2022 Foxborough Costa Rica Conservation Expedition

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Blog 8

Hola todos, I’d like to keep my message short, but sweet. I want to thank all of you for making this such a memorable experience. As a representative of Walking Tree Travel, I’d like to thank all of the parents for sharing your amazing kids with us for this past week. Each and everyone of them have made this such an amazing experience for all of us. I also want to give a special thanks to Christine Smith. Without her hard work organizing and putting this trip together during these unprecedented times, it wouldn’t have been possible. Cooper will finish off as the last leader of the day.  Here’s what he had to say. Thank you from all of us here at Walking Tree Travel. ¡PURA VIDA!
-Chamby

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Blog #8- 6/30
Written by Cooper
We began our day with another delicious breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and fresh fruit at the San Bosco Inn before departing the hotel at 9 AM for ziplining. As we said goodbye to La Fortuna, we enjoyed the beautiful views of the fields and forests at the base of Volcán Arenal.
When we arrived at ziplining, we quickly befriended their kitten, Loki, before strapping into our harnesses and climbing to the first line. Any fear or anxiety quickly turned to excitement as one by one we soared through the forest. After riding on a few lines, we arrived at the “Tarzan swing,” where each of us took turns swinging through the jungle. While the entire experience was incredible, we all agreed that the final line was our favorite, with aerial views of the towering canopy and the river running beneath us. After having a quick snack of fresh pineapple and watermelon, we loaded the bus and started the drive back to Alajuela.
We stopped for some snacks and had our lunch at a buffet-style restaurant before continuing our journey all the way to the Casa Cielo Grande in Alajuela. We were thrilled to arrive to amazing panoramic views of San Jose and the surrounding valley. After settling into our rooms, we got ready for our farewell dinner. Before we ate, some of us enjoyed the incredible views of the sunset. At our farewell dinner, we ate a scrumptious home-cooked meal from the hosts of Casa Cielo Grande and recollected our time together. Chamby presented each of us with a certificate for our time and service here in Costa Rica, and we thanked Sen Smith, Chamby, and our driver Rony for all their efforts planning and executing this trip to perfection.
After dinner and many photo ops, we all packed and prepared for a long day of travel tomorrow. Ultimately, today was very reflective, with all of us remembering the good times and unbreakable bonds we’ve made over the past nine days. We’re so grateful for the opportunity to have had this incredible experience, full of amazing scenery, education, and friendship.
Last few words go to Señorita Smith.
I am so grateful for the week I have spent in this beautiful country. As beautiful as the land is, the people are what make this experience so enjoyable. Every local guide from the rain forest to the zip line was super friendly and welcoming. Our new Costa Rican friends educated us about the impact we humans have on the environment. Costa Rica is home to thousands of species of plants and animals some of which we were fortunate to see up close this week. Thanks to our friend and guide, Chamby, our group has made the most of every moment. Not only has he taken great care of us, he never let a good photo op pass us by. Our driver, Rony, has enriched our experience by sharing his culture with us. Lastly, thank you to my ten travel companions, our students. It has been an honor and a joy to take this journey with you. I hope you never forget this trip, the friendships you made and the legend of the River Sarapiquí.

Blog 7

Blog #7- 6/29
Written by Isabella
Angelina and I started off the day by waking up very early at 6. Then, at 7, we met with the rest of the group to eat breakfast. Today was buffet style with eggs, sausage, fruit, etc. While we were eating, Rony gave us a word of the day, “Tuanis”. Tuanis means cool/fine/good. So if you wanted to say “how cool!” you could say “que tuanis”.
After breakfast, we went back to our rooms to grab our stuff to head to Arenal National Park. We hiked up to a photo spot before getting into the bus to drive to the lagoon. On the ride down to the lagoon our bus driver, Rony, pulled us over and made us all get out to try a fruit off a tree on the side of the road. Everyone was very skeptical of the road fruit so we all got back on the bus and continued on to the lagoon. Driving to the lagoon was actually a lot of fun because the roads were very bumpy and Rony had to go very slow. A lot of people were worried we were going to get stuck. After our back road “fiasco” we headed to lunch!
Lunch was wonderful, and we all enjoyed what we ate. Afterwards, we all got some free time to hit the rest of the stores and half our group got massages! I got to double check all the stores with Angelina and Corinne and it was fun to explore with them. The rest of our group was also exploring and they all met up to grab ice cream. Today was very low key but a lot of fun, we all got to spend a ton of time together, out by the pool, in the town, on our hike, and at all our meals.
We finished the day off at an Italian restaurant at 6 with pizza, pasta, and an nutella pizza for dessert. The restaurant next to the pizza place was doing karaoke so we tried to go over but you had to have a reservation which was a bummer. But, instead we all came home to watch a movie and played some cards together. I’m really sad that tomorrow is our last full day here but I am so happy about all of the friendships made throughout the week we’ve been here.

