RAINFOREST & TROPICAL SCIENCE COURSE
COSTA RICA 2023
Flight to Costa Rica
I am on the flight to Costa Rica now. It was a little hectic getting here. Our bus to Toronto actually broke down on the side of the road. We had to wait about an hour before a new bus could pick us up. When we finally got on the new bus, we had to drive through a snow storm. We ended up being almost two hours late to the airport. We got ourselves checked in for our flight and through security as fast as possible. Luckily, we got to our gate before the plane even started boarding. I even had time to pick up some snacks for the 5 hour flight. I didn’t even need to spend any money because I had Air Canada vouchers from a previous flight from Vancouver to Ottawa.
Anyway, I’m happy to be settled in on the plane now. We no longer have any strict deadlines for the rest of the day so we can move at our own pace. I’m also happy that I have an aisle seat. It makes me feel less trapped on the plane. The only thing is that I can’t see out any windows, which isn’t ideal with my tendency to feel motion sick on planes. The girl sitting behind me, Emma, was nice enough to give me a Gravol pill though, so hopefully I won’t get too motion sick.
DAY 1: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28TH, 2023
12:13 PM — FLIGHT FROM TORONTO, CANADA TO SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA
The plane ride went fairly well. I slept, read a book on my phone, and ate some snacks. We watched as our little plane on the map moved closer and closer to Costa Rica. The San Jose International Airport was already so much warmer than Canada right now and it smelled tropical. I’m not sure how else to describe it. We had to wait in a long customs line before we were allowed to leave the airport. Luckily though, my checked bag didn’t get lost! I was so relieved when I found it. Unfortunately, one of the girls in our group, Maria, did end up losing her luggage. It took a long time to get all that sorted. Eventually, we found our guide for the trip, Jorge. We got on another coach bus which drove us from the airport to the hostel we are staying at tonight, La Dehesa.
9:52 PM — LA DEHESA HOSTEL IN SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA
La Dehesa Hostel
It was dark as we drove here so I don’t fully know what this place looks like yet. The view is still super beautiful though. We are at the top of a hill and can see all the city lights below. The light pollution here is also not too bad here so I was able to see a decent amount of stars. It’s really cool to see how the night sky is different here from how it is in Ontario. I still see the Orion constellation but it is higher up in the sky. Here you can also see Jupiter and Venus shine much brighter. It’s really cool. Jorge, our local guide, also helped us identify a spider we found on a wall at the hostel. It was a black widow.
On a side note, we have been warned to fully check under our sheets before bed and to never put your hands or feet’s somewhere you can’t see. There are lots of poisonous creatures here. We also saw a line of ants carrying big chunks of leaves. Oh, and also a gecko on a ceiling in the main area of the hostel.
Anyway, we had a really nice dinner of spiced rice and veggies, beans, and salad. Plus homemade iced tea. It was delicious. We also had our first night briefing. We introduced ourselves, though I still cannot remember everyones names. Hopefully I’ll learn as we go. We also talked about our plan for tomorrow: zip lining, La Fortuna town visit, and then an evening at the Baldi Hot Springs.
I had a really great sleep last night, even though the bed was not the most comfortable and I have bruised hip bones. This morning I woke up around 5:30AM no problem. The jet lag definitely helped with that. It was also nice that is gets brighter earlier here. I’m planning on waking up even earlier tomorrow morning so that I can see the sunrise. I’m so excited!
We are currently driving back through San Jose, on our way to La Fortuna. I’ve included some pictures from the journey down below. It looks very different here during the day time. Everything is more colourful and its easier to see the nice houses behind the bars and barbed wire. Apparently people have bars over their windows because Costa Rica doesn’t have the most reliable police service. People have to take matters into their own hands by putting up the bars to protect themselves and their belongings.
Chris was also saying this morning that there is no real middle class in Costa Rica. People are wealthy or don’t have access to basic needs. We drove past the larger houses, with ornate bars over the windows, in the city. In the countryside, the homes were not as big or well-protected by iron bars.
DAY 2: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1ST, 2023
7:15 AM — ON THE BUS TO LA FORTUNA, COSTA RICA
Today was packed with activities. The drive to the zip lining place ended up being about 2 hrs. It was a really beautiful drive though. My eyes were glued to the window for the entire time. So much to see!
