Day 8

Day 8

We had scrambled eggs, cereal, juice, coffee, pancakes, and potatoes with ham for our good-bye breakfast from the beach. Lots of kids from the other group (blue bus) were on the beach watch the sun come up through the haze as I went for a walk at 530am. The bus left La Isla Hotel at 8:11am. We went up the coast to Jacó and Sarchi. We stopped at el Jardín, where we were able to buy gifts for family and friends back home and to visit the small butterfly farm in the back. I tried to get some pictures of the Blue Morpho Butterfly, but it is very hard to follow with the camera.

Next stop was lunch in Sarchi. Here we again were able to shop for souvenirs. Lunch was rice & beans (Casado Pinto), spaghetti and read sauce, salad, fried chicken chunks, and strawberry juice. We then had about another 45 minutes to INBio National Park. Here we watched a video about how the Country is dedicated to Teaching about the Biodiversity of their country, working to Conserve it, and discovering how to use it’s resources to their fullest capacity.

We arrived at our hotel at 5:30pm. Although it had a nice pool, it was a bit cool outside and about 20 students walked with me to the local gas station for snacks for the evening and on the plane the next day.

Our dinner was spaghetti & red sauce, rice & black beans, squash in sauce, deep fried chicken (like chicken tenders) and Cas Juice. The desert was the best flan I have ever tasted, which roasted coconut on the bottom.

We said our good-byes to our tour director, Heidy, and our bus driver, Erick. They both did a wonderful job of coordinating our schedule and getting us to places in this Country that are hard to reach—based on small bridges, and winding roads on the mountaintops. The kids hung out with their friends for a few last hours before our 9:30pm curfew. The adults were busy making plans for travel the next day and completing evaluations forms and packing. The kids were really sad to say good-bye to their new friends. We were all very fortunate to have had such good travel companions. We hope to meet again some day!

Day 7

Day 7

Because it was Semana Santa (Holy Week) we needed to get to the San Manuel Antonio Park early. It opens at 7am, and the day before we went they stopped letting people in at 730am because they limit the entrance to 700 people . So we boarded our bus at 6am with a bag breakfast (bagel with bacon and egg, a slice of pineapple, a juice box, and a yogurt). We also had a box lunch (ham and cheese sandwich, juice box, cookies, and tuna/pasta salad). Most students didn’t like either of these options, and the food didn’t last long in our backpacks on the beach. At least all kids brought plenty of water.

Overall, I’d have to say this park, the oldest National Park in Costa Rica, was a highlight of our trip and it’s no wonder they were saving the best for last. On our half-mile hike to the beach we saw a sloth, howler monkeys, white-faced monkeys, and a few blue morpho butterflies. The beach was beautiful and tropical and EVERYTHING you think of when you picture a beach in Costa Rica. It truly met our expectations. The downfall was that there were probably 4-5 other tour groups there, 4 EF ones and another one from Germany. There were also lots of locals enjoying their Holiday of Holy Week as it was Good Friday.

Most of the students enjoyed playing in the waves at the two beaches that were close to each other. There was a path that connected them where one could watch a white-faced monkey show. I saw one jumping up and down on the metal garbage can, in hopes of it opening. Another interesting show was the mother monkey with a small baby clung to it’s neck, and the “dad” in a very angry, defensive stance, showing teeth and all.

I took two hikes to avoid getting burned in the sun while at the beach. They both had beautiful Overlooks of the ocean, and one lead you to a hidden beach. They were both very physical hikes through the forest but were well worth the views, and the avoidance of sunburn that night at the hotel.

We exited the National Park and returned to the bus around 2pm. Several students were able to purchase snow cones for $2 from a vender, who also offered condensed milk on top of the sugary ice. We had a 30-minute ride back to our hotel and an hour to rest and shower before the partido de fútbol—soccer game of blue bus vs. red bus or the BIMBOS. This is a white bread, like Wonder Bread, that is a sponsor for a team down here. Several of the Three Lakes and Red Hook kids bought these BIMBO soccer jerseys for souvenirs for $15. Unfortunately our Red Bus Bimbos lost the game, mostly due to the 40-year old EF Tour Director, Geraldo, form the Blue bus who was a former Costa Rican National soccer player.

