Costa Rica Venture

Costa Rica Venture Log (2007-07-11 --> 2007-07-31)

Leaders: Laura Boorman, Beanie Arnold, Eric Malkowiski

Students: Cameron Billik, Jack Butler, Katie Cason, Madeleine, Harris Dudley, Abby Engerson, Morgan Eugenio, Grant Evans, Parker Gilbert, Sam Maxwell, Peter Moot, Maddie Spagnola, Nicolette Sra

July 12, 2007:

!Hola from Costa Rica! Everyone landed safely in San Jose last night, and the trip is already off to a great start - we even met the Costa Rican National Soccer team in the airport! Abby and Madeleine Maury put their Spanish skills to use, and ended up with a couple of autographs! We've got a great group down here in San Jose ... five Moondance alums, and sixteen of us representing 11 states!

This morning, we woke up and headed to a local Spanish school. We spent the morning practicing our Spanish skills and learning some useful phrases and sayings for the trip. Cameron and Maddie, our German and French speakers, got their first taste of Spanish and learned a ton! Harris, Grant, Nicolette, and Morgan really showed off their Spanish skills and impressed our group and the professors!

This afternoon, we learned a lot about the history and culture of Costa Rica. After class, we were treated to Salsa and Meringue lessons. Peter, Parker, and Cameron all had some pretty great dance moves, and Jack was especially enthusiastic to get out on the dance floor, though his moves were a bit more creative! Sam even showed us a special move inspired by his dad ... we were all pretty impressed!

Tonight, we've been busy packing our packs, and getting ready to head out of San Jose in the morning. Katie and Sam, two of our Moondance alums, helped prepare tonight's yummy Italian dinner along with Maddie, Jack, and Peter. Tomorrow morning, we'll wake up early and head to the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, where we'll spend the next three days learning how to surf! !Hasta luego!

Hola from the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica! We arrived here safely last night after literally driving across the country! We've spent the last three days at the Parque Nacional Marino Ballena, a beautiful beach nestled in between high, tree-covered mountains. The scenery has been beautiful, but the surfing was even better! Everyone seems to have loved learning how to surf and all were able to catch some good waves! Peter was a natural on the board, and has made us wonder if he really is a beginner like he claims! Parker, Harris, and Grant caught on quickly, as well, and by the end of the first day, Harris and Grant were wowing us as they did tricks on their boards. Harris has decided to change his name to "Johnny Tsunami!" Katie especially enjoyed hitting the waves, and could be heard saying "This is so cool!" over and over again. On the second day, she was one of our bravest surfers, and ventured out to some pretty huge waves. Everyone seemed to love surfing, and all of our group was able to get up on the board a couple of times! Abby, Madeleine Maury, and Morgan loved being out on the beach, and went on a bunch of walks to explore. Madeleine Maury has been our group photographer, and has already gotten a ton of good shots!

Everyone really seemed to love being at the campsite, as well. Cubero, the campground owner, cut down coconuts for us and let us drink the milk right out of them! Jack, Sam, and Harris especially loved exploring the campsite with Cubero. They chased down some huge crabs, and found a ton of lizards and frogs! Peter and Grant even set up a game of "coconut bowling," and all enjoyed watching and laughing as they tried to get the "pins" down!

At nighttime, we enjoyed some cooler weather under a thatched roof cabana at the campsite. Morgan and Cameron enjoyed their first time playing "Mafia," and got really into it! Nicolette kept everyone pretty scared with all of the ghost stories that she told - who knew that Wisconsin was so haunted!

All in all, everyone had a great time surfing ... we are really enjoying getting to know each other, and having a blast so far! Today, we'll start our turtle project at the Pacuare Reserve on the Caribbean coast. We'll spend the next five days patrolling the beach and collecting data on the endangered leatherback, green, and hawksbill turtles ... hasta luego!

July 23rd Update

We've had a great six days here at the Pacuare Reserve! On Monday, our group took a boat ride through the Pacuare Canal, where we saw crocodiles, iguanas, and a toucan! When we finally reached the dock, we were greeted by a pack of howler monkeys swinging around in the trees above us. We arrived to find a really neat camp - a few stilted screened in cabins in a clearing in the middle of the rainforest, just feet away from the Caribbean Sea. We've fallen asleep to the sounds of the ocean each night and woken up to a bright and sunny beach on many of the mornings here!

