Every night when everyone has gone to bed I stay up writing an essay/book/update in order to let the parents know we are well. The students in the past have thanked me for the emails as well. We see so much and do so many things everything quickly becomes a mess in their heads. The emails await the students and serve as a reminder of all we've done. The emails miss 100% of crap that goes on behind the scenes and this tour has had more of it than imaginable. The weather is crazy, delays inevitable but the kids are here and happy so in the end that's all that matters.
Day 1
We had an incident tonight in a room with four girls. A student got out of the window and was outside. Security called the hotel which in turn notified all the chaperones.
I'm emailing to let you know that if anything like sneaking out/not following strict rules (which I impose for everyone's safety) happens again I will send students home.
We are a large group and each individual has been warned many times of the consequences. Every student and adult needs to contribute to the well being and safety of the group and if not, I'll be contacting EF to start procedures to send those individuals to CA.
Tortuguero 1
After a rather frustrating first day with lots of tardiness and lack of listening, the students decided to turn this boat around and we are now off to fun land!
Yesterday morning we got a tour of San José, capital of Costa Rica. I'd be lying if I said it was an planned one but due to floods in the northern part of the country and changing of routes we got to see a prison that has been changed into a kids museum, an airport runway that has been converted into a park with eucalyptus trees, lots of traffic and a Walmart. During the tour David taught us local slang (Que tuanes, mae!), bits and pieces of history and set us up for what we were about to see. We drove through Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo, saw some full rivers (no drought here) but the highlight was seeing banana plantations and all that it entails. Del Monte, Chiquita and Dole are all based in CR and are one of main employers of native ticos in the rural areas. We saw the chira flower, men pull zip lines of bananas and learned all about how bananas get to our grocery stores in the U.S.
We arrived at La Pavona at about 11 am and got on a boat to Tortuguero. This place is so off the beaten path the only way to get here is via air or boat. It's also the reason I chose this itinerary for the students (more details to come). We spent the following hour oohing and aahing over the lush rain forests and incredible greens as we made our way to our home for the next two nights. We are staying in brightly colored bungalows on gorgeous tropical grounds. The students have taken advantage of the pool very well. We spent the afternoon in the downtown of tiny town of Tortuguero which was a 3 minute boat ride away. Remember, no roads here!
We saw the strong currents of the Caribbean Sea, tried freshly cut coconuts and had too much fun on kids' see-saws. In the eve, we had yuca for the first time along with the local delicacy: beans and rice.
More pool was to follow and then we had to get to work! Students collaborated on their WeShare topics and it was fun to watch different levels of Spanish working
together. Tomorrow we will put our Spanish to use as we encounter locals and inquire about the local economy, dress, religion, arts and many other topics the students have pondered about. To top off the eve, we did some Costa Rica trivia where five students won prizes for listening and learning!
We are sitting in "no wifi land" and I'm using our tour guide's phone as a hot spot. So don't expect to hear from your offspring for another day but we are here and happy!
Tortuguero 2
Each day is full of activities yet somehow relaxing. We are 10 degrees off the equator so the sun gets up early and we start our days soon after.
In the morning, we got into three different boats and spent the following two hours on the canals of Parque de Tortuguero, A highly protected area full of wildlife and plants unlike what we see at home. Our tour guides took us to the best spots to see two different types of monkeys (howler and capuchin), turtles, cayman and multiple birds. One boat was lucky to spot a third type of a monkey (the spider one), while another saw a sloth and a third saw a spider eating a shrimp. Don't ask.
We had a great lunch soon after and some kids were going for seconds and thirds, I guess they really liked the rice and meat! David, our guide, shared a local chocolate sweet made with guava.
The students' next task was to ask the locals some questions they had prepared the night before. They videotaped the mini interviews and I can't wait to see them. I'm very proud of them for getting out of their comfort zones and practicing their Spanish. Even the two girls (Jocelyn and Avani) who study Chinese and ASL!
