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

We have just returned from our three-day trek to Machu Picchu and are about to spend our last night in our beautiful homestay village of Ollantaytambo.  Everyone is experiencing a wide breadth of emotion, but contentment seems to be the most powerful.

Since we last checked in with you all, we have been busy finishing our service project, making the most of the remaining time in our homestay community and trekking to one of the world’s foremost wonders, Machu Picchu.

It took hard work from everyone, starting early at 7:30am, but mud abode by mud abode, we put up the 3.5 meter walls of the kitchen early last week.  Our next task was the roof.  We hauled huge wooden beams across town and spaced them on the roof, then connected them with hundreds of bamboo rods, which had to be nailed and secured with wire. Next, was the task of laying the 1,200 or so tiles. Methodically, with the help of our beloved foremen, Juan and Eugenio, we laid row after row of typical clay tile.

Roofing

Our Kitchen Nearly Complete

We finished the project triumphantly on Wednesday afternoon and celebrated with a toast (of Sprite) and a great sense of accomplishment. Many of us continued with our tradition of ending the day with soccer, but we all headed to bed early in anticipation for the next day’s 3:50am meeting time.

Trek to Machu Picchi

On Thursday morning, the group met at the plaza in the wee hours of the morning ready to start the trek to Machu Picchu. We drove for a few hours, ate the breakfast our host families had lovingly packed for us, and started our walk by 8:00am. The steep hills and humidity was no match for our excitement and high spirits. Before we knew it, we were breaking for lunch. We anticipated a long afternoon of uphill hiking, but were pleasantly surprised with how quickly the time flew by. We arrived at Santa Teresa’s campsite in the afternoon, where we rested our tired feet in the luxurious hot springs.  At bedtime, we retired to our tents for a hard earned night’s rest.

The next morning, we rose at 6am, packing up our tents and sleeping bags, and loaded our backs with our luggage for the next few days. We began the beautiful journey from Santa Teresa to Aguas Calientes, walking along the Urubamba River as the terrain slowly changed from a sub-tropical canyon to sweeping emerald mountains covered with mist.
Eventually, we met up with the famous Peru Rail tracks, which guided us to Aguas Calientes, aka Machu Picchu pueblo.  We had hot showers and an early dinner and tried our best to sleep as the excitement was rising for the today’s push to Machu Picchu.

There are two ways to get from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu: by buses that chug up steep switchbacks or by hiking the infamous, grueling, never-ending steps, which must make Icy-Hot a lot of money.  Clearly, we chose the latter.  At 3:30am our group assembled and the excitement was tangible.  We departed into the misty dark morning, strapped with headlamps and daypacks and began to climb.   Our lungs burned and our legs were willed only by the hope of climbing Wayna Pichhu (they only let the first 400 visitors attempt to climb this peak that towers above the ruins). After 1900 steps (Vanessa counted), we celebrated being some of the first in line at the top.

As the sun rose, we entered the ruins and hurried to the base of Wayna Picchu.  Despite our fatigue, our group scaled the mountain faster than all others. Our speedy ascent was rewarded by being the only ones at the top, accompanied only by clouds, occasional sprinkles and a rainbow stretching over the rugged peaks. Time seemed to stand still as we marveled, speechless, at the surreal setting at the top.

Top of Wayna Picchu

We later descended to the ruins and enjoyed an in-depth tour from our friend and certified guide, Mario “Chino” Meza.  We took the train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo early this afternoon.

We are scheduled to leave our homestay village tomorrow morning.  In our two weeks here, we have bonded with our new friends and families, constructed a kitchen that local children will use for years and, most importantly, immersed ourselves in the rich Peruvian culture.  We have stepped outside our comfort zones and pushed ourselves harder than we thought possible.  We speak better Spanish now and know a few words in Quechua.  High altitude doesn’t affect us.  Our forearms and legs are stronger, our hearts bigger and our minds are more open.  This month has been the adventure we hoped for and more, and we can’t wait for you to hear about it in person.

We leave tomorrow for Cusco, and for Lima on Monday.  Our international flight is scheduled to land Tuesday afternoon.  Thanks for following our adventure, and we hope you are enjoying your summers!

Vanessa y Gabriel
Peru Immersion

Greetings all!

We’re happy to report good progress on the construction project; having just completed digging, we’ve now moved on to cementing- a messy enterprise that has been fabulously documented by our very own multimedia production team. Eager to make the most out of our time on the site, we even decided to work after hours one day.

