Another day that didn't go as planned. At 11pm last night Angelina got sick and I was up with her doing bathroom runs pretty consistently until 4am. We were both exhausted. Then at 6am I started having to do the same.
The two of us spent the entire day in bed at the hotel. George, Nathan and Sophia spent the day walking around town a little, relaxing at the hotel pool and checking in on us.
9/30/12
September 28: Panic on the Border
Well, today was one of those days that definitely didn’t go as planned. We had about an hour’s drive from our hotel to the Nicaragua border. Everything went smoothly and as we approached the border we came up behind a 2 kilometer lineup of semi trucks waiting to cross the border. We’ve read that there’s plans to add lanes to the border crossing but for now, it’s the only one on this side of Costa Rica and there’s only two lanes of traffic, one for outgoing and one for incoming. That makes it interesting when you have to try to make it past 2 km of semi trucks driving down the other narrow lane with incoming busses, vehicles and semis forcing us to squeeze to the side every couple of minutes.
We found the Alamo car rental office on the border without a problem, dropped off the car and then proceeded on foot with our luggage to the Costa Rican immigration office where we get our passports stamped.....that’s when panic mode struck. George opened his money belt only to find that he didn’t have his passport with him. We talked to the immigration official about our options and she said the only thing we could do is go to the Canadian consulate in San José, the capital (hours away). Meanwhile, George tried desperately to think where his passport could be. He remembered having it two days ago at the bank in Cañas where we had stopped for lunch...perhaps he had left it there??
We decided to return to the Alamo office to see if the worker there could help us. After about 45 minutes of sheer panic (kids could sense our uneasiness too even though we tried to remain as calm as possible), she was able to talk to a bank worker in Cañas who said they had George’s passport. What a huge relief!!!!!
It made for another really long day of traveling in a small car (we rented the same car again for the day!) but it was better to drive to Cañas than having to go all the way to the capital.
We had read some horrible stories online of waiting for hours in the hot sun at this border crossing but when we returned the second time there were no lines. However, there are no signs whatsoever as to where you have to go so all kinds of local guys swarmed us after getting out of the Costa Rican side asking if we needed a taxi, or exchange money, and they’re all trying to give us advice and help in hopes we’ll give them a tip. We managed to get ourselves through all the processing points on the Nicaragua side and meanwhile one of the persistent men talked us into using his ‘brother’ as our taxi driver to our hotel in San Juan del Sur, a beach town 40 minutes north of the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border.
What a huge relief to pull up to our hotel around 6pm, tired, weary and sweaty -- and six hours later than expected -- but thankful we made it safely.
We found the Alamo car rental office on the border without a problem, dropped off the car and then proceeded on foot with our luggage to the Costa Rican immigration office where we get our passports stamped.....that’s when panic mode struck. George opened his money belt only to find that he didn’t have his passport with him. We talked to the immigration official about our options and she said the only thing we could do is go to the Canadian consulate in San José, the capital (hours away). Meanwhile, George tried desperately to think where his passport could be. He remembered having it two days ago at the bank in Cañas where we had stopped for lunch...perhaps he had left it there??
We decided to return to the Alamo office to see if the worker there could help us. After about 45 minutes of sheer panic (kids could sense our uneasiness too even though we tried to remain as calm as possible), she was able to talk to a bank worker in Cañas who said they had George’s passport. What a huge relief!!!!!
It made for another really long day of traveling in a small car (we rented the same car again for the day!) but it was better to drive to Cañas than having to go all the way to the capital.
We had read some horrible stories online of waiting for hours in the hot sun at this border crossing but when we returned the second time there were no lines. However, there are no signs whatsoever as to where you have to go so all kinds of local guys swarmed us after getting out of the Costa Rican side asking if we needed a taxi, or exchange money, and they’re all trying to give us advice and help in hopes we’ll give them a tip. We managed to get ourselves through all the processing points on the Nicaragua side and meanwhile one of the persistent men talked us into using his ‘brother’ as our taxi driver to our hotel in San Juan del Sur, a beach town 40 minutes north of the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border.
What a huge relief to pull up to our hotel around 6pm, tired, weary and sweaty -- and six hours later than expected -- but thankful we made it safely.
