A final farewell!
July 5, 2024
We cannot believe our trip has come to an end. These students are some of the most amazing people we have ever met. Spending the past two weeks with them has taught us so much, and we feel like we have learned more from them than they have from us. We have learned how to be silly in all moments, to dance and sing at the top of our lungs, to hug often, and to laugh loudly. These students have shown us what intentional friendship is in just two short weeks, and we already miss them so much.
Since you heard from us last, we have packed so much into such a short time. After white water rafting, we transferred over to the Costa Rican rainforest! After driving to the base of the mountain, we switched to 4x4s to take us the rest of the way up. Abigail was quick to jump into the open 4×4 and sang along to the music the whole way up! We hiked to the beautiful, serene, and secluded lodge where we would stay for the next two nights. We unpacked our bags and settled into hammocks and at tables to watch the rain and play some games. Andrew was absolutely killing us in a game of spoons! Once the rain slowed, we went to pick cacao fruit to plant our very own cacao seeds! Each student got to try a cacao seed, and all said they tasted just like Jolly Ranchers! PK was the first to notice the similarity, and everyone completely agreed! We planted our seeds in little pots to be taken down to the village to grow, so that next year they would provide the seeds for another trip! Anne loved the cacao seeds so much she put eight in at one time! After we washed off from planting the trees, we all sat around a big table while our guide, Harlow, taught us how to make chocolate! He sources the cacao right from his own backyard and ferments and roasts them all on site! The students got to help roast cacao and peel the seeds to prepare for chocolate. After making chocolate, we ate a delicious and classic meal of spaghetti and fresh juice. After dinner, Harlow took all the cacao nibs we made and made us chocolate-covered bananas! It was so fun to be able to taste the work we did that day! We got to bed early for a big day of service to come.
The next day we woke up bright and early to a big meal of oatmeal and fresh mango, pineapple, and watermelon from the farm we were staying on! We threw on our work gloves and started the hike down to the local village. The hike was absolutely breathtaking, crossing creeks and small waterfalls, and we saw the clouds peering over the mountain peaks. Once we got down to the village, we were put right to work for our community service section of the trip! We began building a new fence around the soccer fields for the local children. Deegan quickly became a critical part of the operation, carrying the wheelbarrow back and forth. Other parts of our group began painting part of the community center. Caroline was a natural with the paintbrush, making sure everything was perfect for the kids in the village. After we finished up service, we got to play soccer with the local kids in that same field! Hudson was beaming while running up and down the field showing off his soccer skills. We were all sweaty and smiling at the end of the game and had formed some great friendships with some of the members of the community. After lunch, we made our hike back to the lodge and got to take some downtime after a long day. For dinner, Harlow taught us how to make pupusas, a traditional meal of El Salvador! It was so fun to watch everyone take the dough and form it into a tortilla-like shape for the pupusas! Alex was a natural, and Harlow even said that her pupusa was the best of the night! It was a long day of service and fun, and the students all quickly fell asleep after moonup and some games.
The next day was absolutely packed with adventure. We woke up to pancakes and watermelon juice to prepare for our big hike up the mountain! We did about a 45-minute hike up a steep incline to see a waterfall called Toucan Rock because it looks just like a toucan! At the waterfall, we covered ourselves in blue and orange clay native to Costa Rica! We all drew fun icons like flowers, animals, stars, and everything under the sun! By the end, everyone was completely covered by the clay. Brooks even put the clay in his hair and spiked it up like a mohawk! After washing everything off, we hiked down the mountain for lunch and to transfer to our next location! After lunch and getting back down the mountain in the 4x4s, we drove to a small coastal town to do our afternoon surf lesson. The water was the most perfect temperature, with the sun shining in between the clouds. The surfing was absolutely amazing, and every single student was able to get up on the board! Eli quickly showed off his surfing skills and was catching wave after wave. After surfing, we all went to the beach and ate fresh pineapple! Ada quickly got her camera out and began taking photos of everyone smiling and hugging in the water. It was such a sweet moment all together as we took in one of the last nights of our adventure. After surfing, we had dinner and ice cream and did Moonup under the stars, ending another incredible day.