Alas, we’ve already had to say our very first good-bye in Costa Rica, this time to Guru, our resident photographer. While we were sad to see him go, we made sure to surprise him with a great send-off, complete with pizza and homemade desserts by Asha and Rachel. We even circled up to share our favorite “Guru moment”, in which his 6-year old host-sister, Francela, revealed that she would miss their drawing workshops.

However, there was not a bittersweet moment to be had of Jake’s birthday; we kicked off our rubber boots and went roller skating in the town next door! It was fun at first, but many of us didn’t realize how difficult it would be to skate on what seemed to be homemade skates. While most of us spent our time holding onto walls or each other’s hands for dear life, some of the town’s 5 year-olds literally did circles around us. Needless to say, we were quickly exhausted but soon transformed our corner of the rink into a disco-style dance party.

This past Sunday was our well-deserved first full-day off. Almost all of the host families took full advantage of the time that they had with their students. Some of the students joined their families at a Catholic wedding in nearby Zarcero. Afterwards, they met up in a park in front of the church, famed for its interestingly shaped hedges that capture various elements of Mesoamerican culture. Others spent the day doing everything from visiting the zoo, to picking strawberries , to seeing a bull fight to making bread to selling produce to playing games in a local video arcade to milking cows to going fishing to visiting countless friends and relatives.

Here is what some of the students had to say about their day off:

“On our day off, my family took me to a trout farm. We caught lots of fish and than ate the same fish in the restaurant. We saw lots of lizards and a ginormous spider. It was an awesome experience with my Costa Rican family.”
Alex Wenzl

“I went to my first bull fight ever. It was a life-changing experience.”
Big Ace, AKA Asa Pitt

“I met like thirty of my relatives in one night. The sad thing is I can’t remember any of their names, but they were pretty cool (and I beat all the kids at guitar hero!).”
Jesse Jacobs

“I never knew fishing without a pole could be so much fun!”
Nik Rudzitis

“My family took me to a lecheria (dairy farm) and they asked me if there are cows in Chicago. I said no, and they didn’t believe me. ”
Asha Ransby-Sporn

We are currently in Arenal where the group enjoyed relaxing in the natural hot springs and going down some of the most exciting water slides. Ever. More to come on this later.

For now, check out the videos and pictures and let us know what you think of the blogs if you get a chance!

Paul, Flora and Justin

After announcing Hailee, Patrick and BJ as the group winners of the scavenger hunt, our fun in Cuzco continued with a delicious dinner of falafels. Back at the hotel, we played a few games as a group before heading to bed.

Tuesday morning started with a city tour with our favorite tour guide, Mario “Chino” Tapia.  Chino took us around the once foremost city of the Inca Empire, explaining its history as we navigated the cobblestone streets. The highlight of the tour was a stop at Saqsaywamán, an immense ruin of both religious and military significance. The name of this massive fort in the Indigenous language of Quechua means “Satisfied Falcon,” and stands impressively tall, despite the fact that only 20% from the original structure remains.

We then set out in search for the perfect lunch spot in groups of threes. Some of us devoured street food cuisine of empanadas, while others splurged on local delicacies of alpaca steak and guinea pig. We all regrouped in the afternoon for a highly requested salsa dancing class with Francesco. We rehearsed the moves continuously, trying to keep up with our instructors and master the steps and turns. Our class was scheduled to be an hour, but we successfully pleaded for more time to practice what we had learned. With a rotation of partners, everyone was able to master a step or two!

Our dinner on Tuesday was considered by many to be the best yet on this Walking Tree trip: wood-oven pizza. The group cozied up in a small local restaurant and feasted upon a variety of (perhaps) the best pizzas in the Southern Hemisphere. Many students chose to cash in their prizes of ice cream afterwards and they tried different flavors such as chirimoya and lucuma, both local fruits. The group walked together down the bustling Avenida del Sol back to our hotel, where we enjoyed games of psychologist before bedtime.

The group woke up bright and early on Wednesday morning for a meeting and an early return back “home” to Ollantaytambo. The group was well rested and motivated to continue working on the project. By now, most students were familiar with the route from Cuzco to Urubamba to Ollanta, and enjoyed familiar views of the stunning Sacred Valley. Our host families welcomed our return and fed us delicious and hearty lunches, preparing us for the hard work that lay ahead. Wednesday afternoon was spent laying the first adobe blocks for the construction of our kitchen’s wall.

