Costa Rica Venture

Costa Rica Venture Log (2007-06-17--> 2007-07-07)

Leaders: Casey Slezak, Mae Link, Emily Pfeiffer

Students:Alan Rothschild, Martin Huff, Audsley Dunavant, Leighton Kohlmann, Emilie Morgan, Lynwood Smith, Annie Holm, Katie McShan, Lizzy Stone, Paige Luethy, Michael Qubein, Gates Killian, Hatcher Williams

June 17

Arrival day on Sunday was super exciting, relatively smooth and without complications. All thirteen of our bubbling, enthusiastic students got off their respective plane flights with smiles. Five members of our group shared the same flight down, and were accompanied by our world traveler leader, Mae. After seeing the six of them walk out of baggage claim laughing together, leaders Casey and Emily could tell right away that this group would be acting like a family in no time. Everyone was ready to meet each other and happy to be in Costa Rica. After arriving at our happy home hostel called Mi Casa, we went to the park to play some “get-to-know-you” games and some Frisbee. From observing the group dynamic and energy, in addition to the lush flora and incredibly beautiful rainbow eucalyptus, Mae, Emily and Casey knew that this Costaricense adventure would be pura vida! We ended our first day in San Jose with a typical Costa Rican dish called ceviche (tilapia, avocado, mango, tomato, red pepper, red onion, lime juice, ginger and cilantro) and an opening Moon-Up of why everyone chose to come to the land of pura vida. Our word of the day was sueños (dreams).

June 18

The leaders of the day for our first full day were Katie and Martin. Both of them were on top of their responsibilities from the get-go. They woke up cook group #1 at 6:45. The first cook group consisted of Lizzy, Hatcher, Martin and Annie. The four of them made a delicious fruit salad with mangoes, oranges, bananas and apples and scrambled eggs and toast. We were surprised at how thorough the four of them cleaned the kitchen, and so early in the morning! Our bus then picked us up at 8:15, and we anxiously took off for the rain forest for the original canopy tour. The bus ride was beautiful. With each minute that passed, the plant diversity increased; all of us grew more and more excited for EL BOSQUE LLUVIOSO! Once we arrived at the Original Canopy Tour, we were warmly introduced to our educational guides, Esteban, Gustavo and Walter. They taught us all we need to know about how to safely maneuver around the rain forest and our zip-line gear, while also pointing out interesting plants, such as the national tree, called el guanacaste, espavel, strangler fig trees, guava trees, cashew trees, sleeping vines and black anis. We also saw a sloth and several white face monkeys. As we climbed the ladder to start the canopy tour, the howling monkeys were so loud; Michael and Lynwood asked the guides if the howls were actually real or whether they were a recording. There were eight different zip-lines that we experienced; each one with its own flare and interesting vista. With the encouragement of our Tican guide, Alan was quite the experimenter with tricks on the last zip-line, bouncing and nearly flipping, wowing the crowd. Gates, Audsley, Annie and Emilie were daring and willingly ate tiny termites, with the go-ahead of the guides, of course. We couldn’t believe how courageous and fearless everyone in the group was during the canopy tour. We were truly proud! Hungry but full of energy, we left the Original Canopy Tour for a local restaurant. We had a selection of typical Tican dishes: chicken or fish, rice and beans, and fried plantains. Most of the group tried the guanabana juice, which was naturally sweet while also refreshing. We took siestas on the bus ride home. When we got back to the hostel in San Jose, we went to the large park, La Sabana, which is five minutes from Mi Casa. The leaders taught the seven principles of ’Leave No Trace’ (generally how to be a conscientious traveler, hiker and camper, packing out what you pack in, and leaving places in better condition than how they were found). We then divided into seven groups to plan and perform skits on the seven ‘LNT’ principles. There were several teachable moments for us all. Lizzy and Audsley were innocently trying to perform a skit about how important it is to respect wild life, and cleverly wanted to use the hostel’s “pet turtle” as a prop. They picked up the turtle to move it, and the turtle started laying eggs. While it was unbelievable for us all to actually SEE the laying of the eggs, we felt really bad that we had removed the turtle from the nesting area. We carefully picked up the three eggs with two large spoons and moved them back to the whole in the dirt under the bush, where we had found the turtle. We all learned a lot, plus, this experience made us really excited for our several days at Tortuguero (the endangered Leatherback Sea Turtles Ecology Reserve). The compassion of the group as a whole is really becoming evident with each day we spend together. Cook group #1 made another delectable meal for all sixteen of us-pasta with tomato, mushroom and pepper sauce. During our Moon-Up, we discussed group goals, shared the highs and lows of our day (or roses and thorns as Katie and Martin deemed them), and exchanged stories about silly injuries. Lizzy and Alan will be the leaders of the day (LODs) for Day 3.

