Farewell to an Unforgettable Adventure: BCR 1A's Final Days
June 19, 2024
A final goodbye with hugs and supportive words has passed, and the kids are on their way! These past few days have been absolutely amazing, providing a perfect cap to our adventure-packed trip.
Since our last check-in, we have mastered the roaring waters of the Pacuare River. This was just another typical Tuesday for Kate, who took the challenge head-on, smiling through every rapid. Edmunds also showed no fear, sitting at the front of the raft and powering his boat through each daunting wave. On the more tame parts of the river, we had the opportunity to take a dip. Pearson and Louise jumped in the refreshing water with no hesitation, while Emmy and Davies opted for a more relaxing route, staying on their raft, enjoying the flow of the boat, and cheering on all the rowdy swimmers. Similar to Edmunds, Kemmons and Grant sat at the front of the boat, leading the commands for a swift and strong raft. The river we ventured on is one of the top five in the world for rafting—how crazy! We also pulled our rafts over to enjoy a waterfall hike in the jungle, surrounded by beautiful hanging vines and a gushing waterfall. Patrick impressed us all by translating for his predominantly Spanish-speaking guide, while Andrew and James had fun learning Spanish and getting to know our guides.
Our night was spent in the most amazing jungle bungalows, accessible only by raft. We enjoyed great food and played games to end our jungle adventure. Jack and Owsley made everyone laugh with their surprisingly descriptive and colorful skills in charades. We had such an amazing and crazy time on the Pacuare River, and we are going to miss everyone so much!
Lots of love,
BCR 1A
Meg, Marga, and Michael
Fun Times in Costa Rica!
June 17, 2024
Hello again! Pure Vida!
We are writing from the beautiful vast mountains of Costa Rica, where the group has really gotten their hands in the dirt and experienced the rainforest! Our first day in Costa Rica Patrick instantly took off leading the group with his Spanish speaking abilities. Our day started with amazing zip-lining through the jungle and a wonderful lunch with color and fresh ingredients overflowing our plates. Here, Edmunds discovered he is a coffee lover and enlightened us on his descriptions of coffee! After zip-lining and hanging upside down like monkeys we hopped into the van and drove to the wonderful coastal town of Uvita. Here we were greeted by a tropical rain and a surf lesson in roaring waves that showered over everyone and totally rejuvenated us from our long bus ride. All the kids really took to the waves and were naturals! After surfing we fueled our bodies with a great dinner accompanied by a karaoke disco where Davies and Emmy sang a song and Jack and James were tangoing to the music!
With dreary eyes and an early morning wake-up, we headed to a dawn patrol surf lesson before breakfast where the kids continued to show their surfing skills and embrace the beautiful coast surrounded by jungle. We then packed up after some breakfast and headed to the wonderful jungle bungalow that is Buenaventura, this place has wowed us like no other. To get here we started with an hour drive through the winding mountain roads on a four by four that took us deep into the rainforest, then crossed a ripping river over a bride then another bit of a hike. This cacao farm and retreat sanctuary is on the edge of a preserved rainforest of 400,000 acres! When we arrived we delved into the roots of the place and planted around 30 cacao seeds and painted our faces with a blue clay that comes from Harlow’s property, Pearson, and Owsley were not afraid to cover themselves up! We also tried the fruit of a cacao and boy was it tasty! Andrew and Kate really loved the taste and couldn’t get enough!
After an awesome afternoon filled with learning about cacao and the rainforest we learned how to make an el Salvadoran specialty food called Pupusas where the kids got super into it and really showed their cooking abilities, Grant absolutely killed it with his technique.
The following day we hiked down to the El Brujo community of around 200 people in the mountains where we engaged with the community and worked on some projects! We totally cleaned up the recycling center with scrubbing, pulling weeds, and sweeping. Jack got his hands quite dirty with his precision on the scrubbing, thanks Jack! While Louise killed it, sweeping the whole floor! Kemmons height came in handy while he took the sign and scrubbed the whole thing clean. While half the group worked on recycling the other group was hard at work ripping up an old fence and not did Andrew pull his weight! He single handedly ripped out 3 fence posts. Muy fuerte ! We then played soccer with some of the El Brujo kids and had a great time followed by a lunch made by the women’s center that was amazing and fueled us for our hike back. Some of the group ran with Marga and Meg back to our bungalow through farms of calf’s and rolling mountains. The afternoon and evening consisted of chilling out, playing games, and practicing guitar. Kate and Jack had a wonderful guitar lesson with Michael!
The final day in Buenaventura we hiked up to toucan mountain and painted ourselves with natural blue clay that exfoliates and smooths the skin. The kids had so much fun showing off their artistic abilities by drawing shapes and patterns. We cooled off in the most beautiful waterfall before heading back. We now gear up for our overnight adventure which includes whitewater rafting on the Pacuare River, one of the top 5 rivers in the world to raft on. The kids are so excited to end the trip with this amazing activity.
