An update brought to you by the students of Costa Rica/Panama gap spring 2015:
It’s one thing to see pictures of Costa Rica, but it’s totally different to be here. Being in Costa Rica is completely surreal. So far on our journey, we have traveled to a few amazing places, but the bulk of our expedition has been at the Rainforest Adventure Center.
The RAC is one of a kind. Between the people, nature, beauty, food, and adventure, we all fell in love with this magical place. The smiles are genuine and the adventures are thrilling. The feeling we got at the RAC was a feeling like never before.
After our two-hour, very sweaty hike in the rainforest we finally made it to the RAC. Immediately upon our arrival we recieved our first (of many) delicious meals made by Doña Rosa. Following lunch, we headed to the river (one of the cleanest rivers in Costa Rica, we might add) and swam together to cool off.
We dried off and drank some refreshing “refrescos,” or fruit juices, in the dining area. Doña Rosa then brought over a bowl with corn meal, water, and salt and taught us how to make authentic tortillas. They tasted incredible! We slept like rocks that night in our very own cabin, the loud gurgle of the river drowning out the other sounds of the rainforest.
After having pinto (rice and beans) for breakfast, a custom many of us still have to get used to, we started off day two at the RAC by repelling down a rock face that becomes a waterfall during the wet season, followed by ziplining the canopy of the rainforest. Ziplining, flying through the open rainforest over the crystal blue river, was seriously one of the best experiences ever. With every meal, there was a homemade chocolate spread on the table. It was our turn to make that chocolate spread, ground straight from the cocoa beans grown at the RAC! Nothing beat the chocolate we made, drizzled over slices of bananas grown on the banana tree outside the house.
That night, we played our first card game with Jhonder, a member of the family that runs the RAC. We quickly learned that playing cards together was a great way to bond with the group and encourage friendly interaction. We played hours and hours of card games during our time at the RAC, and also enjoyed a few jam sessions with Alison’s ukelele.
The next sunrise brought another challenge: to climb one of the giant trees outside of the RAC. Climbing up such a big tree was incredibly thrilling and adrenalin-filled. I (Sarah) have to say that repelling back down the tree was the best part; it was the reward of using all your strength to climb as high as you could.
After climbing the tree, we took a break until our medicinal plant hike with Freddy, the son of Doña Rosa and Don Albino. Don Albino, Freddy told us, is a shaman and had passed down the knowledge to his son. During this hike we learned about plants that can stop heavy bleeding, raise a diabetic’s blood sugar, and even help with leukemia. During the plant walk, Freddy would often stop to uproot a plant or chop down a tree. We learned later that these leaves and roots were edible, and by the end of the walk, our hands were filled with what would later be our dinner. Upon our return, we all sucked on sugar cane that we had just cut down in the rainforest, and munched on the seeds of a freshly picked guanabana.
For dinner that night, we cooked all of the greens, yucca, and roots that we had collected during the walk. Afterwards, we went for a night walk to look for frogs. Jhonder found and caught a gigantic frog that cried like a baby when he picked it up. We also came across the iconic red-eyed tree frog, which we aptly named Freddy Junior.
The next morning we set out on our hike back down to Brujo, which, while easier than the hike up, was still very sweaty! After our bus ride back, we explored San Isidro, eating at a soda (small restaurant), visiting a grocery store, and buying flowers to take to dinner with us that night. On the bus earlier that morning, Rosi and Jhonder, our two guides at the RAC, had invited to dinner at their house.
On Thursday evening, we went to the town center to find a taxi that would take us up to Rosi and Jhonder’s house. Once inside, we sipped “ponche de frutas,” or fruit punch, and for dinner we eat steak, rice, beans, and cabbage salad. Jhonder and Rosi asked if we would like to sing karoke. At first we were hesitant, but soon we got into it. We gave an incredible rendition of Umbrella by Rihanna, earning an unprecedented 18 points out of a possible 100!
We returned to the hotel that night exhausted from our hiking, exploring, and singing adventures. Today is our final day before heading to our host community of San Antonio tomorrow morning where we will meet our host families! We are going to visit a school, going on a scavenger hunt adventure through San Isidro, and completing all of our last minute errands.
Pura Vida, Mae!
Sarah, Jonah, y Mariah