September 27: National Park hike
We could have driven to the Nicaraguan border in one day but we decided to take two days so we could spend one day in Rincón de la Vieja National Park. We enjoyed a 4.5 hour hike to a beautiful waterfall and passed through many different types of vegetation.
We were all pretty tired after our big hike so we were excited to relax in the hot thermal springs that are on the property of our hotel and is included in our stay. We didn't realize there was mud involved! We were about to get in one of the thermal pools when we were stopped by the worker. He instructed us that the first step was to paint ourselves in mud, wait 10-15 minutes for it to dry and then shower off.
We were all pretty tired after our big hike so we were excited to relax in the hot thermal springs that are on the property of our hotel and is included in our stay. We didn't realize there was mud involved! We were about to get in one of the thermal pools when we were stopped by the worker. He instructed us that the first step was to paint ourselves in mud, wait 10-15 minutes for it to dry and then shower off.
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| Nathan singing during his first 'spa' experience |
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| A great way to relax after our big hike! |
9/28/12
September 26: Three months up...time to exit the country
It's hard to believe we've been in Costa Rica three months already. The time is going very fast and as we've settled into the school routine the days seem to go by quickly. What that means for us is that we need to leave the country for 72 hours every three months in order to enter back in for another 90 days.
Today we left Quepos in a rental car and headed north toward the town of Liberia, which is on the way to Nicaragua. On the way, we stopped in the town of Cañas for lunch (you'll hear about this town again on Sept 28th's post).
Five kilometers beyond Cañas we visited Las Pumas Rescue Center, a center for rescued animals, including many wild cats native to Costa Rica. The kids loved seeing pumas, jaguars, ocelots, monkeys, scarlet macaws, parrots and a variety of other rescued animals.
Our lodging destination tonight is a working horse and cattle ranch:
Today we left Quepos in a rental car and headed north toward the town of Liberia, which is on the way to Nicaragua. On the way, we stopped in the town of Cañas for lunch (you'll hear about this town again on Sept 28th's post).
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| The unique characteristic of the cathedral in Cañas is that it's covered entirely in mosaic tile. |
Five kilometers beyond Cañas we visited Las Pumas Rescue Center, a center for rescued animals, including many wild cats native to Costa Rica. The kids loved seeing pumas, jaguars, ocelots, monkeys, scarlet macaws, parrots and a variety of other rescued animals.
Our lodging destination tonight is a working horse and cattle ranch:
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| We didn't have the time or money to do any of the extras but the hacienda offers horse back riding, ziplining, rafting, and 'cowboy for a day' activities. |
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| No matter where we go in Costa Rica the views and vegetation seem to be beautiful. In the Guanacaste province where we are now there are many pretty Guanacaste trees (like the big one in these two pics) |
9/25/12
September 25: Praises & Requests
Praises:
1. Health and safety: We continue to praise God for the overall good health we have enjoyed so far and for being kept safe through all of our daily activities and travels. 2. Our supporters: We are grateful for everyone who is supporting us by prayer, messages of encouragement and financial gifts (over $32,000 of our $36,000 goal has been donated or pledged!)
3. New programming at El Puente: We are really enjoying helping to implement some new programming at school. On Monday mornings, Anna and I take turns leading the kids in 30 minutes of singing. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I've started Spanish reading groups with students (I pull 1-3 students out at a time for 30 minutes of reading and literacy activities). On Wednesday afternoons I'm doing art with students and on Fridays, George and I end the day with gym class.
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| On Friday the rain forced us to go with Plan B and do gym indoors. |
4. Pet time: The kids continue to beg us for a pet and we continue to be non-pet lovers so the answer is always no. However, they are getting to hang out with pets at other places which is just fine with us. On Saturday morning George took them over to the animal shelter where he and Nathan spend time on Friday mornings. The girls were thrilled to get the chance to spend time with the dogs and cats too.
4. Ewww...a snake: I guess this is a praise since George and Nathan thought it was cool to see what we think was a (non-venomous) blind snake slithering into our kitchen tonight. The girls and I are VERY happy George saw it coming under the door so we could 'encourage' it out right away. We would have totally been freaked out if one of us had come across it in our house.
Requests:
1. Fundraising for El Puente: Anna, El Puente's director, is currently in the Holland/Zeeland area and is trying to raise awareness and funds for a permanent building for El Puente. For now, the school runs out of a 2 bedroom condo but space is very limited and we'd love to have a permanent building for El Puente so it can become an accredited school and have room to grow. It's great that land has been donated - now we need money to build a school!