Zip-lining at Arenal Mundo Aventura Park
Zip-lining ended up being super fun. It was the highest one I’ve ever been on, all above the jungle and some crazy tall waterfalls. The lines were so long. One of them was 950m long, almost a full kilometre. Since some of the lines were so long, the guides decided that lighter people would have to ride with a guide, including me. Some even went in groups of three, two of us with one guide. Carmen and Chloe went together with a guide.
We saw some beautiful views and some cool wildlife. We saw toucans and lots of strong, leaf-carrying ants. When we were hiking back from the last zip-line we even saw a sloth! It was so cute and it looked right at us. It was pretty far away though so I hope to see another one up closer. Still no snakes though! I want to see some snakes really badly.
9:53 PM — HOTEL CAMP VERDE (ARENAL ECO-LODGE) IN SAN CARLOS, COSTA RICA
After zip-lining we ate lunch. It was at the restaurant at Arenal Mundo Aventura. It was really good. The vegan options included rice, pickles, salad, and pasta salad. I’ve noticed though that in the humid heat I really can’t eat as much. My appetite is almost non-existent. I’m just forcing it down at this point. The food is really good though so I am sad I am not enjoying more. Hopefully my body will settle into the new climate soon so that I can start enjoying the food more.
La Fortuna
Next we went to check out the town La Fortuna. It is a popular tourist spot. I knew a little bit about this town before visiting from watching an episode of The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy where he explores Costa Rica. What I learned from the show was that La Fortuna is a haven for agriculture. The Arenal Volcano makes the soil rich and amazing for growing crops, including coffee. According to a local who works at the eco-lodge we are staying at tonight, it became popular after the last big eruption in 2011. I don’t fully understand why a volcano eruption would make somewhere such a popular tourist destination, but it has. It is one of the most popular, if not the most popular, tourist destination in Costa Rica. There were lots of tourists here. I would imagine that some locals are quite irritated by the large numbers of people.
I really enjoyed our visit. I walked around with Carmen, Alyssa, and Ian. We first found a grocery store to buy some coffee, then went to an ice cream shop, toured the souvenir stores, and then floated around the garden in the middle of town. I bought some coffee for my dad and for my friends, Nila and Wil. They all made sure to tell me they wanted me to pick them up some Costa Rican coffee.
Hotel Campo Verde (Arenal Eco-Lodge)
We eventually all found our way back onto the bus and we drove to our hotel for the night. The Arenal Eco-Lodge has an amazing location at the base of an active volcano! The Arenal Volcano. We get our own little cabins, four people per room. I’m rooming with Carmen, Heather, and Alyssa. This place is so beautiful and clean. We have a large window overlooking the volcano. I wish we could have actually seen it today, it was just in a massive cloud. I never want to leave honestly. I’m feeling a little bit spoiled at this location.
We didn’t have a lot of time to settle in and enjoy our cabin. We had only about half an hour until we had to get back on the bus to head to our next activity, the Baldi Hot Springs. We quickly got changed into our swimsuits and packed a bag with extra clothes for the dinner planned for after.
Baldi Hot Springs
Baldi Hot Springs was definitely more of a resort than I was expecting. This place was very luxurious. There were so many little pools with different temperatures and plants growing everywhere, in a way that was very intentionally planned out. This type of resort would target psychocentric tourists It reminded me of a tropical version of Nordic Spa, a place just outside Ottawa, in Gatineau. They even had water slides. Since I already had a sprained wrist and bruised ribs before going on this trip, I went down two slides before my ribs really started to hurt. My wrist has been hurting today too. A large yellow/purple bruise has formed all the way around the wrist.
After spending about two hours hanging out in the pools, we quickly got changed for dinner. Dinner was really good. I had raspberry iced tea that was so delicious. The pineapple here is also so amazingly good. I forgot to take a picture of it but I had two types of rice and two types of roasted vegetables. I think my appetite actually started coming back at dinner.
When we got back to the hotel, all the girls in my room decided to go for a little walk around the grounds. We had a good time. Alyssa’s flashlight is so bright that we could make shadow puppets on the tallest tree, which we did. We also saw some bananas growing and some fireflies low near the grass. I found out a few days later that those weren't fireflies. They are a type of spider that can illuminate like a firefly. A little bit less magical and more unnerving to know now they were spiders.
