Monday, April 26, 2010
Houston
Just in case you were wondering - we're in Houston waiting for our connecting flight that should be boarding in 5 minutes.
And the rain rain rain came down down down....
I think we came to Costa Rica at the best time. We've had a few days of rain and today was the worst. We checked out of our hotel after a night of intense rain. The crocodile tour went well. We stopped in Sarchi to do some shopping and have lunch and the skies opened. The thunder and lightning was so loud and so bright. The storm was directly on top of us. The water poured off the roofs and into the gutters. It is now obvious why their gutters are 2 - 3' deep.
After shopping we continued our way on to San Jose. We arrived here around 6:30 and checked into our last hotel. At dinner we had a cake to celebrate the people whose birthdays are within 4 weeks of today. Everyone was happy to have access to the internet and are ready to go home. The general comment is that we have all loved the experience, but, we miss our parents, cats, dogs (for me - kid) and we're ready to see them again.
I think this has been a fabulous trip. We've all gotten to see another country and experience a way of life that is completely different from our own. None of us will return the same way that we left, but that's not a bad thing. We've seen children who are so happy for the oppurtunity to go to school and people working for mere dollars a day. It makes you appreciate all that we take for granted in the states.
Tomorrow we leave at 9am for the airport. Our flight from San Jose leaves at 12:50. Looking forward to seeing you all Monday night/Tuesday morning.
After shopping we continued our way on to San Jose. We arrived here around 6:30 and checked into our last hotel. At dinner we had a cake to celebrate the people whose birthdays are within 4 weeks of today. Everyone was happy to have access to the internet and are ready to go home. The general comment is that we have all loved the experience, but, we miss our parents, cats, dogs (for me - kid) and we're ready to see them again.
I think this has been a fabulous trip. We've all gotten to see another country and experience a way of life that is completely different from our own. None of us will return the same way that we left, but that's not a bad thing. We've seen children who are so happy for the oppurtunity to go to school and people working for mere dollars a day. It makes you appreciate all that we take for granted in the states.
Tomorrow we leave at 9am for the airport. Our flight from San Jose leaves at 12:50. Looking forward to seeing you all Monday night/Tuesday morning.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Do you know the way to San Jose?
We are on our way back to San Jose today. It's a bit warm. Last night we had torrential downpours. Our roof leaked in our room right over the bed. We were able to move it before it soaked it. As far as I've heard we were the only ones with that problem. It kept me from updating the web, however. A few kids had baby lizards in their room the first night. Much better than the scorpion one of the girls from Westfield found in her bathroom in Monteverde. Luckily, these creatures are more afraid of us than we are of them.
Right now, some people are on the Crocodile Tour while others are relaxing by the river. We were headed to Carara National Park, however, with the rain last night the road is very very muddy so we opted not to go for a walk there today. Some of the group are walking with our tour guide Victor, who is also a naturalist. The rest are playing with the wi-fi.
Yesterday, we went to Manuel Antonio National Park and the beach. It was beautiful. It was very overcast and actually started raining as we walked back to the bus. That was probably a good thing. Everyone had fun jumping in the waves (which were huge!) and playing in the sand. On the way into the park we saw squirrel monkeys, lizards, land crabs, small tucans and other birds. A small white tailed deer stepped out of the woods right next to us. She wasn't afraid of people because deer are protected in this country.
Last night was an early night for most because the rain was so strong. Some of us walked down to Subway to grab a bite. The hotel fed us a large lunch and had planned a small dinner but many of the kids requested the subs so we went along to keep tabs on them.
After this stop, we are headed on the road to Sarchi. This is the crafts capital of the country. THere will be many handmade items to see and buy there. From Sarchi we go to our last hotel. Yeah! We've had a great time and wonderful experiences, but, after 8 days I think we're all ready to see our families and sleep in our own beds.
Your kids have been great and we miss you all. We land in Boston just before Midnight on Monday night. The mini-bus will be there to pick us up. Can't wait to see you all then!