For those in the Holland/Zeeland area there is a way you can help this weekend:
The Holland Christian boys' soccer team will be hosting a car wash fundraiser at Quality Car Wash on South Washington Ave in Holland this coming Saturday, September 29, from 10am-2pm.
A portion of all car wash sales will go towards El Puente Christian School in Costa Rica.
Costa Rican coffee and jewelry will also be for sale and proceeds will go to El Puente.
Costa Rican coffee and jewelry will also be for sale and proceeds will go to El Puente.
3. Protection in travel: It's hard to believe we've been in Costa Rica for three months already which is the longest you can get a guest visa for. That means we have to leave the country for 72 hours every three months and then enter again. We leave tomorrow for our trip north to Nicaragua. We'll spend 2 days exploring some of the northern area of Costa Rica before crossing the border first thing Friday morning. We plan to spend our 3 days in San Juan del Sur, a beach town near the Nicaragua-Costa Rican border. This town was recommended to us by some Nicaraguan missionaries we met three summers ago. Please pray for traveling mercies (we'll be driving a rental car), smooth border crossings, and patience as we continue to spend a lot of time together in a small amount of space :)
9/24/12
September 23: A mental wrestling match
Department team shirts
Who would have thought that a picture of colleagues would make me think, ponder and wrestle so much? On Friday, I opened my email inbox to find a picture of my Foreign Language colleagues from Holland Christian showing off their new department shirts that they created and ordered this year. We've never done that in the past so it was great to see what they looked like and seeing my colleagues brought a huge smile to my face. I also laughed out loud and appreciated the picture of me Photoshopped into one of the team pics. Thank you HC staff for your love! You made my day :)
Shaped by life experiences
I think most, if not all of us, would agree that we have been shaped by our experiences in life. One experience that has had a profound impact on my life is the year we spent volunteering in Morelia, Mexico back in 2003-2004. There's a huge list of reasons why it impacted me so much but one of those reasons is that I was reminded on a daily basis how blessed I am materially speaking. In West Michigan, it's easy for me to forget that. It's easier to focus on those that have more and become discontented. The Ugg boots, expensive jeans, gorgeous new or remodeled homes on Facebook, flat screen TV's and latest tech gadgetry seem to serve as daily reminders of what I don't have (or in some cases, what I choose not to have). When I'm in West Michigan, I find the temptation is to compare myself to those that have more than I do.
When we were in Mexico, though, I was constantly reminded of how much MORE I had compared to many others. PLEASE don't think all Mexicans are poor because they are not! However, the disparity between rich and poor seems to be greater in many ways than in West Michigan. I generally don't see shrubs and bushes used as clothes lines in Zeeland. When I pull up to a stop light on my way to school I don't have a young man jumping on my hood to wash my windshield, hoping I'll give him a couple of coins before the light changes. I've never had anyone knock on my Sanford St. door asking for clothes we no longer need. Our year in Morelia solidified in me an 'attitude of gratitude' that our Bible teacher, Mr. Brandsen, encouraged us to have as high school seniors.
Imagine how I felt then when we drove our van across the Mexico-Texas border in the summer of 2004. We loved our year in Morelia, but we were also so excited to be back in the States and heading home to Michigan. But then we started passing these huge two story warehouses, one after another. They were sort of dark inside so it was hard to tell what they were for but they all had huge piles of something. I was intrigued and kept trying to look into each one as we passed. Finally, I figured out what they were. We were passing numerous warehouses with MASSIVE piles of used clothing, soon to be shipped out of the US. There was a pit in my stomach as I figured out what I was looking at and feelings of disgust as it made me look differently at our overindulgent culture based on our experiences the previous 12 months.
For those of you who know me well, you know I'm a huge second-hand shopper fanatic. I love stores like Ditto, Goodwill and garage sale season!! Part of that is due to my frugality - we're on a tight budget and buying 80-90% of our family's wardrobe second hand really helps us financially. But the other reason I like to is because it's my little way of fighting against our consumerism-based culture. I want to try to hold on to an 'attitude of gratitude' instead of a focus on consumption.
So, what's all the pondering and wrestling about? What does this have to do with HC shirts?
