Hola Familia y amigos,
We have all made out of the Jungle alive.
Well, not entirely. There was one chicken that did not. Don't worry, I don't mean that figuratively. You see, there were no Wal-Marts or Whole Foods in the part of the Costa Rican Jungle where we stayed the past four nights, and the process of eating arroz con pollo (rice with chicken) is a little more involved.
After our first night in a gorgeous hilltop hostel overlooking the twinkling lights of all the cities in the Central Valley, we left Costa Rica's metropolis and journeyed for twelve hours into the jungle 100 miles southeast of the capital San Jose. Our venture was part bus, part 4x4 taxis, and eventually, when the road became too rocky, we hiked. Fortunately, with Brian's especial guacamole dip and Leo's finely-flavored chicken strips from the night before, we had enough energy to make it (sometimes my diction can sound exaggerated, but that dinner was seriously good... ask your children to make it for you when they get home). And, despite occasional curious stares, we were well-received by the village people. Freddy, our local guide, told me the people like the gringos (white people), but all of the toothpaste and toothbrushes Alex R. has been handing out along the way couldn't have hurt. These folks are not destitute - most are self-sustaining farmers - but they do seem to use they're toiletries conservatively, and so they were grateful. They have a lot of respect for wild animals as well, so all of Patrick's Carolina Panther's hats have also been a big hit.
The name of the place where we stayed is the Rainforest Expedition Center. The ad in the New York Times travel section would read: "Come experience Costa Rica! Explore 400 acres of pristine jungle wilderness. Sweat in a native sauna, take tea with your shaman host, and stay in a lodge overlooking the river with your own private waterfall." Fortunately, the Fonseca family, former cattle farmers of the same land, who own and operate the lodge, don't take ads out in the Times. And if they did, there would still not be room to explain that while one of their helpers spends all afternoon getting the sauna fire hot enough to sweat in, guests will be helping prepare dinner, by chopping off a chicken's head with a machete, and plucking it's feathers, gaining a sense of respect and appreciation for our sustenance that is mostly lost at home in more "developed" countries. The experience was intense enough for Anna D. to decide to stop eating chicken, an affirmation that lasted three days until someone reminded her of Chik-fil-A, causing serious cravings.
All the Southern boys, me included, have been learning to talk in new ways that we did not expect. Spanish is coming slowly, but I think everyone in the group has picked up some street cred' from Timmy. He's been teaching us all how to sound "mad legit" in the NYC. In addition, Alex B.’s enthusiastic drawl from Down Under has been infectious, and now every boulder, pebble, or piece of gravel, incites the expression, "Oh wow, loook at that massive rawk!"
The girls may have arrived with differing attitudes towards the trip, and perhaps life. For the past two days, now that we've made it to the beach, Anna J. has been diving constantly into a wave or into the sand for a frisbee. And sounding out above a chorus of whining on our opening hike was Sara Cat's steadfast silent march, even with a pack that looked three times bigger than her. With all of its colorful water bottles, drying clothes and bandanas, and camping seats swinging off of it, she looked like a gypsy woman determined to find the next piece of jungle to squat on. Equally impressive perhaps, has been Helen and Caroline F.'s persistence in shopping. I've only seen fruit and land for sale on the side of the road but somehow, they have already managed new pairs of flip-flops and beach towels. The girls from New Orleans, Caroline M. and Kendall, have been leading the charge at the beach, being the first two to swim out in somewhat intimidating waves, and actually surf (standing up on their boards within the first few tries). Meanwhile, of all eight girls, Olivia probably reminds me of the women in my family most. She is happy just to be talking, and her bubbly nature has kept the group in high spirits.
We will be here at Playa Uvita for the next couple of days, and then we're going to help rebuild a school back in the Central Valley, and assist in the Sea Turtle project on the Caribbean coast. We will try and update you again soon on our travels. We miss you and love you, and think of us next time you're at Chik-fil-A.