June 19

After several early mornings the group welcomed the chance to catch up on their sleep today since we only had a short commute to our Spanish lessons at Conversa Language School. Breakfast was another great success, with Alan, Gates, Emilie, and Lynnwood preparing a delicious fruit salad with fresh pineapples, mangoes, papaya, and oranges from the local market as well as toast and omelet’s for the group. Our charismatic language teacher at Conversa, Juan Moreno, greeted us in Spanish and continued to speak it throughout the day, switching over to English only when absolutely necessary. This was challenging at times but it forced everyone to pay attention and try to use the Spanish many have taken in school. Annie helped keep moral high with her constant supply of encouragement and participation. By the end of the day everyone was glad to have learned some useful phrases and new words which will be handy throughout the rest of the trip for eating out, shopping, conversing with guides, and making new friends on a foreign country. After a tasty lunch at a local Mexican restaurant we returned to class and talked with Juan about the history and culture of Costa Rica which was followed by a true cultural experience: two hours of salsa dancing lessons. Dennis was our (very) patient dancing instructor and he taught us the basic salsa and merengue steps and then gave us all time to practice. Everyone picked up the moves very quickly, and several of the dynamic salsa duos, Martin and Katie, Lizzy and Lynnwood, and Hatcher and Gates plan to settle the rivalry with a dance off during the first annual Moondance salsa dancing championships. We have such a solid group of people to share the next few weeks with and everyone has come together cohesively, sharing their individual skills, traits and personalities to create some memorable moments already. Martin has provided a steady stream of sound effects and Paige’s quick wit has helped her fit right in, even after arriving late the first night. After another great dinner the kids learned how to fit and pack their backpacks for our rainforest hike tomorrow. Leighton impressed us all with being the first to pack her backpack, and was raring to hit the trail. We’ll be headed into the rainforest via 4x4s and our trusty hiking shoes to begin our home-stay section with the Fonseca´s at their family farm. Everyone can’t wait to get out of the big city and into what we’ve all been waiting for, falling asleep to the sounds of the forest under Costa Rican stars.

June 20, 21, 22, 23

After an early 5am start and a quick breakfast our friendly driver Luis picked us up at Mi Casa for the next leg of our journey which took us along the western slope of the Cordillera Talamanca to the city of San Isidro. At San Isidro we met our guide Freddy Fonseca an transferred our gear and ourselves into several 4x4 taxis for the bumpy ride through the cloud forest to the village of Brujo. After a stretch and a snack at Brujo we began hiking along the Rio Savegre to the Fonseca family home where we would be staying for the next three nights. After crossing the river the trail meandered through commercial forests of teak grown for lumber before giving way to lush rainforest interspersed with small pastures that the local sabaneros raise cattle in. Rainforests are given their name because of how much annual precipitation they receive and by the time our trail reconnected with the Rio Savegre we were soaked and muddy from the warm tropical rain showers. After an exciting river crossing on a small trolley we arrived at the Fonseca home where we were met with big smiles, open arms and hot coffee and chocolate! The Fonsecas are no strangers to hungry hikers and they laid out a delicious spread of banana bread, broiled chicken (fresh from the pen out back), fruit juice and of course the requisite rice and beans. After meeting the Fonseca family, Alvino, Rosa, Freddy and Ura we had an early moonup and went to sleep tired but happy with the soothing sounds of our own personal waterfall crashing into the river below us.

