is worn out from community service work and paddling during surfing. Breakfast will be even earlier tomorrow so we can get to our surf lesson by 7 AM. We'll surf for another 2 hours in the morning, play at the beach, then come back for lunch. We'll be back at Senderos Mau for community service in the afternoon.
We have a few bruises, scrapes, bug bites, and stitches, but all is well! They are doing a wonderful job of embracing the Tico culture and Pura Vida lifestyle.
Goodnight!
Monday, June 13, 2016
Arrival in Uvita
We made it! It has been a long day of travel, but everyone is happy and ready to go. Most of the students have been awake for about 18 hours now, so this will be an adjustment.
We started our morning at Hopkins at 3:45 AM. The students arrived in their Rustic Pathways t-shirts and we patiently waited in line to check our bags and get through security. We were very happy to find that all of the restaurants were open by the time we got through. The flight to Baltimore was just under an hour and we didn't have to sprint across the airport for a different concourse or a flight on it's way out- a nice change of pace from previous trips.
The flight into San Jose went pretty quickly. There was a lot of turbulence the first hour, but most of the students slept through it. There was another student group on our flight and we were all able to entertain ourselves in the back of the plane.
The students did a great job through customs and immigration. There was a little miscommunication about paperwork, but it all worked out and all the bags arrived, so no worries! We walked out of airport and met our Rustic Pathways representatives: Maricruz (one of the country directors- she collected our passports and sent the arrival e-mail home to parents), Marco (our bus driver), and Eva & Adrian (our guides for the next 10 days). Once on the bus, we went over the rules, some different facts about Costa Rica, and learned more about our guides. Both Eva and Adrian are native Costa Ricans, or "Ticos." Eva is from San Jose and Adrian is from Cartago. They both studied tourism at University and have been working with Rustic for several years. They taught the students about the "pura vida lifestyle" and have great energy.
Instead of stopping along the highway, we decided to ride an hour and a half to Jaco for lunch. Jaco is a very popular tourist destination, as it is the closest beach for anyone flying in to San Jose. Eva was telling us the entire way how good the tacos and smoothies are at Tacobar, and it did not disappoint. One of the coolest parts of lunch was when 3 scarlet macaws flew right over our heads. They are protected in Costa Rica and Adrian said that was only the second time he had seen them when he was with a Rustic group.
With full stomachs, we stopped at MaxiPali (basically a Wal-Mart/Sam's Club type store) to get drinks and snacks for the hotel. Some students stuck to home staples: Oreos, Lucky Charms, Crush, etc. Others ventured and tried some of the Costa Rican snacks like my personal favorite, Trits (the most amazing ice cream sandwich in the world. No exaggeration).
The bus ride back down the coast was a long one. The views were great, but it is a single lane road with a lot of traffic- lots of buses and trucks to get stuck behind. The afternoon storms started to roll in off the ocean, so the rain slowed us down a little more. The students kept themselves entertained with games like "Mafia," "Down by the Banks," and others. Then the rain made everyone sleepy and most of us slept from Quepos all the way into Uvita.
We are at Luz de Luna/La Fogata again this year. The students are getting settled into their rooms, then doing one-on-one interviews with our guides before dinner. Several of them have asked about watching the Cavs this evening, but I'm not sure that we're going to be able to get the game here... we will see. Maybe it will be good luck that we're all out of the country?
After dinner, we'll get our agenda for tomorrow- we will find out if we surf in the morning or afternoon and what our community service project will be. The bug spray is already out and students are already getting acquainted with mosquitoes, roaches, and geckos :) All are tired, but very happy, and hoping the storms go away so they can swim in the pool.
Until tomorrow... pura vida! And go Cavs!
We started our morning at Hopkins at 3:45 AM. The students arrived in their Rustic Pathways t-shirts and we patiently waited in line to check our bags and get through security. We were very happy to find that all of the restaurants were open by the time we got through. The flight to Baltimore was just under an hour and we didn't have to sprint across the airport for a different concourse or a flight on it's way out- a nice change of pace from previous trips.
The flight into San Jose went pretty quickly. There was a lot of turbulence the first hour, but most of the students slept through it. There was another student group on our flight and we were all able to entertain ourselves in the back of the plane.
The students did a great job through customs and immigration. There was a little miscommunication about paperwork, but it all worked out and all the bags arrived, so no worries! We walked out of airport and met our Rustic Pathways representatives: Maricruz (one of the country directors- she collected our passports and sent the arrival e-mail home to parents), Marco (our bus driver), and Eva & Adrian (our guides for the next 10 days). Once on the bus, we went over the rules, some different facts about Costa Rica, and learned more about our guides. Both Eva and Adrian are native Costa Ricans, or "Ticos." Eva is from San Jose and Adrian is from Cartago. They both studied tourism at University and have been working with Rustic for several years. They taught the students about the "pura vida lifestyle" and have great energy.
Instead of stopping along the highway, we decided to ride an hour and a half to Jaco for lunch. Jaco is a very popular tourist destination, as it is the closest beach for anyone flying in to San Jose. Eva was telling us the entire way how good the tacos and smoothies are at Tacobar, and it did not disappoint. One of the coolest parts of lunch was when 3 scarlet macaws flew right over our heads. They are protected in Costa Rica and Adrian said that was only the second time he had seen them when he was with a Rustic group.
With full stomachs, we stopped at MaxiPali (basically a Wal-Mart/Sam's Club type store) to get drinks and snacks for the hotel. Some students stuck to home staples: Oreos, Lucky Charms, Crush, etc. Others ventured and tried some of the Costa Rican snacks like my personal favorite, Trits (the most amazing ice cream sandwich in the world. No exaggeration).
The bus ride back down the coast was a long one. The views were great, but it is a single lane road with a lot of traffic- lots of buses and trucks to get stuck behind. The afternoon storms started to roll in off the ocean, so the rain slowed us down a little more. The students kept themselves entertained with games like "Mafia," "Down by the Banks," and others. Then the rain made everyone sleepy and most of us slept from Quepos all the way into Uvita.
We are at Luz de Luna/La Fogata again this year. The students are getting settled into their rooms, then doing one-on-one interviews with our guides before dinner. Several of them have asked about watching the Cavs this evening, but I'm not sure that we're going to be able to get the game here... we will see. Maybe it will be good luck that we're all out of the country?
After dinner, we'll get our agenda for tomorrow- we will find out if we surf in the morning or afternoon and what our community service project will be. The bug spray is already out and students are already getting acquainted with mosquitoes, roaches, and geckos :) All are tired, but very happy, and hoping the storms go away so they can swim in the pool.
Until tomorrow... pura vida! And go Cavs!
We're here!
After a long wait in immigration and customs, we're in Costa Rica! We met our guides Adrian & Eva and made our way to Jacó. It was about an hour and a half drive from San Jose to the Pacific Coast. We are eating lunch at Tacobar, well known by both locals and visitors alike. We will be heading to a grocery store for snacks afterward, then make our way down the coast. Pura Vida!
Heading out!
We are currently waiting at our gate in Baltimore. We'll start boarding in 5 minutes. As soon as we have WiFi, there will be an update/blog post. Please be patient: there is a time difference, so you may not read about our adventures until the next day.
All are happy, filled with caffeine and playing card games :)
Pura vida!
All are happy, filled with caffeine and playing card games :)
Pura vida!
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