Day 10: SJO--ATL--MLI

All good things must come to an end....sadly... And while we've had a great time, done some amazing activities, seen some amazing things, shared many laughs, I think...actually I know...the kids are ready to go home.  We've had a few people struck by illness which stinks at the end of a tour to be excited to go home and yet hope you have the energy to get there.

We had a SUPER early flight (7 am) so we left the hotel at 3:30.  Upon leaving CR, you have to pay an airport tax -- goes to a variety of funds.  Got our selves checked in, thru security and headed to gate.  My sickies immediately crashed and there we sat for a good 2 hrs.  We did get to see the sunrise from their airport.

Our flights are amazing - San Jose to Atlanta - 2.5 hrs in Atlanta - then Atlanta to Moline.  Probably the best flights I've ever had.  :)

Some fun times in Atlanta - 5 of us got Green & Blue bagged once we hit customs to head over to Agricultural Inspection.  Since we had been on a farm horseback riding, they wanted to do some inspection as well as grill us about food we were bringing back.  Luckily nada mucho really happened...but was a new experience for us all.  We rechecked bags, went back thru security and headed to our new terminal.  Grabbed some lunch...and then I put these guys to work checking papers. LOL

And then finally - the witching hour - our Moline flight.  You could see the excitement in their eyes!!  Sadly we were greeted with white confetti ...aka snow. :(  That's a bit of a shocker...ugh...welcome back to Iowa! But better were all the family & friends there to welcome the kids home!!  Being a single mom/Super Aunt for 10 days to 7 teenagers is exhausting...especially when they alllll get sick at one point or another, but I wouldn't trade it for the world!!  I absolutely love it!

That's the best part of this job is watching the transformation from Day 1 to Day 10. I love getting to know the kids outside of the classroom, watching them mature over the tour, watching them bond with each other, hearing them practice their Spanish...or at least some of them...seeing their eyes light up a new sights and sounds.

Looking back it's been an amazing 10 days full of soooo many priceless memories!!  The following list may not mean much to many of you, but to the kids, I'm guessing they will laugh/giggle/smile when they see these!!

Fulgencio
Butterscotch
"Why you different??"
"Want me to bleed you??"
Ricardo & his pigeon
"You are smoking hot"
Hacky-sack in Senorita's room
Euchre games
Rubbing egg whites all over your sunburns
that looooooong bus ride in San Jose
tick
Mario-ville
Jurassic Park noises at the Kiddie Zone
Mario vs Mare-E-O  (sound it out - you'll get it)
leaf-cutter ants
crazy drug dealer hosing the pavement
Mad-libs at dinner
Disco Night
Disco Night #2
mocking Mario on the bus home from folklore night
gummy-bear-hungry-raccoon
the big wave
horseback riding
zip-lining
cute guides at whitewater rafting
bus tied to the palm tree
nightwalk without animals...
B.S. game
Mad-libs with the crazies on the beach
Play Boy shirt waiter
ice cream outings before AND after dinner
green-tailed dog
Jumper, the crocodile
sleeping in til 8...lol
Tarzan swing
hiding under beds & scaring people
belching in the KS boy's face...and then running into him about 3 more times
broken suitcase handles
an amazing homecoming of family & friends :)
"I don't know but I've been told...Costa Rica has me sold."

I could go on as the list is priceless.
Parents:  If your kids haven't done it yet, THANK YOU for sending your kids on this amazing journey & sharing them with me for 10 days. It's pretty quiet around here without them...  I feel so proud to have had the opportunity to show your kids part of this amazing world we live in. You have some amazing kids!!
Readers:  Thank you for reading our blog & commenting - it's a nice tie to the world we left behind, the one we'll be returning to a changed person.
Kids:  Thank you for reminding me to laugh & helping me see things with new eyes...your eyes!  I hope you continue to travel & know you will always have a special place in my heart!! Dinner just wasn't the same without all of you around... See you tomorrow at school!!!

PURA VIDA!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 9: More adventure

What a great way to spend our last day in CR!!  

