JEM Costa Rica Blog 2023

 

For the next two days, we stayed at an off-the-grid, family run eco-lodge with the Seelye Family! Here we learned about living off the grid in harmony with nature. The Seelyes are naturalists and environmental crusaders. We explored the farm, met their animals, and hiked nearby trails in the cloud forest! We shared delicious home cooked meals and even had a cooking lesson! We milked cows, gathered eggs, fed the rainbow trout, and learned about sustainable living. The most amazing experience was hiking through the highland forest amongst the clouds! We saw so many different types of birds, trees, and plants native to Costa Rica! We also climbed the magical Castle Tree, a redwood relative that is believed to be 1000 years old. We were all sad to end our amazing adventure in Costa Rica, but excited to return home with memories to last a lifetime! Pura Vida!!!

 

 

Today we headed into the highlands! We stopped by Terraba for a chocolate tour and learn about traditional mask crafting. We got to see first hand how chocolate is grown and turned into food! We met the Terrabas, an indigenous matriarchal community of about 600 people who are very proud of their roots and culture. Afterwards, we continued our journey towards the Highlands to a cloud forest!

 

 

The students assisted with dolphin research by boat in the crystal blue waters of the Gulfo Dulce and assist local biologist, David Herrera, who works to preserve their home. While on the boat, the students saw many dolphins jumping alongside them. The students then ventured into the rainforests near the town of Rincon de Osa in search of poison dart frogs to help David's research on the connection between the health of dolphins and frogs. The students collected important datapoints that will help with habitat preservation in this fragile ecosystem. 

 

 

After four early mornings, we had a leisurely morning swimming in the pool and exploring the nearby river. Then, we were back on the bus and on our way to the Osa peninsula, which is the most biodiverse place on Earth! On our way, we caught our first glimpse of Golfo Dulce from high up on the ridge. Golfo Dulce (“Sweet Gulf”) is one of only 3 tropical fjords in the world. Here we are staying at El Chontal, a rustic lodge on the gulf’s edge run by a local scientist who does research on local dolphin and frog populations. We are staying in these cool wooden cabins— which some of us are also sharing with a couple bats (though they are out hunting for insects all night while we sleep). Blaise said “Having bats in our cabin was a new and different experience but eventually we got used to it!” Today, Alex opened a coconut with his own hands and we tried the tasty coconut meat inside. At El Chontal, we are completely immersed in nature. John says, “Everywhere you look you see an amazing animal, bug, or plant.”

That’s all for now... ¡Hasta luego!

 

 

 

 

Saturday we celebrated Nathaniel’s 15th birthday! We headed down the mountain toward the Pacific coast. Bus rides are a time for us to chat, sing together, play games, enjoy the scenery and snack! Josie says “we live off of Yippees and chikis, two chocolatey Costa Rican snacks we eat a lot on our bus rides.” On the way we stopped at a big fruit stand that was overflowing with local, tropical fruits. Some we had already tried, such as mango, pineapple and watermelon. Some were completely new, like granadilla, manzanita and guayaba. They even cut off the tops of some coconuts (called “pipas”), so we could drink the coconut water straight out of the coconut with a straw. Logan said, “The pipa water was so sweet and refreshing!” We also stopped at a huge souvenir store to get gifts for friends and family, including a variety of Costa Rican crafts, coffee, and chocolate. Next, we made a stop at the Tarcoles River and walked over the bridge so we could look down and see all the crocodiles that hang out on the banks there— we counted 15! Felicity said, “I could take them in a fight!” Finally we reached the beach! There we loaded into 3 outrigger canoes, which held 8 people who paddled together. We paddled the canoes for about a half hour until we reached a secluded beach where we cooled off in the Ocean and snacked on fresh pineapple. Nathaniel said “This is the first birthday I’ve spent swimming in the ocean!” We even had our guide’s cute dog join us in the outrigger and he sat on the stern like the captain. At one point he fell out and Maddy had to rescue him from the water. Daisy’s cousin, who is a baker in Monteverde, provided us with a box of fresh donuts for Nathaniel’s birthday, which we ate at the end of our outrigger expedition. That night we stayed in the most resort-like accommodation of our trip and we enjoyed our first night with air-conditioning and a delicious dinner, which concluded with a surprise chocolate birthday cake.

 

 

Everyone got a good night's sleep at el Gran Gavilán and were awoken at dawn by the symphony of birds. After a hearty breakfast, we were off for our first expedition: white water rafting! We were all very excited to try it, but some of us were nervous too. We were in rafts of six on the Pacuare river, which was flanked by steep banks covered in tropical forest. Alex said he was “mesmerized by the diversity of plant life.” We had a very fun time rafting and even got to jump out and swim a bit. There were Class 1-3 rapids and even one part that was Class 4, which was pretty exhilarating! A couple of us fell out of the raft, but we were all safe! Erica’s favorite favorite part was when we rafted through a steep narrow canyon with vines hanging down. We even saw a sloth high in a tree!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The students and chaperones had an EARLY wake-up call this morning for their 3am departure time, but everyone was in high spirits! Everything went smoothing with all 19 members of the group safely arriving in San Jose, Costa Rica perfectly on time! Alejandra and Gregory, the two dedicated guides for the trip, and their driver Don Rafa met the group at the airport and they all went out to the countryside where they enjoyed their first meal together in Costa Rica - Batidos (fresh strawberry smoothies) and "Casado", the typical Costa Rican meal of rice and beans, plantains, salad, cooked veggies, and meat. They were stuffed! Afterward, the group traveled to Sarapiqui to settle in for the night and discuss the importance of the expedition mentality, which will help set the tone for the best possible experiential learning trip. The hotel was full of flowers and birds and the students enjoyed a swim in the pool.

 

Early Morning Departure	Early Morning Departure	Early Morning Departure	On the bus!
Aboard the plane	Aboard the plane	Aboard the plane	Aboard the plane
Arrived safe and sound!	Arrived safe and sound!	On their way to adventure!	Their first Costa Rican meal together. SOO delicious!