Perspective often is impacted by the timing of life experiences. Friday, I got the email with pictures of my colleagues in their new shirts. There was also another email to staff encouraging all departments to consider creating their own department shirts. It's fun and it would look great... so what's the big deal?
On Friday morning, George had a beggar stop by the house asking for money. In the afternoon, a woman came by peddling homemade hot pads and pleaded with me through the front gate, "Please buy some. I have no money for food." She interrupted a conversation we were having on the couch with our friend Laura who helps run a Christian drug rehab center here. Laura had just said she hardly has enough money right now to pay the rehab center's staff member because donations are really low right now. Recently, two sisters didn't come to school for a day because their mom didn't have money to send them on the bus.
Daily needs of food and transportation are challenges for millions of people around the world. How do I as an individual respond to that? How do Christian communities respond? How much money does a community like Holland Christian spend each year on additional shirts, t-shirts and sweatshirts? Are these needs? Are these wants? What if 900 some people decided not to buy any MIFA T-shirts, or soccer sweatshirts or staff shirts for a year? What kind of financial impact could the HC community have on the world if we donated all that money to help meet the daily needs of folks? How many area food pantry shelves could be stocked? How many struggling Christian schools in the world could be impacted? How many wanna-be business owners in developing countries could receive a loan to start their sewing business or family store?
There's lots of questions running through my head. I'm not saying I have all the answers but I am trying to process it all. Will you join me in the pondering?
Who would have thought that a picture of colleagues would make me think, ponder and wrestle so much? On Friday, I opened my email inbox to find a picture of my Foreign Language colleagues from Holland Christian showing off their new department shirts that they created and ordered this year. We've never done that in the past so it was great to see what they looked like and seeing my colleagues brought a huge smile to my face. I also laughed out loud and appreciated the picture of me Photoshopped into one of the team pics. Thank you HC staff for your love! You made my day :)
Shaped by life experiences
I think most, if not all of us, would agree that we have been shaped by our experiences in life. One experience that has had a profound impact on my life is the year we spent volunteering in Morelia, Mexico back in 2003-2004. There's a huge list of reasons why it impacted me so much but one of those reasons is that I was reminded on a daily basis how blessed I am materially speaking. In West Michigan, it's easy for me to forget that. It's easier to focus on those that have more and become discontented. The Ugg boots, expensive jeans, gorgeous new or remodeled homes on Facebook, flat screen TV's and latest tech gadgetry seem to serve as daily reminders of what I don't have (or in some cases, what I choose not to have). When I'm in West Michigan, I find the temptation is to compare myself to those that have more than I do.
When we were in Mexico, though, I was constantly reminded of how much MORE I had compared to many others. PLEASE don't think all Mexicans are poor because they are not! However, the disparity between rich and poor seems to be greater in many ways than in West Michigan. I generally don't see shrubs and bushes used as clothes lines in Zeeland. When I pull up to a stop light on my way to school I don't have a young man jumping on my hood to wash my windshield, hoping I'll give him a couple of coins before the light changes. I've never had anyone knock on my Sanford St. door asking for clothes we no longer need. Our year in Morelia solidified in me an 'attitude of gratitude' that our Bible teacher, Mr. Brandsen, encouraged us to have as high school seniors.
Imagine how I felt then when we drove our van across the Mexico-Texas border in the summer of 2004. We loved our year in Morelia, but we were also so excited to be back in the States and heading home to Michigan. But then we started passing these huge two story warehouses, one after another. They were sort of dark inside so it was hard to tell what they were for but they all had huge piles of something. I was intrigued and kept trying to look into each one as we passed. Finally, I figured out what they were. We were passing numerous warehouses with MASSIVE piles of used clothing, soon to be shipped out of the US. There was a pit in my stomach as I figured out what I was looking at and feelings of disgust as it made me look differently at our overindulgent culture based on our experiences the previous 12 months.
For those of you who know me well, you know I'm a huge second-hand shopper fanatic. I love stores like Ditto, Goodwill and garage sale season!! Part of that is due to my frugality - we're on a tight budget and buying 80-90% of our family's wardrobe second hand really helps us financially. But the other reason I like to is because it's my little way of fighting against our consumerism-based culture. I want to try to hold on to an 'attitude of gratitude' instead of a focus on consumption.
So, what's all the pondering and wrestling about? What does this have to do with HC shirts?
