After a turbulence-ridden flight, we finally made it to Costa Rica! It was very humid when we got off the plane, the weather was cloudy and rainy. We easily get through customs and meet our guide for the week, Jimmy, and our bus driver, Caesar, outside the terminal. From the airport, we drove through San Jose to get to our hotel for that night. After getting settled, the group headed to the local supermarket for some snacks and an ATM to exchange for colóns. Following our much-needed snack break Olivia, Sarah Joy, Evann, Ada, and I decided to swim in the pool. We played games and then took showers before dinner. For dinner, we had rice with chicken, salad, and fries. After dinner, everyone headed back to their rooms to get some sleep. Evann and I watched the Holiday Baking Championship because it was the only channel that we could find that was in English. I am very excited for tomorrow, especially for breakfast. I can't decide whether I want pancakes or muesli... I am very conflicted 😣

Woke up this morning around 6 am and got ready for the day. I got the muesli for breakfast which turned out to be just a yogurt parfait should’ve went with the pancakes! We loaded up the bus and started the day! We drove through San Jose and out of the city into the more rural areas. Our first stop was the arial tram tour. It took about 2 hours up and back. We didn’t see see any animals, but the view was incredible. After the arial tram Jimmy took us to a surprise stop, a fruit stand. We got to try all kinds of different fruits and snacks- they were all so good. (There was a really cute kitten). I really liked the pineapple as well as the yuka chips. We got back on the bus and as we were driving Caesar spotted a sloth in the tree. We looked through Jimmy’s telescope and it was so cool. Costa Rica implements a tax on gas to offset CO2 emissions. The tax goes to pay people who want to work in conservation. We then took a river boat to Tortuguero a small archipelago/island. (I think it’s an archipelago because only 3 sides are surrounded by water) In this part of Costa Rica they don’t flush the toilet paper because they have septic tanks so they throw it in the trash. We had pasta salad and chicken for lunch. The pasta salad was 10/10 so good! I also really liked the juice we had- it was sweet and smooth. There are a lot of stray dogs running the streets and along the beach. At 4:30 Jimmy took us on a tour of the town. \240We started at the beach where he showed us old sea turtle nests and told us about sea turtle conservation. Costa Rica is where sea turtle conservation began with records dating back up to 43 years ago. We proceeded down the beach where we saw local teens playing soccer. We learned there are 6 sea turtle species: 5/6 can be found in Costa Rica the other 1/6 only found in Australia (the flat back). The green sea turtle and leather back are the two most common in CR. After the beach we walked through town past local shops and restaurants. We then had free time to explore Tortugero and shop. Evann, Sj, and I headed into a clothing shop with the cutest things! I really liked a blouse, but I didn’t have my money with me to buy it-I may get it tomorrow. As we were walking down the street a little puppy came out and it was nibbling my shoe-it was adorable!! Also while we were walking, we saw another dog that reminded me of my dog Moose. Something cool we learned today was that at one time Tortugero was logged so bad that they lost the green macaws forcing them to replant the forest almost completely. The forest is very young, I forget the exact number though. But since the forest has been replanted the macaws have returned and we saw some today! We are having dinner at 7:30pm and after we might swim in the pool. I am really enjoying our trip even though it is very humid and hot-I am sweating like crazy :)

We got up at the crack of dawn today to go bird watching, as we were leaving it began to downpour. We went into the lobby and Jimmy informed us that the tour had been pushed back to 8:30... we got some chill time to walk on the beach. Evann SJ and I talked and bonded.

The boat tour was very long and very hot. My butt fell asleep after the first hour but my pain subsided when I spotted the Wuaco or the laughing hawk. Jimmy informed us that the Costa Rican name is onomatopoeic to what the bird call sounds like. We also saw bats, sloths, spider monkeys, and. a variety of other birds. Another cool thing we saw was the Jesus Christ Lizard that walks on water. It rained off and on all day so it was quite humid.

After the boat tour, we went on a hike through the national park. My favorite things we saw were the two little poison dart frogs and the two macaws. Jimmy told us the story of the time he saw a leopard. I was being eaten alive by mosquitos, my ankles were obliterated. We went into town when we got back and went to the supermarket because I needed some toothpaste and aloe. Finally, we got back to the hotel and right when we entered the amazing AC greeted us, until not a second later the power went out. Once again the humidity encapsulated me. The front desk told us these outages were very common and sometimes it took days for them to fix. I noticed that our hotel has very little outdoor lighting since it is close to the beach. Most likely the lack of lighting outside is for the baby turtles so they don't get confused when they are following the moonlight to the ocean. Costa Rica protects the environment through less light pollution for turtles and by conservation the biodiversity of the region flourishes.

Today we left tortuguero and made our way to Arenal. The boat ride was smooth because the rain made the river ride so it was smooth sailing. once we made it back to the boating area we unloaded the boat and got back on the bus. (Mr Wayde told me he liked my bag not to flex)

We stopped back at the spot where we saw the sloth a few days ago to check if he was still there and to our surprise he was! Along with 7 other sloths all spotted from the side of the road!

for dinner we had literally my dream it was grilled chicken breast and pasta my two favorite foods! I finally became a member of the clean plate club today and even went back for seconds it was so good!

After dinner we walked with Jimmy over to the hot springs where he had found a red eyed tree frog it was so cute!

Today we went kayaking on lake Arenal. It was a lot more fun that I expected! I was partners with Evann and we were coasting with ease. The lake we were on was actually a dam which produces a lot of power. Hydroelectric power produces 40% of electricity in Costa Rica. They try to get as much renewable energy as possible through various methods: wind turbines, geothermal, and solar panels. Jimmy said in 2023 Costa Rica is almost 99% renewable energy.