The next morning we woke up to the Fourth of July! Even in Costa Rica, we made sure to keep the patriotic spirit. We woke up bright and early for a sunrise surf, beginning the last day of our adventure with a bang. We surfed for a little while until we came back to eat some breakfast. We surprised the students with donuts for the last day! Everyone was absolutely buzzing with excitement as we packed our van for one last day of fun together. We drove along the coast to our adventure zip line, where we conquered 10 cables of zip line all throughout the Costa Rican jungle. All the students even got to hang like a monkey on the last cable! Once we finished zipping around the trees, we got back into the van for one last car ride of our adventure. We jammed out to music (especially Fourth of July music) and were all singing at the top of our lungs. Our bus driver, Carlos, has been one of the highlights of our trip due to his kindness and the relationships he formed with the students. To show our appreciation for him, we stopped at a small store on the way to the hotel and got a white t-shirt on which every student signed a little note to Carlos. When we gave Carlos the shirt and said bye, there wasn’t a dry eye on the bus. We were so thankful to have met such amazing people on our adventures, and every student goes above and beyond to form lasting friendships with everyone we encounter.
Once we got to the hotel, we began the Fourth of July competitions! Split into two teams, the students did a hot dog competition, a trash bag fashion show, and a swim relay race. Our stomachs hurt so bad from laughing! We all got decked out in red, white, and blue and celebrated the holiday even so many miles away. After our games, we all showered and went to do our last Moonup of the trip. It was so special to all be together, and we ended up talking late into the night about everything we have done on this trip.
This really is a special group of students. Each and every one of them has given us something that we will take with us forever. Thank you for sharing your wonderful, thoughtful, caring, funny, and inspiring students with us. We will never forget them. Many tears were shed on airport day over the special bond of this group, and we cannot believe it is over!
Wild River Runs
July 3, 2024
Pura Vida everyone! We landed in Costa Rica a few days ago, and have been having a blast in this beautiful country! These past few days have been unforgettable. The group has loved soaking up every moment in the rainforest, and even getting our hands a little dirty! This group is adventurous, silly, and so so special. We have made so many memories to last a lifetime.
Even on our long travel day, we made the most of it, and celebrated with pizza on the plane! We landed and got some much needed rest before our big day of white water rafting! We woke up bright and early, ready to conquer the day. On our long drive to the river, PK and Anne got the group hyped up by playing sing-along songs and dancing! We finally got to the river and had a safety briefing before creating team names for each raft. Our first day of rafting was quite calm compared to our second day. We rafted 5 kilometers, and hiked to a waterfall where we got to swim around! We couldn’t help but notice the luscious greenery around us as we floated on the Pacuare River. We saw many types of tropical birds, and colorful butterflies that flew past us. Once we arrived at our lodging for the night, the group was in awe. We collected all of our bags and made our way up the mountain. Deegan was the first to jump in and help with the heavy lifting, even though it was a steep hike up! Once we got all of our bags up to the lodge we were in awe. We had the most amazing view of the river with the mountains in the back, it was something we will never forget. For the rest of the day we had time to do whatever we wanted! First, we ate the most amazing lunch consisting of tacos, fruit, chips, vegetables, and even coconut cookies. At the end, we licked our plates clean! After our lunch, Andrew had the amazing idea of relaxing in the hammocks, where the group was quick to follow! Once it started to rain, we took the liberty of dancing in the rain and soaking it all up, not caring if our clothes got wet! After some rest and relaxation, we had a mini photo-shoot, where Brooks was making the whole group crack up with his silly poses. We ended the night with a meaningful Moonup, which brought the group even closer (which we didn’t think was possible!) We all went to bed early, eager for another day of rafting!
Our second day of rafting started with a slow wakeup and a breakfast including pancakes! The group was hyped up and ready to conquer the day. We navigated class three and four rapids, which made for an exciting day. Even on some intense rapids, Eli’s smile was beaming from far away as he sat in the front of the rapid! After a few hours of rafting, we stopped on the river for lunch! We enjoyed sandwiches, juice and cookies before finishing our day on the water. Caroline brought the group together with a game of veggie off (scared asparagus has quickly become one of the groups favorite games). We floated down the rest of the river and drove to our new lodging for the night. As we arrived, a festival was happening right across the street! We headed over and shopped around. The group got face paint and some bracelets! Alex pointed out a jewelry pop up, where all the girls got new jewelry! As we were walking back, we heard a band performing and couldn’t help but dance our way home. Hudson wasn’t afraid to show off his moves and impress the crowd! Of course, we stopped for ice cream before dinner to celebrate our day.