With two foremen on the site now, Juan and Eugenio, the work has been moving ahead at a steady pace and the progress is impressive. With some students sifting dirt, some mixing mud, some heaving bricks, and others layering mud and adobe, the wall now stands almost three meters high.

We also managed to unload and carry 200 tiles for the future roof, and since not a single tile was damaged, the group was, of course, rewarded with the preferred treat of ice cream cones. Our days last week continued with mud and bricks, followed by games of soccer at the field with Peruvian friends, gatherings for hot chocolate, and nights spent stargazing. Many students have taken advantage of our surroundings by exploring the ancient ruins. We all continue to agree that Ollantaytambo is the ideal place for cultural immersion and historical exploration.

Sunday was a day off from the service project, but in no way was it a day of rest! The group set off at 8:00am to further explore all the Sacred Valley has to offer. We started our day in Chinchero, visiting local weavers, where we watched women dye the alpaca wool and transform the thread into masterpieces. Students had an opportunity to observe the creation of the weavings, while asking questions about the process. Some of you may be receiving a gift or two from this stop!

After continuing on to visit Chinchero’s ruins and Sunday market, the students were fitted for mountain bikes and prepared for a fun and safe ride to the plaza of Maras, another ancient city in the Sacred Valley. The group arrived by bicycle about forty minutes after departure and enjoyed a picnic lunch prepared by the host families. We left our bikes for a bit and drove up beyond Maras to the marvels of Moray, where Mario explained the history behind the impressively deep amphitheater-like terracing structures. Different levels of concentric terraces here are carved into the earth, each with a different depth and therefore, its own microclimate. A common theory is that the Incas used these terraces as experimentation to find the optimal conditions for growing different crops. The students marveled at these Incan wonders, posing for a variety of beautiful photos. All were impressed and excited to carry on the bike journey to the next stop in the Valley, Salinas.

The group hopped on bikes and carefully took off on the path towards the stop with thousands of saltpans, which have been used for salt production since Inca times. A hot stream at the top releases heavily salt-laden water, which is diverted into saltpans and evaporated to extract salt. All enjoyed the views here at Salinas, but were exhausted from the bike ride and ready to head back to Ollanta.

Back in Ollanta, the students arrived hoping for an early night’s rest. Little did we know, our host families had planned a celebration with cuy (guinea pig) and other local delights, including dancing! The students’ confusion soon gave way to joy as the food was served and all were invited to show off the dance moves learned in Cuzco. Students and families shared in food and smiles during this cultural experience.

Since this group is a motivated, hardworking, and determined bunch, it was agreed by all that work should start at 7:30 this Monday morning, to ensure that the project is complete before we begin our journey on Thursday to Machu Picchu. Much progress has been made, but there are still adobes to place and a roof to construct, and the students are determined to get the job done, even if it means arriving early and staying late.

It is hard to believe that in just a few days, we will be leaving our families and setting off to explore one of the greatest wonders of the world. As our time here winds down, we continue to enjoy each moment fully and appreciate all that we have been fortunate to share and experience here in Peru.   We send our love and best wishes back home, and we hope that this account can bring to you a little of what we are living.

Vanessa y Gabriel

Peru Immerion

The community of Buena Visa put on a wonderful Fiesta do Despedida with speeches, party games, and even live music.  They challenged us to a national anthem contest and let’s just say we ll need to work on those high notes! After a triste  goodbye filled with lagrimas (tears) and abrazos  (hugs), we got on our way to Manuel Antonio for some much needed sunshine and relaxation.

Yesterday we spent the day at the beach. Upon entering the National Park we were greeted by sloths, monkeys and iguanas.  Some of us even got to see a baby sloth up close!  Although the day was steamy, we did not quite get rid of our lovely work tanlines (check out the picture).  After a picnic lunch we headed to our surf lessons.  Despite having a group of novices, almost everyone caught a wave!!

Last night was our final night as an entire group so we celebrated with delicious pizza delivered to the hotel and a final ceremonial game of Mafia (the group favorite).

Now’s it back to San Jose for our last cena (dinner) and then off to the airport for a 6 am flight!!!  See you all soon!