Once we got back to our hotel we had some downtime. Some swam, others napped and a lot complained about bugs (you guys are in the jungle!)
In a few minutes we are going to go searching for turtles. There are no guarantees but with highly trained spotters and guides, I surely hope we will see some beautiful creatures and learn about all that's done to protect them. As our guide told us "the culture is changing. the grandparents used to kill turtles, the parents are tour guides and today's local kids are learning how to conserve them." It's quite an honor and a privilege to partake in this activity and see researchers do work live on the beach of the Caribbean. Before I left to CR, a very generous donor handed me an envelope with some money to treat the kids. The turtle tour was not included in EF cost and is possible because of this person's generosity. We are very very thankful and without them, some wouldn't be able to get the full experience.
Donovan, one of students, was very kind to a local lady and helped her out. She made sure to recognize this and gifted him a hand carved coconut. A teacher leading another group, applauded our students for their behavior. Makes me proud of our group and of course of Logan!
The weather has been really kind to us in Tortuguero. It's hot and humid but there hasn't been any rain. That being said, the rest of Costa Rica has not been that lucky. Floods are everywhere and the road we were supposed to take to Sarapiqui flooded, the bridge we used to get here is no longer there. We are being rerouted and are skipping the Sarapiqui region as well as the white water rafting tour. Safety first! Stay tuned on the refunds you'll be getting from EF. And of course, the details about our adventure.
Day 3 Tortuguero route to mainland/San Jose
Because of the weather groups were being delayed left and right. Since Tortuguero is only reachable by a few different highways there was a possibility we'd get stuck there for a night or two due to landslides and fallen bridges. But not us! We were one of the few groups that made it out when we were supposed to. Instead of Sarapiqui and white water rafting we were heading to San Jose to spend a night there and head to La Fortuna the next day.
After taking the boat out of Tortuguero, we met our bus driver Freddie who'll be with us for the remainder of the trip. Freddie doesn't just know how drive these tiny streets he also has an eye of a hawk. While en route, he spotted two different sloths and we got quite a lesson about them. So cute but hidden too well up in the trees.
David arranged lunch for us at a restaurant on the way to San Jose. While it doesn't seem like a big deal we are a huge group (47 with the school from Texas) and since we were rerouted this wasn't a common road for tours to pass. We ate at El Coln restaurant with beautiful views. Some of us may have gotten a little excited over the amazing rotisserie chicken and bought an entire one to go. So many people did that that there may have been a chicken party in one of the rooms later on. But I'm not telling.
Freddie took us through Cartago, the original capital of San Jose. We saw the only Basilica in Costa Rica and learned about the pilgrimage that happens every year.
Next stop: the capital itself! We did a mini walking tour of the historic part of San Jose. We saw the beautiful theater and the main plaza. We came in at the end of a parade in support of gays, which of course happened after the SCOTUS passed its ruling.
We tried the local ice cream chain Pops and I was proud that most kids ordered and took care of business in Spanish. Me gusta.
When we arrived a the hotel we discovered it was a Best Western. Is was a fancy one, much nicer than the ones in the U.S. AC was blowin' and wifi worked. I surely hope everyone heard from the kids that day. I had assumed that everyone would sit in their rooms on their phones but the wifi excitement died down soon after and the kids made the trek to the local supermercado. It's moments like these when they impress me and show me what they are really here for.
Do you know what's always in the same building as a Best Western?! A Denny's! Yes, our dinner was not very authentic but it did the trick.
After dinner, we wrote in journals and it's nice to see some students getting really into it. Of course, some write just so that I leave them alone while others write pages and pages and are really documenting their experience. This was also the third night of trivia questions! Every night I've been asking 5-10 questions from the day to see if they've been paying attention. So far their prizes have included bracelets with turtles, key chains and large stickers. I've got more things for the days to come so I hope they are paying attention.
Adelante!