Our plan for tomorrow is to wake up early to see the sunrise. I would love to see a volcano lit up with the colours of the sunrise.
Some Questions & Observations I Had Today
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This is a lent tradition. Lent is a Catholic holiday. The purple fabric draped over the cross represents repentance. On Good Friday, the fabric is switched with a black one to represent Christ’s death on the cross.
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They are called poro trees, or Erythrina poeppigiana. Their orange flowers bloom during the dry season.
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They might actually just be mangos. I am not quite sure. I forgot to take pictures and I can’t quite remeber what they look like.
Today was another really fun day. We left our hotel at the base of the Arenal Volcano around 8am after a really good breakfast. I only remembered to take a picture of it after eating half of it though. I ate some amazing rice, fried plantain, pineapple and some jam on toast.
Heather and I had woken up really early to see the sunrise, but sadly it was even more overcast than yesterday. It felt like we were literally in a cloud. Although we didn’t get to see the sunrise, we did get to see a lot of birds. We saw a cute little red bird which I think was a Summer Tanager, though I’m not sure because they aren’t usually around during early March. We also saw some hummingbirds and a large hawk or vulture sitting in a large tree. I’ve included some of my favourite pictures below.
DAY 3: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2ND, 2023
11:18 PM — PACUARE MOUNTAIN LODGE IN CARTAGO, COSTA RICA
Nortico Cacao Farm
We drove for what felt like forever to Nortico Cacao Farm. We got there finally around 12:30pm. The cacao farm was super beautiful. There were beautiful plants everywhere and warm sunshine.
They gave us the most amazing lunch. You can see in the picture I took all the colours. They first brought out perfectly salted plantain chips with homemade salsa. They made me a special vegan meal with rice, salad, and zucchini noodles with tomato sauce. The juice was also incredible. I believe is was a type of sweetened guava lemonade.
After lunch we had a chocolate tasting, which was amazing. Nothing compares to freshly made dark chocolate. I love how each cacao farm has such unique tasting chocolate.
Next, we went on a tour of the farm. We saw all the cacao trees and learned about how they grow. It was interesting to learn that on cacao trees, the new leaves are red and eventually turn green. We cracked open a cacao nut and ate the slimey white pods that contain the cacao bean. We saw the fermentation room, which I found super interesting. It smelled like chocolate but also like the kombucha I ferment at home. I loved it. We also got to see the room where they lay all the beans out to dry. It smelled like freshly baked brownies in there. I am craving chocolate just thinking about it.
We did actually make our own, though 100% chocolate is kinda hard to eat. Even after I added a bunch of brown sugar and sprinkles. I wrapped my chocolate up, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to have any more of it. I am not sure making chocolate is something I am good at. We will be be sent a chocolate bar each right before the plane ride home. Otherwise it would just melt all over our bags.
On a side note, we also saw this really weird looking mushy toad. I can’t figure out what species it is though. Maybe a Giant or Cane Toad?
CATIE: Solutions for Inclusive Green Development
Next we went to a place called CATIE, instead of E.A.R.T.H. University. I believe they are very similar places. CATIE specializes in keeping seeds and making sure edible plants species don’t ever go extinct. They are very concerned with the impacts of climate change.
We also got to learn about their program that gives Costa Rican women from rural areas an opportunity to work and earn money for themselves. It was really cool. We made bracelets there with repurposed leather from airplane seats.I was also really excited because I finally got to see a snake. It was a pretty big snake there too. It was about 2 metres long, black with yellow speckles. I believe it was a speckled racer. It was hanging out on a fence and then slithered up a drain pipe into the building.
Pacuare Mountain Lodge
We were also suppose to go to a botanical garden but didn’t end up having time. It was getting dark by the time we were suppose to visit. We decided to postpone the visit until the morning before rafting, on Saturday I think. Instead we just took another fairly long bus ride to our accommodation for the next two nights, the Pacuare Mountain Lodge. It’s a beautiful place!
We are on a mountain surrounded by other mountains. When we first got here the sky was clear so we saw so many stars. There are many different trails around the grounds and through the gardens where you can stargaze. There is even a pool. While we were eating dinner, which was amazing by the way, refried beans, rice, hot sauce, avocado, and salad with an amazing red fruit drink. I forgot to take a picture! A cloud actually past right through the building since there are no doors. It was really cool. There was also this really cute black mini schnauzer that loved butt rubs just like Finnegan, my dog at home.
