| Costa Rica Venture log (2006-07-12 -> 2006-08-01)
Leaders: Kayla Applebay and Will McRae
Students: Caroline Mayberry, Andrew McConnell, Quinn Irby, Olivia Leonaitis, Marek Rebandel, Kylie Grady, Gabby Freeman, Whitney Kenney
All have arrived safely to San Jose, Costa Rica. Preparations are underway for Sea Kayaking. Stay tuned for future updates!
7/21/06
Day 1
Costa Rica! Our group arrived to the airport safely and all were a little tired from traveling but enthusiastic about their upcoming three weeks traveling through this Central American oasis of ecological jewels. The lush landscape here is bathed in infinite shades of green, and everyone starred out the bus window in amazement as we drove to the Hostel Pangea where we spent our first night. The hostel is bustling with backpackers from all around the globe, and we all enjoyed our first "ice breaker" sitting out on the deck overlooking the city of San Jose and its spectacular mountain backdrop. We had our first lunch of PB&J's and fried plantain chips, both a combination of an American favorite and Costa Rican flavor, while our group opened up and talked about their excitement for our first section of the trip, sea kayaking! After we were all settled in, we hung out by the pool and relaxed before heading out for a group dinner at a nearby local restaurant, where the group brushed up on their Spanish skills and each ordered their first authentic Tico meal complete with Cerviche, a scrumptious fish dish, the staple rice and beans, and of course Lizano sauce, a new favorite amongst us all! After our first Moonup of the trip, we headed off to bed to rest up for our drive to the Gulfo Dulce and the first section of our trip.
Day 2
A 5:00 am wake-up call and a breakfast of fresh fruit and toast began our nine hour bus ride/off-road adventure through the Costa Rican countryside to the Gulfo Dulce and our sea kayaking destination. The ride was loaded with laughter and smiling faces as we bounced, rattled, and jostled our way down the backcountry roads and watched as some of our luggage appeared to remain suspended in mid-air as we cruised down the road. We saw free-ranging cows, palm fields, sugar-cane plantations, and even toucans while listening to Andrew's abundant humor and sharing stories of our families and friends back home. After nine hours of driving, we pulled into Playa Blanca, set up camp, went for the first of many swims in the Pacific Ocean, and had our first lesson on opening coconuts! Caroline and Kylie hacked away the outer buoyant shell until it was removed, and Gabby used a rock to crack open the core - we were drinking fresh, sweet coconut water in no time. After a few relaxing hours around camp enjoying the many colorful birds and even an iguana lounging in a tree over our tents, the group's first outdoor meal of spaghetti was prepared by Olivia, Andrew, and Kayla and we all sat down to satisfy our raging appetites and prepare for our first day of paddling.
Days 3 and 4
The day started with a few quick lessons about tides, paddling, gear storage, and wet exits from our outfitters. After preparing our gear we were off enjoying a beautiful sunny afternoon on the ocean. The laughter from Andrew and Caroline's boat provided entertainment for us all as we paddled six miles from Playa Blanca to our first camp, Mango. The mountainous coastline and tropical forest scenery surrounding the gulf is amazing, and Whitney and Kylie were ecstatic after being the only two in our group with their boat close enough to the shoreline to get an up-close view of a family of Howler Monkeys!! We all saw them from a distance but were jealous of their close encounter. At our second camp, Guava, we enjoyed the scenery from our palm-lined beach, more fresh coconut, and a beautiful Costa Rican sunset. Life doesn't get much more tranquil than this!
Day 5
Master chefs, Kylie and Marek, cooked the group chocolate pancakes this morning!! After breakfast we played our first game of silent football here on the beach waiting for the tides to change, and we laughed until our stomachs hurt as Olivia, Quinn, and Whitney performed a skit acting as jungle animals in order to return to our "English Court" and reenter the game. Our paddle today took us by a fertile river delta lined with a mangrove forest, and at River camp we had a lesson on the life cycle of the mangrove and their importance to the ecosystem here in Costa Rica. Marek and Gabby continue to be two of the strongest paddlers in our group, and Caroline's navigational skills lead us safely into camp today. With each day the group continues to open up and everyone is already talking about how hard it is going to be to leave new friends when the trip finally ends. We have an amazing group of Moondancers! Pura Vida from beautiful Costa Rica!