La Fortuna Day 4
We awoke to an American breakfast of Denny's. To offset the meal and remind us that we are still in Costa Rica, we tried the local fruit granadilla. It's quite slimy and I was very proud of every single student for trying it. It's sweet and yummy once you get over its look and texture.
The next few hours on the bus were full of very distinct stops. First up, a shop for souvenirs where we raided the place for 20 minutes. It's always interesting to watch the students budget yet buy thoughtful gifts for those back home and some trip reminders for themselves. The roads after the shop were getting windier and windier and people were starting to feel nauseous. No one threw up (yay!) and once the bus stopped randomly on the side of the road we were excited about getting fresh air. But where were we? David told us our next stop was lunch in town and this didn't look like lunch nor was it a proper town square. David had called ahead to this rural school and asked if we can stop by and give our donations. Of course, none of us knew that! So here we are, in the middle of nowhere, rummaging through 50 suitcases trying to find the stuff Logan has been carrying around for four days.
The school: Los Molinos, 87 children. Grades Pre K-6. While the principal Doña Roberta was gathering the kids to come outside, some of us sprung into action. We needed to create 80+ bags full of markers, pencils, erasers, glue sticks, stickers, pencil sharpeners and more. Wow, there was a lot of stuff. In fact, once we were done making some very generous bags the teachers got a full suitcase of supplies as well. As the bags were made, the Costa Rican kids introduced themselves and sang the anthem. Once our students started singing ours, I was making the bags and crying at the same time. There is something about us being in absolute middle of nowhere, being proud of who are and leaving a positive footprint. We have some pretty awesome ocapella singers but let's just say not everyone knows the words of the anthem ;). The locals took our students to show off their classrooms. Because the school is so small only 40 students were there, the rest come in the afternoon. The little ones immediately grabbed hands and off they went. One kid gifted ours his English homework. Another, told our student he'll miss her. They played basketball together and danced. Once the bags were finally done, each student gave one to a local kiddo. Eyes lit up and they were truly thankful. Doña Roberta told us how the kids always ask where the big tour buses are going. She always has to explain to them the tourists don't have time, they are on their to La Fortuna to see the volcano. But for a moment, we changed that. We may have been the first Americans they interacted with, we were learning their language and cared enough to stop. It was a truly powerful cultural exchange. Lastly, I'll add that EF has school that it visits but it's always the same schools and the kids know when the buses are going to pull up, they do the traditional dancing and talk about the schools. But it's always the same schools and always planned. The spontaneity of this stop is what made it truly special for all of us.
Next stop: lunch in town. I was shocked that kids didn't cheer when we were told it was going to be pizza. It tells me that they are enjoying the local food and are happy to be trying new and local things. Makes me proud. Again. David promised that we were not going to have more American food but he is doing the best he can since this is the portion of the trip he had to replan and reroute due to the floods.
Zip lining was next! For about half of the group it was the first time doing it. I'd say 80% of us got stuck at some point and it was fun to cheer each other on to get to the end of the cable. The third cable's view was absolutely breathtaking and the last (and the longest) cable went over a canyon and a river, the view were delightful, adrenaline was up and we had a blast.
Because there is no rest for the weary, our next stop was a hike down to see La Catarata Fortuna, a gorgeous waterfall. The walk down was more than 300 steps. What comes down must come up, right? Some of us were immediately worried about not dying on the way back up. The waters beneath the waterfall we clear and the current so very strong. At a certain point it was a bit scary but I'm glad to report that I'll be bringing back the 31 I took here.
We were finally at our hotel. We are on the lake with gorgeous views, the hotel rustic and really cute. The bugs are baaaack (in full force!) but at least having done this in Tortuguero we are becoming pros of dealing with it.
After a very yummy dinner (so far the soup was my highlight of hotel food on this trip), we wrote in journals, cleaned up a bit and had a dance! Some kids were too tired to shake it, while others had a fab time on the dance floor. David gave us some salsa lessons and then opened up the floor with his DJing skills (aka Bose speaker he carries around everywhere he goes).
