A few of our favorite things...
One thing I forgot to discuss last night was the fascination with the sunset. Around 6 PM last night, it was already pitch black. This has totally thrown off the group. Granted, it was a long day of travel; however, we were totally ready for bed around 8. This morning the sun was up around 5:45. And it was not a slow, steady change in light- it was BRIGHT. Most were up before their alarms this morning, some due to the time change, others due to the light coming in through the window.
We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant, Sangria, this morning. We had 7 different options ranging from the "typico" breakfast of rice & beans with scrambled eggs, plantains, and toast, to a yogurt parfait, to corn flakes and papaya, to eggs, bacon, and sausage with toast. Students were happy with the options and Mrs. Walsh and myself were happy with the cafe con leche. We loaded up the bus and started our 3.5 hour drive to Uvita, with a few detours along the way. For those of you that have gone on previous trips, you'll be happy to know that much of the construction is over and the roads are much wider and much smoother heading out towards the coast. One of the things that was new to me was a sign warning of iguanas near the road, which were hanging out on the cliffs on the side.
Our first stop was a shop with souvenirs. We got to do a little shopping and change into our bathing suits to prepare for the beach. It was nice to have this be the first short stop to break up the trip into 45 minute to 1 hour increments. I would tell you what was purchased, but I'm sure that would ruin some surprises...
We hopped back on the bus for the even shorter trek down the road to Rio Tarcoles. Here we saw the MASSIVE crocodiles that line the banks of the river. There were at least 20 crocodiles hanging out underneath the bridge in the shallow water.
We continued down the highway for about an hour, driving around the town of Jaco. It was our first glimpse of the rocky coastline and the beaches. The water was turquoise compared to the dark blue clouds in the sky. We drove through some heavy rain, which subsided in time for our next stop at a supermarket. Some of us purchased the comforts of home (Oreos, Doritos) and others tried some of the Costa Rican chips and cookies like Cremas, Cocanas, and Marias. Now, I'd like everyone to try things on their own, but I maaaaaay have made a bit of a push for my personal favorite: Trits. It is an ice cream sandwich with vanilla ice cream and a little chocolate syrup between two thin sugar cookies. It is heaven on earth. About half the group joined me for Trits at 10:30 in the morning.
Our last leg of the trip took us into Uvita, our homebase for the majority of the trip. We went to lunch at Restaurante Marino and again the students had options: hearts of palm salad, shrimp and rice, chicken and rice, chicken sandwich, cubano sandwich, pasta, or a hamburger. We had fresh mora (raspberry) juice as well. After filling our water bottles, we were ready for the beach!!
We went about 10 minutes north of Uvita to Playa Hermosa, where the tide was quickly coming in. We arrived just before many of the surfers to get a nice shady spot in the trees. Kara gave us instructions on rip currents and general safety before setting parameters for where we could swim, which was right in front of the lifeguard stand. She stood in the surf as well, making sure that we didn't drift too far over- which actually happened quite often. After a break for some watermelon, Cremas, and water, we played games of "Evolution" and "Biggest Fan" on the beach. Teams were selected for a game of barefoot soccer on the beach and with this group, it was pretty competitive. The game abruptly ended with some thunder, which was our signal to gather our things and head to the bus. We drove south back into Uvita to our hotel, Luz de Luna.
Luz de Luna and La Fogata are the hotel and restaurant that host us in Uvita pretty much every trip. Both are run by a husband-wife team and they do a wonderful job of accommodating our group. There have been a few issues with getting the air conditioning to work, locking doors, and water pressure and they take care of it right away. We enjoyed the pool for a little, then showered and went to dinner at 6. This was the first meal that I forgot to take a photo- sorry! We had salad, pork, and rice & beans. Our guides discussed the plans for tomorrow and we were given an hour to pack up our belongings for the cave before our evening activity: soccer!
Uvita has a beautiful covered soccer field that can be rented by the hour. It is just 5 minutes from our hotel. The field is futsal- a game played on a smaller field with a smaller ball. It speeds up the game and favors those with strong foot skills. We watched a group of Ticos finish up their game when we arrived. A local entertained us with some magic tricks while we waited. I also freaked out because I saw a cane toad (my APES students know what's up- S/O to Molly Nachtwey) and got to explain them to the students. We were then ready for a 7-on-7 match against some of the locals. A few MVP awards to hand out... William ("Baz") is El Jefe in the goal! He had so many amazing saves this evening! And Tallulah scored SO MANY goals! She was getting high fives and props from the other team. It was fun to watch so many current and former soccer players give their all- goals from Reese & Eliza, great foot skills from Robby & Nick- outstanding plays from all! We mixed up the teams at the end- our students and some Ticos- and everyone played at once. Everyone was very sweaty and had a wonderful time.
Students are showering and packing up right now. We have breakfast at 7 AM, then will leave 30-45 minutes later for the cave. The next two days will be the most physical of the trip as we hike up and down the mountain. A friendly reminder- we will be off the grid until Thursday evening! The cave is surprisingly comfortable, but there isn't any WiFi :) Look for a Twitter update from me or from Mrs. Walsh (@laurie_walsh) some time before then.