Blog 6

Blog #6- 6/28
Written by Corrine

We started off today waking up in a new hotel to a delicious breakfast of gallo pinto, pancakes, cereal, toast and different fresh fruit. At breakfast our bus driver Rony taught me our word of the day, chiua. Chiua is used as a compliment or when you want to say something is pretty or cute, “que chiua.” After breakfast, we filed onto the bus and rode to La Fortuna waterfall. When we got there we took a few photos and began our descent to the bottom. Once we arrived, we changed into our bathing suits and water shoes and spent the next hour swimming and sitting on the rocks admiring the view. After about an hour in the water, we ate a delicious lunch with ice cream to finish it off. We spent a few minutes in the waterfall gift shop and then had a bit of free time once we got back to the hotel. Afterwards, we got back on the bus and rode up to the Baldi hot springs. With several different levels of heat, and a few water slides and places to sit, there was something for everyone. After a few hours of being in separate hot springs, we all found a common interest in one of the water slides. We spent about 30 minutes there laughing as we watched each other shoot out the bottom. After a few more hours enjoying the hot springs, we were all ready to eat. We wrapped up the day with an amazing buffet dinner. Today was full of admiring the beautiful views here in Costa Rica  and enjoying each other’s company and new friendships. I cant wait to finish off the trip with more adventures!

Blog 5

Blog #5- 6/27
Written by Ashley

To start off the day, we all met at breakfast bright and early for gallo pinto, the classic Costa Rican dish we’ve had with almost every meal. We finished our last sips of papaya and orange juice before packing up our things and heading straight for the Blue Falls, locally known Las Cataratas Pozo Azul. Bathing suits and water shoes on, we met our white water rafting guides, Cucaracha (David) and Domingo, who provided us with our life jackets and helmets before explaining how to stay safe and inside the raft. After that it was into El Río Sarapiquí we went, five of us in each boat, alongside our safety guide, Chizo, who rode in a kayak alongside us. The current immediately pulled us down the river, around twists and turns, as the water splashed against the boat and all over us all. Soaking wet, we continued down the river for around 45 minutes before reaching our unexpected but greatly appreciated half-way snacking point, where fresh watermelon, pineapple, and coconut cookies were waiting. A refreshing snack was just what we needed up on the river bank before cliff jumping off the side and into the river over and over until it started to downpour. We hopped back in our rafts and continued along the river pointing out tiger herons, cormorants, sloths, iguanas and more as we paddled through the rain. Laughing, joking, and splashing each other with our paddles, our two rafts raced through the rapids for another 45 minutes before the adventure came to an end. In awe and unable to stop talking about our trip, we filed into our bus and went to a local restaurant and gift shop for lunch.

After lunch, we made our way to La Fortuna, where we settled into our new hotel rooms before heading out into the center of town and looking through souvenir shops. With a sunset view falling behind the Volcán Arenal, we snapped a few pictures together as we made our way back to the hotel so we could get ready for group dinner in town. After a delicious dinner, including pineapple and ice cream for dessert, the group made their way to the warm hotel pool before calling it a night after a long day of adventure. Today was spent admiring our beautiful surroundings here in Costa Rica as well as actively indulging ourselves into their culture as we have been throughout our trip. Once our heads hit the new hotel pillows, I’m sure we’ll all be asleep in minutes, tired from our memorable day and excited and anxious to spend even more time exploring this beautiful country, town, and culture tomorrow.