Right now, some people are on the Crocodile Tour while others are relaxing by the river. We were headed to Carara National Park, however, with the rain last night the road is very very muddy so we opted not to go for a walk there today. Some of the group are walking with our tour guide Victor, who is also a naturalist. The rest are playing with the wi-fi.
Yesterday, we went to Manuel Antonio National Park and the beach. It was beautiful. It was very overcast and actually started raining as we walked back to the bus. That was probably a good thing. Everyone had fun jumping in the waves (which were huge!) and playing in the sand. On the way into the park we saw squirrel monkeys, lizards, land crabs, small tucans and other birds. A small white tailed deer stepped out of the woods right next to us. She wasn't afraid of people because deer are protected in this country.
Last night was an early night for most because the rain was so strong. Some of us walked down to Subway to grab a bite. The hotel fed us a large lunch and had planned a small dinner but many of the kids requested the subs so we went along to keep tabs on them.
After this stop, we are headed on the road to Sarchi. This is the crafts capital of the country. THere will be many handmade items to see and buy there. From Sarchi we go to our last hotel. Yeah! We've had a great time and wonderful experiences, but, after 8 days I think we're all ready to see our families and sleep in our own beds.
Your kids have been great and we miss you all. We land in Boston just before Midnight on Monday night. The mini-bus will be there to pick us up. Can't wait to see you all then!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Jaco is Hot
Oh my word. Just as cool and dry as Monteverde was, Jaco is hot and muggy. We are now down o the Pacific Coast at one of our last hotels.
Yesterday after lunch and the group got back from horseback riding we went up to a local school and planted trees. At dinner time we learned that a couple of people had very upset stomachs. They are all fine today, but last night the adults met and decided that maybe today should include some serious rest time. We had a group meeting and all the kids agreed. We left Monteverde at 8am and drove down some seriously winding roads. We made it safely to the Inter-American Highway and drove down to the coast. Our hotel is cute. All of the rooms surround 2 pools in the center courtyard. Like the rest of our hotels there is a resturant right here that we will eat at. Everyone has been enjoying the pool and resting today. The center of town is just around the corner, so we ran some errands and got more water. The beach is only 2-3 blocks away.
Tomorrow we will be going to Manuel Antonio National Park and enjoying the beach there. The beach here in Jaco is not safe to swim in because of the waves and rip-tides. The beach we are going to tomorrow is much safer.
Tonight I'm sure the kids will hang out at the pool. It's a nice out here. I'll update with more pictures later. Thankfully this hotel has wi-fi and AC :)
Yesterday after lunch and the group got back from horseback riding we went up to a local school and planted trees. At dinner time we learned that a couple of people had very upset stomachs. They are all fine today, but last night the adults met and decided that maybe today should include some serious rest time. We had a group meeting and all the kids agreed. We left Monteverde at 8am and drove down some seriously winding roads. We made it safely to the Inter-American Highway and drove down to the coast. Our hotel is cute. All of the rooms surround 2 pools in the center courtyard. Like the rest of our hotels there is a resturant right here that we will eat at. Everyone has been enjoying the pool and resting today. The center of town is just around the corner, so we ran some errands and got more water. The beach is only 2-3 blocks away.
Tomorrow we will be going to Manuel Antonio National Park and enjoying the beach there. The beach here in Jaco is not safe to swim in because of the waves and rip-tides. The beach we are going to tomorrow is much safer.
Tonight I'm sure the kids will hang out at the pool. It's a nice out here. I'll update with more pictures later. Thankfully this hotel has wi-fi and AC :)
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Santa Elena
It is very cool here in Santa Elena compared to our last 2 locations. We are at 6000’ above sea level and the breezes are amazing. Breakfast this morning consisted of eggs, toast, fresh fruit and cereal. Two meals with no rice and beans! We are in love!
After breakfast we drove to the Santa Elena Cloud Forest and walked through the jungle for 2 hours. Our tour guide Victor loves nature and was able to explain to us about the plans and insects we saw. We didn’t see many mammals or birds, but, it was a great experience. After the walk we dropped a group off to go horseback riding. The rest of us were dropped off in town. Right now I’m sitting in the Tree House Café. There is a large tree growing up through the center of the building and we’re sitting out on a deck that surrounds it. We are sheltered from the sun by the leaves and branches above us.
