| Costa Rica Venture log (2006-07-12 -> 2006-08-01)
Leaders: Jeff Hope and Megan Moran
Students: Becca Caldwell, Will Hannon, Wilson Tindall, Taryn O'Meara, Samantha Brody, Holden Baker, Wills Baker, Whitney Kline, Haven Shea, Mary Pappas, Kelly Van Hee
Day 1
Arrival Day! Megan and I, along with the other Moondance Instructors, met all three groups of students at the airport and proceeded to create a major sidewalk traffic jam of bags, packs, duffels and lounging bodies. After sorting through the baggage, we loaded up two buses and away we went to the Hostel Pangea, a happening backpacker hostel in downtown San Jose. There, after creating a major lobby traffic jam, we were able to get everyone in their rooms and set up a scrumptous buffet lunch of PB & J, chips, apples and cookies. After spending the afternoon getting settled, checking out the pool, and getting to know each other, our group headed out for an authentic Tico meal at the Poas Restaurant, which is located a few doors down from the hostel. After dinner, Megan left to pick up Kelly, who was arriving fashionably late from Colorado, while the rest of the group got together for their first Moonup and then prepared for the first day of rafting!
Day 2
Morning! We leaped out of bed wide awake and to begin our exciting day of rafting. Well, actually...since it was 5:00 am, most of us slowly slid out of bed, rubbing our eyes and bumping into walls, wondering why we were getting up in the middle of the night. But, after a quick pre-breakfast of fruit and toast, and with the prospect of white water in the near future, we were raring to go! We loaded up the bus at 6:15 met our charismatic local guide Cholo, and away we went. After stopping for a scenic second breakfast at a mountain lodge, we arrived at the mighty Pacuare River.
The group was split into two rafts with Megan and I in a third raft. So, each of the boat groups have written an account of their experience on the Pacuare River.
The first group who consisted of Whitney, Wilson, Sam, Kelly, Taryn and Holden write:
Cholo was our guide as well as a member of the National Costa Rican rafting team. We had a blast with him and had to be fully obedient to his commands (Get Down! Forward Hard! More Power!). We laughed a lot, screamed a lot, and paddled our hardest. Holden, a first-timer to rafting, was proud that she remained in the raft the entire time. Kelly and Wilson, los capitanes (captains) of the boat, kept all our paddling in sync. Wilson also came to the rescue and dove off the raft when Kelly lost her paddle. Sam was our resident screamer, and Whitney engaged in a little Spanish convo with Cholo. Our stay at the Pacuare Lodge was incredible. Because of the downpour, we had the opportunity to hang out together in the lodge and get to know one another. We had a wicked game of Jenga which involved song and dance, as well as a heated game of ¨Spoons¨. Dinner at the lodge was phenomenal. We started with creamy tomato soup and our choice of Thai-style chicken curry or beef stroganoff for the entree. Dessert was a chocolate torte with ice-cream and hot chocolate. Overall, the meal was heavenly. Our second day of rafting was equally as thrilling. Alas, our departure from Cholo and the crew was sorrow filled.
The second boat of Wills, Haven, Becca, Will, and Mary write:
The rafting at the Pacuare River was amazing! Wills and Haven sat in the front as boat leaders and also got the most wet. The big rapids would come all the way over the boat and drench us all. Becca was the lucky crew member who fell out and went for a swim. However, with teamwork and tricky maneuvering by our guide Christian, we were able to pull her back in the boat quickly. Will loved all the nature views that were all along the river...although; he sometimes became lost in thought and forgot about the paddling. Mary sometimes forgot to paddle as well, but she was usually busy watching Christian instead of nature. We were all amazed at how awesome the lodge was. We stayed in bungalows with private bathrooms. Haven and Holden also had a visitor in their room...a bullet ant, the largest ant in Costa Rica, which also had the most painful bite. Luckily, none of us had to experience it first hand. It rained all day so we all hung out in hammocks and played jenga and Spoons. Lunch and dinner were both delicious. On the second day we stopped at a huge waterfall and swam in a pool underneath it. During the hike up to it, the other guide, Kurt, taught us about medicinal plants. All in all, it was an amazing ride down the river.