Pura vida!
We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant, Sangria, this morning. We had 7 different options ranging from the "typico" breakfast of rice & beans with scrambled eggs, plantains, and toast, to a yogurt parfait, to corn flakes and papaya, to eggs, bacon, and sausage with toast. Students were happy with the options and Mrs. Walsh and myself were happy with the cafe con leche. We loaded up the bus and started our 3.5 hour drive to Uvita, with a few detours along the way. For those of you that have gone on previous trips, you'll be happy to know that much of the construction is over and the roads are much wider and much smoother heading out towards the coast. One of the things that was new to me was a sign warning of iguanas near the road, which were hanging out on the cliffs on the side.
Our first stop was a shop with souvenirs. We got to do a little shopping and change into our bathing suits to prepare for the beach. It was nice to have this be the first short stop to break up the trip into 45 minute to 1 hour increments. I would tell you what was purchased, but I'm sure that would ruin some surprises...
We hopped back on the bus for the even shorter trek down the road to Rio Tarcoles. Here we saw the MASSIVE crocodiles that line the banks of the river. There were at least 20 crocodiles hanging out underneath the bridge in the shallow water.
We continued down the highway for about an hour, driving around the town of Jaco. It was our first glimpse of the rocky coastline and the beaches. The water was turquoise compared to the dark blue clouds in the sky. We drove through some heavy rain, which subsided in time for our next stop at a supermarket. Some of us purchased the comforts of home (Oreos, Doritos) and others tried some of the Costa Rican chips and cookies like Cremas, Cocanas, and Marias. Now, I'd like everyone to try things on their own, but I maaaaaay have made a bit of a push for my personal favorite: Trits. It is an ice cream sandwich with vanilla ice cream and a little chocolate syrup between two thin sugar cookies. It is heaven on earth. About half the group joined me for Trits at 10:30 in the morning.
Our last leg of the trip took us into Uvita, our homebase for the majority of the trip. We went to lunch at Restaurante Marino and again the students had options: hearts of palm salad, shrimp and rice, chicken and rice, chicken sandwich, cubano sandwich, pasta, or a hamburger. We had fresh mora (raspberry) juice as well. After filling our water bottles, we were ready for the beach!!
We went about 10 minutes north of Uvita to Playa Hermosa, where the tide was quickly coming in. We arrived just before many of the surfers to get a nice shady spot in the trees. Kara gave us instructions on rip currents and general safety before setting parameters for where we could swim, which was right in front of the lifeguard stand. She stood in the surf as well, making sure that we didn't drift too far over- which actually happened quite often. After a break for some watermelon, Cremas, and water, we played games of "Evolution" and "Biggest Fan" on the beach. Teams were selected for a game of barefoot soccer on the beach and with this group, it was pretty competitive. The game abruptly ended with some thunder, which was our signal to gather our things and head to the bus. We drove south back into Uvita to our hotel, Luz de Luna.
Luz de Luna and La Fogata are the hotel and restaurant that host us in Uvita pretty much every trip. Both are run by a husband-wife team and they do a wonderful job of accommodating our group. There have been a few issues with getting the air conditioning to work, locking doors, and water pressure and they take care of it right away. We enjoyed the pool for a little, then showered and went to dinner at 6. This was the first meal that I forgot to take a photo- sorry! We had salad, pork, and rice & beans. Our guides discussed the plans for tomorrow and we were given an hour to pack up our belongings for the cave before our evening activity: soccer!
Uvita has a beautiful covered soccer field that can be rented by the hour. It is just 5 minutes from our hotel. The field is futsal- a game played on a smaller field with a smaller ball. It speeds up the game and favors those with strong foot skills. We watched a group of Ticos finish up their game when we arrived. A local entertained us with some magic tricks while we waited. I also freaked out because I saw a cane toad (my APES students know what's up- S/O to Molly Nachtwey) and got to explain them to the students. We were then ready for a 7-on-7 match against some of the locals. A few MVP awards to hand out... William ("Baz") is El Jefe in the goal! He had so many amazing saves this evening! And Tallulah scored SO MANY goals! She was getting high fives and props from the other team. It was fun to watch so many current and former soccer players give their all- goals from Reese & Eliza, great foot skills from Robby & Nick- outstanding plays from all! We mixed up the teams at the end- our students and some Ticos- and everyone played at once. Everyone was very sweaty and had a wonderful time.
Students are showering and packing up right now. We have breakfast at 7 AM, then will leave 30-45 minutes later for the cave. The next two days will be the most physical of the trip as we hike up and down the mountain. A friendly reminder- we will be off the grid until Thursday evening! The cave is surprisingly comfortable, but there isn't any WiFi :) Look for a Twitter update from me or from Mrs. Walsh (@laurie_walsh) some time before then.
Pura vida!
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