2022 Fall Creek Junior High Costa Rica Conservation Expedition

Day 8. Visiting a local family

Written by Will Howe

Today we woke up at 6:40 to get ready for our fruits and pancakes breakfast.  After that we got to visit the coffee farm. It was very cool, it had tons of trees with weird names and tons of plants with Costa Rican foods. Tons upon tons of crops. Then we saw the animals, 4 pigs, lots of chickens and 3 Cows. While we were observing the cows in their gate, the bull and the 9 months pregnant momma escaped from the gate. We had never seen 2 cows run so fast. After they were wrangled up we made impingatas and bought coffe. We left then to go surfing. 2 hours later we arrived at the beach. After our lesson on surfing we started to get into the water. With waves within reach, the life guard told us to get out. Bummer, it got canceled. Tomorrow at 6 we will try again. We had Linner at 5 and ice cream. Then had dinner at 8 with a live band at a small local diner. What a day!

Day 7. Moving to the mountain

Written by Reagan Kurcinka

This morning we packed up and said goodbye to our friends at Reserva Playa Tortuga. We then took a ride to the Nauyaca Waterfall. To get there, we had to take a bus, a tractor, and a very steep hike! We spent the afternoon hanging around the waterfall. Then we traveled to a coffee farm, where we spent the evening in the jungle!

Day 6. Painting day.

Written Nico Suriano

Today we woke up to a very good breakfast and road in a car to the community center. The community center was very large with green doors and inside was a basketball hoop and playing court. We brushed off the metal doors and metal trim. We painted these areas a nice dark green. A lot of us got covered in paint, all over our clothes, shoes, hands etc. the paint was latex based so we had to get the paint off with paint with paint thinner. When we returned we got ready for a monkey and bat monitoring expedition. We looked for leaf tents made by the bats and wrote down the amount of bats and other facts. We saw a family of howler monkeys and watched their actions and payed attention to how many individuals were in the groups.

Day 5. Beach day.

Day 4. The adventure of the tuesday.

Written by Grace Dippold

Hey I’m Grace I thought i should say my name so hi. To day was a good day we first we spit up into two groups and went on a walk on the beach. The other group in my group went to see the birds. They were very cool. When on the hike it was very muddy and we had to wear boots to not get muddy. I felt like a cowboy. The meals were all very good. In the afternoon we went to the beach to make more area for the hatchery. We needed more room because the sea turtles needed some more room. Before and after dinner we play with the cook’s daughter, she’s my best friend. No cap, we love playing ping pong. It’s cool. Last but not least we went on a night turtle walk on the beach.

Day 3. Monitoring wildlife

Written by Fabián Salas

What a wonderful day monitoring wildlife. We were very lucky because we saw a lot of scarlet macaws and a turtle nest. After lunch we visited a local community and we did not paint but we played soccer and it was fun. We did not do the night walk because it rained. The group was surprised by the way it rains here.

Day 2. In the way to the adventure

Written by Fabián Salas

We all woke up happy and ready to start the journey to the South Pacific. Our costarican typical breakfast gave us the energy For the day. After 2 hours driving is mandatory to stop in Tarcoles River is mandatory to spot the crocodiles in its natural habitat.

Finally we arrived at PTR. This is a wonderful place.

Day 1. Landing in Costa Rica

Written by Alex Anderson

Just arrived in Costa Rica. We only had one delay the Dallas group did not have a captain so there was a 2 hour delay other than that and customs there weren’t many difficulties.

Finally we arrived in Costa Rica safe and happy because the adventure is waiting for us.