Blog 4

Hola- so today was our last day and night in Sarapiquí at OTS (La Selva). Tomorrow our bus driver, Rony, will come pick us up and take us to La Fortuna for our next adventure. Before we arrive to La Fortuna, we will whitewater raft bright and early tomorrow morning in the Sarapiquí. What an awesome time it’s been these last few days nights here at the biological station. Our leader today was Emily and she’ll tell us all about it.
-Chamby

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Blog #4- 6/26
Written by Emily
The day started with an 8 o’clock breakfast, 30 minutes later than our usual meeting time, which was much appreciated by the group. After we had our meal, we boarded the bus with our OTS bus driver, Jefry, to attend our informational lesson about medicinal plants used both here in Costa Rica and other parts of the world. Some of these plants included lemongrass, passion fruit plant, and a member that belongs to the star fruit family which has citric acid that kills bugs. During this lesson I, and many other group members, tried coconut water and husk for the first time from fresh coconuts. When our lesson was coming to an end we all bonded with the girl there that was our age, Jessica, and exchanged instagrams.
We then headed to eat at our first Costa Rican restaurant rather than our usual hotel/cabin meals. We had multiple appetizers with the group favoring fried plantains with pico de gallo and fried yuka with a chipotle dipping sauce. Most of us also got an ice cream cone to eat on the way to our next location, a waterfall called Pozo Azul!
Once we got to the location, we met with a friend of Jeffry’s, that showed us how to get to the waterfall. His dog, Covie, knew his way and led us down the ten minute trail to the waterfall. Once there, we put on our water shoes and Ashley safely checked out how strong the current was and if it was safe for us to swim. The leaders concluded that as long as we didn’t go near the waterfall itself, we would be safe. We swam for roughly an hour and trekked back to the bus with Covie up a long and steep hill.
After arriving back at La Selva we had an hour and a half of free time before dinner at 6:30. We had our usual crammed group dinner and finished the night with some trip reflection activities. We then headed back to our rooms for some more free time, spending most of it packing for our relocation tomorrow.

Blog 3

Buenos días- today was a full day with a trees and carbon workshop in the morning, a plant adaptation workshop in the afternoon, and an incredible night walk after dinner. All three of which allowed the students to be outside researching like true scientists in the middle of the rainforest. Luckily for us, the rain held off for the first time in days, so it made it relatively comfortable to do this important environmental work without a problem. I continue to be so impressed with everyone’s engagement, interest, and overall positive vibe during these informative and active sessions. Today’s leader was Johnny so here’s what his blog had to say. Pura vida!

-Chamby
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Blog #3- 6/25
Written by Johnny
The group started the day with breakfast at 7:30 which consisted of the usual, rice and beans. We all started off the day tired but got more energy as the day progressed.
After breakfast our group got to learn about trees in the region and about the relation of carbon to the trees in the forest.  Afterwards the group went out into the forest to utilize the skills learned from the presentation.  These skills included measuring the diameters of the trees and then comparing them to the diameters in the past to see the growth.  By doing this activity the group is as able to interact with and observe different organisms like scorpions, bullet ants and stingless bees.
After our carbon and trees activity we ate some lunch.  Lunch consisted of pasta and sauce with garlic bread and fruits.  This was a good way to fill us up for our next activity of the day.
After a good lunch, we had some down time for about an hour after lunch and we all decided to take a small rest to charge up some for our activities tonight.
After each of us had a little bit of rest we learned about different plants in the rain forest through a nature walk where we found certain plants based on clues given to us.  Whichever student found the plant described in the clues got a bean and the person with the most beans at the end got a prize from the gift shop.  The two winners were Corinne and Greg.
After the two and a half hour nature walk we took another break in order to rest up for the night hike we had later in the day.  Most, if not all, of us decided to lay around since a lot of us were tired.
After getting some rest we all ate dinner together before our night hike.  Dinner consisted of pork, rice, veggies and rice pudding.
During our night hike we were able to see different organisms that are active at night, from frogs, sloths, spiders, bats, and different type of bugs.  It was a complete different experience that was liked by some and creeped by others because of so many insects. We were able to discuss our music tastes with our guide and just have an educational and good experience in the night life of the rainforest.
Overall, we were able to learn hands on and gain new knowledge in a unique location.

