Travel to Turrialba
It's been an eventful, yet uneventful day all at the same time. The morning began with a ton of activity, then we had quite a bit of driving ahead of us. However, we are now safely in Turrialba. I'm posting early tonight because this is my only opportunity for wifi today.
I got up before 6 AM so I could see the start of the Costa Rica-Serbia World Cup game this morning. There were about 20 Ticos in La Fogata, all in their jerseys and carrying their flags, to watch the game. Costa Rica had several opportunities in the first half, but it was tied 0-0 at halftime. We were joined by Tallulah and Robby during the second half, right after Serbia scored on a free kick, then more students started rolling in during the last 10 minutes of the game. It was an exciting match, but the Ticos fell 1-0. The road for them doesn't get much easier, as their next pool play game is against Brazil.
Mrs. Walsh and some students did yoga with Kara this morning. She led a 45 minute session at 7 AM on the sun deck. The temperature was perfect for some hot yoga and other than avoiding some ants, they had a great time. Both groups got together for breakfast at 9 AM.
We left the hotel around 9:45 to head out to Turrialba. The drive takes us back north toward Dominical, but we head east on Route 2 toward San Jose/Cartago. From the coastline it is all uphill. We were a little concerned early in the drive when we had to pull over. The bus just didn't sound right, so Maya pulled over the check it out. I thought for sure that after nearly 5 trips with this same bus that it finally kicked the bucket. But everything was ok and we continued on our way. We made our first bathroom stop an hour into the drive, just outside of San Isidro de El General, and some students stocked up on snacks again. Students were either eating or sleeping the entire bus ride. We had another 2 hours until our next stop in Cartago.
Now this is where it gets a little uneventful, but I'll share a few fun things with you (feel free to skip down if you want- my feelings won't be hurt). Route 2 runs right through several national parks. I woke up right on time to see a sign that said: "Cruce de fauna," which means "animal crossing" and there was a picture of a tapir on it. Now I'm unreasonably excited because a tapir is one of the most difficult animals to spot in Costa Rica. So I'm on the edge of my seat with my phone trying to find animals. Well the sign was up because we were driving through Parque Nacional Los Quetzales, which would be home to the most difficult animal to spot: the quetzal. The road was winding, bumpy, and went up and down like a roller coaster. There was construction in several places, buses that had broken down, but we made it through the rainforest. Honestly look up Route 2 on Google Maps and you'll see that it's a nightmare for anyone who gets motion sickness.
We made our next bathroom stop in Cartago and Olman had to make a sad announcement: his boss called and he was needed to fill in for another guide on a different trip. He had to leave us so he could meet up with the new group in San Jose tonight. We were all sad; however, things worked out well for him because he is originally from Cartago. His dad came to pick him up, so he got to see him on Father's Day. We said our goodbyes and went in opposite directions.
Another factoid to share: Cartago is home to Basilica Nuestra Senora de los Angeles, which is home to a small statue of the Virgin Mary that was discovered outside of the city nearly 400 years ago. Millions of people make the pilgrimage to Cartago each August to thank her for prayers answered. We did not stop; however, it was packed with visitors on a Sunday afternoon.
We had a late lunch halfway between Cartago and Turrialba at Bocadito del Cielo. It is set up right on the edge of the highway on a hillside with a beautiful view... until the rain rolled in and we were surrounded by a cloud. The students had many options for lunch, but most chose chicken nuggets and fries. We were *so close* to fully embracing the Costa Rican food (Yipys and Trits don't count). We drove through fields of sugar cane and coffee plants as we wound back down the mountains and into Turrialba.
We are not staying in the city tonight or at a hotel. We are staying at a house just outside of town. We stayed here in 2014 and we had a barbecue here in 2010. For those who have traveled with us in the past, we're at Mau's family's house. The renovations are complete and it is actually quite comfortable. Mau doesn't work for Rustic anymore, so I'm not sure if Rustic purchased the property or if they rent it out, but either way, the students are enjoying the hammocks and pool table. If the rain stops and it warms up, perhaps they will enjoy the pool tonight as well.
Dinner will be coming to us this evening and we'll dine out on the pool patio. Tomorrow morning we'll get breakfast in town, then meet our rafting guides on the Rio Pacuare. We'll likely eat lunch on the river, then Maya will pick us up near the town of Siquirres- all depending on how fast the river is flowing, but it will be about 3 hours. It will be another long day as we'll drive back to stay in San Jose tomorrow night.