Until next time,
Michael + Meg + Marga
Greetings from Belize
June 13, 2024
Hello Moondance folks, we are here to update you on our un-BELIZE-able time this past week in Belize with our spunky, curious, outgoing, and wonderful group! Our first day with sweaty hugs and smiles on our faces, we met up and piled into our vans to drive from Belize City to the lovely Placencia where we would fall in love with the water, culture, and spirit. After a car ride filled with chatter and get-to-know-you games, we arrived at the hostel with the open armed, hospitable, and well-spirited Mark and Sheila, the New Zealand and English couple that we stay with! Of course the kids barely opened their bags before jumping in the pool and gathering together, Owsley’s high spirit and outgoing personality was well appreciated on the first day as he brought everyone together and raised the spirit of kids. Our adventurous kids decided if there are hammocks to sleep in under the stars, then why sleep inside? So they all piled into their colorful enos after our first Moonup and curled up to sleep.
Day one of scuba was exciting and filled with new information, but the kids were great and opened their ears to all of the processes and skills, both Kate and Louise were a natural with all of the scuba skills, they were so calm and observant we thought they might just grow Gil’s and become one of the fish! Louise also has been so great about using her camera and taking so many photos of everything, we love it!! For lunch we were introduced to how the next 4 days would go, enjoying amazing Belizean jerk chicken with rice, veggies and fresh juice on different islands each day surrounded by the bluest water imaginable as we soaked up the sun (along with lots of sunscreen reminders). After our 2 dives we went back to the hostel for some chill time before heading to placencia downtown for some exploring of the village and dinner, we discovered a local park with soccer and basketball where curious, outgoing James had already made friends with local Belizean kids and knew all their names with handshakes before we all got there. Once Davies saw a soccer ball she didn’t hesitate to introduce herself to a bunch of boys and quickly integrated into the game, her soccer skills were amazing and all of the Belizean boys were incredibly impressed with the blonde American soccer star who showed them all up! Our night ended with an amazing gelato dessert before we headed back to the hostel for Moonup and some sleep to fuel us for day 2 of scuba diving.
Day two of scuba started bright and early and the kids shot right up for some yummy breakfast and a morning huddle, this day our advanced divers Patrick and Kemmons started learning new diving skills. Kemmons and Patrick worked on the skill of peak performance buoyancy while marveling in the beauty of the Belizean coral reefs. The two soon to be advanced divers found their equilibrium and learned how to perfectly balance their bodies above the coral while getting as close as possible to the magnificent views. Patrick was diligent with keeping logs of our dives with his handy dive watch. Kemmons learned the new skill of blowing air rings to the surface, which made for some really cool camera footage. After mastering the skill of peak performance buoyancy, the pair put the skill to use swimming through the beautiful coral and marine life.
After an amazing day of Scuba we decided to chill out by the pool at the hostel and play some games, one of which was Hacky Sack. Three rules: No self serves, no hitting with arms, and no saying sorry. However, Humble Grant took reigns over the Hacky sack tricks, when it came to him, and totally impressed us all! He has also been a soccer star any chance he gets! With a yummy Italian dinner and tummies full of pizza, pasta, and virgin daiquiris the kids headed home for moon up, giggling in the enos and dosing off.
Day three! Today was a great day, for all of our training was done for scuba and it was fun dives filled with amazing sea creatures. Throughout our dives we encountered many sharks that at first startled the kids until they were up close and following them around! We also encounter eels, puffer fish, lobsters, and many more marine creatures! Pearson had great fun with the guides and shared jokes with all of them while disassembling our gear each day! After day three of scuba we surprised the kids with a trip over to a resort owned by Marks friend, there they had a swim up bar with virgin drinks, and boy did they all enjoy it! Emmy really indulged in the relaxation and provided us with great music recommendations, she always keeps the vibes high!
On day four we headed to out for our last day of Scuba in Belize. The guides told us that everyday the dive spots will get better, and they were not wrong. After seeing the most amazing sea turtles and a spotted eagle ray, we had lunch and headed out for our second dive of the day. After getting back we decided to tap into our American roots and made some charcoal fire cheese burgers and fries. Chef Edmunds is a natural in the kitchen and in front of the grill. He handled making the patties and to say it was delicious is an understatement. All the kids loved it and went to bed with a full tummy and a taste from home.