After lunch we will be going to plant a tree at a local school. There was a lot of deforestation in the 70’s and the people in the community are trying to re-introduce native trees to the area.
We do not have internet access at our hotel so posts may be few and far between for a few days. I’ll try to update when I can.
After breakfast we drove to the Santa Elena Cloud Forest and walked through the jungle for 2 hours. Our tour guide Victor loves nature and was able to explain to us about the plans and insects we saw. We didn’t see many mammals or birds, but, it was a great experience. After the walk we dropped a group off to go horseback riding. The rest of us were dropped off in town. Right now I’m sitting in the Tree House Café. There is a large tree growing up through the center of the building and we’re sitting out on a deck that surrounds it. We are sheltered from the sun by the leaves and branches above us.
After lunch we will be going to plant a tree at a local school. There was a lot of deforestation in the 70’s and the people in the community are trying to re-introduce native trees to the area.
We do not have internet access at our hotel so posts may be few and far between for a few days. I’ll try to update when I can.
Travelling to Monteverde
We left La Fortuna at 8am to begin our ride to Santa Elena in the Monteverde area. It was a beautiful ride for over 1 1/2 hours along Lake Arenal. The weather was clear and it was absolutely beautiful. Our tour guide explained about the wildlife and the forest area. We stopped on the side of the road to see some howler monkeys that were climbin in a tree next to the road. We stopped at a German bakery (quite the contradiction) on the way for a snack and to use the restrooms.
I had heard from other groups how wonderful their busdrivers were on the crazy roads and after today I understand why. We got to one point and there was a bridge over a gorge. The hills on either side made it impossible for there to be big areas for the bus to swing to make the turn. Basically, we started going East on one side of the gorge and turned directly West on the other. Our bus driver Alex had to turn, and then back up the bus to make himself line up properly to come straight across the bridge. We know how we did this because we all got off the bus and walked across the bridge so he and Victor could handle the situation. One of the younger kids asked why we had to get off and I asked him, "Have your parents ever toold you to be quiet because they're driving?" He nodded and answered Yes. I said, "Well, it's easier for Alex if we're all just off the bus so he doesn't have to yell at us so he can concentrate." The kid smiled and understood. Alex got the bus across, despite the crazy local drivers who wanted to cross and had to wait. We all climbed back on the bus and cheered for our great driver. The roads are very narrow and wind around along the hills. I can't even imagine driving down here.
Montverde means "green mountain" in Spanish. As we drove through the rolling hills Mr.Silva told me that it reminded him of Vermont. This was actually quite appropriate because Vermont comes from "Verdes Monte" which is Latin for Green Mountains. The hills and countryside are beautiful. It was a long ride, however, along dirt roads. Alex said that they've been hit or miss lately and this time they were not that great.
We arrived at the school we were visiting around 12:30. The children were between 7 and 11 years old. They were absolutely adorable. 8 of them performed Costa Rican folk dances for us in traditional costumes. The teacher explained that there are 30 families living in the area and 10 of those families have children attending the school. There are 22 children total. They teach grades 1 - 5 in one room with one teacher. A few years ago, a tornado ripped the roof off their school. With the help of EF and the government they managed to replace the roof. It was good for the kids to see the difference between our schools and the schools these kids are in. After the performance we visited with the children in class and then played soccer with them out in the fields. We would have liked to stay longer but with the rough roads we were running behind schedule and had to leave.