We were up early again (going to school is going to be like sleeping in) and headed out of San Jose to go White water rafting!!!  It was a gorgeous day - not too sunny, not too hot...perfect!!  On our way out of town, we drove thru another gorgeous National Park, and over the Dirty River.  As you can see below, the yellow (Dirty River) comes down full of sulfur and meets up with a natural river - fascinating!!

El Rio Sucio (The Dirty River)

We picked up our guide, Walter, after an extended journey to get there due to construction, and up river we headed.  We grabbed our life jackets, helmets & oars and headed towards the river for our safety instruction.  We split up into 4, 5 or 6 in a boat and off we went!

Group shot

I was in the boat with Kelsey, Mychaela, Sam & Regan.  Bri & Brooklyn went with a few Canadian girls...and a very handsome guide! :)  We had many water fights along the way, a few people got dumped into the river, some jumped out in calmer waters to swim.  The water was fairly low as the rainy season is April to November, so the waters are super high in Nov & Dec.

Forward....Forward....

After about 2+ hrs of rafting, we finally docked and had a riverside lunch.  The kids' favorite part was the PB&J sandwiches!  :)  We headed back home and most napped the entire way.  We had some construction issues again on the way back, so didn't get to hotel until 3pm...dinner at 6.  We quick ran to the grocery store for goodies, did some packing & headed to dinner.

Dinner produced quite a few tears as Mario (our guide) said some great things to the kids.  The kids also had to say good-bye to each other since we wouldn't see them in the a.m.  Then, my Iowa group met with Mario and made him an honorary Blue Shirt member!

AJ, Kelsey, Mychaela, Sam, TD Mario, Regan, Brianne & Brooklyn

The kids shared with Mario their favorite moments, things they will take away from this experience, and life lessons they have learned.  Not many dry eyes in the house.  So proud of my kids!!

Double trouble!

PURA VIDA!!

Day 8: Back to San Jose

Today we sadly left our beach-front hotel and headed back to San Jose.

Adios a la playa 

We did a couple shopping stops along the way. Also stopped back in Sarchi but this time we got to see the World's Largest Ox Cart.

Sarchi

Once back in San Jose, we checked into our last hotel and then went for a walk to downtown SJ.  Our goal was a grocery store, but had to stop & get some churros...delish!

Churro time!!

We grabbed our churros and went out to Plaza to eat churros & people watch.  The plaza had a gazillion pigeons all over, little kids chasing & feeding them.  The kids made a new friend, Ricardo.  Well, actually the girls made a new friend.  Ricardo came over and started chatting us up in English, but then quickly flipped to Spanish.  He ended up going over to a group of pigeons, grabbing one, and bringing it back over to the girls to touch.  Only AJ would hold it.  I'm sure Ricardo will be quite popular in school tomorrow.

Our new friend, Ricardo, and the pigeon.

Tonight's activity was the Costa Rican Folklore evening.  Our location was up above SJ, overlooking the city.  On our way up we ran into (literally) a practice procession for Palm Sunday.  Was cool to be a part of Semana Santa.  We had a lovely dinner overlooking the city and then picked out our seats for the Folklore show.

Me & my amazing kids!

King AJ

My silly hijos :)

After the formal show, they turned on some dance tunes and off the kids went.  How cool to be in a disco overlooking the city!!

Cupid Shuffle at the Disco

Overall, it was a fairly quiet day, compared to previous days.  The weather is MUCH cooler here in SJ, even with the rain on the way to dinner, no humidity like down on the beach.
It's hard to believe tomorrow is our real last day here.  While it feels like we've been here for weeks, it also has been an amazing week of adventures, fun times & lots of laughter.
Tomorrow we're off early--we soooooo enjoyed sleeping in today. We're heading to go White Water Rafting!
PURA VIDA!!

Day 7: The Sunburned Siete

What a gorgeous day to spend at the beach!!  We got up at an ungodly hour, ate a small breakfast, and off we went to Manuel Antonio National Park.