Day 6
Our final day of sea kayaking began with an early start, as we rose with the sun to ensure that we had the tides with us for our 10 mile crossing back to Playa Blanca. Our amazing sea kayaking guides had been preparing us all week for this day, and we were all ready to tackle the difficult paddle across Gulfo Dulce. After a quick breakfast and a beautiful sunrise, we left our secluded jungle camp and headed out to more open waters. With Andrew and Caroline acting as leaders of the day, we all new there would be no shortage of laughter and positive attitudes to help us complete the difficult paddle. Navigation was left to the leaders as well, and after sorting out a little confusion, Andrew and Caroline brought us successfully to our destination in near record time. All happy to be out of the kayaks, we enjoyed a relaxing swim before starting on all the gear cleaning and shuffling that comes with the close of any course section. Then back on the bus for another long ride as we headed off to Uvita and the start of the much anticipated surfing section. Arriving in the pouring rain, we were all grateful to be staying in cabinas, with bathrooms, refrigerators, beds, and most importantly air-conditioning (a rare luxury in Costa Rica). Located near many small farms and homes, it did not take Kylie long to fall in love with every animal she saw. I think she would have even tried to pick up and cuddle the baby cows if we would have let her.
Day 7 -9
Surfs up! Two days of surfing at the fairly secluded Playa Uvita was just what the group needed after the strenuous sea kayaking section. We hit the beach early and were greeted by Tito, the local surfing instructor who was going to ensure that we were all catching stellar waves by the end of the day. With a quick lesson on tides, currents, and surfing basics, we all took to the water. Everyone had a great time, even when getting pounded into the sand or tumbled in the surf. Soon however, the group started to get the hang of it, and by mid afternoon almost everyone had gotten up on their boards. Exhausted form fighting the surf all morning, many of the girls called it a day and chose to relax, shop a little and work on their tans. Quinn and Whitney wasted no time in outfitting themselves with some of the coolest jewelry in Costa Rica. Gabby however, could have spent all day in the water, and is well on her way to becoming a total surfer girl. She caught wave after wave, making standing up look easy. She probably would have stayed out well into the evening if we had not called her in for dinner.
Our next day got an early start as we were all stoked to catch some more huge waves, but only after eating an amazing breakfast of french toast prepared by Kayla and Olivia. Marek sadly had not worn a t-shirt the day prior, and had gotten a rash laying on the sand and wax covered board. The problem was easily solved, and he was back out catching waves in no time. However, he did feel a little silly wearing Kayla´s skin tight watergirl rash guard. We all got lots of time in the water, and Tito provided excellent tips for more advanced surfing moves. Andrew finally accomplished his goal of catching a wave and riding it all the way in on the shortest and most challenging board. We finished the perfect day of surfing and relaxing with pizza and ice cream back at the cabinas, along with lots of great laughs and memories to share at Moon-up!
The final day of surfing began with breakfast on the beach just after sunrise. Waiting for food to settle, we turned a little community service project into a game by seeing which team could pick up the most trash within 30 minutes. While all groups tried their hardest, in the end it was Gabby and Kayla who prevailed with two big bags of trash. Then after a little stretching it was out into the water where everyone could practice all the skills they had been developing over the last two days. As mid day approached we packed it in and headed to Dominical, a small surf town about 20 minutes up the main road. The bus ride was as usual filled with laughter, with Olivia's laugh roaring above the rest and spreading to everyone till our stomachs hurt. The trip would just not be the same without her smile and contagious laugh. Arriving in Dominical, we headed down to the beach to take a look. With the waves a little out of our league, we watched with admiration as seasoned surfers made shredding 10 plus foot waves look like childs play. Then it was off to shop and sight see in Dominical. As the day came to a close everyone felt satisfied with their accomplishments during the surfing section, and prepared for a great section of whitewater rafting.
July 24th update
Days 10-12
After saying goodbye to our awesome sea kayaking and surfing instructors Mauricio, Hailey, Gilberto, and Jen, our group piled onto a bus and headed back to San Jose and the Hostel Pangea where we spent the first night of our trip. Once back into the city, everyone showered, put on clean clothes, put their dirty duds into the wash and headed out for an evening strolling around town and shopping for gifts in an open air market. The most popular purchase had to be Marek and Andrew´s matching Latin shirts that they sported for the remainder of the night. Starving from such hard-core power shopping, the girls couldn't wait for dinner! The aroma of fresh baked pizzas lured us into a local pie shop where we devoured several large pizzas and laughed until our stomach's hurt telling stories of the previous ten days.