Before our arrival to Las Brisas, the group spent a few days relaxing on the white sand beaches of Manuel Antonio, where we took surf lessons, played Frisbee, played games of chicken in the hotel pool, and checked out the sloths, monkeys, iguanas, hermit crabs, and parrots that have made Manuel Antonio famous. It was a great few days on the beach, although everyone seemed excited to get started on our service project and get to meet their Costa Rican families.

It is now our third day in Las Brisas, our home for the next few weeks, and the group has already impressed our local hosts (and group leaders) alike with their abundance of energy and enthusiasm for our project. As many of you saw in the last post, our project is to get as much of the foundation laid for a two-story building that will contain a kindergarten classroom, two offices, a library, and a computer room. Needless to say, this is a very large project and we are happy to have two great Nicaraguan maestros de obra (foreman), Emilio and Edwin, on the site to keep us on track, safe, and busy. The group has been incredibly self-motivating, starting work before our scheduled time the past two days!

Even through the various stomach aches, sun burns, bumps and bruises that are a normal occurrence during a program of this sort, the group has been in high spirits. Whether it is an impromptu dance-off in the rain on makeshift cinderblock stages, a wrestling match between friends, or conversations about life back home, the group has become close and seems to bond more each day.

Tonight we are going to celebrate Jake’s birthday at a roller-disco ring (yup, they actually have one close to our community!) with a homemade birthday cake, a gift, and a card from everyone, so stay tuned for more postings soon!

Until next time,

Paul and Flora

A note from each participant:

“At first, I loved softening up the grass with the pick axe and the hoe. Then I loved digging trenches with the shovel. Now, I love doing them both in the rain!”
Big Ace aka Asa Pitt

“I am having the time of my life here in Costa Rica. My host family is about as close to real family as they can get, especially since they threw me a surprise birthday party! To my family, I love you and miss you!”
Jake Grossman

“My host mom is so nice and my little brother and sister love to draw pictures for me. The food is great! My mom even gave me a cheeseburger for breakfast to make me feel more at home. I leanred to hackeysack and play chicken but I’m not very skilled at either. I miss you Mom, Dad, and Paige!”
Haley Anderson

“ED lives on.”
Alex Wenzl

“My little brother is better than me at football (soccer), and he as the most awesome computer games as well.”
Diego Lander

“The first night with my host family was kind of ackward and it made me nervous. Thankfully, on the second night we bonded talking about Chicago. Now, I really like my host family and I’m glad I was paired with them.”
Asha Ransby-Sporn

“Manuel Antonio was insane. The first day we got situated in the hotel (one of the nicest I’ve ever stayed in) it had an awesome pool with a view of the coast, and a bar where we all got pina coladas (non-alcoholic of course) and had a great time. I clmbed a few palm trees and got swarmed by monster ants. I got like ten coconuts though. The second day we surfed and that was awesome. Guru gave some great tips. But the national park was where it was at. We saw monkeys, tree frogs, and a lot of sloths, and the beach was beautiful. I’ve never seen water so clear. The group laid back and relaxed in the shade, but Flora, Diego and I went exploring along the beach. We found the rocks full of crabs running around, we saw a ton of hermit crabs brawling for this one shell, and best of all we saw a sea turtle. Flora pointed it out and Diego and I jumped in the water and swam with it. Got a few pictures too, it was awesome. Definitely an experience to go home with!”
Cameron Soltani

“Hello! I’m getting a great amount of food and I haven’t lost my common sense, DAD. Give the dogs kisses for me and I’m having an unforgettable time!”
Jackie Nelson

“I have a rather large fan club in the community. Unfortunately, they are mostly 12 year old girls.”
Jesse Jacobs

My family is pretty awesome! Bonding with my sister is cool, The service project is tough but it’s been going pretty well too. Alex and I were killing it in the trenches today, and Alex says hi to his mom.”
I love you Mom, Dad, and Alex.
Lisa Caldwell

“Hey mom. Guess what? My host family has a computer with games. Ha ha. Also, I’m not sick anymore. Costa Rican medication ain’t bad. Mmkay, bye now.”
Your (now shared) son, Ian McKenna

“Nothing beats playing futbol with a bunch of 8 year old mini David Beckhams.”
Big Ace aka Asa Pitt

“I just hit myself in the face with a shovel, but other than that I’m having the time of my life!”
Sarah Drake

“Surfing was really fun. I got lots of scraps and bruises, but it was definitely worth it. The beach was so pretty. Mom, Dad, Sophie, Shelby: Love you and miss you.”
Katie Miller

