We are back in Hermosa! These last few days are flying by! The students had a wonderful excursion on Sunday at Bijaguas Ranas Wildlife Preserve and at Rio Celeste Waterfall! The even got to make their own chocolate from a cacao pod! On Monday we went surfing in Tamarindo. The students were awesome! I think all of them were able to stand up on a wave and by the end many of them were catching their own waves without the help from an instructor!

              As I write this the students are in exams. It is crazy how fast time goes on these programs. Students spent Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning studying, preparing exam sheets and getting their luggage ready for our journey home.  I really hope that each student has memories to take home with them to last a life time. Whether walking through the cloud forest in Monteverde, snorkeling with sea turtles and puffer fish, or shredding on a surfboard, there have been so many awesome experiences. A huge thank you from me and the teachers for all the efforts these kids have put forth over the past two weeks. Great job everyone!

I wanted to take a minute to highlight some amazing shots our photography students have taken over the past 2 weeks. Great work everyone!

I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the place the students talk about most when then get home. They put in extra work over the past few days so we could have a full day of waterslides, fruit smoothies and poolside laughs. Los Lagos Resort and Spa is an awesome location for that. It is a big property and the students have done a great job managing the shuttle service and ensuring they are getting to meals on time and back to rooms in time for nightly curfew checks. The rest of the time has been theirs for some well-earned relaxation and fun. It has still been raining pretty regularly, but when you are in the pool, does it even matter?

Another day, another beautiful stop on our journey. This time we are stationed in La Fortuna near the base of the Arenal volcano. This little town is a typical Central American town with a church in the centre and a large courtyard surrounded by shops and restaurants. We started our time here going on a gorgeous hike on El Silencio trail which brought us within two kilometres of the volcano. The weather cooperated the best it could and we got a good view of the mouth of the volcano as well as the amazing flora and fauna that surrounds it. On our trip we were able to see the three-toed sloth, as well as howler monkeys, and a hog-nosed viper! It was hot, humid and exhausting, but it was so worth it! After some time to relax back at the hotel and witness a very impressive thunderstorm, we went to a restaurant for dinner and to watch the last half of the Canada v. Argentina soccer game. The result wasn’t great, but it was still a memory made.

Wednesday was a heavy class day in preparation for fun times in the hot springs and on waterslides at Los Lagos Resort on Thursday and Friday. We were still able to get into town to let the students walk around and enjoy the sites, smells and shops. We are now past the halfway point and it is great seeing the students find their groove balancing travel, fun, and school.

Today we were lucky enough to spend the day at Life Monteverde. This coffee plantation and farm is all about sustainability and producing coffee in a way that not only creates an amazing product, but also helps improve the soil and the natural environment. The students were able to learn about the lengthy and historic process that goes into coffee production and they were able to try the different styles of coffee the organization has to offer. They also got a very informative tour of the property including the livestock on site and were treated to a delicious lunch of which each ingredient was produced right there on the farm. THAT is Earth to table!

After spending the morning and early afternoon at the plantation, we went into Santa Elena for some souvenir shopping and goodies. They had some downtime before dinner and then had a bit of class after dinner to ensure they are staying on track with their studies. Tomorrow we are headed to our third stop, the town of La Fortuna near the base of the Arenal volcano.

The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve. WOW! What a surreal experience walking through one of the four cloud forests in the world. The biodiversity, the lush flora, everywhere we looked was something amazing! We were up for a 6:30am breakfast and out the door this morning. When we arrived at the preserve our tour guides took us through the forest and showed us all the wonders it had to offer. Our groups saw snakes, hummingbirds, monkeys, coatis (with babies!!) and so much more! Did you know one large avocado tree could have 2 tons of other plant life living on it!? Did you know some of the 500 species of orchid that live in the forest are so small it takes a magnifying glass to see? So many interesting facts learned from our time in the forest!

After the tour we headed for some lunch and then class in the afternoon. The students also got some free time to unwind after a long day before dinner. Students are also having a good time around the pool table and some have even reserved time in the outdoor jacuzzi. Some of us are going to find it hard to leave this amazing place!

Our biggest transfer of the program is in the books! What a productive and eventful day. We had a 3.5 hour bus ride this morning to the Selina Hotel, our new home for the next few days, followed immediately by lunch (pizza!) and then class. A quick change of clothes and grab of our rain coats and we were off to our night hike. The kids did a great job braving the weather and although we were all soaked by the end, there were some awesome sightings on the hike. We were split into two groups for the hike and between us we saw a toucan, frogs, snakes, a porcupine, so many different insects and lots of cool flora. The kids had a great times trying to be the next one to spot wildlife with their flashlights. Once back at our hotel we had a late dinner and a little down time before room checks. We have an early morning tomorrow at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve. 

What a great day! The kids had class this morning; Ms. S’s photo class was out and about snapping pictures and Ms. Singh’s class had their chemistry test. After lunch we headed down to the beach where we were picked up in boats and taken out to a coral reef for snorkeling. We saw so many fish and big sea turtles! The kids had a great time collecting shells on the beach near our snorkeling location and munching on pineapple, watermelon and plantain chips. When we returned, we were able to swim in the ocean for a bit before a big thunderstorm rolled in. That gave the students some more time to get some school work done before dinner. Then it was packing and organizing in preparation for our move to Monteverde tomorrow. It was a great combination of production and fun!

Great second day! We went ziplining through monkey-filled trees this morning. One howler monkey even dropped down onto the zipline, stopping our group for a bit while it walked along the line to the next tree. The kids had a great time and got to see lots of wild life including three kinds of monkeys, coatis, iguanas and turtles.

There was class this afternoon, with the science class working hard on biology and the photography class learning about their cameras and taking some ocean side photos. Some of them even drank out of coconuts! Finally, we went down to the beach for some fun in the water at sunset (although it was too cloudy to see it tonight) before a delicious dinner of barbeque chicken, vegetables and mashed potatoes.

Day 1 is in the books! The kids were awesome throughout all the travel! We landed in Liberia and then headed for a nice lunch where the kids tried their first Casado, a traditional Costa Rican meal with rice, salad, protein and fried plantains. Some of the kids enjoyed trying the different hot sauces that were on the table!

On our ride to the hotel we were lucky enough to have our driver spot a family of howler monkeys in the trees so we stopped enjoyed that for a moment before heading to Villas Huetares, our home for the next few days. Students had their first official class time in Costa Rica and enjoyed the pools. We had a delicious dinner of spaghetti and salad and then I took some of the kids down to the beach for a little evening splash in the water. Everyone is happy to be here and taking advantage of all this place has to offer! Tomorrow is ziplining in the morning and then class in the afternoon before a walking trip to the grocery store so kids can stock up on snacks.