Megan and I also fully enjoyed our time on the Pacuare with the group, especially the spirited games of Jenga and Spoon. It was also a pleasure to see this new group come together and each pilot their respective rafts down a challenging river. It already seems like our group has been together for weeks and we are all looking forward to the adventure ahead.
PURA VIDA!
7/15/06 Update
Day 4
After a leisurely ¨sleep in¨ until 7:30 am, we enjoyed a light breakfast at the hostel. Then, promptly at 8:30, we were picked up by our tour guide Roberto for an exciting day of flying through the rain forest on our Canopy Tour in San Lorenzo.
On the way to San Lorenzo, Roberto pointed out several points of local interest including several active volcanoes! When we arrived at the tour site, we were immediately decked out in harnesses, helmets, and the zip line mechanism and then we were on our way. After a detailed safety talk, we were led into the rain forest.
Initially, Sam had doubts about her zip lining ability, but right from the start she was a pro. Wilson, our tenacious adventurer was the first up and made it look easy for the rest of the group. After a few rides we got to the ¨Tarzan Swing¨, which was a favorite for everyone. Kelly, Becca, Mary, and Wills especially enjoyed swinging hundreds of feet over the forest floor. We then enjoyed a few more rides through the canopy before heading to the big rides. All the while, Whitney demonstrated her Spanish knowledge by chatting up our friendly guides.
Everyone was excited for the second set of zip lines which started at huge towers and gave a spectacular view of the valley. We had some fog roll in at this point, which only added to the excitement by not being able to see the end. Will was one of the first to disappear into the blanket of mist and only his shout of excitement let us know that he had arrived. During this part, we also had the chance to race side by side, which Haven and Taryn especially enjoyed. Holden’s highlight of the day was the last ride, which was a 1/2 mile long and reached speeds of 60 mph!
We are now preparing for our backpacking section and our homestay visits in the rain forest. Everyone is excited to get out of the city and experience more of the Costa Rican country and culture.
July 24th update
Hola Mis Amigos
Our group has successfully emerged from the rainforest and has landed on the beach. The Fonseca family was more than welcoming and hospitable during our stay with their family deep in the rainforest. We all got to experience Costa Rican life the most real way possible by living with the family, practicing Spanish, learning how to cook everyone’s favorite, rice and beans, and exploring what their 200 acres in the rainforest had to offer. Our mornings where filled with sunshine and activities and when the rain came in the afternoon we played countless games that kept everyone laughing and we all got to know each other even better. Every night we went to bed with the sun setting with the sounds of the rushing river and the huge waterfall lulling us to sleep. It was relaxing, it was challenging, but most of all it is an experience that no one will soon forget.
Everyone in the group had different feelings on what they enjoyed the most during our stay. Becca especially enjoyed our daily trips to the multileveled waterfall where we spent hours playing in the pools and cooling off from some hard days. We got the chance to climb a huge tree which was Kelly's favorite part because the tree not only was fun to climb but also posed quite a challenge. The Fonseca's have a banana plantation on their land which we got the chance to hike to and Haven loved having the opportunity to eat banana's right off the tree. Urra is the Fonseca's six year old son who is always up for a good time and took a special liking to Wilson who got the chance to practice his Spanish while making a great friend. One evening we got the chance to participate in a sweat lodge where we were asked to focus on physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of our lives and we would sit for ten minutes, dip in the river, and repeat the process which we did 3 times. Wills particularly enjoyed the sweat lodge for it was truly a unique experience. We also had the opportunity to rapel down a cascading waterfall which is quite challenging and scary at first but after getting over the initial hump Holden really enjoyed getting soaked while facing the challenge. Samantha enjoyed all the activities but particularly favored the down time where she could read her summer reading and practice speaking and improving her Spanish (that's for you mom!) Albino Fonseca, the father of family, is a particularly wise man who has a huge garden full of plants and herbs which each have their own medicinal value. The plants cure everything from breast cancer to diabetes. Will really enjoyed the medicinal tour and also impressed his peers with his command of the Spanish language. Our backpacking to get to the Fonseca house took us two days to get there and a day to get back to the road on the way out. Taryn really enjoyed the trails for they were especially beautiful and unlike anything we see the states. What surprised her the most was how much she enjoyed hiking in the rain. The Fonseca's have built a zip line that goes over a rushing river and Mary really loved the zip line because it was scary and thrilling. And last but not least Whitney is our resident fluent Spanish speaker and has really enjoyed the opportunity to use her Spanish in a real-life situation instead of in a classroom and has made many Costa Rican friends.
