Written by Olivia & Elyse
Hi Friends and Family!
So much has happened in our short but busy week here in Costa Rica! Upon our arrival at San Jose Airport, we hopped in the van and headed to our first stay, the Mirador Hotel. We woke up to a delicious breakfast and started our off-road four wheel drive deeper into the Costa Rican Rainforest, where we met our guide, Mauricio. After a long hike in the heat, we arrived at the RAC – Rainforest Adventure Center, where we had the chance to experience off grid living and fall asleep to the sound of the magnificent waterfall, just in view of our beds.
Our first few days bonding as a group we ate traditional foods, such as gallo pinto (rice and beans), as well as reconnected after the long school year. In the three following days, we repelled down a waterfall, climbed giant trees, learned about medicinal plants, made chocolate and tortillas straight from the forest and had a traditional sweat lodge experience. After the RAC, we ventured back to the Mirador, where we were greeted with casado (typical Costa Rican meal) adn had the night to reset before we met our host families the next day. After a quick adventure and ziplining to 7 platforms ending in a 32 meter drop, which we braved together as a group.
This brings us to yesterday, when we finally arrived to our host families and settled into our new homes for the next three weeks. We explored Pueblo Nuevo de Cajon, bought snacks at the pulparia (mini-mart) and got to know our families over dinner. Today, we start our construction project for the town’s salón, side by side with Luís, president of Pueblo Nuevo. We are so excited to update you in the following weeks with our amazing adventures!
See you soon! – Olivia and Elyse