After dinner we explored the ground some more, Carmen, Alyssa, Ian, and I. We tried out these really fun swings that actually swing really far.
Eventually we decided to go back to our cabin, which is where eleven of us are all sleeping. In fact, there is a lot of snoring going on right now. I also think that there may be some arguments because having eleven people in one room is kinda crazy.
Tomorrow morning, Heather, Alyssa, and I are planning on waking up early to try another attempt at seeing a Costa Rican sunrise. The view of all the mountains and valleys with the colours of the sun rising should be amazing. Hopefully the sky is clear tomorrow.
We got up really early this morning, at about 4:30am, to catch the sunrise over the mountains. The group was Heather, Alyssa, Ian, and I. When we got up it was still dark outside.The sky was clear so we saw so many stars! More stars than i’ve seen in a long time because we were out in the countryside, with almost no light pollution. It was amazing. Soon enough the sun started to rise. We could only see it once the colours started creeping up into the sky because the actual sunrise was blocked behind another mountain. The colours started out blue and purple, then turned into pinks, oranges, and yellows. It was such a beautiful experience. The sounds of wildlife around, especially the birds, made me feel almost euphoric with joy.
DAY 4: THURSDAY, MARCH 3RD, 2023
11:24 PM — PACUARE MOUNTAIN LODGE IN CARTAGO, COSTA RICA
Breakfast was, as usual, amazing. I had rice with refried beans, avocado, fried plantain, hot sauce, plus fresh pineapple and watermelon. I will never get over how delicious the pineapple tastes in Costa Rica.
After breakfast we started our long bus ride towards the Caribbean coast. I tried my best to stay awake, especially at the beginning. Jorge was telling us about the landscape, like about the farmers, the banana trees, etc. I have a bunch of audio recordings of some of the fact Jorge told us. Let me tell you some of the fun facts he told us.
Pura Vida means “pure life” and it is something you say to express joy, gratitude, greeting, agreement, etc. It can be used in many different contexts and situations. In a way it is similar to “Aloha.”
Orioles, which are a type of bird, create hanging nest from trees. They look like comfortable little hammock-like pouches.
Banana trees can only produce a maximum of 200 bananas. Once the bananas are cultivated, the whole tree must be cut down. The tree would no longer produce fruit. A new tree will grow from the old one.
I eventually did end up falling asleep, even with all the cool facts and beautiful views. I did wake up though when we finally passed the sea. Everyone got really excited about seeing the waves from the bus.
Cahuita National Park
When we finally arrived at Cahuita National Park, we met up with some bike guides that were waiting for us in the parking lot. We saw a sloth right away, in a tree, up close. It was just over a restaurant between the parking lot and the entrance to the park. It was an amazing bike ride through town, then right by the water. We saw howler monkeys, a rainbow mahogany, and lots of butterflies. When we reach the turn-around point, we left our bikes on the beach and went immediately got our feet in the water. It was super hot. The guides also brought some fruit pineapple and watermelon. Freshly cut open fruit is the best thing ever. The bike back was a little less exciting because we were kind of in a time crunch. We didn’t have time to stop and check out the monkeys again. He definitely did hear them howling though this time.
When we got back to the national park, Alyssa and I decided to go for a quick dip in the sea. After drying off a little bit, we joined the others for lunch. The picnic tables at this park were so tall, with benches super close the the sand. The table was the same height as my neck!
While waiting for lunch to be saw two turtles sitting on a log and three large iguanas. Lunch was expectedly amazing. I ate four tortillas full of rice, beans, salsa, avocado, pickled jalapenos, and spiced tortilla chips.
At this point my wrist was really starting to hurt because I had obviously made my sprain worse by gravel road biking. There were lots of potholes. I had to start actually using my tensor bandage. I also had to take some Advil.
The Town of Cahuita
Alyssa, Carmen and I decided to tour the town of Cahuita with the time we had left until the bus left around 4pm. We found some really cute shops and bought some small souvenirs. I got a sloth crop top (matching with one Alyssa got), a turtle bracelet, and a sticker for my new water bottle. It was a very cute, tiny little touristy town.