Pura Vida
James, Kirsten, and Nani and the rest of the muchachos
Trip Update 7-1-08
Hello again Family and Friends,
We've traveled coast to coast and then back to the middle since last time I wrote. We've encountered many natives: howling monkeys, giant and tiny turtles, hungry sloths, and a lemur (I think). We've done and seen so much since surfing, but first I have to mention how much fun it was to be in the water with Timmy and Anna J. Anna who was the only girl to swim out past the break, and one of only a few in the whole group to do it. She's excited to find some waves when she moves to Thailand in a few weeks. As for Timmy, I don't know if I am more impressed with his athleticism or his enthusiasm. He sports his NYC 'street gear' with such style that I thought he was going to be devastated each time a wave washed his hat and dogtag necklaces away. But each time he got knocked off his board, he came up laughing and paddling even harder.
We began our serious hunt for wildlife on our last day at the Pacific, where Anna D., our apparent expert on local creatures, identified what looked like the product of a large black domestic cat and a fox as a brown lemur. Leo and Patrick, determined to see monkeys, still contend that the cat-thing was in fact a monkey. I'm on Anna's side however; Patrick had to have been exhausted from his fireside translating the night before (we swapped stories and the languages they were told in with our camp host Marvin), and Leo has demonstrated mucho imagination with all the songs he has been recording in the group journal. He was also irritated at the time having spotted only an owl in the jungle.
On our journey inland we had to cross the highest pass in the country at 13,000 ft. It's called El Cerro del Muerte (if you know a little Spanish, don't worry, we're not using that road anymore). The name comes from centuries ago when farmers had to use the path to get to market in Cartoga or San Jose, and some would get caught in storms and freeze. Alex R., who had decided to try to go the whole trip without a shirt, understood when he stepped off the bus in his bathing suit into windy 40°F weather to use the bathroom.
Soon however, we arrived in the town of Santa Maria de Dota in a mild valley where we stayed with a very welcoming family for two days and volunteered at a school a short walk from the house. The task was a little rougher than we expected, sanding desks and mixing concrete, but I was impressed with everyone's hard work. Helen seemed to enjoy it the most; I think she is ready to start refinishing furniture back home. A few students did escape when Olivya lead some of the girls into the music room where kids were singing traditional Latin American songs. On the spot, our girls forgot the words to Row Your Boat or any other Amero'English tunes, but Caroline M. and Kendall did bust out some kind of bizarre Mardi Gras dance for the class.
After school, we visited a larger neighboring town to shop, and finally fulfill Caroline F.'s main request; I don't know why but I think all she got was another pair of flipflops. Back at home that night, Daniella, the daughter of our hosts Rafa y Maria, cranked up the Karaoke box, much to Brien's pleasure. He lead us, and neighbors throughout the valley, in one of the most inspiring Na Na Na Na-Na Na Na sing-a-longs to the Beatles' Hey Jude outro I've ever been a part of. When we left the valley, we crossed over to the Caribbean side, and stayed our first night in our fancy new homebase at the Rios Tropicales Operation Center on the Reventazon River. With a boom-box and hot chocolate on tap, everyone was satisfied, and entertained as Alex B. finally got a chance to display his rigid, video game-like dance moves.
To the Sea! Next, we took a boat up a series of canals to the Pacuare Reserve to assist with the preservation of the critically endangered leatherback turtles. On our first walk on the beach we did get to see one little guy hatch and crawl to sea. Only one group got to see a big 800 pounder on our night walks, however. Still, we did see several groups of monkeys and our first sloth, and there were lots of trees transformed into driftwood on the beach for Sara Kat to practice her balance and dance routines.
Now we are back at the Operation Center and we are getting ready for a two-day rafting trip down the Pacuare River. Everyone is in high spirits as we have now entered what I call the sing-a-long segment of the trip, thanks to Brien.
Hope you are all doing well at home and the kids are all excited to see you in a few days.
Hasta Pronto
-James, Nani, Kirsten and the rest
