2019 North Tahoe Costa Rica Program
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Another two amazing days in Costa Rica
Written by Guillermo Montoya – Program Leader
Without a doubt, this trip has been full of surprises and amazing moments surrounded by awesome traveling people. We arrived to Manuel Antonio and had the opportunity to visit its National Park, a place full of nature. We spotted a few sloths and a lot of colorful crabs, there is a lot of life around us, the agouti and raccoons were so cool and the iguanas were laying down in the sun. By the time we made it to the stunning and amazing beach, we were surprised to see a boa constrictor eating a raccoon, everyone was taking photos of this unexpected moment.
The day was so warm that taking a moment for a good swim and time to relax at the beach was such a delightful treat after all the great work everyone did in the host community.
The following day, everyone was so excited to surf! They had two hours of surfing lessons. The day started with a lot of positive energy and after hitting some waves, they took some time for a pineapple break and refreshments. In the evening we headed to La Fortuna, it took around 4 hours to get to this lovely place, and on the road the group had the chance to see Costa Rica’s landscape, from the dry lowlands going up to the lush green forest. We saw a ton of cattle farming, pineapple, papaya and yuca crops on the way, until we made it to a small town in which they were hosting an equine fair. This is definitely the cowboy area of Costa Rica.
After this long journey, we went to the hot springs, where we had dinner and a lot of time to enjoy of the thermal waters on the slope of Arenal volcano, the water slides were so fun and at the same time relaxing for all of us.
Today in the morning, our group headed to the zipline, this is one of the most adventurous activities in our itinerary, followed by a funny scavenger hunt at La Fortuna central plaza. The students had to say Pura Vida to people that were having coffee, imitate the sound of a macaw, and talk to locals. Later this evening, the group went on a nocturnal tour to spot reptiles in this region, where they saw a lot of colorful frogs, caymans and amazing butterflies, it was such an amazing experience to see the animal world taking life at night.
There’s more to explore in Costa Rica, and everyone is loving it!
Our Time in La Florida
Written by Brian Fink
Being a part of this community was a wonderful experience. Watching our students break through the language barrier to talk and play with the local children and community members, work with the contractors, and learn from the parents was great to see. From our first day to our last watching them grow and become more comfortable with having conversations and showing respect to the community was awesome. Listening to what the community had to say about our students and their level of respect and curiosity was refreshing and humbling. I am so proud of how much effort they put in to the community and it was so well received and appreciated from the community of la Florida. We are sad to see it go, but excited for what’s next!