The bus ride back to the pacaure mountain lodge was long and uneventful. It was also uncomfortable because I was in cold and wet clothes. I did have any dry clothes to change into, even though I had planned to. My shorts got wet when I went into the water after biking to the beach. I was just too hot to wait until we got back from biking.
The bus ride back to the Pacuare Mountain Lodge was long and uneventful. It was also uncomfortable because I was in cold and wet clothes. I didn’t have any dry clothes to change into, even though I had planned to. My shorts got wet when I went into the water after biking to the beach. I was just too hot to wait until we got back from biking.
When we finally arrived at the lodge I was too lazy to change into dry clothes before dinner. I wanted to have a shower anyway and there was a long line of girls ahead of me. I guess that’s was happens when eleven girls share just two bathrooms.
Dinner was good, same rice and beans meal again but I’m not complaining. I could eat this meal for the rest of my life. This lodge makes the most amazing juices. I couldn’t tell you what kind of fruit they use though.
After dinner Alyssa, Heather, Carmen and I decided to go right back to our cabin in order to start packing for our overnight at Ave Sol. We were only allowed to bring our daypacks. They were being transported by cable car over the river. We were rafting in. It was also super stressful to pack in the same packed room as eleven other girls. Stuff was scattered everywhere and I was so nervous about losing stuff. Luckily I didn’t lose anything. I got my day bag all packed up, ready for the rafting trip tomorrow, and then went to sleep.
We woke up for the sunrise again this morning. Carmen joined Heather, Alyssa, Ian, and I this morning. It wasn’t a clear sky like yesterday though. The clouds in the sky held a different type of beauty though. They hung low in the mountain valleys, creating cloud rivers. It was peaceful and magical.
We got all packed up and loaded our packs onto the bus before breakfast. Breakfast was amazing again. We ate and relaxed until we could gather the whole group together for a photo with the mountains in the background. Emma was nice enough to braid my hair for me too, in anticipation of rafting today.
DAY 5: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4TH, 2023
9:12 PM — AVE SOL RIVER SANCTUARY ON THE RIO PACUARE IN LIMON, COSTA RICA
CATIE Botanical Gardens
We had a short bus ride to the botanical gardens at catie. The ones we didn’t have time to tour a couple days ago. It was cool. Our guide, Maui, taught us about all the cool fruit they grow in the gardens. At this point my lack of sleep, from sleeping late and waking up really early, was starting to get to me. I was having a hard time staying awake during this talk. Luckily though, soon enough we were walking around the grounds. We saw some really cool plants and insect species, including pink pineapples, bamboo, shampoo ginger, a kapok tree, irredescent/rainbow wasps, and a giant black and blue bee. It was cool property. They even had a yoga studio! I was so envious of the people walking up with their yoga mats, ready for class.
Rio Pacuare
The bus ride to the rio pacuare wasn’t too long. I didn’t even manage to fall asleep. We hand to transfer from our bus to a tractor once we got close to the river because of the bumpy roads. As we made this transfer, we were handed out ice cream bags, made by a local woman. I got a homemade black cherry freezie. So good! A truck was loaded with our day packs to be transported to Ave Sol River Sanctuary. The tractor down to the water was a little chaotic and a little scary. It felt like is was going to flip over at any time.
When we finally got down the the river, we ate lunch. It was amazing like all our other meals. I need to get my hands on the pickled jalapeno salsa they have here before we leave for Canada again. I think it’s called salsa verde. They prepared it all on the back of one of the rafts.
Whitewater Rafting
After lunch, we set off. I was in a raft with Heather, Alyssa, Carmen, Chloe, and Ian, plus our guide Diego. It was honestly super relaxing rafting today. Only class 2 and 3 rapids on a river with a low water level. It was pretty much always below knee level. We did get to take turns guiding though, even me with my bruised ribs and sprained wrist. I couldn’t miss out on this opportunity! I think I did pretty well. It wasn’t exactly the conditions I am used to, with the shallow water and abundance of rocks. I’m happy I did it though.
Ave Sol River Sanctuary
We rafted right up to our accommodation for the night, Ave Sol River Sanctuary. Ave Sol in a grouping of cabins on the edge of a steep hill. This time our cabins holds eight girls. I think our cabin has the best view. Its lowest to the river, its really clean, has bunk beds and screen walls. I grabbed a top bunk with an amazing view of the rapids in the river below.