We pulled in to our hotel around 2pm. We ran in and ate lunch and then took off for the Zip Line Canopy Tour. Many of us were a bit nervous heading out. Our guides were excellent and set us all up in the harnesses and with helmets and explained how to navigate the 16 ziplines through the cloud forest. It all started fairly easy, travelling through the woods and over some trees. A few stops in we had to cross a rope bridge, which was a challenge for some of us. Then after a few more ziplines we came to the Tarzan Swing. The idea was to climb up a big tower and be attached to bungee type rope and swing out into an opening in the forest. The men working at the location were very kind and had a lot of fun and made everyone comfortable with what they were doing. The kids had a blast jumping and swinging and screaming. After the Tarzan Swing and a climb up the hill we crossed the valley twice on 2 lines almost 1/2 a mile long. I'm not ashamed to say I shut my eyes crossing the last area. Thankfully the people working there were great and if anyone had an issue they worked up with a "taxi" to help them through. A worker would ride across the zipline to help the person get back to the final station. Everyone had a great time. No one got hurt and we all walked out with huge smiles on our face.
Once we left the zipline we headed back to our hotel to check in, get settled and have dinner. We are all thrilled with our hotel compared to the last one. The last hotel was in the city and a tad on the old side. This hotel is family owned and on the inside reminds us of a mountain lodge. The rooms open up to a central corridor. There is no air conditioning, however. the windows open and there is a huge breeze flowing through making it bareable. Dinner was great. Served family style we had chicken or grilled seabass with vegetables and mashed potatos. After dinner many of us stayed in the central area playing cards.
I had heard from other groups how wonderful their busdrivers were on the crazy roads and after today I understand why. We got to one point and there was a bridge over a gorge. The hills on either side made it impossible for there to be big areas for the bus to swing to make the turn. Basically, we started going East on one side of the gorge and turned directly West on the other. Our bus driver Alex had to turn, and then back up the bus to make himself line up properly to come straight across the bridge. We know how we did this because we all got off the bus and walked across the bridge so he and Victor could handle the situation. One of the younger kids asked why we had to get off and I asked him, "Have your parents ever toold you to be quiet because they're driving?" He nodded and answered Yes. I said, "Well, it's easier for Alex if we're all just off the bus so he doesn't have to yell at us so he can concentrate." The kid smiled and understood. Alex got the bus across, despite the crazy local drivers who wanted to cross and had to wait. We all climbed back on the bus and cheered for our great driver. The roads are very narrow and wind around along the hills. I can't even imagine driving down here.
Montverde means "green mountain" in Spanish. As we drove through the rolling hills Mr.Silva told me that it reminded him of Vermont. This was actually quite appropriate because Vermont comes from "Verdes Monte" which is Latin for Green Mountains. The hills and countryside are beautiful. It was a long ride, however, along dirt roads. Alex said that they've been hit or miss lately and this time they were not that great.
We arrived at the school we were visiting around 12:30. The children were between 7 and 11 years old. They were absolutely adorable. 8 of them performed Costa Rican folk dances for us in traditional costumes. The teacher explained that there are 30 families living in the area and 10 of those families have children attending the school. There are 22 children total. They teach grades 1 - 5 in one room with one teacher. A few years ago, a tornado ripped the roof off their school. With the help of EF and the government they managed to replace the roof. It was good for the kids to see the difference between our schools and the schools these kids are in. After the performance we visited with the children in class and then played soccer with them out in the fields. We would have liked to stay longer but with the rough roads we were running behind schedule and had to leave.
We pulled in to our hotel around 2pm. We ran in and ate lunch and then took off for the Zip Line Canopy Tour. Many of us were a bit nervous heading out. Our guides were excellent and set us all up in the harnesses and with helmets and explained how to navigate the 16 ziplines through the cloud forest. It all started fairly easy, travelling through the woods and over some trees. A few stops in we had to cross a rope bridge, which was a challenge for some of us. Then after a few more ziplines we came to the Tarzan Swing. The idea was to climb up a big tower and be attached to bungee type rope and swing out into an opening in the forest. The men working at the location were very kind and had a lot of fun and made everyone comfortable with what they were doing. The kids had a blast jumping and swinging and screaming. After the Tarzan Swing and a climb up the hill we crossed the valley twice on 2 lines almost 1/2 a mile long. I'm not ashamed to say I shut my eyes crossing the last area. Thankfully the people working there were great and if anyone had an issue they worked up with a "taxi" to help them through. A worker would ride across the zipline to help the person get back to the final station. Everyone had a great time. No one got hurt and we all walked out with huge smiles on our face.