“Hey Mom and Dad- things are great. Gonna come back buff and tan!”
(PS, the horses here are better then Iago).”
Nik Rudzitis

“My favorite part so far was surfing, even though it was really challenging. I love my host family! I’ve bonded with my sister over the Jonas Brothers and David Beckham.”
Grace Clark-Mchale

“My family in Las Brisas is really awesome… They make me THREE meals a day and we never have leftovers. I have shoveled more in the past three days than I have in my entire life. I expect to be a mini-Arnold by the time I come home.”
Jennifer Konick

Students, leaders and chauffeur (Erick) alike have enjoyed so many things traveling in this remarkable land of “pure life” or “pura vida”.  Rich markets have allowed us to shop and learn much about fresh and seasonal foods (fruits, vegetables, fish, etc). Such mouth watering meals and roadside snacks from such exotic fruits and finger foods remind us of how these are only available during such travel experiences and are little known in our home communities.

Our last day at Manuel Antonio (only a day after our last blog) we enjoyed the beach and bartering with artists and street vendors for a fair price (for both sides) for gifts to take back home and souvenirs to remind us of our time in Costa Rica.

On Monday we arrived to our host village of Herradura where the cool night of the Costa Rican highland was warmed by young brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers waiting for us in the heart of our new home village. Each Tico and Tica and each gringito y gringita nervously waited to see who they would share a week of food, conversation, music and dance, games, early rooster’s ‘qui-qui-ri-qui’ (or cock-a-doodle-doo depending on if you’ve found your inner latina/o) and early evenings bedtimes from both mental and physical exhaustion. all could barely believe that this week of home stay, service (building a community stage and painting the town church and 5on5 soccer field in Herradura’s ‘Salon’) and appreciation for simple pleasures would pass so fast.

A week of fantastic food, hard yet mysteriously rewarding work, hikes, games, dances and more can easily be summed up by a few quotes in Walking Tree journals from the days in Herradura.

“Sin Duda, this is the best comida I have ever ate in my life, because it is 100% local, fresh, organic and homemade.”        -Elliot Mammet

“We returned to the work site to talk with the others and a small group of us decided to hike up to see the waterfall.  Of course, I had to bring some tamales for us to enjoy.  The waterfall was pretty cool but my favorite part was the trek back to our houses in the always present Costa Rican rain storm.  By the time I returned home I was drenched. I ate a few more tamales and played some guitar for my brother and then I was off to bed to rest up for another long day.” Pura Vida   – Billy Weir

“People are already planning their return trip to the village. Speaking from my experience in the village, these people are the kindest, hardest working and most understanding/open people I’ve ever encountered.  My ability to speak and understand Spanish may not have been the best, but that didn’t stop my family from trying to know me.  I’ve learned so much from these people in only a week.  I feel incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to spend the past week in one of the most gorgeous locations I have ever seen with the most compassionate people I have ever met.”                           -Laura Leonard

Leaving Herradura was a combined feeling of achievement with our community service goals, hastened goodbyes to our host families and friends, and curiosity for what would come next.

For our last stop before heading home, an old friend of Walking Tree hosted our stay at Pura Suerte, an organic farm in which our group stayed in jungalow accomodations, learned about the reforestation of what was pasture land for several decades and virgin rainforest for thousands of years before that.  Wrapping up the two week trip in this environment was especially rewarding as we felt we were continuing with our mission of culturally and environmentally stimulating/sustainable travel.  A visit to Nauyaca waterfall and many fun games filled our afternoons and evenings when we weren’t taking farm tours, eating “jungle fusion” food grown right around us, listening to howler monkeys and cicadas, and taking in all the hightened sences brought on from the joungle.

Alas, tommorow we wake up to shuttle to our airport and say our goodbyes.  Our wanderlust comes to an end for now and all of us look forward to more opportunities to see the world through such unused lenses as that which we’ve put on over the last two weeks.  Thanks for reading and keep in touch!

I am writing this from Zarcero, a town about 30 minutes away from our host village, Las Brisas. We arrived here last night, and everything is off to a great start! I will post morte on the beach, surf lessons, the national park, as well as our first night in the village, but I wanted to get these pictures and video posted from Justin and Guru up on the site tonight so that you could all see what we accomplished in just one morning. Check it out!