Costa Rica Venture

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

Leaders: Eric Malkowski, Beanie Arnold, Laura Boorman

Students: Connor Barrett, Sumner Dalrymple, Elizabeth Mueller, Caroline Tryba, Lauren Cash, Cameron Palmer, Jack Cowie, Bennett Smith, Stephen Sims, Erin Moore, Libby Farrell, Will Nolan

June 18

Hola from San Jose!

Beanie, Eric, and Laura were so excited for everyone to finally arrive in San Jose yesterday, as they have been anxiously waiting since the summer began! The group settled quickly into the hostel, and enjoyed an awesome first night's meal. Libby, Stephen, and Sumner showed us how to prepare some typical Costa Rican dishes - "Gallo Pinto," made with rice and black beans, and "Ceviche," consisting of talapia, avocado, peppers, mango, and onion all marinated in lime juice. Dinner was delicious, and all were impressed by their culinary skills. After our first Moon-Up under a starry Costa Rican sky, and a long day of traveling, everyone slept pretty soundly!

On Monday morning, Jack and Lauren, who proved to be a great pair as our first leaders of the day, rallied the troops for a big breakfast, before heading off for a day of classes in a local Spanish school. Everyone learned a lot about Costa Rica and the local culture, and Bennett and Will wowed us all with their Spanish skills ... maybe we should have them lead us around Costa Rica! The group ate lunch at a neat local restaurant, where Erin, Caroline, and Elizabeth kept us entertained during a big game of "Two Truths and a Lie." After lunch, the music started up, and we were treated to Salsa and Meringue lessons from a local dance instructor. This group has rhythm!

We've only been together for about 24 hours, and it is already clear that this group is going to have a great three weeks. Everyone seems very eager to jump into all of the activities that we've got planned, and all seem excited to get to know each other, as well. Though they got in later last night, Bennett and Caroline had no problem jumping in and getting involved. Cameron has especially kept us all smiling, from his skills in the kitchen to his pretty impressive dance moves.

In the morning, we'll wake up early and head to the Pacific Coast, where we'll spend the next three days learning to surf and trying to catch some waves. Hopefully our in-house surfing expert Will will give us some tips of his own! More to come soon ... ¡Hasta luego!

June 22

Greetings from the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica! We arrived here last night after an awesome surfing section and a drive that literally brought us all the way across the country! The drive was spectacular, as we climbed huge mountains overlooking beautiful and lush valleys. As we neared the coast, the views of the ocean and the islands below were quite a site to see, as well. How lucky we are to be in such a beautiful place!

Our surfing section started on Tuesday afternoon at Playa Colonia, part of a National Park on the Pacific Coast. As soon as we arrived, everyone was more than eager to jump in the water and cool off! The beach, totally deserted besides our own group, was breathtaking - situated in a little cove between two mountains, overlooking islands in the distance. Will, our surfing pro, was quick to dive in and show us his impressive moves. Erin and Elizabeth surprised us all by catching a ton of waves with ease, and made us wonder if they really ARE beginners! Sumner was relentless, as well, and her determination to catch the perfect wave definitely paid off! ALL of the group wowed us with their surfing skills, and everyone caught a bunch of good waves! Diego, our surfing instructor, taught us about the history of the area, and really made us appreciate the beauty that surrounded us! We learned the Costa Rican term for dude, "mae," and really grasped the meaning of the Costa Rican phrase, "pura vida!"

We all enjoyed walking around camp with Cubero, the owner of the campground, who has lived on the coast for all of his life. Bennett and Connor were particularly excited to follow him around as he picked fresh mango and starfruit for us, and cooked up a yuca plant that the boys helped dig from his garden. We were all treated to refreshing coconut juice from the "pipas" that Cubero brought down from the trees, as well.

At night, we took refuge from the rain under a thatched roof cabana, and enjoyed playing a lot of fun games and telling stories. Caroline has become our resident "Mafia" expert, as she has successfully tricked us during a number of nighttime games.

On our last night, the group enjoyed an awesome walk on the beach, led by Diego. Jack was quick to tell us about all of the different crabs that we saw, and we are looking forward to him sharing more of his wildlife knowledge as we continue to travel!

The group is really starting to come together, and everyone seems to be excited about the new friends that they are making! Libby and Stephen have kept everyone's spirits up with their always positive attitudes, and have continued to keep us laughing! Lauren, one of our Moondance alums, has been quick to step up and help whenever anyone has needed a hand.

We'll spend the next four days learning about the endangered leatherback turtles and doing a couple of night patrols on the beach. After our first shower last night, everyone seems refreshed and eager to get out to the island for some turtle watching!

Hasta Luego!!

June 27

What a week it has been! After a boat ride that took us through a shaded tunnel of trees with white-faced monkeys swinging on the branches, we arrived at the Pacuare Reserve on Thursday afternoon. We found a picturesque camp - two stilted bunkhouses and a kitchen right on the beach, just feet away from the Caribbean Sea. We've enjoyed five days of lessons taught by the researchers Marco and Elsie, nighttime turtle patrols on the beach, delicious home-cooked meals served family-style at a great big table, and a spectacular view of the beautiful beach right in front of us.