That night after our 630pm dinner there was Karaoke and a pool table to entertain the students until curfew at 11pm. Several students also enjoyed going to the beach and walking WAY out due to low tide. Unfortunately the moon was behind the clouds, there was a 20-minute down pour right before the soccer game, but the clouds stuck around until our morning departure.

Day 6

Day 6

Departure from Monteverde and the hotel Atardecer. During morning shower time several scorpions were found in the showers. YES, scorpions.

Breakfast was pancakes and fresh fruit. Our bus took the highest dirt road I’ve ever been on. It was very scary at times and had cows being herded on it while we drove. The views were amazing!

We had a bathroom break when we reached the Pam American Highway. From there we still had about another 90 minutes to the Crocodiles boat ride adventure. On our boat tour on the Carcoles River our boat driver jumped out to feed the two crocodiles to put on a little show for us. It was amazing! Our guide, Hansel, pointed out tiger crabs, so many various species of birds, including the blue heron from the states that migrate down in Costa Rica.

We still had about 90 more minutes to travel to our hotel on the coast. We passed through Jacó, which is the windsurfing capitol of Costa Rica. We stopped along the way at Mini Mercado, a large grocery store, to buy waters and snacks for our beach day on Good Friday—all stores will be closed.

On our trip to the Coast we traveled past the Golfo de Nicoyo. There are several protected island in that golf that are home to several endangered species of marine birds.

We arrived at the hotel late at 4pm. The traffic was bad, as all the Ticos head to the west coast beach area for Holiday. The beach was great! They had spaghetti ready for us, white or red sauce. We immediately hit the beach after lunch. The kids weren’t allowed to swim here (they never allow it, as there are riptides and it is very dangerous). There was also a nice pool that the kids enjoyed hanging out in when the sun set on the beach. Dinner was at 8pm and it was chicken, pork, and beef grilled. Also black refried beans, pico de gallo, coleslaw salad, and a baked potato.

Day 5 (continued)

After our afternoon break with free time in the small, windy town of Monteverde, we took a short bus ride to the other side of town for our Nocturnal Eco Tour. They gave us all flashlights (los focos). Marlo, the guide for the Three Lakes group, has a degree in Ecological Education. He showed us agutes, which are small animals in the rat family. They looked more like big guinee pigs and were feeding on the vegetation under the banana trees. The eco preserve that we walked that night was a banana plantation up until about 20 years ago.

On our night walk we also saw atoles (small lizards), a pigmey rain frog, 2 tarantulas, a family of raccoons, a few birds, several “walking sticks” (grasshopper looking insects), and lots of other spiders and bugs.

At the end of our tour we returned to the hotel for pizza dinner with coke and orange soda. The evening was spent socializing with the other students on tour with us from San Diego (8 students), Red Hook, NY (19 students), and Santa Barbara (2 students).

Day 4

Day 4

We departed the Arenal Vista Lodge at 7:30am for Monteverde National Park. Along the way we stopped at La Escuela de las Nubes to watch a performance. This is a small town at the top of the mountain with only 30 families in town and only 10 of those have children in the school. There are 21 children K-6 that attend the one-room school house. They did 4 dances for us, starting by signing their National Anthem. After the performance our students played a little soccer game with their 3 boys who didn't dance. Luis and Toni we unbelievable players. I'm not sure who had more fun, our students or Toni and Luis!

Next we drove to our hotel, Atardecer, in Monteverde. Unfortunately the hotel did not have a pool, but the quaint downtown area was a 5 minute walk. After lunch (mashed potatoes, grilled chicken breast, rice and beans) about 20 people went horseback riding (an extra fee of $50).

Our first dinner at this hotel was spagetti and garlic bread. Usually each dinner comes with some sort of juice or mixture of juices. After our 7pm, we again had free time. It was very windy out, and quite cold. It was also too foggy to see the Pacific Coast, even though we were close enough.

