La Selva and Puerto Viejo

This past weekend was our third and final excursion here in Costa Rica. We departed early Thursday to get to the Pecuare River, where we went white water rafting. I have been rafting twice before in the States, but I must say this trip was much better. The rapids themselves were very exciting (mostly class 3 and 4) but what made it so spectacular was the surrounding scenery. We floated down the river beside huge mountains of rainforest, waterfalls, and under indigenous villages. Halfway through we all stopped on the shore and the guides prepared us a nice lunch where we entertained ourselves by observing a local pig. After lunch we were quite hot and it promptly started raining as we were going through a beautiful canyon. It was a surreal moment when we jumped out and swam in the rain through this green canyon with waterfalls and suspended wood bridges overhead. Afterwards we all got on the bus and headed out towards La Selva Biological Reserve. "La Selva" in Spanish translates to the jungle, which is a good name for it. This place is one of the most important and significant stations to the scientific community in all of Central America. Everyday many ecologists and bird watchers come here to writes articles and journals about this place and its environment. We stayed here on Thursday night and did two nature hikes, one at night and one the following morning. After our hike on Friday we ate lunch and departed towards the town of Puerto Viejo on the southern Caribbean coast. On the way we stopped at a Dole banana plantation where we were supposed to get a tour of the farm, but because of some miscommunication we only got to see the shorter version. Shucks haha. Afterwards we went to Las Palmas resort hotel, which was 25 minutes south of Puerto Viejo. This was a beautiful and comfortable place to stay for our last three days outside of San Jose. It was right on the beach and had a pool, air conditioned rooms, and a nice patio where we were served meals (which were all very good). From here we took trips to go snorkeling on Saturday (which sucked compared to Caño Island last weekend) and zip-lining through the rainforest on Sunday. Other than that we all hung out at the beach and pool all weekend, some much needed relaxation. On Monday we returned to San Jose but stopped at a place called Earth University for a tour and lunch. It is essentially an international university focused on agriculture, with lots of farming facilities with crops, livestock, and an incredible amount of biting ants. This was probably the best weekend we have had so far, even though I have liked them all. 

USA vs. Costa Rica

Our group was very lucky with the timing of our trip because we were given to the opportunity to see the USA soccer team play Costa Rica here in San Jose. Last Wednesday (June 3rd) was one of the qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup. The Ticos, like many of the latin american countries, take soccer very seriously, especially when they play big rivals such as the United States. Coming into this game the US international team has a record of 0-6-1 on Costa Rican soil, so we didnt know what to expect for the outcome. The game was played at Ricardo Saprissa Stadium which was a bit different than the stadiums I have visited back home. It was mainly concrete bleachers, which didnt really matter because we were standing the whole time anyway. There wasnt assigned seating but somehow we ended up in the top corner next to most of the other Americans. The field itself was in pretty poor shape, according to other Americans around us it is concrete with a layer of turf over it, making it tough on the players. By the start of the game the Ticos were already fired up with chants and songs, something I have always wanted to experience. Unfortunately within the first two minutes Costa Rica scored, setting the pace for the rest of the game. By the end it was 3-1, with the US´s goal being scored in the final minute by penalty kick. We found a few hecklers on our walk back to the bus, but I didnt mind. Overall it was an excellent experience. I will post pictures later.

