Three B's

This past week has been unbelievable.  We as a class have traveled all over the country of Costa Rica, from the Pacific to the Caribbean (and yes I know how to spell it).  The first of our travels

in the last week (maybe a little over it)  started with white water rafting which was amazing.

This was the first rafting I have done in years, though the abilities come back pretty easily.  My raft consisted of Bob, Evan, Jon, Paul, and Carmen which was aptly named Team Meatstick.  It was not uncommon to go through rapids and expect Evan to fall out/be gone from the boat, along with some other member of our boat.  It seemed that out of all the boats that our class took, ours had the most deserters during the duration of the trip.  I would say that this was incredible, with the sights and events that happened and I would like to share pictures, but cameras and rafting do not go well together (it might be the rocks or water or the combination of both).  There will pictures later though because the company we did it with did take pictures which will be made available to us later.

The following morning at  5am, we left for the Pacific Coast of the Osa.  This 10 hour journey took us to a remote camping village which we went on snorkeling adventures in national parks and jungle walks there to see the nature there.  There is an incredible amount of wildlife every where, which could be seen anywhere we were at.  The first day at our destination we left for a jungle walk which this is what we ended up seeing:

The following day we went on a dive at the local coral reef, to see the diversity of the area we we living in.  The dive took place out at an island located of the shore by about 2 miles and took about an hour to get to.  We spent about an hour diving and saw a lot but were hindered by small fitting equipment and a strong current.  The island though, like the rest of the country was incredible.  (there are no pictures again because my camera and water do not mix)

A little on where we stayed:  It was a compound structured campsite which tents were set up under roofs to ensure protection from the jungle rains.  We had rudimentary services (two lights with cold water showers and sink).  There was a larger lodge which provided us with food and an expensive bar.  This was were we all hung out, playing cards and drinking together (which was fun and somewhat frustrating due to my ability to get my ass kicked at hearts)

After our long journey home and some broken explaining to my house mom, we left last thursday for Caribbean for some R&R.  This was the high point of the trip because we would see some of the coolest sights I have seen.  We started at La Silva Research Station, which by all accounts is the most humid place I have ever been.  We went on several jungle walks there and managed to see poison dart frogs and several types of monkeys, as well as a multitude of plants.  We then ventured to the Chaquita plantation to learn about banana production that occurs in Costa Rica, which was interesting because like Cafe Britt, we ran into an interesting presentation by the local women (I will go into a better description in the banana blog).  After this we were finally done with "class" and headed to our final destination for saturday and sunday rest.  Im not sure of the name, but it was amazing.  The view through the trees was from my hotels room.  We were provided with the best food we have eaten on the trip as well as the best showers I have had (actual warm water!).  At nights we would chill together drinking and swimming the pool and in the mornings I would go on runs (K5K went international and included a beach run portion).  The last night there, Nate and I built a fire on the beach and managed to have about 15 of our class mates come out to relax and enjoy ourselves.

The trip home was not bad either, which we stopped in a small village to get some shopping done.  I was traveling with Bob, Jon, and Paul, which we decided that instead of shopping we could better spend our time on mopeds, which we rented for an hour at 15 dollars.  It was awesome and a little dangerous (which I like to say is my middle name or at least how I live).

This is all I have for now, but the past week and a half has been unreal and the time is dwindling here.  I will keep you updated as I can.

Song of the Day:  Passerby by Dispatch