There’s no sleeping in when you’re in the rainforest and we were up with the sun to fuel up on another one of Rosa´s hearty meals….the homemade guava jelly and fresh star fruit juice were crowd favourites. The sun was shining and conditions were ideal for the morning activity of rappelling down a 60´waterfall. Even though she didn’t have any prior experience Leighton jumped right up and volunteered to go down first; not only did she make it down quickly and safely, she made it look easy too! After an exciting morning we returned to camp for lunch and a well-deserved siesta in preparation for our next activity, a traditional sweat lodge ceremony. This ceremony is performed in 3 stages each of which include a 10 minute sweat followed by a cleansing dunk in the river, all in total silence. The first stage is designed to cleanse the body, the second stage is to cleanse the mind, and the final stage is too purify the alma or spirit. Emily got the hot seat in the first stage and can definitely confirm how hot it actually was! We shuffled around for the next stage so everyone was comfortable and drank plenty of water to stay hydrated while we had the opportunity to reflect on ourselves and our trip thus far in a serious manner. Later in the evening we learned proper climbing knots and belaying techniques in preparation for tree climbing tomorrow. You might wonder how a day like this could get any better and the answer is….with a birthday party! We celebrated Lynwood´s 18th in style with homemade cake, lots of balloons, party kazoos and plenty of singing. Unbeknownst to Lynwood, Michael knew ahead of time about the Costa Rican tradition of smashing a raw egg on top of the birthday boy’s head and was more than happy to do the deed after we finished the cake. A spirited game of “keep the balloon up” ensued and Katie and Hatcher became the adorable Ura´s new best friends. Needless to say everyone went to sleep with a big smile on their face.

We have quickly discovered that during the wet season we usually have clear beautiful mornings followed by rainy afternoons. We took advantage of the clear skies this morning to climb a huge tree close to the Fonseca home. Gates showed off her natural climbing skills and was the first to the top, while Alan and Martin were tied for quickest ascent. While half of the group climbed the tree the other half went hiking along the river. Every turn we made under the dense rainforest canopy provided another new tree, flower, fruit, insect or bird that no one had seen before. Everyone was hot and sweaty from hiking and climbing so we aimed for the river and played in our favourite swimming hole for an hour once the mid day rains began coming down. After another fine Fonseca feast and we were ready for a nice siesta nice and dry while the torrential rains pounded the jungle outside. When we awoke several hours later the river had risen several feet and raged fierce and muddy through the canyon in stark contrast to the peaceful waterfall that flowed into same as ever. We put on rain gear and sprinted over to Alvino´s greenhouse where he taught us the medicinal uses of many different rainforest plants. A respected medicine man and shaman in his community, Alvino gathers, propagates and administers these plants for ailments from cancer and leukaemia to stomach illnesses and bug bites. While he believes that western medicine is very useful and has its place in society, he also told us that he is in his mid-fifties, in perfect health, and has only been to the doctor once in his life….when he fell off his roof and broke his back! We had another treat before dinner when we got the chance not only to make corn tortillas but also to roast, grind and prepare cacao beans into a tasty hot chocolate drink for dinner. Paige was pleasantly surprised by how much Spanish she could understand and speak already after less than a week despite having never taken any formal classes! It was a sad goodbye because we all enjoyed the hospitality of the Fonsecas so much but everyone was excited for our next stop….surfing the warm tropical waters of the Pacific coast!

June 24, 25, 26

After our first night of sleeping in tents, which most everyone was excited about, we awoke to a lot of amazing, fresh, tropical fruit for breakfast. Our Rios Tropicales liaison/translator, Diego, took us down to the beach (which was three minutes away, walking) to tell us about Costa Rican beaches and National Parks, and to "take a bath" in the warm Pacific, while waited for our two other surf instructors to arrive at our campsite, El Chaman. Brad and Esteban got to El Chaman around 10am. We got our surf boards and hit the beach. They gave us a brief lesson about figuring out if you surf "goofy" (which is left foot back, right foot forward), or "regular" (which is right foot back, left foot forward). We practiced jumping up on the boards in the sand. They told us about rip-tides and how to catch a good wave. The group was super excited (or "stoked" as they liked to say) about catching some "gnarly" waves. I think this was the most excited we have seen the group thus far. We split the group into two groups, so eight people surfed for an hour; then we switched. This was to insure more personal attention from the instructors. We did two sessions in the morning, took a break for lunch, walked on the beach after lunch, then had another surf session in the afternoon. We followed this schedule for two and a half days. The food was amazing--really fresh, healthy and delicious. We had meaningful moon-ups, a salsa dance party, a sun-set photo shoot, an adventure on the beach under a bright moon (where we captured some awesome photos!) and a lot of coconut eating (there were several contests between the girls and boys about who could break a coconut open, and peel it, the fastest.). We had a good amount of rain, but our spirits were not dampened by the wetness. On the contrary, I think everyone became stronger because of it. Our leaders of the days for these three days were, for the first day, Alan and Annie, the second day, Michael and Audsley, and for the third day, Lizzie and Lynwood. All six of them deserve a round of applause for encouraging everyone while surfing, and for keeping our spirits brightened during the rain. We are continuously pleased with this groups´leadership skills and positive attititudes.