There are also two pavilions, one large one for eating meals and another small one with hammocks. We spent a lot of time hanging out in the hammocks. We saw a Green Tree Anole! It was mostly Heather, Ian, Alyssa, Carmen and me hanging out in here. When it got dark, we had some good conversations. It was cozy because it was completely dark. The power wasn’t working because it is created through rain water collection. There wasn’t enough rain to make it reliable.
Today I woke up early to bird watch with some people. Jorge was leading our bird watching excursion. We saw the only hummingbird, of the approximate 200 hummingbird species in Costa Rica, with red legs!
At 8am we had breakfast, which for me was vegan pancakes and a plantain empanada. So good! I was so happily surprised by the pancakes. Even though Jorge asked me about it the night before.
DAY 6: THURSDAY, MARCH 5TH, 2023
10:39 PM — AVE SOL RIVER SANCTUARY ON THE RIO PACUARE IN LIMON, COSTA RICA
El Tigre Sustainability Project
After breakfast we got ready for the day and crossed the river by cable car. Once across the river, we got comfortable in the same tractor as yesterday. It was raining heavily so I ended up drenched in water where I was located in the tractor. It was another bumpy and scary ride.
We hiked a little further to a location on a hill where we plants some trees. It was emotional for the man who owned the land, Mario, and a lot of people started tearing up. Us coming to help plant trees seemed to mean a lot to him. I ended up with one of the larger trees to plant for some reason. That reason being that i am ambitious and thought it would be funny for me to try to carry it around with one hand. Ian and I helped each other plant our trees because he has injured feet and I have an injured wrist. We got muddy and there were lots of bullet ants.
Mariposas Del Pacuare, The Butterfly Garden
We then hiked and took the tractor to his main property, where he has a pavilion, for lunch and a visit to the butterfly garden. All the trees on property were planted only thirteen years ago and they were huge. It was obviously a very important place to him. This land used to be clear cut farm land and now the plants and other wildlife are thriving. We ate really good food and even got to try some fresh sugar cane.
The butterfly garden was so cool. They had several blue morpho butterflies! We even got to see them as caterpillars. People put orange juice on their fingers and noses to attract them to land on them. Alyssa was super popular among the butterflies. At least I got a lot of good pictures though!
Next we hiked back down the mountains and valleys through a small indigenous community to buy some things from the local corner store. Unfortunately it had gone out of business because of the pandemic. Without tourists coming in to support the business, it couldn’t make enough profit. This community now no longer has a grocery store. According to Jorge, this means that the nearest one in about an hour away. They can only afford to make this trip once a month, when they stock up on all their supplies and food they cannot grow.
After hiking past this community, the trail got very narrow and rocky. It was also slippery because it was through the rain forest. It was a really fun, muddy hike. We even got to do a small river crossing!
Waterfall Hike & Swim
We finally got back to the cable car and returned to Ave Sol. Jorge promised to take whoever wanted to go to a waterfall and swimming hole. We hiked back up to where we did the river crossing and started moving up river. It was slippery and rocky so using Tevas as my water shoes was not ideal. The waterfall was really cool and the swimming hole was just big enough for all of us. We couldn’t stay long because of the risk of it getting dark out.
We hiked back down the river. At the crossing, some people decided to hike back down the same way as before while others decided to continue down the river/stream, until we reached the Rio Parcuare. I chose to do this, even though at this point my wrist was killing me from supporting myself over slippery rocks, and my ribs too from the tight life jacket. We swam from eddy to eddy, walking around the shallow, rocky rapids. Having to front crawl through even tame rapids was so painful. I don’t regret going though, it was so beautiful and fun. It was probably my favourite activity so far. The last part was just like floating down a lazy river. We got to see Ave Sol from down below, across the river, with the string lights on. It is such a beautiful location.
We got changed out of our wet clothes and hung out in the hammocks again like last night. It was very relaxing. Dinner was delicious. We even got iced tea and dessert, fried plantain and mango.
After dinner we talking as a group about the plan for tomorrow and we’re then released to go to bed. I stayed up a little longer and went on a little creature hunt with Heather. We saw a small yellow ish and transparent frog (a glass frog), a shiny metallic beetle, some spiders, and lots of ants. We even were able to see where they were taking apart a flower to carry it back down their path back home. It was really cool.