The mighty Paquare river awaited us the following morning, and our favorite guide from Nature Adventures, Cholo, picked us up bright and early from our hostel and served as tour guide on our bus ride to the river. He was quick to point out one of Costa Rica´s active volcanoes as we drove by and gave us a short history of the establishment of San Jose as Costa Rica´s capital. A quick stop on the road to the river provided a breakfast of eggs, fresh fruit, rice and beans, and coffee and gave us the much needed energy boost for the whitewater paddling to come. Once at the river, gear was packed into dry bags, a safety lesson and training session given, and then we were in the water and the "rock-n-roll" began. The first leg of the trip was only four miles and we floated through several class II and III rapids. The highlight of the day was definitely getting to the Paquare Lodge and our nicest accommodations yet. WOW! We were all set up in beautiful cabanas and served both a gourmet lunch and dinner. Scrumptious! Kayla must have eaten three desserts. Cholo took our group on a hike into the jungle to a natural rock water slide as well as a beautiful waterfall pool and swimming hole and taught as several interesting facts about a few of the many tropical plants along the way.
Our second day on the river the "rock-n-roll" session switched to "heavy metal" as we paddled our way through 14 miles of class III and IV whitewater! Caroline joined the "Paquare Swimmers Club" while running Indian Rapid but an alert Whitney was there to provide a prompt rescue and she was back into the boat in no time. The excitement continued to build rapid after rapid, and Cholo, with his sound guiding experience, cut perfect lines into the biggest of waves and had our raft catapulting safely over the toughest of sections. Our float took us through tight, vertical walled canyons, and past 100-foot waterfalls cascading down into the river from above. We were lucky to see beautiful violet colored butterflies and even a brightly colored green and black frog that Quinn spotted while we were stopped for lunch. Our guides told us the indigenous aborigines use these frogs to poison their darts; beautiful to look at but not something you want to be picking up! Another swim stop took us to a waterfall and clear pool where Kylie, Gabby, and Whitney enjoyed a free massage while sitting under the forceful spray as it crashed down from above. We were also proud to have one of our own take the guide stick and lead us down a few miles of river as Kayla took the helm with her many years of whitewater experience and served as our guide for the last leg of the trip.
We were all sad when the day came to an end and we arrived at the take-out. A change into dry clothes, another round of fresh local fruit, and a half hour of Kylie, Olivia, and Whitney playing with a group of local children and we were once again on a bus back to San Jose and the Hostel Pangea. Tomorrow we begin our backpacking section!
Days 13-19
Day 14 started with a breakfast of eggs, and of course RICE AND BEANS, before we headed just a short walk away to do a service project at the local school next to Antonio's home. The school is a one-room building with only 11 students, and we drew pictures of local animals in order to teach them a few English words. Several of the kids have to walk for over an hour to get to school everyday and one young girl even makes the trip on her small horse.
Our hike today through the mountains was amazing but extremely steep and muddy! Several people in the group, Kylie, Andrew, and Caroline, have never been backpacking. Hard to believe this is their first experience in the mountains in such a beautiful place. The scenery and vistas throughout the entire day were phenomenal. After six hours of walking, everyone felt a sense of accomplishment; trekking through such extreme heat and steep terrain. Arriving at our guide Freddy's house was well worth the effort. Everyone was able to continue working on their Spanish while we were taught a little of the history of his family's land. Due to the Moondance trips they are able to conserve their jungle paradise and not cut the trees for cattle pastures. Freddy's parents, Rosa and Albino, are two of the nicest people we've met the whole trip and they made sure that we never went hungry as there was always abundant amounts of food. Their home is an open-air, tin-roofed structure sitting just above the Savegre River and overlooking a 100-foot waterfall. The spray provides a natural air conditioner as you sit out on their deck! Incredible. The forest here is alive with sound, and as we relaxed on the deck above the Savegre River, the continuous crashing of water on rock cast a soothing melody upwards towards their deck. The white spray of the waterfall also provided a hypnotic and peaceful backdrop to their little paradise.
The next morning our group climbed an enormous Wasimo Colorado tree with the aid of harness and top-rope. Freddy later told us a story during Moon-up describing how he and his father tried to cut the same tree down when working around their home but were unable to do so. The indigenous peoples used to plant just such giant trees over the graves of their fallen chiefs in order that their souls be carried upwards to the heavens as the years pass, the sapling grows, and its branches reach towards the sky above. The Fronseca family believes just such a spirit resides within this ancient tree.
Within the jungle, every inch of space is thriving with life. Giant elephant ear plants hang from the sides of old-growth, moss covered trees. Each rock is green with vegetation, and bright red and yellow flowers bloom from the most peculiar of plants! Life here does not live in a horizontal plane like our line of sight so often thinks. Instead everything in the jungle reaches upwards towards the warm rays of the sun. To really see the complexity of this living, breathing entity, one must start from the ground below and work upwards to the canopy above. Everything in this continually changing environment is competing with its surroundings. Some trees have gnarly, spiked bark for protection while others have beautiful fragrant fruits in order that birds and other jungle animals might spread their seed to far and distant corners of the forest and their life cycle continue. With such fierce competition also comes a rather complex symbiosis where everything somehow depends on its surrounds for survival.