Everyone surprised the leaders with their surf skills from the get-go. Annie, Lynwood, and Alan were immediate surfing stars. Lizzie, Katie and Paige improved SO much from the first wave they caught to the last wave. Audsley, Michael and Leighton looked like naturals, with the tranquil expressions on their faces. Emilie, Hatcher, Gates and Martin were very determined to "get-up" and their determination quickly paid off. To see everyone´s success, and elated faces, and to feel the positive, vibrant energy amongst the group, brought us so much satisfaction and contentment that we almost didn´t even need to surf ourselves. Despite the humidity and bugs, we slept soundly, knowing that everyone was having a great time and reaching their personal goals (not to mention the group goals as well!). Now we are off to learn about the endangered leatherback sea turtles, and to explore teh Carribean side of Costa Rica. We will be in touch in four or five days to let you all know what we learned about this eco-reserve and how many turtles we saw hatching eggs!!

Hasta Pronto y Pura Vida!

July 2

After spending the night at Rios Tropicales Operations Center in, what we might mention, were the nicest tents any of us have ever slept in, we traveled via bus and then boat (a spectacular hour boat ride down a lush canal) to the Pacuare Reserve, North Station. We arrived at this eco-reserve that observes studies and helps three species of sea turtles lay eggs every season (the endangered leatherbacks, the greens, and the hawksbills). There are seven species of sea turtles in the world; five of them nest in Costa Rica, and three on the beaches of the Pacuare Reserve. The five days that we were there studying, learning and helping conduct field research was on the cusp of the leatherback and green nesting season. The leatherback nesting season is from March until July; the greens lay from July though September. This meant that we saw a lot of little leatherbacks hatch, crawl out of their nests in the sand and slowly make their way to the ocean. We saw two huge (leatherbacks sea turtles are the largest sea turtles in the world!) mama leatherbacks forge their way from the sea to the sand, dig a nest, position herself such that her about 60-80 eggs fall in the boot like shape nest, cover the nest with sand, camouflage her hard work, and exhaustedly maneuver herself back to the sea. Let me tell you, this was undoubtedly one of the most amazing processes that any of us have ever seen. Some of the data we collected with each turtle spotting is as follows- the number of fertile eggs laid (huevos), the number of infertile eggs laid (vanos), which are much smaller, the length and width of the leatherbacks, the zone and area of the beach that the turtles were found, and what activity they were found doing when we arrived (digging a nest, laying eggs, camouflaging). It was so exciting! To be able to see any endangered species, let alone a giant, pre-historic (resembling a dinosaur and an elephant, at the same time!) amphibian laying eggs was truly out of this world. It was a once in a life time opportunity, and surely never to be forgotten.

Our five day Ecology course was informative, well organized, stimulating and fun. We all learned a lot, and in the best way possible- learning by doing! Our instructor, Marco, is a professor at two universities in Costa Rica, teaching Eco-Tourism and Biology. He taught us all about sea-turtles, EPI´s patrolling protocol (we were split into patrolling groups in order to patrol the beaches every night, until 4am), nest excavation sanitation, the scientific method and why it is so useful, the importance of field research, how to log and analyze data, the Eco-systems of the Neo-Tropics, turtle life cycles, about conservation of the environment’s natural resources, and how each of us can bring these lessons home and minimize our ecological footprints on the earth.

Some other activities we enjoyed while at the Pacuare Reserve were excavating the nests where the turtles had already hatched, doing a beach clean-up and picking up loads of trash, playing a competitive soccer game (we have some really talented soccer players in this group!), walking to the mouth of the Pacuare River, where we will soon be rafting, and seeing the small Pacuare village school, going on a couple hikes in the rain forest and seeing a poisonous pit-viper snake, a poisonous red, dart frog (did you know all frogs are poisonous in some way?), several types of lizards and amazing birds, like the tiger heron and blue heron, just to name a couple. I am sure that when everyone returns home they will share their exciting stories, photos, new knowledge and unique memories.

Now we are ready to raft the Reventazon River and the Pacuare River. We all agree that after our hard work at the eco-reserve, we are looking forward to relaxing and paddling down two world renowned rivers!! We have one day on the Reventazon and two days on the Pacuare, before heading back to San Jose to close out our trip at the outdoor markets. Our time has flown by so quickly; everyone is sad we only have six more days together. There is much truth to the saying "time flies when you’re having fun", especially in the land of PURA VIDA. Until next time, CIAO CIAO.