Once we left the zipline we headed back to our hotel to check in, get settled and have dinner. We are all thrilled with our hotel compared to the last one. The last hotel was in the city and a tad on the old side. This hotel is family owned and on the inside reminds us of a mountain lodge. The rooms open up to a central corridor. There is no air conditioning, however. the windows open and there is a huge breeze flowing through making it bareable. Dinner was great. Served family style we had chicken or grilled seabass with vegetables and mashed potatos. After dinner many of us stayed in the central area playing cards.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Tuesday is Water Day
If the kids aren't waterlogged it's amazing. We had a busy day surrounded by water. This morning we were up again and eating breakfast at 7. They all seem to be eating well. Eggs, toast, rice and beans, sausage, tons of fruit. We left early to head over to La Fortuna Waterfall. The walk down to the pool was over 500 steps and very steep. It wound along the edge of the mountain. The waterfall itself is beautiful. At the bottom are a series of pools that the kids could swim and play in. After a couple of hours it was time to go. Those 500 steps were a bit tougher on the way up.
After La Fortuna, we drove to Lake Arenal to go kayaking. Lake Arenal is a man-made lake/resevoir. The country took over the land to expand the existing lake after the 1968 eruption of the volcano when two villages were destroyed. The villages are still at the bottom of the lake. According to our guide, when the water is very low the cross on the steeple of the church can be seen sticking out of the water.
It goes without saying that everyone was exhausted after kayaking. Back at the hotel we had lunch of rice, vegetables, beef, beans and fried planatains. The kids talked to Victor and he agreed dinner could be something different. We had pasta with either meat sauce or a white sauce that was sort of like alfredo. The kids also asked for chips and salsa which they got for us.
After lunch we all went to the Baldi hot springs. It's a resort just outside of town with natural hot spring pools. Everyone relaxed in the pools and had a good time hanging out together. After dinner we took the kids for a walk to get icecream and water for tomorrow's trip. Right now, they're all in their rooms watching TV or just hanging out on their balcony. It's been a busy two days.
Tomorrow we get up early again and head to Montverde. Our first stop is at a local school to see how the kids are taught and they will perform some traditional dances to us. The boys are hoping to play soccer with them. :) In Costa Rica children are required to be in school from the age of 7 - 15. After that they can quit, however, if they want a good job they continue on. School starts at 7am and ends at 5pm. They begin learning English First Grade and in High School they have to learn French as well.
After the school we'll be heading to our next hotel for lunch. We're curious to see what this one will be like. The big event for tomorrow is the zip line canopy tour in the Santa Elena Rain Forest. The kids are really looking forward to it.
I'm going to try to upload more pictures as I can. Here at the hotel in Fortuna, we can pick up the wi-fi sitting in the open courtyard, but not in our room. The kids are using their iPods and checking Facebook, etc.
We'll be updating again soon! I know I keep saying it, but, you've raised a great bunch of kids.
After La Fortuna, we drove to Lake Arenal to go kayaking. Lake Arenal is a man-made lake/resevoir. The country took over the land to expand the existing lake after the 1968 eruption of the volcano when two villages were destroyed. The villages are still at the bottom of the lake. According to our guide, when the water is very low the cross on the steeple of the church can be seen sticking out of the water.
It goes without saying that everyone was exhausted after kayaking. Back at the hotel we had lunch of rice, vegetables, beef, beans and fried planatains. The kids talked to Victor and he agreed dinner could be something different. We had pasta with either meat sauce or a white sauce that was sort of like alfredo. The kids also asked for chips and salsa which they got for us.
After lunch we all went to the Baldi hot springs. It's a resort just outside of town with natural hot spring pools. Everyone relaxed in the pools and had a good time hanging out together. After dinner we took the kids for a walk to get icecream and water for tomorrow's trip. Right now, they're all in their rooms watching TV or just hanging out on their balcony. It's been a busy two days.
