2025 Westgate Costa Rica Service Adventure
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Blog 5: Rafting Adventure
Today we woke up early in Uvita and enjoyed a very delicious breakfast at our hotel. We then loaded up in the bus and drove an hour to meet the rafting guides. They then took us in their two cars to the start of the rafting expedition. We met our three guides Ormidas, Jesus, and Randall as well as our safety kayaker Micheal. We learned how to be safe on the raft, how to paddle, and most importantly how to rescue someone. We all then set off on our adventure where we stopped to enjoy a small hike to a waterfall and learn about local plants and different kinds of clay from Ormidas. Soon after we set off we had someone fall overboard, where my raft promptly became the rescue raft! We used our training and everything turned out just fine. We stopped again for lunch where we enjoyed beans, rice, salsa and chicken (or avocado for me). Finally we ended our trip by doing the last rapid while spinning! Now we are driving back a short 6 hours to Alajuela to our original hotel! Tomorrow we fly home c:
Written by Tom
Blog 4: From the Rainforest To The Beach
Today was a great day for our Westgate Senior group. We started the morning saying goodbye to the kind people at Pura Suerte. We then drove around two hours to the beach where we were taught how to surf by some kind people up until lunch time. After lunch we were then given free time to go walk around the beach area. An opportunity my friends and I took and we ended up going down the beach and taking pictures of the sunset.
Written by Aidan P.
Blog 3: Services Project Day
We woke up and went to breakfast. After that we walked from our jungalows up the hill to the nearby school Escuela La Florida. At the school we were able to meet and interact with the students and teacher which I enjoyed. I learned that school is much smaller that in the US, with just a few students each. This time also gave us time for Fabi to tell us how the school system works in Costa Rica. They do not have middle school and highschool is mostly optional, however more people are going nowadays. Following this the teacher explained that students wear uniforms and eat food provided by the school. Wearing uniforms stop people from discrimination and bullying based on what someone is wearing or eating.
After this we went over to the school kitchen building where we were painting the outside and inside green. After we were done we walked back down to the jungalows and just chilled until dinner, we had pasta.
Written by Josh R.
Blog 2: Waterfall day
Today we had pancakes and cereal for breakfast. We went out to see the Nauyaca Waterfall, the hiking to the waterfall was a lot of exercise. The waterfall was gorgeous. Afterwards we took a tour of a local farm. We learned about the local culture and Coffee and I was able to buy some Costa Rican Coffee for my dad.
Written by Rudy A.
Blog 1: Disconnect and Reconnect
Today we embarked on our journey to Pura Suerte after we had the best lunch! We ate at this beautiful place that oversaw a mountainous area with lush greenery and full palms. The food was “yummalicious” according to Keyra. As we started the road trip, students noticed the service has been spotty or non-existent, which allowed them to rest, connect with each other more, and look up from their phones to see the gorgeous views. We saw the ocean and stopped at a little market all before we made our final destination. An amazing dinner was provided to us by the super kind locals after we settled into our cabins. We are now ready for day 3!
Written by Autumn W.
Welcome to the Walking Tree Blog!
Program Leaders will post occasional blog updates and photos here once the program begins. Stay tuned!
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