2024 Lake Oswego Middle School Costa Rica Cultural Journey
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Blog 6
Today, we woke up in La Fortuna, a town north of San Jose by a huge volcano. We got to sleep in a little before breakfast and then most of us swam in the hotel pool for a few hours. After drying off, we went to a frutería (fruit store) and got to learn about and try many fruits with our leader Hilary, including guanabana (soursop), mamones (“spanish lime”), and rambutanes. After we filled up on fruit, our leaders sent us on a scavenger hunt in small groups around town to take pictures of things like “a dog wearing clothes”, “a colorful hat”, the local soccer field, and much more! After lunch in town, we got ready for our next adventure – hot springs from the volcano! This place was some people’s favorite activity from the whole trip – there were a variety of hot spring looks to choose from, water slides, and a buffet dinner. Our evening ended at the hotel writing letters to our future selves about our trip, which we will get in 2 years. Tomorrow will already be our last day in Costa Rica! Pura Vida
Blog 5
Yesterday, we had a relaxing day by the ocean and after a big downpour, we ended the evening at a fancy restaurant. Today we woke up in beautiful Quepos. In the morning, we left our hotel and went to the famous National park Manuel Antonio where we got to see monkeys up close and personal – one even stole fruit from our bus driver’s (Francisco) hand!
We went swimming for a few hours at a beautiful beach in the park. Then, we started our long drive to La Fortuna with some cool stops along the way, including a river with crocodiles and a large souvenir/ store where we all brought things to take home with us. We ended the night with having pizza at our hotel and going to bed :)
Elle M. & Profe Ellie
Blog 4
Today we got to sleep in! We had pancakes for breakfast, and they were really good. Pumpkin the cat hung out with us at breakfast, being her usual amazingly sweet self. We then all loaded onto the bus and drove to Dominical, a coastal town where we had two hours to shop. There were a bunch of stalls selling little nicknacks and jewelry along the whole street. The people at the booths were all really nice, and everyone had the opportunity to bargain. Most of us finished shopping early so we hung out at Tortilla Flats, the open air restaurant where we were going to eat lunch.
After we ate, we all changed into our swimsuits and got back on the bus and drove for about five minutes before transferring to a different bus. While we were on that bus we stopped and all got out to see a sloth that was huddled in a tree on the side on the road. It was a two toed sloth, and was sleeping when we saw it. We continued to drive through the jungle before we stopped at a clearing near a river. The instructors got us ready to kayak/standup paddle board and then we took off up the river. We went up a ways and then turned around and went back, some people stopped where we started and the rest of us continued towards the ocean. We went all the way out and then stopped at a beach. We got out and swam in the ocean for a little while. Before we left we collected all the trash on the beach and loaded it into the kayaks. When we were paddling back we saw a bunch of cappucino monkeys in the mangroves. They were following us down the river by jumping between the trees, and they were really cute. We got back and had some fresh fruit before driving back to the hotel. We had a little bit of time to relax before we walked to dinner. It was dark by the time we walked back and we circled up and did shout outs and played some games before going back to our rooms.
Written by Avery M.
Blog 3
Today we began heading to the coast. Luckily we were able to get some cars to take us up the grueling hill to the bus. On the way to the coast, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant called La Cusinga, which had a beautiful view of the ocean. We saw some scarlet macaws flying overhead. Then we headed to our hotel before surfing. After changing into swimsuits we walked to the beach we would be surfing at. They showed us how to do it and then got us out in the water. Almost every one was able to stand up at least once. It started to rain and the waves got bigger so we put the boards away and just enjoyed the water. We also saw the glimpse of a monkey while at the surfing spot. When we got back to the hotel we enjoyed some pool time and chill time before dinner. ¡Hasta mañana!
Written by Siena M.
Blog 2
After a tasty breakfast, our day began with a very challenging uphill hike out of our lodging in order to reach the bus, which could not make it down the windy hills. These students are so resilient! The walk was worth it, because we got to enjoy the day at a beautiful waterfall, and even saw a sloth on our way down. We had so much fun swimming at the base of the falls, and after the waterfall, we headed straight to una finca ecológica – a self-sustaining eco-farm with a guided tour. We tried the fruit cacao, held chickens, and made our own empanadas! Our day ended back at our eco-lodge for one more night. Tomorrow, we head to the coast to surf!
Pura Vida
Blog 1
After a full day of travel, we woke up in a hotel in Alajuela just outside of San Jose, ready for our adventures to begin. We began the day with a traditional breakfast of gallo pinto, scrambled eggs, and fruit, and then hit the road. On our journey to Pura Suerte, we stopped at a local supermarket for snacks and got to put our Spanish skills to the test at checkout. We also made a pit stop for some fresh coconut water with a beautiful view of the Pacific. After a long hike into our eco resort in the rainforest, we settled in and enjoyed the infinity pool until the torrential downpour and power outage until later that evening. Despite the lack of wifi and power , students were still enjoying themselves and beginning to form friendships :)