INDIVIDUAL SHOUT-OUTS

Emilie: Mama, Daddy, Tempe - I’m having such a great time in Costa Rica. I miss you; don’t have too much fun without me. See you soon and I love you!

Katie: Hey Mom, Dad, Hunt and Stella - Costa Rica is amazing. I’m having a blast! Love, Love, Love, Katie

Leighton & Lizzie - Mom, Peeps, BK and Dad - I hope you’re not too bored without us. Costa Rica is a blast, we haven’t showered in 5 days and we smell VERY nice, Love, Leighton and Lizzie

Hatcher - Madre, Padre y Familia de Williams - Words cannot explain the amount of fun and how much I am learning. Can’t wait to see you at the beach! Pura Vida!

Alan - Hola Mom and Dad - Costa Rica is incredible! Hope everything is going well back at home. Miss you and see you in a few days! - Alan PS: Get ready for some sweet facial hair...

Annie - Hola Faja y Maja - Costa Rica is so awesome! Don’t worry Dad I will be at the airport with your Costa Rican sand in hand, I got your back! II love yall a lot!!! Love your favorite daughter, Ann Alexander Holm PS: Mom- How’s Dads tan?

Audsley - Hey Mom and Dad, Hillary, Billy and Harry - Costa Rica is so much fun, you would love it! I miss yall so much and I can’t wait to see you and spend time together in the BVIs, Love you Lots

Lynwood - Hey family, I’m having a great time and I’ll see yall in a few days.

Martin - Hey Mom and Dad - Hope everything is great in Old Field, can’t wait to be up there. I’m having a great time here and there are so many great people on the trip. We have had so much fun and the food is great. Can’t wait to see yall, Love ya, Martin PS: I have this furry thing on my face and I don’t know what it is...

Gates - Hey Mom, Dad and Rally - I am having the best time in Costa Rica! We have an awesome group and I can’t wait to tell you about the places we have been. The beaches here are beautiful! Hope you don’t miss my singing too much, Love Yall!

Michael - Everything is great down here! See you soon! Love you!

Hola Mom, Q, Kiki, Clair y Jack - Well its summertime and the livin’s easy. Costa Rica is AWESOME! I miss you guys and I’ll have to coop up some rice and beans for ya when i get home. They’re muy bueno! Pura Vida! Love, Paiger

SPECIFIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Gates has been laughing non-stop, and been such a motivator to the group with her positive outlook and contagious cheery mood! Where ever there is action, Hatcher Williams is not far behind. Always quick to volunteer he has been a tremendous help to the Research Assistants as the group has helped relocate turtle nests and do nest excavations. Alan finally got his hands on a guitar and has unleashed his musical skills in full force, and we’re all waiting to see him in concert one day, where we’ll be cheering him on from the front row.

Lynwood was the first brave one to venture closer to the bright yellow pit viper we found on the trail (accompanied by a biologist from the station of course!) to get some great pictures to add to his collection.

Paige has been diligently working on her summer reading, sparking great conversations about Siddhartha and other literature among the group. It is really amazing how bright everyone is and what great students the crew is. Believe it or not, free time has turned into reading time, with everyone happily enthralled in their books as the rock in a hammock to the costal breezes in the heat of the day.

Katie has taken on the role of the groups official coconut queen, spending hours pealing fresh coconuts (which she’s always happy to share) and everyone in her patrol group was in for a surprise when she brought one for a snack on a late night patrol.

Annie, Audsley and Leighton showed off their volleyball skills Leaders of the day Michael and Leighton were responsible for the full bags of trash we collected on our walk back to the Reserve after a hike down to the mouth of the Pacuare River, which we’ll be rafting down in just a few days.

Annie and Gates cleaned up our cabin more than once, a treat that we all appreciated, since it was turning into a beach with all the sand we tracked in every day.

Leighton, Paige, Katie, Michael and Audsley were the first to see a full grown Leatherback Turtle. Thankfully Paige ran back to grab the rest of the group back at the base camp so we could all get in on the action. After patrolling the beach for miles, the group finally witnessed what they had been waiting for- with everyone joining in to help collect data as the mother turtle (4 feet long, weighing in at 600 lbs!) dug her nest and laid almost 75 eggs!

Even faced with the occasional rain and heat and humidity we all were dreading, Emilie has been a star throughout the trip. Her positive attitude and great outlook on life have been inspiring for everyone and she has also taught us some great dance moves!

Throughout the section Audsley had a string of very thought-provoking and insightful questions for our leaders and local guides. She will also be appearing on a documentary about the Reserve, demonstrating how to properly measure a turtle shell (we’re not sure when that one will be out in theatres yet though...)