Tomorrow we get up early again and head to Montverde. Our first stop is at a local school to see how the kids are taught and they will perform some traditional dances to us. The boys are hoping to play soccer with them. :) In Costa Rica children are required to be in school from the age of 7 - 15. After that they can quit, however, if they want a good job they continue on. School starts at 7am and ends at 5pm. They begin learning English First Grade and in High School they have to learn French as well.
After the school we'll be heading to our next hotel for lunch. We're curious to see what this one will be like. The big event for tomorrow is the zip line canopy tour in the Santa Elena Rain Forest. The kids are really looking forward to it.
I'm going to try to upload more pictures as I can. Here at the hotel in Fortuna, we can pick up the wi-fi sitting in the open courtyard, but not in our room. The kids are using their iPods and checking Facebook, etc.
We'll be updating again soon! I know I keep saying it, but, you've raised a great bunch of kids.
Poas Volcano and INBioparque
Well, it's almost 11pm and I just got the wi-fi up and running at our hotel in La Fortuna. We had a full day which included travelling here.
Everyone was up and ready for breakfast at 7am. We had fresh fruit, eggs, linquisa, bread, rice and beans, and cereal. After breakfast we headed to INBioparque. This is part of the National Institute of Biodiversity here in Costa Rica. We got to see lots of vegetation and wildlife native to the country. We drove from there to Poas Volcano. It was clear on the way up so we drove right to the national park. At the top of the mountain it was very clear. We had an incredible view of the craters that used to be an active volcano.
On the way to lunch we stopped and picked up some snacks and water for the ride to our hotel. Lunch was traditional casada. Rice, beans, chicken or beef, salad, fried yuka, fried plantains and juice or soda. Many jokes about rice and beans already. The ride to La Fortuna was more than 3 hours. Our tour guide gave us great information on the area and the people of the country. The roads wound up and down and around the mountains. Some of the bridges were quite narrow and the hairpin turns were interesting to say the least. Our bus driver, Alex, did a great job of getting us all here in one piece. Most drivers in Costa Rica are worse than Massachusetts drivers. We arrived in La Fortuna around 6:30.
Our hotel is interesting. I learned that Eco in Hotel language does not mean Ecological but Economy. The hotel is right near the center of a nice town and the kids were able to walk next door to a few little stores. We had dinner here, again, rice, beans, spaghetti, salad and chicken. At 8:30 we drove to see the Arenal Volcano. It is still erupting and we saw lava flowing down the side of the mountain in the dark. It was very neat. According to Victor, only about 10 people in 1 million get to experience that in their lifetime. We're pretty lucky.
Right now, it's still very hot and muggy here. We are sitting in the open courtyard that all of the rooms open up on to. We're on the second floor so we can look down on the street. At 11pm everything has been closed for 2 hours.
Tomorrow, we have a full day. Getting up and going to La Fortuna Waterfall, after that, we'll go kayaking on Lake Arenal (no worries, we're all required to wear lifejackets). After lunch we are headed to the hot springs to relax. We will be staying here a second night.
Hope everyone is well back in the states.
Everyone was up and ready for breakfast at 7am. We had fresh fruit, eggs, linquisa, bread, rice and beans, and cereal. After breakfast we headed to INBioparque. This is part of the National Institute of Biodiversity here in Costa Rica. We got to see lots of vegetation and wildlife native to the country. We drove from there to Poas Volcano. It was clear on the way up so we drove right to the national park. At the top of the mountain it was very clear. We had an incredible view of the craters that used to be an active volcano.
On the way to lunch we stopped and picked up some snacks and water for the ride to our hotel. Lunch was traditional casada. Rice, beans, chicken or beef, salad, fried yuka, fried plantains and juice or soda. Many jokes about rice and beans already. The ride to La Fortuna was more than 3 hours. Our tour guide gave us great information on the area and the people of the country. The roads wound up and down and around the mountains. Some of the bridges were quite narrow and the hairpin turns were interesting to say the least. Our bus driver, Alex, did a great job of getting us all here in one piece. Most drivers in Costa Rica are worse than Massachusetts drivers. We arrived in La Fortuna around 6:30.
