First Day in Costa Rica

Yesterday was full of travel. We got to school at 6:45 AM, few of us actually awake, got into vans bound for the airport, turned on the radio, and got stopped behind a garbage truck going down Lincoln Place. The plane ride was a grueling five hours, where we had to contend with such dangers as an alarm going off in someone’s luggage, a crying baby, and not having iPods. We landed in San Salvador just in time to leave, but not before seeing a beautiful mountain range. The plane ride to Costa Rica was thankfully much shorter in comparison to the first ride, and we quickly left the airport bound for a mall were we exchanged money. Then, we drove through the rain for another two hours, finally arriving at the Eco Lodge at 8:00 PM.

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Tasty pasta, garlic bread, and guava juice were awaiting us, as were (thankfully) comfortable beds, into which most of us fell by 9:30 or 10:00.

So today was our first full day in Costa Rica, at the Chilamate Eco Lodge. Most of us woke up at six, some as early as five, and started our day with a big breakfast of fresh fruit, homemade banana bread, traditional Costa Rican food, and eggs. As we ate our breakfast, we were able to spot a giant spider, and some really beautiful hummingbirds. After breakfast we went white water rafting on the Rio Sarapiqui, which was lots of fun. Most people fell in a couple times, but everyone was okay. The rapids were amazing, and our breaks to swim in the calmer areas were enjoyed by all. We stopped about halfway through our 8-mile course for some more fresh fruit, which was a great way to fill up our now surprisingly hungry stomachs. We had a little competition of climbing back into the rafts, with Ms. Fogarty and Ms. Durham’s groups tying for first place. We also saw some pretty interesting wildlife including a toucan, an egret, an iguana, an exotic housecat named Kitty, and even some howler monkeys! After our rafting trip, we came back to the lodge and jumped back into the river for another swim, and then realized what a mess we had made of all our clothes – which are still completely soaked. We had a nice lunch of barbeque steak and potatoes, along with some fresh vegetables. The weather in Costa Rica has been more than a little unpredictable, with rain coming when you least expect it – in our case, after lunch. This didn’t help with the idea of putting our clothes out to dry in the sun. We’re now about to embark on a hike in the rainforest, which should be lots of fun.

Written by Josh and Amelia