Everyone here is happy and healthy and glad to be at the beach. Our group gets along great and everyone is making life-long friends. We laugh a lot, play a lot, and are continuously amazed at this great country we are so lucky to be traveling in.
Until next time
Pura Vida
Good Morning Everyone!
It is 7:30am here in Playa Uvita, Costa Rica and the group just finished pancakes made by our amazing chef Whitney. Megan, Jeff, Wills, Wilson, Will, Sam, and Taryn just got back from a sunrise surf session that left us worked and excited about our day. The sun rose in the east over the luscious green mountains that meet the ocean while we bobbed on our surf boards waiting for the perfect wave. We have all worked hard at perfecting our surfing skills which was evident this morning when Sam was riding her 20th wave of the morning while Wills was turning into the waves like an old pro and making it look easy. Our days of sun were punctuated by kids getting up on their surfboards and catching waves left and right. Haven was the first up and riding and looking like a true surfer chick, Kelly spent hours in the ocean catching waves and enjoying every minute, Becca, Mary and Holden would float for hours on their boards catching rays then give it their best effort and were all up and riding waves. We have all had such a good time soaking in the sun, learning to surf, living in these really cool cabanas and cooking for ourselves. In a few hours we head south to the Osa Penisula where we sea kayak for a few days before heading back to San Jose and then home to the States.
Hasta Luego
Hola! After a sunrise surf session in Uvita, we loaded onto a bus and bounced our way through the moguls the Ticos call roads all the way to our sea kayaking destination of Playa Blanca. There, we met our guides Mauricio, Hilberto, and Guillermo and set up our camp for the night eagerly anticipating our foray into Gulfo Dulce or ¨Sweet Gulf¨.
The next morning after a lengthy discussion of safety and care of our equipment we boarded our boats and began our journey. The first day included a 10-mile stretch which was challenging for all. However, everyone stepped up and we made it to camp in record time. Each of the sea kayaking days were highlighted by hot, sunny mornings followed by afternoon and evening rain. So, we made sure to get our tents and rain flies ¨bomber¨ as soon as we got there to beat the inevitable rain.
For the next few days we paddled hard and then enjoyed afternoon down time during the rain. We were able to take a mangrove tour on the afternoon of the third day, which gave us a chance to explore an endangered and exotic ecosystem. The trip concluded with a pre-dawn, open water crossing back to Playa Blanca, which was expertly led by Whitney and Taryn. Then back to San Jose for shopping and banquet...until next time, PURA VIDA!
During some down time, each member of the group wrote down their thoughts about the adventure...
Becca - These past 3 weeks have taught me so much about the culture of Costa Rica, have allowed me to challenge myself, and have helped me to create several strong friendships.
Whitney - I realized my ability to adapt to any conditions and meet the demands placed on me.
Mary - These weeks in Costa Rica have been some of the best times of my life with amazing people in a beautiful place.
Wilson - I had a lot of fun and learned a lot about the culture of Costa Rica, the people I was with and myself.
Samantha - I can't believe the trip is over. I've made friendships that I know will last and I've learned so much about the Costa Rica lifestyle. The trip was so much fun and I'll never forget these past three weeks.
Wills - This trip was amazing. I will never forget the memories Moondance has given me, the friendships I've created and the challenges I've risen above!
Will - This trip has blown by. I have had a blast and made many new fiends. This trip has taught me so much about Costa Rican culture and the people that live it.
Holden - After all the fun, exciting activities on the trip I can't believe it's actually coming to an end. I will miss Costa Rica and all the new friends I made.
Taryn - I can't believe that I'm going home tomorrow; this trip has been an adventure. I have learned so much about the culture, the rainforest and myself and all that I am capable of.
Haven - I truly have experienced Costa Rican culture on this trip and can't believe how it flew by.
Kelly - I have made such good friends on this trip. I feel like I have known these people for a lot longer than three weeks.
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