Then I went to bed. I love sleeping at ave sol because the bed is so comfortable, the blankets so cozy, and the sounds of nature so relaxing. I have taken several audio recordings because I always want to have the ability to go back to hear these sounds.
I got to sleep in a little bit today because breakfast was at 8am. It was nice because I fully just enjoyed the view of the river from my bed. I had breakfast and got my hair braided again, which was very nice of Emma. We packed up all our stuff and prepared for a day of rafting. We brought our bags down to the shoreline then were paddled across the river to pack the bags into a truck, to be transported to the takeout.
DAY 7: FRIDAY, MARCH 6TH, 2023
10:36 PM — LA DEHESA HOSTEL IN SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA
Whitewater Rafting, Part 2
After we finished loading the truck, we went whitewater rafting with our guide Diego, same as two days ago. Our boat included me, Alyssa, Carmen, Ian, and Chloe. he rapids went up to class 4 today. They were also in canyons with really high walls and skinny waterfalls flowing down. We saw tiny frogs, blue morphos, and tiger herons.
One of us, Jess ended up hurting her knee so we had to take a break on the side on the river so that she could get checked out. She said that she jumped into the water to swim by went knee-first and collided with a large rock.
We had lunch along the river with the other commercial rafts. It was really good. I am going to miss the food here! I could eat these tortillas for every meal for the rest of my life!
When we continued rafting after lunch and Chloe got to guide a lot of the rapids. It was super fun. We saw a abandoned camp which was from illegal hunters, according to Diego. We even saw an illegal hunter with his dog.
We got to the takeout and got access to all our stuff. We bought some pictures that they took of our raft throughout the day. We also got changed into fresh, dry clothes before getting back on the bus to San Jose.
It was a long and uneventful bus ride. I was actually in a lot of pain in my ribs and wrist but I took some Advil. I spent the majority of the bus ride reading a book on my phone.
Farewell Dinner at La Tertulia Por Prana
When we finally arrived at La Dehesa, we got changed into nice clothes and left again for the restaurant owned by Jose’s cousin. It is called La Tertulia Por Prana. I was really cold but still had so much fun. There was live music, dancing and lots of good food. So much food in fact, I just couldn’t possibly eat it all.
After dinner Chris, Kate, Jorge, Jose, and the other members of the tour company talked about how happy everyone was with the trip. Hailey, one of the other students on the trip, announced our compiled tip for Jorge and the other guides. We also investigated the garden area of the restaurant, took pictures, checked out the animals, and took turns on the swings. On the bus ride home we did karaoke. People took turns using the mic at the front of the bus. It was so funny and chaotic.
I slept in on this day. I was just much too tired to wake up for the sunrise with heather. To be honest though, sleeping in for me meant waking up at 6:30am. I ended up just being quiet but staying in my room. Our last Costa Rican breakfast was super good, of course.
Walking Around San Jose
We had some time after breakfast to explore around the hostel. We visited a couple markets where I bought some chocolate, plantain chips, and a ginger kombucha. We continued walking around seeing some beautiful homes, churches, and a park. We could see the mountains in the distance. It was very beautiful. I miss it so much already!
DAY 8: SUNDAY, MARCH 7TH, 2023
MY APARTMENT IN PEMBROKE, ONTARIO, CANADA
Souvenir Store
After eating lunch back at the hostel, we packed up all our belongings and hopped back on the bus. We stopped at a souvenir store before boarding the bus one last time to drive to the San Jose International Airport. The souvenir store was massive and it had a bunch of animals on property, including peacocks and donkeys. I ended up buying another sloth tee shirt, though this one was oversized (another matching shirt with Alyssa, unplanned), and some bracelets. This location makes all their products on site. I would say it is the type of place that attracts lots of tourists.
San Jose International Airport
It was emotional saying goodbye to Jorge, our guide for the whole trip, and Jose, our bus driver once we arrived at the airport. I gave them both hugs as we said goodbye.
The tip home went well. We had a five hour flight from San Jose, Costa Rica to Toronto, Canada. Once we got to the Toronto Pearson Airport, we went through customs again, found our luggage, then hoped onto another coach bus back to Pembroke, Ontario. We ended up reaching Pembroke at about 6am. Luckily though, I was able to sleep for a large part of the the flight and for the entire bus ride. I was definitely still tired though when I got home.