After the lake we headed to the waterfall hike. I forgot socks and was about to wear my tennis shoes sockless but Mr Wayde and Ms Jen saved my day with an extra pair of socks! The money we paid at the waterfall tour goes back into the town. This and the kayaking both are low impact to the environment and contribute back to the business. We walked up and down 600 stairs. It was death. The waterfall was beautiful but when Jimmy said that this hike wasn’t for the faint of heart he was not kidding.

To cap off our busy jam-packed day we visited a sustainable farm run by Jimmy’s friend. They grow plants/crops from Costa Rica. It was so cool to learn all about them and what they do. The coolest thing about the farm was the way they capitalize on their animals by collecting their waste for other purposes. The manure from the cows and pigs is used for compost in the gardens. The leftovers are put into a biodigester that collects methane gas which then is used for heat around the farm, including heating the buffet we ate for lunch. This institution not only involved learning but also is environmentally conscious and sustainable which was so cool!

Todays journal is kinda lame because we mostly just rode on the bus to Monte Verde.

Things I noticed today

Farmers build fences with growing trees and the barbed wire wraps around them, instead of cutting them down to make fences.

Telagua = “the place of wind and rain”

Wind turbines are everywhere

Trees lean east to west because of wind

Temp decreases 1 degree Fahrenheit for each 67 miles north

Bamboo forest fixes 10x more CO2 than secondary forest

Equus Farm

Today we went to the cloud forest. Because of climate change the cloud forest has gone from 50 days of no rain to 107 days of no rain. Global warming is taking a toll on tropical climates and species are lost in the process. However the cloud forest has made efforts which have led to species returning such as some frog species. Frogs require cold and moist environments so as the world heats many amphibans are highly sensitive to these temperature changes. The land used to be farm land, but the local high school decided to dedicate the land for conservation. All of the money from the park supports the school. The park educates children on conservation by teaching them how to tag animals and plant track cams. My favorite thing we learned about was that Monte Verde has its own dresses for dances to honor the endangered bird species. The road signs in the park were also made of recycled plastic bottle caps instead of cutting down wood.

We learned about how bats are essential to the ecosystem.

Today we drove from Monte Verde to Manuel Antonio. We stopped for lunch at a hotel near the park and to our dismay the bus had broken down! We got to stay at the hotel and enjoy the pool while we waited for a new bus to arrive. Scarlet macaws can only be found in this part of Costa Rica and we got to see 3 flying all around the hotel. After a relaxing day at the pool, we went on a hike where we learned some survival skills from Jimmy. We saw a howler monkey and a kinkajou.

Finally, the new bus arrived and we jammed out to music on our way to the next hotel. My two new favorite songs are Loca (Evann) and Mariposa Traicionera (Jimmy). I was excited for a potential hot shower, but sadly I was disappointed. I basically had to sit on the floor and wait for the hot water. It sucked. That night we went on a final hike with Jimmy (brb crying). We saw so many different types of frogs and they were all so cute!

Finally we got to go to the beach-yay! I spent most of my time searching for shark teeth, however I had no luck. After the beach we headed to Sarchi where the artisans made handmade souvineers.

My favorite things were the ox carts. In the Central Park of Sarchi is the worlds largest ox cart. Caesar had to go fix the bus so we had a new driver for this day… it was like he had never driven before! It was jerky and the bus was hot- it was just not a pleasant ride. Jimmy surprised us with a tour of where they make the ox carts allowing us to see the process in action. On our way back to San Jose, we passed sugar cane farms. Jimmy told us about the agricultural practices for sugar cane fields which involved burning the fields to concentrate the sugar. This also helps climate snakes hiding in the tall grass.

Jimmy’s wife and daughter met us at the hotel with the coffee we ordered from them. They also joined us for the farewell dinner! On our way Jimmy told us the story of how him and his wife met they are so cute! They met at guide school and even did survivor training together. For their survivor training they had to spend 16 days in the jungle with no food or water. They were trained by the Green Berets. Jimmy said it was so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Dinner was traditional Costa Rican food which meant more rice and beans yay! (Sarcasm) After dinner there was a dance performance and it was so cool! After the performance, Jimmy attempted to teach us some traditional latin dances. He was so flawless and was having so much fun doing it. I however am terrible at dancing, but I did try. I even got pulled to dance with the professionals, which I usually would never do, but I felt so comfortable with my new friends that I was like ok (very out of my comfort zone but I had fun!). It was so much fun and I am really going to miss Jimmy, this group, and this place. When we got back on the bus Jimmy said “this is how you keep a marriage for 20 years,” and gave his wife a rose. CHIVALRY IS NOT DEAD AND NEITHER IS ROMANCE. STANDARDS = RAISED Jimmy has set a high bar.

Our final day in Costa Rica (sad face). Thankfully Caesar returned to us with a new bus! I have never been more thankful for his driving skills. We headed to our final excursion - a tour of a coffee farm. The group ahead of us were from UGA which was just so funny because they started barking as obnoxious Georgia fans do and I couldn’t help but laugh, it made me miss home. We learned all about the coffee process from beginning to end. The farm plants two trees together in order to maximize space and product. They also harvest by hand so that only the ripe cherries are picked and to not harm the tree. Coffee harvesting is seasonal so the farm offers free housing and daycare for workers since the job isn’t year round. Coffee workers are often immigrants from Panama or Nicaragua. The farm tries to make the best quality coffee while being sustainable in their work. Birds eat the insects, but not the coffee cherries acting as natural insect repellent. Workers are paid by how much they harvest, not by the hour. (Avg $40 a day, $4 per basket)

When we got to the airport we said our goodbyes to Jimmy and I gave him a big hug. I will never forget this amazing trip and I am so grateful for this once in a lifetime experience. All thanks to Jimmy truly immersing us with locals and showing us his home.