Throughout our time here, we've learned not only about the three species of turtle that nest here (leatherback, green, and hawksbill), but also about the surrounding ecosystems and culture, as well. When we haven't been in class, Elsie and Marco have shown us a lot and taken us on a number of adventures. On Saturday, we picked up litter on the beach, and learned some pretty valuable lessons about working to conserve the resources that we have. On Sunday afternoon, the researchers took us on a walk to the local town at the mouth of the Pacuare River, where we witnessed how local people live, and how they are affected by the turtles. Another highlight of our time here was certainly the forest walk that Marco led on Monday. As we trekked through the forest, the group saw amazing wildlife - poison dart frogs, nesting egrets, white-faced monkeys, a green vine snake ... the list goes on! Jack was quick to point out many of the animals for us, and was particularly excited to explore!

Though daytime has brought a lot of adventure, the real excitement has come during our nighttime turtle patrols. Each night, two of the three patrol groups have gone out for four hour shifts of patrolling the beach in search of mother leatherbacks. Though we were warned profusely that we "probably wouldn't get to actually see any turtles," this group must have good luck, because we managed to spot over fifteen in the five nights that we've been here!

On the first night, Patrol Group One, consisting of Cameron, Lauren, Elizabeth, Connor, and Laura was fortunate enough to catch a mother leatherback on her way out to the beach. The group got to see the entire process, which was pretty special - from the mother building her nest, to laying the eggs, camouflaging the nest, and then returning to the ocean. Throughout the week, Lauren was not afraid to get down in the sand, and on a number of occasions, held the mothers' flippers so that Connor and Elizabeth could count the eggs. Cameron has been the expert "nest-tagger," ready with fly tape in hand to identify the nests as soon as the mother is finished. The "Ballin' Baulas," as the group was affectionately called, were lucky to see eight turtles over the course of our time, and had a lot of fun out on patrol.

The Carey Patrol Group had a great surprise on their second night of patrolling - they got to witness over thirty hatchling turtles make their way out to the ocean! Eric, Bennett, Stephen, Erin, and Caroline were so excited to see the baby turtles scramble across the sand, and made sure that they were safe from the scurrying crabs. What an incredible experience! Stephen and Bennett passed much time on the patrol stumping Eric with riddles, and really enjoyed their nights out on the beach.

Beanie, Will, Jack, Libby, and Sumner kept themselves entertained by telling ghost stories as they walked the beach. The "Green Machine" got to see a number of mother leatherbacks, and everyone pitched in to help measure the turtles, count eggs, and collect data. The highlight of their patrol was spotting a green turtle, one of the first that's been seen all season (the green turtles are just starting their mating season)! This group was really lucky to see her, and definitely had a great time patrolling!

After all of our patrolling and research, we culminated our time here with a research project based on the data that we collected. Will and Jack were especially enthusiastic about getting their groups together and doing the projects, and the researchers seemed very impressed by the questions and theories that our group presented. We also had a pretty big milestone this week, as Caroline celebrated her 14th birthday! She officially started the day at 12AM on Saturday morning patrolling for turtles, but woke up again to balloons and banners outside the cabin door. We all celebrated with some delicious chocolate sprinkle cookies ... hopefully a birthday that she will never forget!

That's it for now ... we've had a wonderful time here at the Pacuare Reserve, and though we are looking forward to our next adventure, we are sad to leave ... we'll definitely miss falling asleep to the sound of the Caribbean Sea, moonlit walks on the beach, and good home-cooked meals! But, there's more adventure in our future, and we're excited to head off and tackle the world-famous Reventazon River on Thursday ...

Hasta Luego!!

June 30

Hola! We've just finished up with three awesome days of rafting here in Costa Rica! Our group spent all of Thursday tackling the class II and III rapids of the Reventazon River, and had a blast! Cameron, Libby, Stephen, Jack, Elizabeth, Laura, Beanie, and Lauren made up the first raft, with Connor, Will, Sumner, Eric, Bennett, Caroline, and Erin heading up the rear. On Friday, we headed out to the Pacuare River for another day of great class II and III rapids. We got to swim in the cool, refreshing water, and saw a ton of beautiful waterfalls as we paddled through the middle of the rainforest. On Friday night, we slept soundly in cabins right along the river, and fell asleep to the sounds of a waterfall right below our windows. This morning, we awoke for our last day of paddling on the Pacuare, and tackled not only class II and III rapids, but a bunch of class IV's, as well! The past three days have been a blast, and all seem to have had a wonderful time! Tomorrow, we'll pack up and head off to stay with the Fonseca Family for the next four days ... hasta luego!!