Blog 2

Hola- today our group made our way from the Tirimbina cabins to the OTS cabins 20 minutes away, still in Sarapiquí. We will be here until Monday. We are having such a phenomenal time in the rainforest and everything seems to be unique and fun for everyone. Our leaders for the day were Nathan and Greg, so below is what they wrote. Also, here are a few quotes from the group using six words to explain their Costa Rica experience so far. -Chamby
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“Most surreal experience of my life” -Angelina
“Finding joy in the untouched world” -Isabel
“A new, fun, unique experience” -Nathan
“Opening eyes to a new culture” -Ashley
Blog #2- 6/24
Written by Nathan & Greg
Our day started off with breakfast in which we learned a new phrase from our bus driver, Rony. That new phrase was “pura vida mae”. That phrase means “pure life dude” in English. After breakfast, we finished our bat projects by venturing out into the rain to retrieve seeds dropped by bats. We then observed these findings through a microscope in an attempt to identify which types of seeds they were. We then went on a walk to try to find interesting animals. We saw poison dart frogs, toucans, a kiwi bird, a vulture, a sloth, and an iguana. After departing for La Selva, otherwise known as OTS, we stopped at a small market area and purchased snacks and some small souvenirs. Everything here was extremely cheap. For example, a soccer jersey was purchased for approximately 4 USD.
After arriving at La Selva, we ate lunch which consisted of beans, rice, fried chicken, and french fries. Shortly after this, we went on a hike through the rainforest and across bridges to find different kinds of animals and plants. We saw things like pigeons, lizards, a giant tree, a vulture, a kiwi bird, and millipedes. We briefly went over why the the trees and animals evolved with different adaptations. After a 40 minute break, we went to dancing lessons. The place was at a restaurant next to a gas station, but all the chairs and tables were moved to make room for our lesson. We got partnered up with other people in our group, and learned four different types of dancing. The dances were Merengue, Salsa,  Bachata, and the Cumbia.
After the exhausting but exciting hour of dancing, we ate dinner back at the cafeteria at OTS. We then debriefed what we did today, and shared out favorite parts about it. We then got the plans for tomorrow, and went to our cabins for free time until 10pm. Overall, today was an exciting day with lots of new experiences and activities we would never have been able to do at home.

Blog 1

Hi all,

What an incredible honor and privilege it’s been to lead this Foxborough group these past few days. We are only on day #2, and it already feels like we’ve been together a week or so. We are currently in Sarapiquí at the Tirimbina Cabins and we leave for La Selva (OTS) tomorrow morning. Below is our first blog post written by Paige and Angelina. You can expect something close to everyday from each of our program participants. Enjoy!

Pura vida,

Chamby Zepeda
(Program Leader)

 

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Blog #1- 6/23
Written by Paige & Angelina
The day started early as we ate breakfast at 7am at Hotel La Rosa de America. Breakfast presented opportunities for us to try new things, such as papaya! Throughout breakfast we had a special guest, the hotel cat, Zeus! Before hopping on the bus our bus driver, Rony, picked and cleaned fresh mangos straight from a tree outside the hotel and gave them to us to enjoy! We then got on the bus getting ready for our three hour ride north to Tirimbina.
On the way we made a few fun and effective pit stops, one was to use the bathroom, but at this stop we were able to see dogs, donkeys, and cows, and even had the opportunity to feed them. The rest of the ride there was filled with winding roads, multiple fields of cows, and the landscape and vegetation changed drastically and it was all so beautiful!
Before arriving at our destination we stopped at a natural waterfall to enjoy the view and take pictures. We then got to the hotel and started our Chocolate tour, with our tour guide Jorge, who walked us through the history and step by step process in which chocolate is made! We were able to try and experiment with all the different stages of the process. Then when we settled down for lunch and the group discovered the unique juice that was made from passion fruit. We then had a short break in which we settled into our rooms and got some time to settle in and rest.
After this we met back up with our guide Jorge and embarked on our nature walk that introduced us to new plant and animal species. During our rainforest tour we walked across an overall fan favorite which was the 600 meter long, 10 meters high hanging suspension bridge. Afterwards, we were then taught many things about the many fascinating bat species in Costa Rica. Then, as the night began to wind down, we ate dinner together and reflected on our adventurous day and shared each of our favorite moments. To finish the night we will wrap up our discussion about bats and continue to spend quality time together as a group!
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