The next day was a big travel day into the tropical rainforests of Costa Rica. We jammed out to music in the car in between stopping for snacks. Abigail and Ada were so generous to share all their snacks with the group, and always offered more! We stopped for lunch and got pasta, sandwiches, cokes, and some frozen lemonade before heading into the jungle.
This trip has been nothing short of special. This group truly knows the Moondance magic, and they make every moment amazing. They love to laugh, dance, and dive into meaningful conversations with each other. Every student has impacted us in the most special way, and we wish they could stay forever. That’s all for now, we can’t wait for the remainder of this trip!
Pura Vida!
Catherine, Alexa, David
Here’s a message from the group!
Abigail: Hey mom dad and Stel! I’m having soooo much fun on this trip! I loved scuba and all the activities but I miss you! Happy Birthday Stel! See you soon and love you!
Alex: Hey mom dad Morgan and hopefully friends that are reading this I’m having so much fun on this trip I love the group and leaders and the waters nice but I miss yall soo much and I’m so excited to see everyone very soon!!!!💕💕
Ada: Heyyyy mom and dad! I’m having so much fun here, and I miss you guys sooooo much. Everyone in the group is so nice, and the leaders are amazing! I might need a few more shirts than I thought and maybe a couple tennis dresses when you meet me here. Love you guys, can’t wait to see you!
Brooks: Hey mom and dad I’m having a lot of fun and I love it. I hope you guys are doing good and I can’t wait to see you guys again. I love you guys and I’ll see y’all soon.
PK: hi everyone I am having so much fun and I am loving it here. I love my leaders and group. I cant wait to see yall soon. I miss yall so much and I love yall so much!
Caroline: hey mom and dad! Thank y’all so much for giving me an opportunity to be here, it’s been so much fun. I don’t want to leave but I am excited to see y’all. Everything has been amazing here, not one moment has been bad and I loved scuba diving! I love and miss yall!!
Hudson: yo mom, wassup dad, gonna be home in a while, might just stay here. I will tell you the details when I get my phone. Having a blast dawg 🙏
Deegan: Hi mom and dad everything is great here and I love it here. I miss you and everyone at home. I hope all is well and I love you guys so much.
Eli: Hi mom and dad, the trip is going well, it is very fun. I miss you and hope you guys are also having fun.
Andrew: hi mom and dad I miss you guys and Althea but I am having a awesome time here in Costa Rica love you guys
Anne: hi mom and dad and captain and buddy and everyone else I know you will send this too!!! I’m having so much fun and I haven’t gotten homesick but once. I have really great leaders and the one from Boulder is Allison 2.0! I love you guys but I’ll see you soon. I have the best group out of all of them and this is also one of the coolest things I’ve done!
Island time in Belize!
June 27, 2024
Good morning from Belize!
So far, Belize has been the closest thing to a dream on Earth! Paradise is the word that often comes to mind as we wake up every morning to golden orange sunrises and a cool ocean breeze on Long Caye island. Situated two hours off the mainland, this stunning island is our home for the first week of SCUBA diving and island-time living.
The moment we arrived on Long Caye, the students were awestruck by the remote and breathtaking beauty of the island. As we eagerly stepped off the boat, we were warmly greeted by the wonderful lodge hosts, Mrs. Marta, Reeves, and Reeves Junior. They gave us a tour of our oceanfront house, where we enjoy all our meals and hold Moonup every night. It’s truly a sight to behold! After unpacking, Eli explored the island’s vast coastlines, while others scouted perfect spots to set up their hammocks. Our house features a third-story crow’s nest with enough space for five hammocks, which has become our favorite hangout spot between dives and after dinner. Once everyone settled in, we gathered around the dinner table to savor Mrs. Marta’s heavenly cooking. Food always tastes better when it’s made with love, and her meals are no exception. Dinner was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to connect a little more before heading into our first Moonup of the trip. The first Moonup can be tricky, especially with a group of kids meeting for the first time. However, Anne quickly united the group by sharing how important Moondance is to her and expressing her hopes for the group to become close and share a unique bond. Other students, like Hudson and Caroline, made meaningful contributions to the discussion, making everyone feel welcome and excited to create the experience of a lifetime. Belize is already shaping up to be an unforgettable adventure for everyone!