After two weeks together leadership skills are becoming more and more evident. Katie has taken on the never ending task of recording all the data collected on our patrols, and Martin’s initiative has been a great example to the rest of the group, with his past leadership roles at school and on his schools crew team coming in handy as he adapts them with a Moondance twist.

With all the free time we’ve had in between activities and patrolling, Lizzie has been responsible for a never ending supply of games which she is excellent at sharing and teaching to the rest of the group. She constantly keeps the group entertained with her knowledge and creativity.

Leighton served as not only the head cheerleader but also the superstar of our Moondance soccer tournament against the staff of the reserve. She has proved herself to be talented and a very considerate young lady, as an invaluable member of the team.

Final Trip Log - July 8, 2007

For our last few days together:

Martin was our group’s official "swimmer". As anyone who has been on a rafting trip knows, every group has a swimmer…ours being Martin, who swam through a class III rapid and was all smiles as he tugged along behind our safety kayaker. Our guides were TICOS all the way, and loved springing surprises on us, such as twirling around in circles, getting everyone to the back and bouncing back and forth, and surfing the rapids. Audsley and Pfeiffer were laughing so hard that they could barely breathe during one of these entertaining, safe stunts. Our guide, Diego, was the personal favorite of everyone.

After dominating our first day on the Pacuare, we arrived at the Pacuare Lodge, AKA paradise, this place is amazing… seriously…It is nestled into the side of a lush green, flowered hillside of rainforest, alongside the mighty Pacuare River. The food was amazing, and we all agreed that we could have stayed there for several nights. They also had a beautiful look-out porch, filled with hammocks, where we rested, read and giggled.

Evening entertainment was provided by the world’s most outrageous trip leaders, Casey Slezak (played by Emily), Mae Link (played by Casey) and Emily Pfeiffer (played by Mae). Awards were awarded, cheese oozing everywhere, but sincerely…Everyone in the group had a chance to shine and show off their acting and impersonating skills. We had a great time and laughed even harder than we had earlier that day. This group has a great sense of humor!

Yesterday, ready to rage and roar on section II of the Pacuare, we had a change of plans due to a true rainy season spectacle of a storm that made itself known during the entire night before. The rain tripled the already massive river size, making the already aggressive rapids seriously un-runnable.

Acting on our raft guides advice, we opted to hike out. We were all disappointed, but as usual, the group took it in stride. There was minimal complaining, and we hiked out with smiles on our faces, still happy to be in this tropical rainforest.

Our last day in San Jose was spent touring the city and getting a taste of what the local markets were all about. We were able to conquer two major shopping destinations, securing souvenirs for family and friends and seeing all kinds of beautiful handmade crafts alongside tropical fruits for sale.

San José’s original market was a labyrinth of isles with vendors selling everything from birds to homemade strawberry and cream ice cream, which Paige and Gates enjoyed.

Our group has been lucky to have the same bus and driver since day one, a great Tico named Luis. The gang has become quite attached to him……….. Audsley and Annie took it upon themselves to buy him fresh flowers from the market, which he absolutely loved. He was really touched and told us that this was the first time anything like this had happened in all of his five years of driving people. What a caring and generous group we had!

Everyone in the group, and especially Gates, want to make sure everyone out there in cyberspace knows that COSTA RICA ROCKS! We celebrated 4th of July once we got back to the hostel; we had balloons, banners, hats, ice cream and hilarious relay races. We recapped all of the funniest moments of the trip, which took a long time because there were so many! It was a really special night, and loads of fun.

For our last night, we had our banquet dinner at a place called ROSTIPOLLO, which everyone from the group can tell you we had been yelling in a deep, throaty voice the whole trip (it's quite fun to say)! As a family, we all concurred that we must check out this long heard of establishment. Most of the girls wore brightly colored sarongs (purchases of that day); a couple were accompanied by new cowboy boots! The boys wore the girls' new Moondance shirts. Casey wore pig-tails. All in all, the food was great and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

We are going to miss our group-family immensely. Thanks to everyone for coming on the Costa Rica Adventure, and special thanks to the parents for sharing your amazing and intelligent children with the Moondance family for three weeks! It was truly awesome getting to know each and every one of them. I think it safe to say that we all learned a lot about ourselves, Costa Rica and how to take better care of the environment. Thanks for reading the trip-logs. Caio caio to all!!

Pura Vida.....