On Wednesday, our group went on a hike through the rainforest with Marco and Casey, two of the researchers at Pacuare. As we walked, they pointed out all kinds of plant and animal species - howler monkeys, pit vipers, poison dart frogs, and many more. Parker and Cameron were especially interested and had lots of questions to ask the researchers throughout eh hike. Katie really enjoyed the walk, as well, and was continuously snapping pictures of everything that we saw!

In our free time, we all enjoyed exploring the beach and the rainforest around the camp. Harris and Sam were most likely to be found down by the water, chasing crabs and trying to snatch them out of the sand. Maddie, Katie, and Morgan also really took advantage of our great location and spent lots of time reading out on the beach, as well.

On Thursday morning, we took a walk down to the tiny Pacuare town at the North end of the beach. We visited the local school - a one room building with eleven students - and were all reminded of how lucky we are to have the educations that we do! We enjoyed meeting the friendly students and seeing how they live their day to day lives. The best part of the visit, however, was watching the pick-up soccer game that Grant, Eric, Jack, Peter, and Parker started with some of the younger boys. Despite the language barrier, all seemed to enjoy making some new Costa Rican friends!

Later that night, our dinner was interrupted by one of the researchers, who came running to tell us that a nest had hatched down on the beach. Grabbing delicious green bean omelettes as we raced out the door, we ran down to the beach to find fifty-five baby hatchling turtles making their way down to the ocean. It was amazing to seer them all at once, and fun to cheer them on as they made the long trek! Abby even stood in front of the "tortugitas" and moved sticks and smoothed out the sand to make the journey easier for them!

We have had a great time and have certainly learned a lot here at the Pacuare Reserve! Tonight, we'll rest up and get ready for our next adventure - three days of whitewater rafting on the Pacuare and Reventazon Rivers ... Hasta luego!!

July 25

Greetings from the take-out of the Pacuare River! Our group has just returned from three days of whitewater rafting here in Costa Rica, and we had a GREAT time...

Our first boat consisted of Harris, Sam, Abby, Madeleine Maury, Katie, Beanie, Parker, and Laura. Harris and Sam were the group's fearless leaders, and did a fantastic job conducting us from the front of the boat during all three days! (Since they were in the front, they also intercepted most of the big waves for the rest of us!!) Abby and Madeleine Maury made a great pair as they helped us get through the rapids, as well! During one of the bigger rapids, all of us ended up going for a "swim" ... though Katie impressed the entire group by holding on to the rope "like a monkey" and swinging herself back into the raft ... we're still not sure how she managed that!

Our group's second raft was made up of Eric, Jack, Grant, Maddie, Cameron, Morgan, Nicolette, and Peter. Cameron and Maddie, our first-time rafters, seemed to have a blast and really enjoyed their first rafting experience. Cameron kept saying "I can't wait to do this again!!" By chance, Morgan ended up being one of our "swimmers" as well, but she was a trooper and hopped right back in the boat to tackle more rapids!

We started our rafting section with a one day trip on the Reventazon River. Everyone enjoyed their first day in the water, and we hit a lot of great Class II and III rapids. On Monday morning, we set off for our overnight excursion on the Pacuare River. Monday, we paddled through Class II and III rapids again, and enjoyed absolutely beautiful blue skies all day. Mid-afternoon, we pulled off the river for a delicious lunch. Abby, Grant, Parker, and Nicolette treated us to a picnic set up on a raft that they turned upside-down. We all ate cold-cut sandwiches, cookies, fresh mango, pineapple, and watermelon, and yummy veggies, and were impressed by the spread that they set up on the side of the river!

Later in the afternoon, our guides took us on a hike to a waterfall beside the river. Everyone enjoyed going for a dip in the cool pool at the bottom. Cameron, Parker, and Jack especially loved sliding down the waterfall and jumping into the water from the rocks high above!

Monday night, we stayed in a cabin overlooking the beautiful Pacuare River and the mountains that surround it. After a yummy candlelit dinner, we all slept soundly listening to the river right outside our windows!

On Tuesday morning, we awoke to pancakes and eggs before we hit the river for our second day on the Pacuare. The scenery proved to be even more incredible than our first two days of rafting! The group enjoyed paddling past beautiful waterfalls, including a huge one that was filmed in the movie "Congo!" We all had a great day on the river, and everyone seemed to enjoy tackling the even bigger Class III and IV rapids. Tonight, we will certainly sleep well, and will start the day early tomorrow morning as we head to the Piedras Blancas to hike to the Fonseca family's house ... Hasta Luego!