Perspective often is impacted by the timing of life experiences. Friday, I got the email with pictures of my colleagues in their new shirts. There was also another email to staff encouraging all departments to consider creating their own department shirts. It's fun and it would look great... so what's the big deal?
On Friday morning, George had a beggar stop by the house asking for money. In the afternoon, a woman came by peddling homemade hot pads and pleaded with me through the front gate, "Please buy some. I have no money for food." She interrupted a conversation we were having on the couch with our friend Laura who helps run a Christian drug rehab center here. Laura had just said she hardly has enough money right now to pay the rehab center's staff member because donations are really low right now. Recently, two sisters didn't come to school for a day because their mom didn't have money to send them on the bus.
Daily needs of food and transportation are challenges for millions of people around the world. How do I as an individual respond to that? How do Christian communities respond? How much money does a community like Holland Christian spend each year on additional shirts, t-shirts and sweatshirts? Are these needs? Are these wants? What if 900 some people decided not to buy any MIFA T-shirts, or soccer sweatshirts or staff shirts for a year? What kind of financial impact could the HC community have on the world if we donated all that money to help meet the daily needs of folks? How many area food pantry shelves could be stocked? How many struggling Christian schools in the world could be impacted? How many wanna-be business owners in developing countries could receive a loan to start their sewing business or family store?
There's lots of questions running through my head. I'm not saying I have all the answers but I am trying to process it all. Will you join me in the pondering?
9/22/12
September 21: A Day in the life of George
In the morning I am up at 6AM and
help to get the girls breakfast and ready for school. On Monday and Thursday I make sure to get our
garbage out to the street before the truck comes by . . . anywhere
between 7 and 8AM. After Jane and the girls have eaten I clean
things up and do the dishes with the help of Nathan who is usually up
by then. This is also often when we are busy coming up with lunch
plans and putting that together. Then it is time to unlock the front
gates and see the girls out on their way to school.
On Tuesday and Thursday morning
Nathan and I go in to school with the girls at 7AM because our
reading group with Bradley (the 6th grader) has been
meeting those mornings. However, Bradley just informed me that his
school schedule is changing again so that now we will meet for
reading at 9AM instead. Fortunately we are flexible and can
accommodate flux in our schedule. Nathan, Bradley and I have read
and discussed “The Wadjet Eye” and are now working our way
through “The Egypt Game”. We are on the lookout for plot
developments, character development, faith perspectives and
connections to life or prior reading in each chapter as we proceed
through these literary works.
On Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Nathan and I have some time at home after the girls leave. There are
usually some chores to do like dishes or laundry that needs processing. Sometimes we fix or
organize things around the house or go run an errand in town
before catching a bus to school around 8:30AM. Other times we will
do a math or science lesson in the morning.
On Monday and Wednesday we are
usually at school by recess time at 9AM after which we go to our desk
in the hallway to tackle some science and math. Friday mornings are
special because instead of going to school we proceed to the town
animal shelter to help out with the chores there for a couple of
hours. We enjoy hanging out with the rescued dogs and cats who are
waiting to be adopted and often take the dogs out for walks around
the neighborhood. This helps them to get used to being walked and
gives them some much needed exercise. Our side purpose in this is to hang out with some men who are recovering addicts who work at
the rescue center during that time. It has been great to get to know
these guys and to hear their stories and struggles.
In the afternoons Nathan joins the
regular classes at the school and I am free to work on other things.
I usually start by cleaning up the lunch dishes that are left in the
sink. Then I spend some time catching up on e-mails, paying online
bills and keeping track of our spending and incoming donations. I
can also be found fixing school furniture, running diagnostics on
computers or trying to figure out how to hang a whiteboard. I often
spend some time looking ahead at upcoming lessons and reading for
Nathan and printing out the needed papers for him to proceed. Or I
might be looking online for new activities for Physical Education
class.
The days tend to slip by rather
quickly. When we get home from school there are often some errands
to run or chores to do again. Or I will be busy helping one of our
children with their homework or reading. After supper I am in
charge of cleanup and putting things away before helping the kids get
ready for bed. When they are all tucked in I sometimes watch a
little TV before taking a second daily shower and heading to bed
myself. Another day done . . . Costa Rican style.
9/20/12
September 20: Student Spotlight - Nathan S.