Day 5

Today we had breakfast at 645am. Breakfast was scrambled eggs, toast with mango jelly, and rice and beans mixed. Pete and I have been enjoying the Lizano salsa that has been on almost every table in Costa Rica. In fact, Pete bought his own personal jar just in case they didn't have it.

We boarded the bus at 7:30am for the Zip line at 100% Adventure. This was absolutely awesome! (more to come--time for our night walk in the cloud canopy)

Day 3

Breakfast at 7am in the lobby was scrambled eggs, toast, coffee, juice, rice and beans. This was followed by a short drive to La Fortuna Waterfall. It was 500 steps down to the base, where we were able to swim and play and crawl around on the rocks for about an hour.

After the STEEP hike back up we boarded the bus for downtown Fortuna. Here we learned about coffee and were told we should become coffee snobs. The coffee store owner taught us how to smell the aroma and how to SLURP the coffee to appreciate the best taste. Prices were high ($11/pound) but several students were convinced that HIS coffee was the best.

Next we had a bag lunch in the beautiful park in downtown Fortuna, a town not much bigger than Three Lakes, and bubbling with people like it was the Forth of July. Lunch was a chicken sandwich and a ham sandwich, with big slices of tomatoes and crisp lettuce. We also got a juice box and an apple. We then had 1.5 hours to shop and roam around. I mailed my postcards to my kids and was surprised that the stamps were 280 Colones each (about $0.65).

We loaded back on the bus at 12:45 destined for Lake Arenal and Kayaking. On our trip up to the lake the temperature rose to 39 degrees C = 105 F. We stripped down to our suits (which were just barely dry from the waterfalls. As we headed out to get our gear for kayaking it started to rain. Remember, it was 100 degrees, so it felt good. However after getting our PFD and paddle, the rain was a bit cold and we couldn't believe we were heading out to paddle in a down pour!

Our paddle was great, our two guides were great, and it stopped raining. I enjoyed speaking Spanish with the non-bilingual guide. He gave me the history of the lake, dating back to 1979 when they CREATED the lake. There are two cities under the water. YES, two cities, buildings, houses, churches, and other cool things for snorkelers to search for. All the families that used to live in these communities were given government money to move to New Arenal (a town we will visit tomorrow). Lake Arenal was created for Hydroelectricity and is still the biggest producer of electricity in all of Central America.

Costa Rica - Day 1 & 2

March 26, 2010

Friday night we left Three Lakes School at 11pm with four of our nine students. We then picked up 5 other students at Sugar Camp School and we were off. We had two stops on the way to the airport, one in Abbotsford and one in Hudson. After parking, we boarded the tram for ticketing and everything went well. All students used the computerized check-in with their passports.

The only hang-up was several girls, including myself, had gallon size zip-lock bags for toiletries. We were given quart size and needed to condense things. Two girls needed to leave some unopened items that didn’t fit, such as bug spray and anti-bacterial cleaner. Prescription meds should NOT go in that bag, which saves on room.

We had a crowded flight and sat in the back of the plane. It was three hours to Miami, where we then had a four-hour lay over. Our flight from Miami to San Jose was also almost 3 hours, but uneventful. We had no problems going through Customs.

Heidi, our tour guide, met us at just outside the airport after we cleared Customs. We them met Eric, our bus driver for the week. It was a 20-minute transfer to the hotel. The hotel was very nice, with nothing unusual by American standards. The pool, however was too cold to swim, since the sun was down by the time we arrived.

After we checked into our rooms all 11 of us walked to the local park, which used to be their International Airport years ago. The was the last night of a week long celebration of Art in the park. There was a concert, food venders, and folklore dancers, not to mention thousands of people. This was very entertaining and a good introduction to the country.

We had a nice dinner, poolside, of lemon chicken breast, pasta with white or red sauce, and fresh squeezed pineapple juice. After the students hung-out with the group from New York, we all went to bed and got a good night’s sleep.

Day 2

Although we all had 6am wake-up calls, the 4 boys and I were all up and ready to go by 6am. We walked down to the local almacen, where we used the ATM and bought waters and sunscreen. The sunscreen was about $16 and a regular size conditioner was about $6.