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Father's Day! I will upload more pictures tomorrow night because of the wifi issues. Pura vida!
I got up before 6 AM so I could see the start of the Costa Rica-Serbia World Cup game this morning. There were about 20 Ticos in La Fogata, all in their jerseys and carrying their flags, to watch the game. Costa Rica had several opportunities in the first half, but it was tied 0-0 at halftime. We were joined by Tallulah and Robby during the second half, right after Serbia scored on a free kick, then more students started rolling in during the last 10 minutes of the game. It was an exciting match, but the Ticos fell 1-0. The road for them doesn't get much easier, as their next pool play game is against Brazil.
Mrs. Walsh and some students did yoga with Kara this morning. She led a 45 minute session at 7 AM on the sun deck. The temperature was perfect for some hot yoga and other than avoiding some ants, they had a great time. Both groups got together for breakfast at 9 AM.
We left the hotel around 9:45 to head out to Turrialba. The drive takes us back north toward Dominical, but we head east on Route 2 toward San Jose/Cartago. From the coastline it is all uphill. We were a little concerned early in the drive when we had to pull over. The bus just didn't sound right, so Maya pulled over the check it out. I thought for sure that after nearly 5 trips with this same bus that it finally kicked the bucket. But everything was ok and we continued on our way. We made our first bathroom stop an hour into the drive, just outside of San Isidro de El General, and some students stocked up on snacks again. Students were either eating or sleeping the entire bus ride. We had another 2 hours until our next stop in Cartago.
Now this is where it gets a little uneventful, but I'll share a few fun things with you (feel free to skip down if you want- my feelings won't be hurt). Route 2 runs right through several national parks. I woke up right on time to see a sign that said: "Cruce de fauna," which means "animal crossing" and there was a picture of a tapir on it. Now I'm unreasonably excited because a tapir is one of the most difficult animals to spot in Costa Rica. So I'm on the edge of my seat with my phone trying to find animals. Well the sign was up because we were driving through Parque Nacional Los Quetzales, which would be home to the most difficult animal to spot: the quetzal. The road was winding, bumpy, and went up and down like a roller coaster. There was construction in several places, buses that had broken down, but we made it through the rainforest. Honestly look up Route 2 on Google Maps and you'll see that it's a nightmare for anyone who gets motion sickness.
We made our next bathroom stop in Cartago and Olman had to make a sad announcement: his boss called and he was needed to fill in for another guide on a different trip. He had to leave us so he could meet up with the new group in San Jose tonight. We were all sad; however, things worked out well for him because he is originally from Cartago. His dad came to pick him up, so he got to see him on Father's Day. We said our goodbyes and went in opposite directions.
Another factoid to share: Cartago is home to Basilica Nuestra Senora de los Angeles, which is home to a small statue of the Virgin Mary that was discovered outside of the city nearly 400 years ago. Millions of people make the pilgrimage to Cartago each August to thank her for prayers answered. We did not stop; however, it was packed with visitors on a Sunday afternoon.
We had a late lunch halfway between Cartago and Turrialba at Bocadito del Cielo. It is set up right on the edge of the highway on a hillside with a beautiful view... until the rain rolled in and we were surrounded by a cloud. The students had many options for lunch, but most chose chicken nuggets and fries. We were *so close* to fully embracing the Costa Rican food (Yipys and Trits don't count). We drove through fields of sugar cane and coffee plants as we wound back down the mountains and into Turrialba.
We are not staying in the city tonight or at a hotel. We are staying at a house just outside of town. We stayed here in 2014 and we had a barbecue here in 2010. For those who have traveled with us in the past, we're at Mau's family's house. The renovations are complete and it is actually quite comfortable. Mau doesn't work for Rustic anymore, so I'm not sure if Rustic purchased the property or if they rent it out, but either way, the students are enjoying the hammocks and pool table. If the rain stops and it warms up, perhaps they will enjoy the pool tonight as well.
Dinner will be coming to us this evening and we'll dine out on the pool patio. Tomorrow morning we'll get breakfast in town, then meet our rafting guides on the Rio Pacuare. We'll likely eat lunch on the river, then Maya will pick us up near the town of Siquirres- all depending on how fast the river is flowing, but it will be about 3 hours. It will be another long day as we'll drive back to stay in San Jose tomorrow night.
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Father's Day! I will upload more pictures tomorrow night because of the wifi issues. Pura vida!
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