Sunrise this morning

 We hiked into the park about 20 minutes before finding our spot on the Playa Manuel Antonio.  It was straight out of some Caribbean post card...unreal.  The water was soo blue!  As you can see, the scenery was outstanding!  Really felt like we were off on some tropical location.
We spent most of the day there.  Kids loved the water, listening to the waves breaking against the rocks, and soaking up the strong sun.  They swam, played beach volleyball, sunbathed...just enjoyed a break from the hustle & bustle of past days.  One of the big waves came and soaked 4 of the girls towels, which were actually quite a ways away. This beach is also known for it's sneaky animals.  For example, the minute Mychaela got up to go into the water, a raccoon ran over and grabbed her gummy bears out of her bag.  Many other monkeys showed up around lunch time as we were getting ready to leave.

PVHS Roamin' Spartans

Shaking out the towels that got soaked by the big wave.

Bridgeview girls enjoying the water.

The Alman sisters enjoying the beach,

AJ keeping watch...enjoying the beach day.

One of those sneaky monkeys

It was pretty quiet on the bus ride back as every single person was asleep...except me for some odd reason.  We grabbed a  late lunch upon our return and then to chillax in the A/C.  Next thing I knew, all the kids were in my room: playing cards, snacking, and laughing together... LOVED it!!  Sadly, most are looking quite red.  Our amazing Tour Director, Mario, earned his Super Mario status today. He showed up and mixed up an odd concoction of egg white & my after-sun lotion and had me put it all over the kids.  He then took Mychaela's sandy iPhone and got that fixed. Lastly, he pulled a tick off of Sam.  Super Mario to the rescue!  :)
It's been a day for the Iowa group, so the best way to fix that is ICE CREAM!!!  So, off on our ice cream adventure we went!  A great way to end our day!
Tomorrow we're heading back to San Jose, with some shopping stops along the way, and a folklore evening to end the day.

Sam enjoying her banana split after getting a tick removed from her neck.  Such a trooper!! 

Ice cream cures all that ails you!!

Thanks to those who have commented - the kids love reading them when they pop up!
Pura Vida!!

Day 6: Crocs & a Beach

We sadly said good bye to the mountainous region of Costa Rica & headed to the Pacific Coast.  We quickly could tell the difference once we did a potty stop - hello heat & humidity!  Feels like an Iowa summer!!

Our first main stop was a Crocodile Tour - wow!!!   We cruised up the river and watched as our boat captain called over crocodiles to feed.  Our first croc we ran into was one who had lost the top part of his mouth in a fight.  Our captain hopped out, started making sounds mimicking of baby alligators to call over the croc.  Slowly but surely, the croc popped up out of no where, thus allowing us to see his full size.  We had great views of this & the kids have some amazing shots to share.  

Ready for our Croc Tour

This guy doesn't get paid enough money for his job!

We fed 2 more crocs, including 'Osama bin Laden.'  :)  We cruised thru the mangroves and saw some cool crabs, amazing plants & tree roots, egrets, lizzards...such a relaxing boat cruise. Beautiful weather...cool breeze...sigh...

We kept heading south east and ended in Jaco Beach.  Our hotel is literally on the beach. It's not a beach to swim on as the waves are are huge and the beach is a bit rocky.  But we still had to go check it out.  There's a gorgeous pool as well. Kids are loving this place...me too!!

AJ's first trip to the beach

Sunset was amazing tonight - we wandered down to the beach and checked out the sunset...amazing colors!

My kids at sunset

Before our late dinner...and actually afterwards as well, we headed for ice cream.  :)  That's a typically thing we do on my tours.   On our way back, across the street from the ice cream shop is this restaurant, Amigos...thought it was a perfect spot for a photo opp!

Los Amigos---fitting :)

Another successful day in Costa Rica!  While we are enjoying the warmer weather, the humidity is a bit overwhelming.  Amazing how things can change so quickly from one spot to the next!!
Beach day tomorrow.... Pura Vida!!

Day 5: Adrenaline Rush!