Pictures from the Osa

Beach at Caño

My room/tent
Tents
The Pavilion
The beach at Drake

Camping in the Rainforest

Last weekend was our second excursion here in Costa Rica. We travelled to the Osa Peninsula on the southern Pacific side, which is one of the most pristine and isolated areas of this country. We embarked on Thursday with a six-hour bus ride to the town of Chirripe, which bordered the Chirripe River. Once we arrived we loaded all of our things onto two small boats and took a 75-minute ride down the river and into the Pacific Ocean, where we found the small village of Drake. Once we landed on the beach we waited as two small jeeps took turns bringing us up to our ¨hotel¨. While waiting we entertained ourselves with some rousing games of toss the coconut and by watching stray dogs attempt to mate. These jeeps and boats were very uncomfortable, which is a shame because they were our transportation for the whole weekend. The hotel was more like an upscale campground in the middle of the rainforest. There was a series of wood platforms which held one or two tents and a small bathroom and that was were we stayed. Next to the platforms there was a nice covered pavilion overlooking the ocean with a sitting area, a bar, bathrooms and a kitchen. It was here that we ate meals and hung out in the evenings. We settled in on the first day by four o’clock, so we decided to take a 20-minute walk down to the beach. On our way back we ran into some white-faced monkeys along the path who were very interested in us. While watching them I decided to throw a small rock near them to see how they would react, surprisingly, one monkey tried to catch it. After that, we noticed them coming down from the treetops closer to us, so I picked up another rock and held it out on my hand towards the monkey. The next part is the coolest experience I have had here on this trip so far. The monkey reached out and TOOK the rock from my hand. It was so exciting for me to interact with a wild animal like that, they are so smart! I think he was pretty disappointed that the rock wasn’t a fruit. That night we had a lot of fun relaxing on the pavilion as we played darts and lots of euchre. The following morning we all woke up in a pool of our own sweat as the sun was blaring into our tent. This area of Costa Rica is VERY hot and VERY humid, something we had to get used to. We ate breakfast and set out on a 20-minute boat ride to visit Corcovado National Park. This park, according to our tour guide Leo, is the nicest and prettiest park in CR. We took two tours through the rainforest where we saw a few howler monkeys, scarlet macaws (beautiful parrots), and LOTS of leaf cutter ants. While playing in a waterfall during one of the tours I was stung on the hand by some kind of insect, which wasn’t a good feeling. We spent about four hours there before returning to our camp. The next day was a lot of fun as we took a 40-minute boat ride to a small island 10 miles off the coast. It is called Caño Island and no one lives there except for park rangers. There we relaxed on the beach, ate coconuts and went on a beautiful snorkeling trip. I saw lots of cool fish, coral and a white tip shark. I received my first Costa Rican sunburn, even though I applied sunscreen multiple times. The next morning we left early to return to San Jose. On the way all 34 of us stopped and ate at McDonalds, which was a nice treat. Despite the rough living conditions, this weekend was a TON of fun, pictures to come.

 

Pura Vida, Mateo. 

The Fishing Trip

Last Wednesday was our only free day of the whole trip. We had the freedom to do whatever we wanted in CR, so everyone decided to spend the day at the beach, except for five of us who joined up to go on an off-shore fishing trip. All together the trip costed 133 US dollars per person (transportation, lunch and adult beverages included), which was a great price compared to other charters in the area. So Bob, KC, Evan, Dan and I left Veritas University at 5 in the morning, and got to Herradura (town on the Pacific side) around 7:30 after a quick stop at Dennys. On the beach we ran into a fat pig getting attacked by a dog, as well as a rich old man from North Carolina, who supposedly wasnt prejudiced, but hated the all-black Charlotte Bobcats NBA team. Our fishing guide´s name was Carlos, who was pretty quiet, but told us a few funny stories about his experiences with Americans who like to bring hookers on fishing trips. All together we caught 5 Mahi mahi, or Dorado in spanish. For about 20 minutes we were chased on the boat by a group of dolphins, which was awesome to see even though they were scaring away our fish. After docking up, we took our big bag of fresh mahi to a local restaurant next to the beach for them to cook up in different styles (grilled, blackened and fried). It was a great to sit and relax with an ice cold piña colada after a long day of fishing out in the sun. After lunch we took a quick drive to a town called Jaco where we spent the rest of the day with the other group before returning to San Jose.

Photos from the First Excursion

Arenal Volcano, La Fortuna, and Monteverde Cloud Forest

This past weekend was our first excursion in Costa Rica. We travelled to two new places, La Fortuna and Monteverde. Both locations are popular tourist spots for people who are looking to emerse themselves in the natural wonders of this country. On Friday we departed from San Jose towards the small city of La Fortuna. This town sits right at the foothils of the Arenal Volcano. Arenal is the stereotypical volcano that comes to mind when one thinks of an active volcano. Originally it was thought to be just a mountain until it erupted again in the 1960´s, and now it is in the top 10 most active in the world. Arenal looks like it is out of a movie like Land Before Time, with its perfect cone shape and constant lava flow. After arriving at the hotel we promptly went to the Baldi Hot Springs, which was just like an adult water park. It uses the warmth from the earth and the volcano to heat the water of over 15 pools. The springs varied in temperature, getting hotter as you walked up the mountain, and reached up to 152 degrees F. The facility also had swim-up bars and three water slides which would most likely not be legal in the United States. After a few hours of swimming and relaxing in the water we all ate a much needed buffet dinner at the springs. Saturday was a busy day as well. We woke up early and toured a local hydro electric power plant. After about 3 painful hours there we returned and started towards La Fortuna waterfall. We were given the choice to either go there by bus or by horse, I chose the horse option. My horse was named Talía and we all rode for about 40 minutes through mostly fields and roads to the entrance of the park. To get to the waterfall we had to make a pretty intense hike, but when we got there it was definately worth it. We swam in the falls and in the river for about an hour and a half before riding our horses back to the stables. The plan after that was originally to go to Arenal National Park, but we decided not to go due to the rainy weather. Instead most of us took a drive to a local serpentarium, which contained a bunch of animals including butterflies, spiders, and lots of snakes, including one 14 ft. 300 lb boa constricter which many of us held. Though it was quite cruel, the most entertaining part was watching the zoo keeper feed the snakes live mice and chickens. During our two nights next to the Volcano, we unfortunatly were not able to see the lava flows at night because of cloud cover. I didn´t really mind, seeing it at day time was cool enough. The following morning we departed to Monteverde Cloud Forest. This is one of the most dense and ecologically diverse rainforests in Costa Rica. To get there we took a relay of Jeep-Boat-Jeep, which was supposed to be more scenic. Instead it was just an uncomfortable ride in hot, congested jeeps, instead of a cool, roomy charter bus. On sunday we took two nature hikes through the forest, one during the day and one at night. The day time tour was fun as we walked in the rainforest on suspended bridges, through hollow trees and swung on a rope swing. After this I ate probobly the best meal I have had so far at an upscale pizzaria, a nice break from rice, beans and chicken. Afterwards we embarked on the night tour which was very informational but I didn´t enjoy being eaten by bugs for two hours (I forgot to bring long pants). Both hikes yielded very little as far as animal life which led me to believe that absolutely no animals live in the rainforest other than lots of bugs. Fortunately, the following morning we took another hike where we saw lots of wildlife including beautiful birds and monkeys. It was great to finally see and learn about the rainforest that all of us have been waiting for. On Monday night, we returned to San Jose. I will update my pictures later, Pura Vida!

