2024 Folsom Costa Rica Conservation Expedition

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Blog 5

Today was Wednesday, June 12th where we started our day at the hotel where we stayed for surfing and enjoying nature the days before. We rose early, enjoyed breakfast, and got on the bus with our bags to take our amazing trip to La Fortuna! During our roughly four hour drive there, we stopped at a buffet that had an awesome souvenir shop nearby. Lots of us in the group purchased gifts for family and personal items from this beautiful shop. After that, we finished the remaining two hours of the drive and enjoyed the scenery. We then arrived at our hotel, which has a gorgoues view of a volcano super close by, we settled for roughly an hour and made our way to the baldi natural hot springs. We enjoyed a buffet dinner there and then headed out to the fun! We rode slides into naturally heated pools of water and even enjoyed time in a natural sauna. It started raining and made the whole scene with warm water and cold rain very relaxing. Although it was a little painful for some of us who had sunburns, me included!! Finishing up our fun at the springs around 8:30pm, we made our way back to the hotel to get a good nights rest with a quick snack stop on the way.

Blog 4

Yesterday (June 10th) we woke up in a beautiful natural cave behind one of the biggest waterfalls in Costa Rica. I was the first one up and it was amazing to look out at the beautiful landscape with the white noise of the waterfall and nearby animals. The mix of the view and sounds was the best way to start the morning, after a few more people got up I ended up going on a short hike with some new friends to another absolutely gorgeous waterfall. The view from that one looked like you were looking off the edge of the earth. My new friends had packed a drone that paired with a VR headset so the pictures we got were stunning. After the painful hike back up I got to enjoy some yummy homemade oatmeal and toast with what I believe was (also homemade) fruit jelly. Once everyone else got up and packed my group ended up also hiking back down to the waterfall to enjoy the views. I was the only one who took the opportunity to swim in the freezing cold pools created by the waterfall. That was my favorite part of the trip so far. After that we hiked back down the mountain and drove to a touristy beach town where we walked through a national park and spotted monkeys, sloths, toucans, iguanas and many many crabs. It felt nice to be able to shower and sleep in a bug free room with air conditioning at the end of the day.

-Ainsley K.

Blog 3

Yesterday, June 9th, hiking to the Diamanté cave was super cool, we walked through awesome rain forest and a garden, and crossed a creek with fresh cold water for our water bottles. Diamanté waterfall is said to be one of the tallest in Costa Rica. Inside, it was very exciting meeting up with the other groups and learning about their trip as well. We set up our beds and had a campfire while listening to music and putting together our glow sticks. The cave was dark and loud with the waterfall being right next to us and we fell asleep listening to the sounds of nature. I was very appreciative there were no scorpions or spiders. It was one of the best adventures I have had this trip.

– Jade

Blog 2

Today the group began their service work, focusing on cleaning the areas around the assembly house, digging holes to plant trees to represent the group members, staining wood and wood tables, and painting the buildings surrounding flooring. On the way to the building part of the group bonded with a dog that supported them and waited for them when they stopped during their walk. Upon arrival to the building many members of the group bonded with this dog as well. Through the service work, the members of the group felt the passion that comes from teamwork and assisting others, sharing laughs and making new friends. After the groups service work the group was shown the beauty of a costa rican family’s farm called “Finca la Florida.” After their tour of the farm the group all enjoyed making empanadas, along with hot chocolate and coffee made for them by the family from materials grown in their farm. In addition, the group was able to support the family by purchasing items such as t-shirts, mugs, caps, and coffee beans. Lastly, the group began the journey back to their cabins and then to the dining room to enjoy some games together, strengthening the friendships between all the members of the group.

Blog 1

Today the group went on a spectacular adventure to view the “Cascada Nauyaca.” We swam, ate lunch, and took pictures while there. After, we headed back to the top, where most of us got ice cream. As we were about to head back to the resort, a torrential downpour started. We all had to throw on our ponchos and/or raincoats and ride back in the back of an open truck bed! Eventually, we made it back to the resort, and everyone got showered off and cleaned up for dinner, where most of the group ended off the night with a fun game of monopoly.

As one of the students on this trip (Tyler), I found that the best moment of the day for me was the ride back from the waterfall. I was lucky, as I got to sit in the cab of the truck with the driver, who I had a nice conversation with in Spanish. It was some great practice, and I even made a new friend from it, who’s somewhat close to my age (he’s 21 and I’m 16). I thought that today was quite an adventure, and im wishing the best back at home.
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