We had nice poolside breakfast of rice & black beans mixed together, shredded beef, toast, coffee, juice, and scrambled eggs. Next was the 1.5 hour transfer to the Poás Vocano, with a great view of the countryside. Heidi did a great job of giving us the history and background of her Country. We passed coffee plantations, yucca trees, pineapple plants, sugar cane fields, and farms that grew ferns and other plants and flowers for export to Holland and other coutnries.

The Poás Volcano was very impressive! It was very hard to breath, not just from the elevation of 7,000 feet, but the sulfur was actually visible in the air. It smelt like the smoke from fireworks. Most of us were coughing at the lookout point. There was a very nice hike UP to the old volcano, which is now a lake. Pete and I then walked up a little higher on the way back to the bus, which in-turn, had a very steep decline. This lake reminded me of Lake of the Clouds at the Porcupine Mts. In Michigan.

After loading back on the bus we descended about half way for lunch at a local restuarant. This time the rice and black beans were severed separately, along with fried Yuca, fried plantains, and chicken breast. They offered blended strawberry drinks, coke, and bottled waters, along with dilled jalapeños to add to our rice.

Next we are off to the Baldi Hot Springs. Unfortunately it was a 3-hour bus ride! Time to look out the window and enjoy the beautiful countryside. We stopped along the way to use the restrooms and buy souvineers. I bought 4 t-shirts and a beach towel for $34.

We arrived in Fortuna about 3:45pm and were introduced to the Baldi Hot Springs. This is a resort, with lodging, restaurants, bars, gift shops, changing rooms, locker and towel rentals, and of course the hot springs. We spent 2 hours (4-6pm) at Baldi! It had 3 FAST waterslides, 15 pools (large hot tubs/pools) ranging in temperature from 90 degrees F to about 160 F. No, none of us went in the HOT pool. I think the students really enjoyed this time, and it was well worth the BUS ride. Heidi said that before the earthquake a year ago, there was a much quicker route to Arenal from Poás. Two small towns were wiped out, along with several road systems. I would love to return to Baldi some day, and would highly recommend it to anyone traveling in Costa Rica.

Our hotel for the next two nights was at the base of Arenal, on the Southwestern side. We drove the entire circumference of Arenal on this day. The Arenal Vista Lodge was only about 20 minutes from Baldi, however along the way there was a bit of a traffic jam. Several cars were parked on the VERY narrow road, waiting to see the melting lava erupting from Arenal. This feat is very common and easy to see on the few cloudless/rainless nights, like the one we were fortunate to have. The unfortunate part was being stranded on the bus for an hour, waiting for Ticos to clear the roadway.

Preparing to Leave

We held a parent meeting a year ago on March 17, 2009. At this meeting I had about 5 parents who paid the $95 non-refundable payment, after seeing the EF Tours DVD and hearing our proposal.

Pre-trip meetings: We have had several meetings during lunch and during homeroom.
Pro's: Quick and to the point.
Con's: Rarely did all the students show up. Kids would forget, or had other meetings, or were absent. Students even missed a madatory meeting that included PIZZA at lunch time. Becasue of this, I needed to get the hand-outs and important information to those students who missed. This was probablay the worse part of the PRE-trip experience.

Traveling with EFTours:
Pro's: I would highly recommend this company, based on the hands-on support and the jammed packed activity they provide ON TRIP.
Con's: There were a lot of hidden fees! After the tour price was set at $1,935, which was after each student paid a non-refundable one-time fee of $95. Then departure fees went up $72. We paid this about 3 months prior to our trip, based on gas fees. Next, there was the tip money that I had to collect for the TD $48 and the bus driver $24. Lastly, our TD contacted us and came up with extras that we could pay for while we are there. The total of these three EXTRAS was $57. Of course, besides all of this, the students were also able to go horseback riding for an extra $40 and attend a folklore dinner and evening for $45. Our Spanish Club was able to cover the folklore for each student along with the tip money for the bus driver. Oh yeah, we will need gas and parking at the Minneapolis airport which is estimated at $375 for both school vehicles. Bottom line, estimate about an extra $300/student for the extras..before you even leave.