The Coffee Visits

In the past two days our group has visited two coffee plantations. Yesterday (Wednesday) we travelled to the province of Cartago to tour a small, organic coffee farm owned by two Americans. It was called Cafe Cristina and they grow and mill thier own special blend of gourmet beans. The tour itself wasn´t exactly thrilling, but it did offer some interesting insight in the coffee making process. After the tour we went to the most important cathedral in C.R. and had a good lunch afterwards. Here are some pictures.

Today (Thursday) we travelled to a coffee plantation called Cafe Britt, in the province of Alajuela. This was much different than the farm we saw the day before. Britt is the largest coffee company in Costa Rica and it showed in thier process of operations. The tour was given by three people who gave funny and informational monolouges and skits. After that we ate at a nice restaurant connected to the plantation and it was very good.

Pictures of the first few days...

Universidad Veritas

My house in Costa Rica

My room

What I have for lunch most days at the University

Bar El Pescadito, the local watering hole

More to come....

The First Impression

So I have been here in San Jose, Costa Rica for three days now and I can already tell it’s going to be one of the best months of my life. As a person who thoroughly enjoys world travel, this trip is truly a treat for me. I can’t wait for all of the things I will inevitably experience in the next three weeks.

We arrived on Saturday at approximately one o’clock local time (two hour difference from EST), and the weather was rainy and overcast, just as I had expected. The majority of the group was on the same flight as me, and there was a charter bus waiting to pick all of us up at the airport. When we arrived at Veritas University, my housemother was already waiting for me. Her name is Elizibeta and I soon found out that she doesn’t speak a word of english. For me this was a blessing because it provides an opportunity for me to improve on my spanish speaking abilities.  I was surprised to see how neat and clean her house was, garnished with nice wood furniture, hardwood floors, and tacky ceramic dolls. Divorced, she lives alone, but has plenty of family living next door and down the street. My roommate, Dan, arrived about two hours after I did, and he also speaks a little bit of spanish. We get along flawlessly as we use teamwork to translate conversations and get through the countless awkward situations with our Señora. My spanish has already improved significantly. Dan and I were quick to find the local, family owned bar down the street, ¨El Pescadito¨ where we soon ran into other thirsty Miami students. By the end of the second night, all 30 of us Miamians seem to be good friends. 

The next morning I awoke to a blaring sun and the sound of many strange birds. Surprising enough, waking up early isn’t too difficult for me with the birds and car horns (the Costa Ricans are crazy drivers) outside my window. Sunday, we took a bus tour around the city of San Jose, which was fun and informational. We saw all the traditional tourist sites as well as other points of interest, unfortunately I forgot my camera. The city itself is quite beautiful (at least in the mornings when it is sunny) and is filled with diverse people and activities. San Jose is, for the most part, very modern and economically prosperous, though there are some slum-like areas. Another thing I noticed was the fact that it is quite dirtier than the United States, mainly because of the litter that can be found on some streets. The area where we are living is called Zapote, a mainly residential neighborhood with lots of nice people. The ¨Ticos¨ (what the Costa Ricans call themselves) are all VERY nice and VERY laid back. They do not rush to do anything, except when driving. A guest speaker told our class today that the Ticos have two personalities, one when they are behind the wheel and another when they are not. Everyone I have met, both in and out of the university have been friendly and helpful. I look forward to meeting many more Ticos on my trip. 

So that was my first impression of Costa Rica. I have taken some good pictures which I hope to upload, once I figure out how. 

Hasta Luego and Pura Vida.

First Post

I set it up.