The bus with gringos and ticos

Today has easily been my favorite day in Costa so far. No classes, no schoolwork... all fun. We left the Soltis Center around 8:15 this morning to head to La Fortuna, a city a little less than an hour away, where we first went to the most famous volcano in Costa Rica, Volcan Arenal. Just like everywhere else here, we had to hike about 1.5 miles through the rainforest to get to the lava-rock field. I thought we were going to be able to get closer to the volcano, but since it is still VERY active, it now makes sense as to why we had to stop where we did. Needless to say, the view from the point where we had to stop was stunnning. If you looked one way, you would see the humongous Volcan Arenal (and there wasn't a cloud in the sky today so you could see all the way to the very top of it), but if you turned around 180 degrees, you could see a huge lake past the canopy of trees. Everything up there was gorgeous. Of course we took hundreds of pictures, and I felt super cool... I made the hike in my Vans today. I guess I was going for style more than comfort because I was tired of wearing my hiking boots, and I actually didn't mind it. Vans are my favorite shoes for a reason!

 (Here is a quick video of the view from the lava-rocks that we hiked to)

After the volcano hike we grabbed some lunch at a cool local restaurant, which was completely open to the outside just like everything else in Costa Rica. They don't really have air conditioning anywhere, so they make all of the buildings/restaurants open everywhere with hardly any walls or doors. It's really different from the U.S. and I actually like it. It makes everything feel more inviting and friendly. After lunch, we drove a little bit longer to a waterfall that was in La Fortuna. I was thinking that this waterfall was going to be like the one that we hiked to at the Soltis Center the other day, so I didn't really have my hopes up for anything spectacular. BOY WAS I WRONG! The hike to this waterfall was nuts... it wasn't so much of a difficult hike, but we had to go down about 700 steps in order to get to the bottom of the falls. These weren't your normal stairs either... these steps were so steep and were not very wide at all considering we were in the forest still, so they were just made out of dirt/some kind of waffle-shapped rock formations. The tiring trek was definitely worth it. The waterfall was amazing! (I don't have any pictures of it right now to upload because I didn't bring anything with me since we were swimming... but other people got some so I will put those up as soon as they send them to me). It looked like it was coming out of the trees from nowhere and dropped about 300 feet at least. That's probably not a very good guess, but it was a loooooooong drop. The waterfall dropped into one pond which flowed down a small stream to another swimming hole where everyone went swimming. A few of us guys decided that we didn't want to swim in the designated swimming hole, but we wanted to swim in the pond that this monster waterfall dumped to. We climbed over the sharp rocks and jumped in the water which was absoultely freezing cold. We kind of swam around the front of it trying to get close to the dropping water, but it was so strong that it was making waves that kept pushing us back. We decided to swim around the pond to the backside of the waterfall... basically underneath the huge cliff that the water was dropping off of. There were 4 of us that swam/climbed over slippery rocks underneath the cliff, and when we got back there we found a huge rock that was in the water that was probably about 10 yards away from the waterfall itself. So of course we swam to that rock to sit on it! The rock was so slippery, but we all 4 managed to get up there and just sit right next to the waterfall. Just to give an idea of how close we were, the spray from the water was blowing in our faces and the waves were crashing on us... and when we swam off of our rock, we were almost right under the actual waterfall itself. This description of where we were doesn't do it justice. But this was probably one of the coolest things that I have ever done. Sitting under a huge cliff on a rock in the water with a 300+ foot waterfall being 10 yards away from me and 3 of my friends... it was breath taking. All that any of us could do was smile, first of all because we could hardly hear each other talk over the roar of the waterfall, but also because we all knew that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I will never forget sitting on that rock for as long as I live. (What we didn't know is that later on, other people tried to go back where we were but a security guard yelled at them because it was illegal to go over there... it just makes my story that much cooler).

After our waterfall adventure the day still wasn't over. We went back into downtown La Fortuna to just hang out and walk around and really do whatever we wanted. Dr. Quiring told us where he was going to be and when to meet him to get back on the bus to come home, and then he turned us free to wander the city on our own. It was so much fun being in a city just being able to walk around with no set plans. We ended up going in a few stores, but La Fortuna is a very touristy place, so everything was pretty expensive. We also went to a few restaurants and bars... and all got cervezas! Yay for the drinking age only being 18! All of the people in Costa Rica are very nice and friendly and surprisingly speak English pretty well. (They call themselves "ticos"... hence the title of this blog. Our director as the Soltis Center, Dr. Eugenio Rodriguez came along with us today, and said that while driving our bus around, everyone was probably pointing and saying "look at that bus with the gringos and ticos!") I even had a conversation with a few guys at one of the bars as well as I could. They were speaking mostly spanish, but they were super nice and funny. They kept making fun of each other and calling each other fat haha!