What grade are you in? 4th grade
Where are you from? Baltimore, Maryland
How long have you lived in Costa Rica? 4 years
Who do you live with? My 4 brothers, 3 dogs, mom and step-dad
Do you have any other pets?
A pet turtle named Dribble
What do you like to do in your free time? Play soccer, practice the guitar and I take karate lessons
What's your favorite class or subject? I like all of them
What do you like about living in Costa Rica? We're close to beaches and there's good waves for surfing. The flora and fauna are prettier than in Maryland
What do you appreciate about El Puente Christian School? I have good friends
What do you want to do when you grow up? Be a soccer player for Barcelona or a karate master
Do you dream in Spanish or English? I dream in both
Do you know any jokes?
Do you want to hear a dirty joke?....a pig fell in the mud
Do you want to hear a construction joke?.....I can't tell you it yet because I'm still working on it
Is there anything you'd like people to pray for?
My family back in the States because I haven't seen them in 4 years. Also, for my step dad who will be leaving soon to work a few weeks in the States and for my mom who will have extra work with all of us when he's gone.
9/19/12
September 17: The trail to Mount Chirripó
Our hostel was a short walk to the Cloudbridge Nature Reserve where we hiked the last two days and also to the trail that leads to Mount Chirripó, the tallest mountain in Costa Rica. They say that on a clear day you can see both oceans from the summit. Climbing to the summit requires two days of hiking and footware other than flip flops so we didn't attempt this challenge. However, we did have time to start the trail to Mount Chirripó which starts at an altitude of 5,000 feet. We hiked for 1.5 hours and then packed up for our 11:30 bus ride.
In case you think all the Vander Beek moments are one glorious adventure after another, here's a recap of a conversation from today:
"Mom, I HATE this. I don't want to do this. Why do we have to hike MORE?? We just did this for four hours yesterday."
"Honey, just look at this beautiful place. We don't get to see these views in Zeeland."
"I don't CARE about looking around. I've been to Canada, out west, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Nicaragua. I've seen enough places. I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!!!"
The perturbed child's walking stick gets thrown to the ground at this point.
About two minutes later I hear a terrified scream from another child who wants to quit....massive beetle crossing her path. I do admit it was the largest beetle I've ever seen (4-5 inches) and it was rather traumatizing to a bug hater.
Oh, the joys of trekking into new territory...not always easy or desirable but definitely not dull.
In case you think all the Vander Beek moments are one glorious adventure after another, here's a recap of a conversation from today:
"Mom, I HATE this. I don't want to do this. Why do we have to hike MORE?? We just did this for four hours yesterday."
"Honey, just look at this beautiful place. We don't get to see these views in Zeeland."
"I don't CARE about looking around. I've been to Canada, out west, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Nicaragua. I've seen enough places. I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!!!"
The perturbed child's walking stick gets thrown to the ground at this point.
About two minutes later I hear a terrified scream from another child who wants to quit....massive beetle crossing her path. I do admit it was the largest beetle I've ever seen (4-5 inches) and it was rather traumatizing to a bug hater.
Oh, the joys of trekking into new territory...not always easy or desirable but definitely not dull.
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| Before we headed off to the Mount Chirripó trail, we walked through the gorgeous grounds of the hostel. The morning air was cool - felt so good to wear long sleeves!! |
Giving thanks to God for a safe weekend exploring a beautiful part of His diverse world.
September 16: A looong mountain hike
Today our worship took place in nature. We returned to the Cloudbridge Nature Reserve and hiked nearly 4 hours which is the longest we've ever gone as a family...and Sophia in flip flops! (see yesterday's post for the explanation).
Whew! Spending the entire morning hiking wiped us out so we enjoyed some nap time in the afternoon. It was a nice quiet night in the hostel because we were the only guests there.
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| Our first rest came at this lookout of a waterfall. As we sat and gazed at the beautiful surroundings, I was struck by how many shades of green are in creation. |
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| It's low travel season right now so we had the trails and paths all to ourselves. We didn't see anyone else the entire morning until we were about 15 minutes from the entrance |
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| We came across this covered bridge in the middle of nowhere. |
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| Rainy season means some parts of the trails are quite muddy. With this step Nathan's foot moved forward but his shoe did not! |
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| There were times during the morning where the trail got very small and we were using our walking sticks to clear a better path. |
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| This suspension bridge ended up being our turnaround spot. |
Whew! Spending the entire morning hiking wiped us out so we enjoyed some nap time in the afternoon. It was a nice quiet night in the hostel because we were the only guests there.
