Arrival Day!
Today most of our group met in Miami. Everyone is great, very nice and welcoming. We met the rest of the group in San Jose where the weather was warm and a bit humid. We are all pretty tired from our long day of travels from the States and are looking forward to a nights rest at the hostel. This trip is going to be fantastic! We are all really excited, but tired too....all for today as we are off to bed.
-Thad
Whitewater Rafting
I was lucky to be the leader of the day on the first full day of our trip. We took a bus to our put-in on the Pacuare River. During our time on the bus everyone had a chance to get to know each other. We had breakfast this morning at an excellent restaurant looking over a beautiful valley in San Jose. The rafting itself was a TON of fun today! The rapids were really big and exciting. Our campsite for the night was awesome and the food tonight was amazing. Everyone got to know each other and have fun with the group. What a great way to start our trip.
-Mollie
Second Rafting Day . . .
Today was our second day of whitewater rafting. We arose early, ate a good breakfast and got onto the water. We paddled through class 3 and 4 rapids - they were so much fun! We floated through a beautiful canyon and swam around for a while before lunch. After another good meal we were back on our rafts with our amazing guides. It was an exciting ride for sure and a fantastic way to start our adventure because the group became closer from all of the team work that was required to paddle our rafts.
P.S. At the end of the river a Costa Rican boy jumped off a very tall bridge. This was exciting to watch!
-Mark
Arenal and La Fortuna
We arose this morning to slight showers, but everyone was excited for our hike that we were going to do. The goal of the hike was to head towards Arenal Volcano - one of the most active volcanoes in the world! We didn't get too close, but there were some really great views and we actually saw some blue skies! After lunch we headed to another river were we got a chance to meet farmers that still lived without electricity! Amazing. We saw monkeys, birds and iguanas. These iguanas were quite big and a bit scary looking. This boat trip was the perfect opportunity to talk to new friends and discuss the beautiful land around us. This day was so fun and I will always remember the people. In the morning we travel to the Savegre Valley to begin our volunteer adventure.
-Sammy
Service Projects
We woke up early today - wishing Rachael a Happy Birthday! After a delicious breakfast we began hiking to the school in the nearby village. The hike was pretty intense on a rocky and unpaved road, but if felt good to get our legs moving. We arrived to the school after about a half hour of hiking and were soon put to work. Some of us scraped moss off the brick walls which would later be painted - the rest of us set to work digging up an area of land in order to build a greenhouse for the school. By the end of the day we were all exhausted and covered with dirt and paint. We ended our work day with a good meal of meat, beans and rice dish which was prepared by the cook at the school. The next day found us back at the village again. The hike seemed easier today and we split into three work groups: painting, green house and road work. The work was tiring at times, but the little children kept smiles on all of our faces. Their excitement for us being there brought happiness to all of us. Once again we ended our day with a good home-cooked meal of Costa Rican tamalies. Our last day of service was action-packed. The goal was to put the plastic on the greenhouse. While the greenhouse crew did there thing the rest of us finished up working up repairing the road and painting the fence and playground. The day finished with a soccer game the some the local kids. It was a good day!
-Erica
Osa Adventures
After our journey across Costa Rica we awoke to warmer weather. Jaigo was our guide and exhibited a tremendous amount of energy and excitement. Our first stop was to do some tree climbing in Matapalo. It was soooo fun. The howler monkeys were very loud tonight! In the morning we painted and helped out with other projects around the school. That evening we took a nice walk along the beach and found some coconuts to bring back to our campsite. We departed for our three day kayaking adventure. Along the way we will clean up beaches along the way. We also stopped by a local school in order to prepare a lunch of hamburges, pineapples, watermelons, chips and sodas. We woke up the next morning to go snorkeling on Cano Island. We got our mask and fins and started diving in an area with coral and beautiful fish.
-Audrey
Departure Day
This is the final entry! Once at the hostel we showered and changed into clothes for our banquet. We had a delicious dinner! Well, it's been a great trip. Hopefully more to come.
-Ron