An adventure filled day!!  The kids have been looking forward to this day the whole entire trip!  Sooo much adrenaline running thru their veins!

First up:  Horseback riding!  AJ was in his element, being the polo player he is!  They all got paired on with their horses, and out on the trails they went!  They explored the beautiful countryside and hills. Brianne & Brooklyn really enjoyed it as well since they've ridden for years.  Actually all the kids said that was their favorite part of the day!!

Ready to ride!

It's not Rebel, but AJ is in his element on his new horse!

Sam taking the reins with her horse.

Mychaela is ready to go!

Brooklyn is happy to be riding again!

Regan is ready to go!

Kelsey is all saddled up...and being photo bombed by AJ.

Brianne is excited to ride!

We went straight from horseback riding to zip-lining!  The day had started out a bit rainy & cloudy, but soon cleared up and was perfect!  After a safety check, off they went.  The Extreme Canopy Adventure had 12 ziplines, plus the tarzan swing!  What a blast!  I think the kids were not expecting the hike between the different lines.  They did a few tandem  so the pics below are them coming in tandem style on their last line.

Harness & Helmets - ready to rumble!

Mychaela & Regan on the return trip.

Sam & Kelsey on their final line.

AJ & Brianne having fun!

Brooklyn & Chloe (Canada) landing safely!

Overall, the kids had a blast today!  I think doing both activities back to back might have been a little much as they were a bit sore, but it's all good!
After lunch, we wandered town a bit - kids found Wi-Fi outside the Treehouse hotel. Out hotel has no Wi-Fi, so they've been a bit out of touch.

Beautiful sunset in CR.

After dinner, the hotel opened up the disco and off they went dancing for a few hours.  Was fascinating to watch the Americans dance versus how the Canadians dance.  Good way to blow off some extra steam from the day!!

Showing off their moves during the Cupid Shuffle.

All-in-all a great few days here in Monteverde.  Tomorrow we're off to the Coast...and probably warmer weather.  :)

Pura Vida!!

Day 4: Doing our part

PV kids doing our part!

Today was a day to give back and it was awesome!  Our first stop was the Cebadilla primary school.  They have grades K-6 at their small, rural school.  Kids mainly walk as it is a super small community.   There are only 11 kids grades K-6, and it was their day off, so the moms came, opened up the school,   girls did a few traditional dances for us.  We saw their school - basically 3 buildings (classroom, newly refurbished restrooms, and a cafeteria). We were then treated to some snacks, and then had time to play with the kids.  Some played soccer, others grabbed our frisbees and played with the kids...

PV kids at the Cebadilla School.

We then ended with a big game of hacky-sack! It was cool to watch my PV kids interact with these Costa Rican kids.  They are so precious and loved playing with us!  We brought them many school supplies and had to throw in some toys & games.  Best part was on the bus when my kids asked for their address to send them a thank you card...sigh...I told them that I think we'll send more than a thank you card!

Playing a little Hacky sack with the kids.

Next stop on our Give Back Day was to plant trees in the Santa Elena reserve.  Met some volunteers from the States who were helping at the reserve.  Everyone was given a tree and off hiking we went to plant our trees.

Regan, Mychaela & Sam planting trees.

Brianne planting her tree.

Sam, Mychaela, Kelsey & Regan in the tree at the Santa Elena rainforest.

Next up was the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve. Such a beautiful place! It felt like Portland, with all the green, mossy trees.  Saw a Quetzal right away - gorgeous blue!

Our last adventure of the day was a Night walk thru the Forest.  We all got flashlights and off we went at dusk.  It got dark super quickly and we were quickly surrounded by the forest.  First thing we saw was a raccoon. We also saw some tarantulas & some sleeping birds, but sadly that was about it.  Guess you can't "cue the deer" or any other animals.

Getting prepped for our night walk.

Back to the hotel for dinner.  Our hotel has amazing food!  It's a little outdoorsy...a few bugs, not the hottest of water in some rooms, but I think we'll get that taken care of tomorrow!

Pura Vida!