Senior Claire Evans reflects on Costa Rica trip:
We first landed in San Jose late Saturday, and spent the night in the city at a Holiday Inn. From there we traveled from San Jose to Tortuguero located on the Caribbean side of the country. To reach our lodge, we had to take a water taxi through the canals. Here we spent two days exploring the national parks of Tortuguero and came across many exotic wildlife native to Costa Rica i.e. sloths, monkeys, and snakes. The meals consisted of their famous typical meal of casado, which is chicken, rice and beans. Sides included plantains, salads, and squash. Our next stop was a five hour bus ride to the volcanic city of Arenal. We spent the night soaking in the hot springs and having fun at the water park.
The next morning we had an early wake up call in order to travel to the city of Manuel Antonio where we partook in zip lining, beaching, and touring the town. The zip line entailed of eleven courses over the canopy of the Rain Forest. We also took a trip to the Manuel Antonio National Park and played on the beach Playa de Manuel Antonio. At this hotel, we finally had a break from chicken and rice, replacing it with hamburgers and pasta. Unfortunately, we could not stay at the beach forever and had to head back to San Jose. On our way there, we stopped at a local school called Escuela la Julieta. Here we played with the most joyous first graders, and brought them gifts and school supplies as well. We even had a dance party too! We spent around an hour and a half having the best time with these munchkins, then hit the road again. Once we arrived in San Jose, we learned how to make a traditional Costa Rican meal with the help of some lovely Costa Rican chefs. The meal consisted of plantain empanadas, corn tortillas, squash/ potato pico de gallo. Es muy delicioso!
For our final night we surprised one of our classmates for her birthday with dinner and a show. We learned/watched many different types of dances and some were even called up to join. The trip ended the next morning with a 5 am trip to the airport, even though none of us wanted to leave. Costa Rica was definitely a time to remember and brought such a diverse group of people together. Pura Vida!