9/18/12
September 15: Off to the Mountains
We were feeling the urge for a climate change and since we have a long weekend (no school on Monday due to Independence Day weekend), we decided to explore a small town in the mountains about 4.5 hours southeast of Quepos.
There was no need to worry about oversleeping and missing our 5:30am bus. We had an unexpected cultural alarm clock: at 4:20am a drum corp came marching (and drumming!) through the streets announcing the dawn of Independence Day. Costa Rica celebrates its 191st birthday today.
So, we were out the door at the crack of dawn and enjoyed watching the sun rise over the mountains on our first bus ride. We passed by numerous small towns as we ascended and even though it was Saturday we saw many uniformed students walking to school (to organize for Independence Day marches and parades).
The first bus ride was three hours and took us to the city of San Isidro, which deserves its place on the map according to the kids.....it has the first McDonalds that we've seen since arriving in Costa Rica and as Sophia announced, "hey, there's stoplights here!" We haven't seen any of those either since arriving in Quepos.
In San Isidro, we caught our bus for San Gerardo de Rivas. It's located just 12 miles from San Isidro but because of the mountainous road it's a 90 minute bus ride.
San Gerardo de Rivas is a lovely mountainous village of 305 residents. Arriving there definitely makes you feel like you're in back country Costa Rica. No McDonalds or stoplights....just cool mountain air with absolutely stunning views.
The hostel is located about a 10 minute walk from Cloudbridge Nature Reserve where we hiked around in the afternoon.
There was no need to worry about oversleeping and missing our 5:30am bus. We had an unexpected cultural alarm clock: at 4:20am a drum corp came marching (and drumming!) through the streets announcing the dawn of Independence Day. Costa Rica celebrates its 191st birthday today.
So, we were out the door at the crack of dawn and enjoyed watching the sun rise over the mountains on our first bus ride. We passed by numerous small towns as we ascended and even though it was Saturday we saw many uniformed students walking to school (to organize for Independence Day marches and parades).
The first bus ride was three hours and took us to the city of San Isidro, which deserves its place on the map according to the kids.....it has the first McDonalds that we've seen since arriving in Costa Rica and as Sophia announced, "hey, there's stoplights here!" We haven't seen any of those either since arriving in Quepos.
In San Isidro, we caught our bus for San Gerardo de Rivas. It's located just 12 miles from San Isidro but because of the mountainous road it's a 90 minute bus ride.
San Gerardo de Rivas is a lovely mountainous village of 305 residents. Arriving there definitely makes you feel like you're in back country Costa Rica. No McDonalds or stoplights....just cool mountain air with absolutely stunning views.
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| The main corner overlooks the school and church with the only store to the right and the community soccer field to the left |
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| We stayed in a small hostel called Casa Mariposa (Butterfly House). Evening entertainment was priceless as we watched the kids interact with the other guests. Two American Peace Corps volunteers taught them a new card game and then the highlight was watching them converse in Spanish with an older gentlemen from Spain who showed them various card tricks. We're so thankful for their immersion education which enriches experiences like these! |
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| We had a dorm room to ourselves with 6 bunk beds, two of them built right into the surrounding rock (Nathan is on one of them) |
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| view from our hostel |
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| Scary moment! Just seconds after I took this picture Sophia slipped on the rock and fell neck deep into the water. It was pretty fast rapids but Angelina reacted quickly and reached out to grab her (George had turned around and had his back to Sophia when she slipped). Angelina held on to her until George quickly pulled her out of the water. |
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| We're so thankful Sophia was OK!! She had a wet & cold walk back to the hostel but she was a trooper! She lost her shoe in the rapids and had to walk back with a plastic bag over her foot (George carried her over the rocky parts). |
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| Making our way back to the hostel |
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| We had a memorable dinner outing....a local family has a trout farm and you can catch your own fish that they prepare for you along with rice, french fries and salad. |
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| The kids each took turns casting lines. The bait was interesting.....eyeballs of previously caught trout. |
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| The family let the kids step right into the kitchen in order to watch them prepare the trout, which was breaded, deep fried and whole. |
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| Enjoying our trout meal! |
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