July 29, 2007

Hola from San Jose! Our group returned here last night after spending four days with the wonderful Fonseca Family in the Piedras Blancas. We enjoyed many adventures, getting to know all of the members of the family, and delicious food cooked by Rosa Fonseca.

Everyone enjoyed getting to know the Fonseca Family. Though there was a language barrier, there was no difficulty communicating and making new friends. Grant really impressed us by how much he put his Spanish skills to use talking to the family, and Cameron was very interested in learning more so that he could communicate with the Fonseca's! Jack had a great time playing with the Fonseca's eight year old son, Ura, and could be found running and playing all over the house with him!

On Thursday morning, everyone attempted to climb a 70 foot tree that the Fonseca's set up for us. Peter, Harris, and Katie all scaled the tree with ease, and showed us all how to get quickly to the top. Cameron and Madeleine Maury really pushed themselves, and we were all so excited to see them both reach the top, as well!

That afternoon, Freddy led us on a hike to his family's banana plantation. Freddy told us about planting and harvesting the bananas, and let us help him cut down a few bunches to carry back to the house with us! When we returned back to their house, we were treated to tortilla-making lessons from Rosa, the head of the Fonseca household. Grant, Madeleine Maury, Peter, and Maddie all tried their hands at making the corn tortillas, while Harris, Abby, Cameron, and Sam took turns flipping them in a frying pan. Though Rosa got quite a laugh watching us attempt to make the tortillas, they turned out to be delicious, and made a great addition to that evening's dinner.

Friday was quite a busy day. In the morning, the whole group headed to a beautiful waterfall near the Fonseca's house to do some rappelling. With Albino Fonseca at the top and Freddy Fonseca down at the bottom, each of us rappelled seventy-five feet to a pool at the base of the waterfall. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves … Maddie and Morgan were especially impressive and seemed to have a great time.

Later in the afternoon, Albino Fonseca taught us all about the plants in his medicinal plant garden. We learned about all of the plants and their traditional uses … and some of us even gave the "mosquito-bite-curing-plant" a try! Afterwards, we all participated in the "sweat lodge," a tradition that the Fonseca Family and the local natives have participated in for years and years. We entered the sauna - a small room built into the side of the mountain – three separate times, symbolizing the cleansing of body, mind, and spirit. Katie and Morgan especially liked the sweat lodge and kept talking about how much they enjoyed the experience.

On Saturday morning, we woke up before the sun rose to get ready for our hike out of the mountains. After a quick breakfast, our hiked started at sunrise, and we enjoyed beautiful weather and views of the mountains surrounding us as we hiked. Parker and Maddie, our "Leaders of the Day," really kept us going and energized throughout the hike.

Last night, we arrived safely back at the hostel in San Jose. Everyone was excited to meet back up with Beanie and Nicolette, and we were glad to have the whole group back together for a yummy cook-out dinner and warm showers.

This morning, the entire group traveled high into the mountains outside of San Jose for a zipline canopy tour. We all had a great time as we sailed through the branches and enjoyed beautiful views from high up in the trees. We even got to see a two-toed sloth hanging from a tree, which was pretty exciting! Tomorrow morning, we'll go exploring at some local Costa Rican stores, and then get ready for our final banquet dinner … Hasta Luego!

July 30, 2007

Today our group headed to some local stores to shop for souvenirs and Costa Rican goods. Everyone found some good buys, and we all enjoyed seeing some more of San Jose. Tonight, we donned our best attire and enjoyed a delicious banquet dinner at a local restaurant. We had a great final Moon-Up, and really enjoyed reflecting on all of the great moments of our trip. There were many laughs as we recounted all of the fun things that happened and the wonderful memories that we made. Early tomorrow morning, we'll say our "goodbyes" at the San Jose airport and head our separate ways. It's been an awesome three weeks ... until next year!!

Our awesome CRV 4 Crew, What a great three weeks it's been! The three of us have had a great time getting to know you guys, and have had a blast with you throughout the trip. Thanks for trekking through Costa Rica with us, making us laugh a ton, and helping make our time here so much fun!