Mom, Dad, and Christopher, Having a blast! Love you sooo much! Thanks for everything! Have fun in Chicago and the ranch! Love, Caroline

Mom, Dad, Sisters Two, I love you! Rafting Rocked! It was a huge canyon! Beautiful! -Eric

Mom and Dad, We saw a sloth. It was awesome! He home soon! -Jack

Dad, Mom, Dillon, McLean, and Sam, Costa Rica is mucho fun! So far we've rafted, surfed, and turtle watched ... very cool. Can’t wait to see you ... love you all! -Erin

Hey Mom! Hey Dad! I'm having SO much fun in Costa Rica! Thank you so much! I love you! Love, Lauren

Hey Fam! We're having a great time down here in Costa Rica! I can't wait to tell you all about it! Hope all is well in Charlotte ... I'll see you in a few weeks!! Love you guys! Love, Laura

Sup Fam! I'm having a blast and a half down here. Can't wait to see you all! Love you! Hope you had a good 20th, Todd! -Libby

Hey Mom, Dad, and Jack, I am having lots of fun in Costa Rica. Give the Fam and Kensley my love. Miss you so much and can’t wait to see you! Love, Sumner P.S. My sunglasses lens popped out in the Pacuare River...oops! And, I finished the Great Gatsby, HA!

Hey Mom, Dad, Brian, Caroline, William, and Dogs! Costa Rica is great! Today we went rafting and tomorrow we go to the home stay. I’ll be back in a week. Happy Birthday, Dad! Sorry I missed it! Love, Elizabeth

Hey Mom and Dad! I just got back from the big rafting trip and it was so awesome! There was a lot of great scenery and I am about to buy a CD of pictures from the whole trip! Wish me luck, love you. Bennett

Hello Familia, I am having a great time. It is definitely awesome. We go to the home stay for 4 days and then we are back in San Jose for the canopy tour and then I’ll be home already! Love, Cameron

Hey Everyone! I am having fun and hope everyone is doing well. Today we went rafting and tomorrow we’re going to the home stay. See you in a week! Love, Will

Hey Mom and Dad! I’m havin lots of fun. Rafting was great and we are heading to the home stay tomorrow. See you in a week! Connor

Hey Mom and Dad, Costa Rica is awesome. Everything is great! Love you, see you in a week! Stephen.

Hola Mom, Dad, and nerd siblings! Hope yall are doing well. I just climbed Everest and I signed up for crocodile wrestling classes tomorrow. Life is great! Love yall, Beanie

July 5, 2007:

We arrived at the Fonseca's home to warm hot chocolate and pancakes with homemade guava jelly. Rosa continued to spoil us all week with delicious Tico food ... what a treat! Everyone really enjoyed getting to know the entire Fonseca family. Jack impressed us (and the Fonseca's!) as he put his Spanish skills to use. Elizabeth especially loved playing with Ura, the Fonseca's eight year old son, and the two were inseparable throughout the week!

On our first full day, we got to rappel down a beautiful waterfall. Cameron and Caroline especially stepped up, and really showed us how it was done. Libby and Laura really enjoyed rappelling, as well, and Libby exclaimed "This is the coolest thing I've ever done!" when she reached the bottom. In the afternoon, Albino, the father of the Fonseca clan, took us on a walk through his greenhouse and taught us about medicinal plants, which was very interesting. We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in the river down below their house ... Connor, Stephen, Will, and Bennett especially enjoyed competing with Freddy for "king of the rock," until Bennett's right shoe was unfortunately swallowed by the river!

We started off Monday morning by climbing a huge tree with Albino. Erin made the climb look easy as she quickly scaled up the branches and reached the top! Sumner and Libby were great motivators as they cheered on everyone from below! That afternoon, we got to sit in the sweat lodge, fondly called the "tropical igloo." The whole group got to go in three times, representing a physical, mental, and spiritual cleansing. The experience made a pretty big impression on us all, but Bennett and Beanie especially enjoyed it. Afterwards, Bennett couldn't stop saying "That was so cool!"

We started the Fourth of July early with goodbyes to the Fonseca Family and a beautiful sunrise hike out of the rainforest. We arrived back at the hostel in San Jose just in time for July 4th festivities ... balloons, banners and flags decorated the dining room as we feasted on our own version of an American cookout. We were treated to hamburgers and hot dogs prepared by Cameron and Will, as well as macaroni and cheese, and juicy watermelon. Libby and Erin helped make delicious "scrambled brownies" for dessert - yum! Afterwards, we all took a shot at a candy-filled piñata ... definitely a Fourth of July we will never forget!

This morning, we got up early and headed to Mahogany Park for a zipline canopy tour. The scenery was great as we cruised high up in the trees. Everyone had a great time, and enjoyed being up in the beautiful mountains outside of San Jose. Eric made sure to capture all of these amazing new memories, and has taken some pretty fantastic photos! Tomorrow, we'll head off to explore a traditional Costa Rican market before celebrating a great trip with our final banquet dinner. ¡Hasta luego!

Final Update, July 8

We spent our last day exploring San Jose, and everyone found some really neat things to bring home to their families! On the last night, we dressed in festive attire (think fanny packs, togas, and funny hats!) and celebrated a wonderful trip with a delicious dinner at a local restaurant. Everyone was all smiles as we talked about the trip, sang songs about Freddy Fonseca, and remembered many of the great adventures that our group had together. We woke up early on Saturday morning for a quick breakfast and last minute pictures before tearful goodbyes at the San Jose airport. We've had a great three weeks, and Eric, Beanie, and Laura thank everyone for making the trip such a memorable experience!