This morning we said goodbye to the Seeyle family and thanked them for the incredible stay at their lodge on the farm. Our students had the opportunity to hear from the matriarch of the family, Maxine, as she shared her amazing story of moving down to Costa Rica in the late 60's. Their home nestled up in the high mountains became our second home for these last few days. The family, the forest, and the animals on the farm have captured our hearts!
We are experts now on milking the cows and caring for the baby goats! The goats were just about the cutest things I have ever seen... they are seven days old today!
Kevin and our guide Quique are both self-admitted "bird nerds" which is GREAT because they have taught us so much already. On an afternoon hike, we even caught a glimpse of the elusive quetzal. This is a special bird for Costa Ricans, and I can see why! Kevin took this picture yesterday.
Penn Charter students were sad to pack it up and leave the farm life, but I promised them that the trip will get even BETTER! That has already come true!
We traveled most of the day today to reach the Arenal region. En route, we stopped to have lunch at EL Jardin, a lookout point that gave us a hazy view of the Pacific coast. Here is our group at lunch:
Along the road, we stopped at a Mega Super (think Shop Rite) for our first dose of Costa Rican shopping...for snacks of course! Our guides Quique and Alejandra encouraged the kids to try local Costa Rican snacks instead of the treats they might already know. So, our adventurers gladly sampled pork rinds, yucca chips, and wild Costa Rican candy bars. This is all part of immersing one into a new culture, right?!
We arrived at our hotel in the Arenal region and it was like a dream. We heard this low rumbling noise that we soon discovered were howler monkeys off in the distance. There were toucans and parakeets flying above us. And Nick D. put it best when he said, "We are right next to a volcano, overlooking a lake, and swimming in a beautiful pool! This is out of control!" Tomorrow, we will zipline and visit a local organic farm near La Fortuna. Later, we will have an opportunity to explore the town of La Fortuna.
I am enlisting some students to write a few blog entries tomorrow!
Signing off from the base of Arenal,
Alice
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