The next day began our week of SCUBA adventures in the crystal blue Caribbean waters surrounding the island. All of the kids were quick learners and were eager to finally get in the water. Our first day of SCUBA held a lot of teaching, in which all the students were great listeners and became fast friends with our outfitters. After shallow water training and getting comfortable with our new skills, our students felt like SCUBA experts after just a day! They could not believe how much they had learned and were so excited to start diving in deeper water. After training, Deegan and Brooks turned up the speaker and jumped right back into the water for a dance party. We all laughed together and watched the sunset begin to form over the beautiful clear water. We ended our first full day on that same dock, having Moonup under the stars and staring in wonder at the beautiful world we are a part of.
The next day began bright and early as the Belizean sun peeked through the windows. After a filling breakfast of eggs and toast, we set off for our first deep dive of the trip. Our instructors, Mario and Axel, took us around 5 minutes away from the island to a nearby reef. It was something so special. We descended into the water to the colorful reefs lining the ocean floor, where we watched a group of reef sharks playfully join us. As we glided around exploring the beautiful coral reefs, the group started to point in one direction, and it was a vibrant spectacle of marine life that greeted our eyes. Schools of iridescent fish darted in and out of the coral, their scales reflecting the sunlight in a dazzling display of colors. Abigail pointed out a graceful eagle ray swimming by, its serene movements adding to the beauty of the underwater world. The kids’ eyes were wide with wonder, their excitement bubbling over even in the silence of the deep blue. Mario and Axel guided us expertly, pointing out hidden gems and sharing fascinating tidbits about the marine life we encountered. By the time we surfaced after our last dive of the day, the sun was setting, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink, making our first day of diving an unforgettable start to our underwater adventures. PK was not ready for the adventures to end, however, quickly coming up with the idea to join some of our SCUBA guides on the dock to fish. We sat on the dock and watched small nurse sharks gather around the fishing excursion, and we even got to feed one of them! It was an absolutely perfect day on the water. The students fell right asleep after Moonup, exhausted from a rewarding day of learning about and experiencing the underwater world.
Our next day of SCUBA was nothing short of magical. Feeling more comfortable with the equipment and the process, our students quickly assembled their gear and we set off for more underwater adventures! Andrew is a fast learner and was the first student to finish assembling his gear in preparation for the next dive! We boated out a little farther for our next dive, going to a reef that our guide, Axel, affectionately calls “the aquarium.” Right when we got into the water, we were surrounded by schools of brightly colored fish that were seemingly undeterred by our presence. As we continued the dive, fish of all shapes, sizes, and species swam alongside us, even brushing up against us! The multicolored coral added to the breathtaking beauty of this dive, and we were all left completely speechless at the experience we were having. At one point in the dive, an eel, shy but curious, peeked out from its hiding spot among the rocks, and checked us out. It was another day of breathtaking beauty and we could not believe we got to be a part of it. After boating back to the main island, Ada quickly pulled out her string to begin making friendship bracelets. We all sat around the kitchen table making bracelets and talking about all things under the sun. After another Moonup under the stars, we went to sleep early in preparation for our last day of SCUBA.
For our last day, we packed the boat and headed to Half Moon Caye, a small national reserve island about 20 minutes from our home base. The island is home to protected species of birds and marine wildlife, and we got to learn about and experience both during our day there! After docking at Half Moon, we began our last dive of our trip. This reef is unique because it has holes in the coral big enough to swim through! We dove through the holes in the coral reef, truly feeling like a part of this beautiful underwater world. During the dive, Alex looked up and saw a small Caribbean reef shark swimming happily above her. The little shark stuck around our group for a while, seemingly just as curious about us as we were of it! After surfacing, we explored the island, learning about the bird sanctuary that the island houses. We found a small private beach near the bird sanctuary and quickly jumped right back into the water. After a small game of seaweed wars (basically just throwing seaweed back and forth), we piled back into our boat and headed back to the island. After docking, we scarfed up the fried chicken and mac and cheese that Marta had prepared for us, talking and laughing between bites. We finished our day with Moonup at the top floor of our lodge, sharing our favorite things from our full and action-packed week of diving. Sunkissed and happy, we all quickly fell asleep to the ocean breeze.
We cannot believe the Belizean leg of our adventure is coming to an end but are eagerly awaiting the new and exciting experiences in Costa Rica. We absolutely love this group of students and are constantly blown away by their attitude, enthusiasm, and genuine joy. We cannot wait to watch them thrive in Costa Rica!
Hasta la vista!
Safe Arrival in Belize!
June 22, 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.
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next two week! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