The for our last day in Belize we decided to surprise the kids with a catamaran boat ride to one of the most beautiful islands in Belize. The catch was that the kids were under the impression we were going in a strenuous 8-mile kayaking trip from island to island. So you can just imagine relieved/excited they were when we walked up on the dock and they say the 80ft boat. The crew spoiled everyone with unlimited virgin cocktails and ice cold waters at hand the entire day. It was truly a Mamma Mia experience as we sang ABBA on the boat and jumped into clear blue water. On the island they cooked us some great chicken shrimp squares and pork chops, with amazing pineapple salsa and Greek salad. After we got back from the boat excursion we all geared up in our best pickle ball outfits and headed to a resort with 3 courts. We had a friendly tournament going, but it was Andrew and Jack that took the lead with their amazing sportsmanship and great skills.
Overall it has been an amazing first week and we are so excited to see what Costa Rica has in store.
Kate-
Hey
Belize was fire. I got super tan and saw lots of fish and stuff and we went into the town and it was pretty awesome. I am having the best time and love y’all tons:)))))
Davies- hey mom, dad, huiet, and Sam! I hope y’all are having a good week! I have had such a fun time and tried such cool things! I scuba dived! We did 6 dives and I saw a couple sharks, turtles, eels, barracudas, spotted eagle rays and a ton of awesome fish! Also, be proud of me, I haven’t got that burned! We are otw to Costa Rica now, so excited to see you guys next week! Love y’all❤️
James – hey mom, dad, and Grayson i am having so much fun and miss y’all so much and can’t wait to see y’all soon and show you all of the memories I’m going to make!
Emmy- hi family. I am having an amazing time and cannot wait to tell y’all all about it! We have done so many fun new activities like scuba diving and we saw so many cool animals too. We are now on the way to Costa Rica and are doing more activities once we get there! Love and miss y’all having the best time and I will see you soon!
Owsley- hey Mom Dad Lilla and Cora I miss y’all so so much and I can’t wait to come home and give you guys hugs. the trip has been so fun we scuba dived tons of times and it was maybe he coolest thing I’ve ever done I rly miss you guys more than I can explain I love you guys so much.
Louise – Hi mom and dad! I had sooooo much fun in Belize this past week. I got scuba certified and it was the coolest thing ever. I saw sharks, a spotted eagle ray, jelly fish, and many many cool fish. Other than scuba diving we had tiny town days in Placencia and the reastruants there are so good. We are on the way to Costa Rica right now and we have a 8 hours layover in Guatemala. Can’t wait to tell you guys all about it when I get home. But I miss you all so much!!! See you soon! Love you so much ❤️
Pearson-hey family today is our traveling day and we are in the airport but this week in Belize has been soooo fun. my group is so much fun and we’ve been scuba diving for the last 4 days and yesterday we got surprised with a boat day and it was so much fun. I got my scuba certification and we saw sharks and turtles and sting rays and soooo much coral. We are on the way to Costa Rica right now and we are going surfing tomorrow. I’ll tell y’all everything when I get home!! I miss y’all and love y’all sooo much. Byeeee
Andrew- Yoooooo hey mom and dad this trip is fireeee🔥🔥 The scuba diving was insanely cool and we saw so much I’ll tell u when I’m home! I can’t wait for Costa Rica!
Edmunds- What up fam this trip is amazing 🤩 I loved scuba diving and chilling on the boat. we have stayed at the best place which was owned by the best people ever , Mark and Sheila. We swam in the pool everyday and it was amazing. Love you
Kemmons- Hey mom, dad, and mark. The trip is going great so far! We did all of our scuba diving and a boat day are on our way to Costa Rica. We have a lot left on the trip to do in Costa Rica like surfing, white water rafting, and some other activities. I’ll see you guys soon!
Jack- Hey Mom and Dad. I’ve had a great time in Belize so far and I have greatly immersed myself into the culture of Belize. Playing soccer with kids and eating in great restaurants. It’s been fun meeting new people and learning about them. We went to go on a catamaran and got a lot of sun. About to leave to Costa Rica after flying to Guatemala which is such a cool place. Hope you’re having a good time at home!
Grant- Hello Logan folks. So far Belize has been great. Playing soccer with some native kids, enjoying and trying new food and generally getting to know some great people. I’ve enjoyed getting to know people from scratch, I haven’t done that in a while, and the counselors which are the best. Can’t wait to see you all and debrief of my adventure. Can’t wait to watch some Lost when I get home!
Patrick – hi mom dad and sisters. Belize was great and we are heading to Costa Rica today. I’m good friends with everybody. Scuba diving was so cool and I got advanced certified. We saw nurse sharks, eels, rays, and more. Yesterday we went to an island on a catamaran and all got a lot of sun! The food has been great basically every night. I’m excited for zip lining in Costa Rica. See you soon, Patrick
Safe Arrival in Belize!
June 6, 2024
Hello Belize + Costa Rica Families!
All students have landed safely in Belize and the group is headed to their first activity! The trip is off to a great start and we can’t wait to share more updates from their adventure.
-Moondance HQ
