Day 8

Today we went and walked around Cararra National wildlife reserve. We got to see primary and secondary rain forests. We learned that Costa Rica has many endemic species. We also learned that Costa Rica is a hub for many migrating species. After the reserve, we had lunch and then went shopping in Sarchi. It was at this point that my stomach started to cramp really bad. When we got to the hotel, I immediately went to my roo to agonize in pain. They called the EMT's to come look at me. They serviced me in my room and pretty much deemed it a food reaction to popejya (sp) which I had for breakfast, but had never eaten before. They gave me two injections. One for the pain and one for the nasuea. You'll never guess where I got my shots...I won't tell, because it would CRACK you up. Anyways, I'm feeling better. I can't believe we are flying back tomorrow. What a great trip this has been.

Day 7

Today we started off by headed towards Manuel Antonio National Park. The park is an island with some of the best beaches and some of Costa Rica's most endangered wildlife. We hiked the trail to a snug little beach. All of the kids decided that they wanted to spend the time in the water, while the most of the adults went hiking further along the island. We got back to Jaco at about 2:30. We had another amazing lunch!!! I don't think that I have commented on the food, but we have eaten like royalty here!!! The hotels have been nice too. I made it to my tatoo appointment at 3 and the girl did a great job. I was very impressed. Not painful at all. Tomorrow we head to Cararra National Wildlife Reserve and then we have a stop in Sarachi and finally back to San Jose. I will report tomorrow.

Day 6

Today we transferred from Monteverde to the Central Pacific Coast. We are staying ocean front at Jaco Beach. Jaco Beach is sort of like Costa Rica's version of Myrtle Beach. On the ride down here, we stopped over a bridge to take some pics of CROCODILES!!! There was aboout twenty of them just chillin in the sun light. When we arrived at the hotel, we were stoked to see the beach. We had a wonderful lunch and had some beachtime. I got an appointment to get a tatoo tomorrow at 3. I'm so pumped. Don't worry parents, only a couple of your children decided they wanted tats too!!! Oh and we petted a wild pelican on the beach...how freakin cool is that. Well I'll update you tomorrow!!!

Day 5

Today we went on a ropes course and horseback riding in Monteverde. We had a blast. We rode on zip-lines that were strung throughout the canopy of the trees. Some of the lines were over 100 feet off the ground. We also did a Tarzan rope swing that was absolutley sick!!! All of the kids with the exception of three did it (won't mention the ones who didn't and all teachers except one (Fraidy Cat Kidwell) did it as well. The horseback riding was fun. Many of our students had not been on horseback before. Tomorrow we head for the Pacific coast. Stay tuned!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRENT!!!

Day 4

Today we left the Arenal/La Fortuna region and headed for Monteverde. What a ride. 4 hours through nothing but mountains on a two lane road!!! I enjoyed the adventure, because the scenery is absolutely stunning. We stopped by a small school in Monteverde and the children sang and danced for and with us. This was an excellent opportunity to see our kids interacting with foreign students. I was so touched when I saw a group of our students heading for the bus. I asked, "where are you going?" and they replied "to the bus to get money to donate to this school. After that, we arrived at our hotel. Our afternoon plans got changed because our bus developed some problems. While the bus driver fixed the problems, we walked into the small town and shopped and relaxed. Tomorrow we are going to zip-line across the rainforrest and then go horseback riding. It is impossible to upload photos to this blog here for some reason, but I will do it when I get back. There are photos on my facebook though.

Day 3

Today was a water filled day. We started the day by kyaking on Lake Arenal, which is a man made lake used for supplying over 50% of the country´s power. After that, we hiked and I do mean hiked to the La Fortuna waterfall. I had heard that this was one of the best on the planet, but WOW was it beautiful!!! Not to mention we got to swim in it´s waters. We finished the day by viewing the Arenal Volcano which is an active volcano. It was amazing to watch lava coverec boulders running down the sides. I will try to add picks as soon as possible. We also went to an area with hot springs. It had pools of all different temperatures. Joe found a new girlfriend!!!

Day 2

What a day. We awoke at 6 am, had breakfast at 7, and hit the road by 8. We visited INBioparque which is a fascinatimg ecological park that simulates the five ecological regions of Costa Rica. My favorite part was the butterfly garden. After the park, we went to the Paos Volcano. Unfortunately, the clouds were to thick for us to see the lake inside of the crator. We did go and see the Arenal Volcano in action spewing molten red boulders down it's sides. How cool!!! I will try to update with pics, but currently Im at an internet cafe.

Day One

When you travel internationally, you certainly TRAVEL!!! We had a 2 1/2 hr. bus ride to Raleigh, followed by a two hour flight to Miami, and finally a 2 1/2 hr. flight into San Jose. When we arrived it took us about two hours to get through customs. Apparently this is quite the tourist hot spot. We arrived at our hotel and went to get a bite to eat. We hung around the hotel until dinner and then everyone pretty muched crashed around 8 p.m. Costa Rican time. Tomorrow we get up at 6 am to start a new adventure.