Just as the jungle is thriving with all forms of life and each living thing must have its place within the environment, there are an infinite number of plants here that provide a means of sustenance to the wildlife within the forest and some of the plants even have the ability to cure disease and ward off sickness. Albino spent time living with the indigenous tribes of the area when he was younger and learned the value of respecting his natural surroundings and the many different secrets that his environment holds. He gave our group a tour of the medicinal plants growing in his garden and spoke of how he can use the plants to treat anemias, leukemias, asthma, cuts, headaches, infections, stomachaches, ovarian cysts, breast cancer, and how even the bark of one tree is used to protect teeth. Albino believes in the power of the mind over body and the importance of using natural remedies to cure sickness. Our group was amazed by the simplicity of life here in this vibrant country and the effort the Fronseca family invests in living in harmony with their natural surroundings and their jungle home.
Today, day 3 at the Fronseca household, has been another day two hours walk from the nearest town (and with only ten families living in Brujo, you can hardly call it a town), and another day full of enlightening experiences. Our morning began with our group soaring over the Savegre River on 100-yards of steel cable- winged eagles fixed at the waist by harness and caribiner. Afterwards, we took part in the butchering of a chicken which we later ate for a meal. All too often in life we have food on our tables and never stop to think from whence the food came or how it was prepared and came to be on our tables. Today we were able to see the chain of life from a different perspective and it was the hope of the Fronseca family that we would be moved by the experience. Gabby, Andrew, and Caroline each played a role in the killing of the chicken; Caroline with the blade, Andrew the head, and Gabby holding the body. The remainder of the group helped pluck the chicken with Whitney and Kylie taking the lead roles. It was in this way that our group participated in the preparation of a meal.
Later in the afternoon we prepared for the sweat lodge with warm lemongrass and ginger tea and a short introduction from Albino regarding the spiritual and reverent nature of the sweat lodge and how its purpose is the cleansing of impurities. The cool, clean water of the river served to wash away impurities sweated out while in the lodge while each of the three ten minute rounds in the lodge served to cleanse first body, then mind, then spirit. We all emerged from the experience cleansed and rejuvenated.
After a relaxing night of sleep serenaded by the nearby river and waterfall, we woke to another wonderful breakfast prepared by Rosa. With sunny skies and eager anticipation, we gathered all the climbing gear and headed out to rappel off a nearby waterfall. Despite expressing her fear over the activity, Kylie was one of the fastest ones down and one of the only ones not to slip on the mossy rocks. We were also all impressed with Andrew as he conquered his fear of heights and rappelled off the waterfall like he had been doing it for years. Later in the afternoon, after playing some great team building games, the group had a chance to share their newly acquired knowledge of the rainforest and deforestation with the family in the form of skits and songs. Marek had everyone in stitches as he played the character of a lumberjack set out to cut down the forest who in the end had a change of heart.
The next morning we woke to the smell of hot chocolate and coffee, and of course who could forget the rice and beans. After breakfast we headed out on the short hike to the Fonseca family´s banana plantation. While eating fresh bananas, we helped Albino plant some new small trees in the area to help restore the forest on the perimeter of the banana field. With Will translating, we also learned about both the banana plants as well as trees and plants native to the jungle. The remainder of the afternoon was spent relaxing by the river and spending time coloring and painting with the young Ura Fonseca, Rosa and Albinos adopted son. Quinn made such a good impression with Ura, he often referred to her as his novia, or girlfriend in Spanish.
The next morning we rose before the sun as we had to hit the trail early in order to meet the taxi in Brujo at 9 a.m. After our last meal with the family, we began the 2 hr hike to town. We were all relived to get to the taxi, despite the long and windy road ahead. Once in San Isidro, we said goodbye to the 4 wheel drive taxi trucks and headed to the nearest restaurant for some lunch. Then back on the road to San Jose.
Day 20
Our last full day of the trip was spent swinging and gliding through the rainforest canopy. With a 2 hour drive out of San Jose, we met our guides and began to get all geared up for a day of swinging from the trees. Everyone was all smiles as we glided on cables from one tree platform to the next. The Tarzan swing was by far everyone's favorite attraction however. Hooked to a swinging cable, the guides would hoist you up off the ground and swing you out over the forest, repeating this three or four times before helping you back to the ground and on to the next cable. With our bellies full from an amazing lunch provided by the restaurant near the canopy tour, we headed back to San Jose to prepare for the last night banquet and our final Moon-up!
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