Our hotel is interesting. I learned that Eco in Hotel language does not mean Ecological but Economy. The hotel is right near the center of a nice town and the kids were able to walk next door to a few little stores. We had dinner here, again, rice, beans, spaghetti, salad and chicken. At 8:30 we drove to see the Arenal Volcano. It is still erupting and we saw lava flowing down the side of the mountain in the dark. It was very neat. According to Victor, only about 10 people in 1 million get to experience that in their lifetime. We're pretty lucky.
Right now, it's still very hot and muggy here. We are sitting in the open courtyard that all of the rooms open up on to. We're on the second floor so we can look down on the street. At 11pm everything has been closed for 2 hours.
Tomorrow, we have a full day. Getting up and going to La Fortuna Waterfall, after that, we'll go kayaking on Lake Arenal (no worries, we're all required to wear lifejackets). After lunch we are headed to the hot springs to relax. We will be staying here a second night.
Hope everyone is well back in the states.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Early Monday Morning, April 19
Good morning! It's 7am back in EB but only 5am here in San Jose. Dinner went well last night. We ate in the restaurant downstairs. The hotel is in the city and like many in the US. Big rooms, flat screen tvs. There are a few stations in English - funny to see subtitles in Spanish. It's mid-renovation and very nice on the inside. The area around us is very busy and in all honesty, doesn't look too appealing. However, we are in the city and not the country. We did not take the kids out to explore San Jose yesterday. Since it was Sunday, the stores were all closed and there wouldn't have been much to do right here. We haven't run into many other guests in the hotel, and the kids have been very well behaved. After dinner, the general agreement was that we were all exhausted and headed back to the rooms. By bed check everyone was asleep. We are very lucky to be travelling with a great group of kids.
Looking forward to today. It will be busy with quite a bit of travelling. First, we are going to INBioparque. From there we will travel on to the Poas Volcano. After we leave the Volcano we will have lunch and begin our drive to Arenal. A few years ago there was an earthquake which destroyed the main road from Poas to Arenal. As a result, it will be a 4 hour drive to our next hotel. The bus is very nice and comfortable, so, this won't be so bad.
At the bottom of the page is a link titled "Picasa Photostream" which links to an online album of pictures we are taking here on the trip. I will try to update it as much as I can. Hope everyone is well back in the US.
Looking forward to today. It will be busy with quite a bit of travelling. First, we are going to INBioparque. From there we will travel on to the Poas Volcano. After we leave the Volcano we will have lunch and begin our drive to Arenal. A few years ago there was an earthquake which destroyed the main road from Poas to Arenal. As a result, it will be a 4 hour drive to our next hotel. The bus is very nice and comfortable, so, this won't be so bad.
At the bottom of the page is a link titled "Picasa Photostream" which links to an online album of pictures we are taking here on the trip. I will try to update it as much as I can. Hope everyone is well back in the US.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
First Dinner
Hey This is Bill (Mr. Silva) All is well and the vikings have got their room assignments and have had a few minutes to unwind... We are off to dinner in about an hour which will be 6pm Costa Rica time and 8pm EB time. Tomorrow we have an early start 6am wakeup....7 am breakfast... and on the bus to our first stop the POAS Volcano...... Sorry if there is some dbl posts here but we will try to update you all a few times a day.....
San Jose
We arrived safetly in San Jose. There are 3 US groups here. East Bridgewater High, Westfield High and a middle school group from Maine. The Centro Colon hotel is quite nice inside. The kids are exhausted and the only thing missing is a pool. Tonight should be pretty low key, hanging out and having dinner. Tomorrow we travel to InBioparque, Poas Volcano and then on to Arenal.
At the Airport
Hello all... Good ride ito the airport we are just waiting to for the ticket takers..... we will up date after we get on the ground in Texas
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Itinerary and links
This is a document I pulled together with the itnerary for the trip as well as some links that show the places we'll be travelling.
Costa Rica PDF
Costa Rica PDF
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