Costa Rica Immersion C: Ziplines, Goodbye Party, and Hot Springs
Greetings All!
We’re officially on the last leg of the trip! While saying goodbye to our host families in Las Brisas wasn’t easy, our Costa Rican families and friends prepared a fun ‘despedida’ (‘farewell’) party for the whole community. While the night began on a more formal note, with Asha, Rachel, Jake and Cameron expressing their gratitude on behalf of the entire group, it soon erupted into an evening of games, including potato sack races and tug-a-war. As a response to a dare from some local elementary school girls, a bunch of Walking Tree boys even belly danced in front of everyone! To top it all off was a pinata; while a few of us got a few good swings at it, it was ultimately Nik who brought the house down with a flying knee kick! We also had live music, courtesy of Jake, who played “La Bamba” on his guitar and danced to salsa and merengue throughout the night.
The week before our going away began with a two-day trip to La Fortuna, where the renowned active volcano, Arenal, still oozes lava that can be seen on cloudless days. Although we’re in the rainy ‘invierno’ (‘winter’) season, we were able to get a glimpse of the peak. We spent our first afternoon at a resort filled with natural hot springs, where the group took a special liking to the waterslides that claim to send people as fast as 30mph down the tube. We concluded the day with a big buffet, complete with a chocolate fountain and strawberries.
The next morning, before heading back to the village, we made a stop at a local river where we each took our turn with a rope-swing that some of the local youth put up for us. Ian was even able to make a Lotus position mid-air.
Once we returned to work on the work site, we achieved our group goal of finishing the cement foundation! Although the final building will not be complete for another year or so, we know that we completed the more difficult rudimentary components of construction, and are confident that it was left in good enough shape for our foremen, Edwin and Emilio, to take over, as well as future Walking Tree groups.
After our departure, we made our way westward to Monteverde, one of the more popular attractions on Costa Rica’s ecotourism route. Nik, who just turned 17, was especially excited for the town’s famous zip-lines. Hooked up to cables, we soared above cloud forests and jungle canopies. We trailed each other on 17 lines, some short and others long, with each of us taking the 30-foot plunge off the Tarzan Swing. Later that night, we celebrated Nik’s birthday at a local restaurant with pizza and icecream. The next day, we caught up on some R&R and gave the students some time reflect on their experience while eating smores around a fireplace.
Back in San Jose with just two days left, it’s hard to believe that a month has already gone by. But we’re making sure to take advantage of every last minute, and will be heading out for a rafting adventure on the Pacuare River early tomorrow morning.
Until Next Time,
The Immersion C Group
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