2023 Fall Creek Costa Rica Conservation Expedition

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Day 10: Our last day in Costa Rica 

Written by Grace H

All the traveler’s first woke up to enjoy the outside garden and eat a delicious breakfast. As we were driving to the San Jose airport, we all shared our thoughts about the trip; the pros, the cons, etc. Later at the airport, the group traveled through lots of security, and we unfortunately had to say a sad goodbye to Fabi, our walking tree guide. He helped us so much throughout the trip and we’re grateful he was a great guide. Later, went to lots of large gift shops inside the San Jose airport. We then flew to Miami! The first flight was quiet and relaxing; everyone’s tired from the trip yet grateful for the experience. When we arrived to Miami, we went through a much longer stretch of security. Despite aching shoulders and arms from carrying luggage, everyone made it from Miami to Indianapolis. We made lots of memories on this trip, took remarkable photos, learned about Costa Rica’s environment, and enjoyed many beautiful views.

Day 9: White water rafting day

Written by Chase L and Tyler R

We woke up and headed down for breakfast. I really liked going white water rafting. I wished it lasted longer. We then went to lunch which was really good and was a nice treat. The souvenir shopping was a little disappointing. I did get souvenirs but I couldn’t find my dad anything for Father’s Day we finished the day at the hotel and went in the pool.

Day 8: Surfing day in Costa Rica

Written by Ethan U.

We began the day by bidding farewell to our friends at the reserva before heading to a beach for some surfing instruction. Before we had to go, we spent a few hours at the beach. We walked for ten minutes to our hotel, where our lunch had already been prepared. The most of us headed to the hotel’s pool after lunch was over. Some of us were disappointed that we couldn’t return to the beach, but it was okay because we still had a good time. It was fantastic to end the day at a pizza restaurant.

Day 7: Monkeys and free time 

Written by Caroline M.

 

This morning we woke up and headed to the beach for some beach cleanup time, we cleaned up so much that one of the bags was overflowing and falling apart. After breakfast we started a new puzzle because we had already finished the 1000 piece puzzle the day before. Then we had lunch and headed off to monkey monitoring. We saw a lot of moneys and we collected data on them. The rest of the day was pretty chill, we played ping-pong, built puzzles, and made super amazing art with oil pastels. We ended the day with burgers for dinner and even more games throughout the evening and night.

Day 6: Working day at the beach 

Written by  Violet Weigle

Today after breakfast we had a dance lesson for 2 hours. After that Grace found a sweet little crab named Herbert we kept him for a few. Then later in the day another one appeared in Caroline’s shoe and Grace adopted him . We all went to the beach to plant palm trees and clean out sand from drainage pipes at the beach. We got to drink coconut water straight from the coconut. The second crab got to eat some of the coconut it was adorable. Then we sadly had to send the crabs back with their friends. We finished the 1 thousand piece puzzle of flags of the world. Then we ended the night with a game of table tennis.

Day 5: Helping a Local School 

 Written by Makenzie Sprunger

Today we rode cars to the school and one car had to take 2 trips. When we got there they were saying that we would pull weeds from the garden, paint poles/ stairs, and scrape paint off the wall. Me, Grace, Mrs. Cappello and Katie started at the garden and we pulled a lot of weeds. Then we went to scraping the wall it was very satisfying to get big chunks off the wall. After, the wall scraping we painted and when all of the poles got a second coat we painted the stairs. The stairs were all kind of colors and I got to paint some steps purple. After, that we stayed a little longer for them to finish the stairs and overall stayed a little over 3 hours. On the way back some people went to the supermarket but I went back and ate lunch. Then, I called my parents and said hi, but chilled in the hammock for most of the time after. Before dinner me, Violet, and Caroline are working on a 1000 piece puzzle and have some of it done. Also, a lot of people were playing table ping pong and doing magic tricks and messing around.

Day 4: Rainforest Day

Written by Armand Fries
In the reserve today for we set out to go check the camera traps for any animals in the forest. As we treaded through the forest we came across an unexpected sight, Monkey’s! They swung through the trees and sunbathed on a log far above the ground. After the trip was done we ate lunch and enjoyed downtime at the reserve. To cap off the night we played table tennis. Finally it was lights out and everyone slept to the sound of nature.

Day 3: The Falls

Written by Nithik S.
They day started with a long hike back to the bus. After we got on to the bus we went to Nauyaca waterfall. After some time we switched to sitting in a tractor wagon while we head down. Then we had to hike down the rest of the way. Once we arrived people quickly went into the water and everyone relaxed and enjoyed the sounds of the waterfall and forest. Later we had our to go lunches. After that we hit the road for the Reserva once we got there we said hello and went to our rooms. Later on, we met Oscar who was one of the founders and he gave us some information about what the Reserva does. After that, we ate dinner and then went to sleep.

Day 2: Moving from the city to the countryside 

Written by by Fabián S. 

This morning we got up early to have our breakfast and get ready to jump in the bus. On the way the students were able to see some different in our country.  Finally we riched the coast and they were happy to see the blue Pacific ocean. We stopped to get lunch and them we continued to Sueños de Vida Farm. We met Graciela and Roy (Owners of the farm). We did a short walk through the farm and they made some empanadas that later we ate it with coffee or hot chocolate.

Day 1: Getting in the plane  and heading to Costa Rica.

Written by Ethan B. 
When we got on the plane to go to Costa Rica they took a picture of our face, I think it is cool that they can compare our passport to our face at any time.Getting through customs was an experience, we waited in line for a long time to show them our passports. When we went to the restaurant, there was really good food. It was unlike any kind of food I have ever had. The tortilla was crumbly but tasted better than what I would buy at the grocery. The black beans were the most flavorful bean I have ever had. When we got to Casa Cielo Grande the view was astonishing.
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