Following a long week of hard work the Discovery A program has arrived in the picturesque beach town of Manuel Antonio. We have spent the last 2 days splashing in the warm water, taking surf lessons and enjoying some much needed R&R.
Today we are off to the National Park here in Manuel Antonio and looking forward to seeing some wildlife on our last day here in Costa Rica!
Here are a few images of what we have been enjoying:
Here is the link to a short video we shot of the service project:
We hope you enjoy it!
Discovery A Team
we all live in our drainage trench!
Today marks half of our time in an unbridled and unparalleled countryside of Costa Rica. Our luscious mountain surroundings with the pristine río Chirripó constantly at our side (always ready to relieve our hard worked intellects and musculos) help us find a very welcoming and meditative home in Canaan! Three days into out service project of continuing the construction of a community kitchen and attached bodega (storage), servicios (WC), service counter and drainage ditch, we are increasingly inspired by this ¨Pura Vida¨- themed (the pure life… don’t worry, be happy) culture.
Always moved by Tic@´s (Costa Ricans… male and female) kindness, resourcefulness and peace, we find that Ticos themselves are equally animated by the Walking Tree group’s work ethic, optimism, honesty, adventurous spirits and our general pattern of pro-activity and cooperation.
Students´ homes and host families have shown us a new perspective on our balance between our needs and our wants. In a kaleidoscope of ways we have come to respect the Tico diet, amenities, co-dependency inside and between families, relationships between parents and their children and so much more. We look forward to sharing our finished service work with our families at this Monday’s fiesta de despedida (going away party) and recognizing the fact that all good things must pass.
We hope to make time to return to this new home and share its beauty and simplicity with family, friends and fellow travelers (not tourists!) and to further our love for shared service and respect, environmental consciousness and hard and intelligent work. We thank you for your support and compassion for this new mentality of global citizens! Pura Vida!
(sent from Hotel Pelicano in Canaan, Costa Rica… come visit!)
Greetings friends and family!
We are excited to begin telling you about a few of out many exciting adventures we have already experienced in the first few days of our journey together in Costa Rica! After getting acquainted with each other in the capital city of San José, we woke up at dawn for an exhilarating trip down the Pacuare River through class 3 and 4 rapids. It was a full of beautiful lush jungle, warm Costa Rican sunshine, delicious local cuisine, and of course, EPIC whitewater! The next day, en route to the ecofarm Pura Suerte, we tasted some delicious “mamones” and fried “platanos”, made a surprise stop to enjoy the breathtaking views and splash in the waves at last year´s World Surf Competition location, Playa Hermosa, and cheered for goals as we watched Brazil vs. Ivory Coast play in the “Copa Mundial” while eating lunch. Shortly after, we arrived to Pura Suerte, an amazing ecofarm nestled deep in the lush mountainous rainforest near the Pacific Coast. We had a great time exploring the farm, its flora and fauna, and lots and lots of bugs! Yesterday we hiked to Niyaca Waterfall and spent the day swimming under the mist of the powerful falls. We said goodbye to this special part of the country today, and are now anxiously awaiting the arrival to our host town, Canaan, where in just a couple of hours we will unite with the community that will be taking us into their homes for the next week as family, and with whom we will share many special moments. Everyone is feeling nervous and excited, and we can´t wait to tell you about the amazing experiences that are yet to come here in this beautiful country!
“There could not have been a better first day in Costa Rica. Rafting was a great was to really meet each other because we had to wlrk as a team. This broke the ice and started to bond us as a family. I can´t wait to see what else Costa Rica has in store.” -Alyx
“When we first learned about the phrase “Pura Vida” I don´t think it´s meaning really sunk in at first for me. I finally feel the true sense of the word. It simply can´t be described in English..maybe even not in Spanish..” -Megan
“Not only have the past few days been filled with adventure and excitement, but it is also interesting to see how life is so simple comapared to life in the states.” -Waverly