After a crazy long day, we are getting up for another day full of activities. Yes, this is a vacation after which you need a vacation and I love it. I think students do too.
La Fortuna Day 5
We started our day full on knowing that it will be a busy one. Today was definitely the most action packed day, not that we've had much rest at all!
Parque Arenal was a 2 km hike up over the volcanic rocks and the view at the top was quite the reward. It rained the whole time which of course made this hike in the rain forest live up to its name. We attempted a Logan picture but one person already started walking back down. To this day, our only group pic is the one from the airport at departure. Very lame!
Next was a kayaking adventure. We got to work all kind of muscles today! Kayaking in the rain is not for the weak but David taught us a Costa Rican expression "Mal tiempo, buena cara" which means "bad weather, good face" and we couldn't let him down. Once we were given the safety instructions we realized that tipping each other was allowed. You can only imagine what ensued and how many times I was attacked! For obvious reasons we didn't bring cameras but I'm looking forward to students sharing their GoPro footage.
We had a boxed lunch in the center of La Fortuna, had a few minutes to check out the church and do some shopping.
Onto the Rainforest Chocolate Tour! Our guide, Erica had impeccable English and was very engaging. We got to break the cacao fruit, start the fermentation process (with our saliva!), separate the shells and grind the cacao. Then we created cacao drinks and our own mini chocolate spoons full of whatever toppings we wanted. It was a delicious way to end a very informative and fun activity.
Our last stop of the day was the fanciest of the trip. We went to https://www.baldihotsprings.cr and I'm pretty sure your students would love to take you there soon. 21 pools naturally heated by the volcano surrounded by lush gardens. Enough said.
Back at the hotel we had dinner, wrote in journals and did our nighly trivia. Tonight's prizes were bookmarks made of lemon and banana paper.
We celebrated Prianka's 17th and Alex's 18th birthdays and I promised them that no matter how they celebrate their future birthdays they'll always remember how they spent this one.
Tomorrow we are moving to our fourth and last stop: Guanacaste.
Pura vida!
Guanacaste/Playa Hermosa Day 6
This morning we woke up in La Fortuna (actually our little town was called El Castillo) and headed up North to the Pacific Ocean. We drove along Lake Arenal, an 85 square miles manmade lake in which we kayaked yesterday.
While we were still in the US, I asked David to organize our horseback riding activity. He couldn't but he promised me a surprise later on this week.
We pulled up to a family owned restaurant El Establo, where Alexandra showed us the Costa Rican process of brewing coffee (through a cloth bag) and tried her family's tortilla recipe. It was stuffed with cheese, sugar, and coconut. The combo sounded odd until we tried it. It was ah-mazing! We were then asked to go to a stable (thus the name of the restaurant) and that's where the magic happened. The father Alexander had his 4 year old granddaughter put on a show for us on a beautiful white horse. He told stories of starting with nothing and then buying horses that nobody wanted and treating them the same way he would want to be treated. Humanely. He was a great story teller and his message was loud and clear. He also gave us five principles of living a good life: having limits, intuition, love, respect and perseverance. I couldn't agree more.
We continued on and stopped at a grocery store for some snacks. Tomorrow is going to be a long day and we need to have some treats. Some of us raided the bakery department as well. It's always a terrible idea to go food shopping before lunch but I digress. Next stop: lunch at a beautiful restaurant next to a dry forest. As we ate we saw other zip by on canopies. The food was great and plentiful and then we were off to a hike in the dry forest.
We arrived at the entrance of Volcan de Rincon de la Vieja at 3 pm on the dot. The problem? It closes at 3 pm. After a few phone calls and a very shady handshake David got us in. What a difference the climate makes! This was as dry as can be, with red rocks everywhere and geysers spewing steam at 109 degrees.
We headed to our hotel where there was no time to check in, we had to check out the sunset over the Pacific Ocean at Playa Hermosa! The water is much much warmer than in CA and dare I say, enjoyable? The black sand was smooth as can be and it was a good way to really start the end of our last leg.
We had dinner at the beautiful Hotel Mangaby, did journals, filled out our departure forms and did our last trivia. Kids have learned a lot and 2/3 have won something this week for paying attention.
And then there was the late late walk to the beach. It was 10 pm and I asked the students to bring absolutely nothing with them. If they were bringing a camera they had to keep it on them at all times. 24 of us walked one block to the beach and had a great time. The water was refreshing, it was fun to be out, many laughs were had and it felt like the cherry on top.
We headed back to pick up our shoes to walk home. But guess what? Only 14 found our pair. Yes, while we were dipping our feet in the water someone walked over, picked out which shoes they liked and took the select ones. We are a great group and those of us that lost them took it as a compliment! We were a bit puzzled but there are neverending reminders of always being vigilant when traveling. I'm glad the kids brought nothing fancy on them but truth be told, I'm not sure what we could have done to prevent it. Geez. Your kid may be coming back with less shoes than they came with.
Tomorrow is our last day in paradise. We have two more activities planned and then we are heading home. Time flies when you are having fun!
Day 7 Playa Hermosa
We started our last day with a choice, a typical breakfast or an American one. Lovers of gallo pinto went with the typical one, of course!
On the way to Parque Nacional Palo Verde, we picked up our tour guides Juan Carlos and Alonso. Our group separated into two boats and off we went searching for crocodiles, monkeys and whatever else we could find in Rio Tampisque.
It soon became evident that it was going to be an easy search. With an average of 8 to 10 crocodiles per kilometer they were everywhere. I'm happy to report we are coming back with all of our hands in tact and heads attached. We picked up a baby crocodile and my boat's captain let us pet it.
We saw many iguanas, crocs and birds but the highlight of the show were the capuchin monkeys! They played on the roof of our boat, touched our cameras, tried to steal our hats and much more. Many pics were taken and I'm sure you'll see every angle possible of the carablancas on your kid's cameras.
Lunch was at a charming restaurant off the beaten path where we sat on tree stomps, ate from shells and enjoyed lively conversation.
For our last activity of the trip, we spent a few beautiful hours on the boat and in the water. I couldn't have come up with a better way to close out the week. We snorkled, hang out on the boat, played on the beach, learned salsa and bachata from the crew and danced away!
And then I *didn't* fall in the water! As I sat down in the boat after the beach, I realized my bathing suit was full of sand. I asked the captain if I can jump out and clean the sand and he approved. Of course, with my grace fully in tact (and no one else knowing I was planning on jumping out) I took one step and went flying from the boat. Pretty much everyone freaked out for the two seconds before I popped up above water. Nice to know students cared and didn't want me dead at the end of the trip :)
In the eve, David said some kind words to our group. He really enjoyed us, thanked us for being on time and open minded. Then some students began to talk and some things became very clear: they loved the trip and really bonded with the Texan group. I can truly say they've made some new friends from "home" while bonding and learning all that Costa Rica had to offer.
As a wrap up, I want to mention that the kids were amazing throughout the trip. After the initial hickup, everyone was on time, kind, respectful and welcoming. We learned a lot but I'd like to think that we taught others as well. We shared with the school, took our lost shoes in stride, helped each other, tried new foods, dealt with bugs, lived without ac and WiFi and survived. Isn't it what traveling is all about? Leaving your comfortable life at home, seeing how others live, leaving a positive footprint and wanting to do more? For those who have never traveled before, I hope this is a beginning of opening the wonderful world we live in. For my seasoned travelers, thank you for letting me show you such a beautiful country. And for parents, thank you for giving this opportunity to your kids. It's an experience they will never forget.