Today was a great escape from the Center. We definitely didn't waste any of the day at all considering we were out for about 12 hours, but it was a day to remember. I know this post was a little long and wordy, but there was just so much that happened today and it was all awesome. I really didn't want to leave that rock under the waterfall... it almost felt like we were in another world. What a perfect day :)

Do snakes poop?

Overall, today was a pretty boring day. I know that you think that there is no such thing as a boring day in Costa Rica, but today was just that. Woke up, worked on an assignment, went to class for an hour and a half, had lunch, went to class for another 45 mins, worked on the next assignment. Coming into it, I wasn't really aware that our first few assignments were going to be on Excel and take us about 8 hours each to complete. Being at the Soltis Center, there isn't too much to do unless we are going on hikes or collecting data for projects (which we aren't starting until sometime next week), so we didn't really have a choice besides sitting down and completing our assignments. I guess it worked out that they took all day long to do (and I'm still not even halfway done with the second assignment) because when we have free time, there isn't really anything else to do besides play on our computers or sit around and just enjoy the scenery... which I have done lots of. I'm so glad that all of the other people that are here are really cool and that we all get along really well. We can pretty much always entertain ourselves sitting or laying on the cool tile and just talking.

Thankfully our day got a little more exciting when Dr. Quiring told us that we were going to go on a night hikeafter dinner to look for cool creatures in the forest. Everyone grabbed their flashlights, or like me their awesome headlights, and we headed out. We saw animals such as poison dart frogs, green frogs, more huge toads, a tarantula, long skinny tree snakes, a pit-viper (yes, they are venomous!!!), leaf-cutter ants carrying their leaves up super high trees, and of course tons of new weird looking bugs. For the amount of time we were out there, we didn't see as many animals as I thought that we would. It could have been for the reason that there were 20 of us and we definitely were not quiet at all... but I was really expecting to see a lot more creatures out and about.

 

Putting aside all of the schoolwork that we had to do today, it is really awesome how close all of us are getting. We are spending just about every waking minute with each other so I feel like I have gotten to know everyone fairly well, and a few people really well which has made this experience even better so far. Today we were lucky that it actually didn't rain! Who would have ever thought that there would be a day where it didn't rain in the rainforest?! There were hardly any clouds in the sky around the time when the sun was setting, so we got to see our first sunset of the trip... and it was BEAUTIFUL. The canopy of trees in the distance literally looked like they were on fire when the sun was setting behind them. All of us saw it while we were doing our assignment, and we all sprinted to our bungaloes to grab our cameras and take pictures from the highest point. I really wish that I had a nice digital camera while I was here, but mine gets the job done.

 

Thankfully tomorrow we get a day off from doing work! We are going to Volcan Arenal (one of the most active volcanoes in the world) tomorrow right after breakfast, and we're staying there and in the city La Fortuna the entire day. I'm super excited! But I am also exhausted. All of the schoolwork we had to do yesterday and today combined with the few times we have gone hiking has sucked all of the energy out of me. I think I can find a way to manage though :)

Time to go dream about all the fun things that could happen at one of the most active volcanoes tomorrow!

Little foot goes to the waterfall



View from the balcony in the main building of the Soltis Center



This morning was amazing! I woke up around 7:30 for breakfast, which of course included rice and beans just like every meal has, and after a short class lecture where we talked about what we were doing for these 2 weeks in the rainforest, we went on a hike to a waterfall! All of us got geared up in our zip-off pants, backpacks, and hiking boots and went on our first adventure through the rainforest. One of the directors of the Soltis Center lead us along with our professor down a 3.2 km trail (about 2 miles) through the forest. This definitely was not an easy hike by any means. The humidity here is about 100% at all times so as soon as I stepped out of my bungalo, I was already drenched with sweat... I guess I'm going to have to get used to that because it is 9:40 at night and it is still super humid. Our hike was on a small muddy trail that went up, down, around, and every other way you could imagine through all the plants and streams. On the way to the waterfall we surprisingly didn't see too many creatures. We saw poison dart frogs, a couple of lizards, and the normal flying bugs that get really annoying.

So... the name "little foot". This was a nickname given to me by one of the guys, Brandon. Him, me, and another guy (John) decided that we didn't want to hike as fast as everyone else, so we took our time and fell pretty far behind the group. There was only one trail to take so we weren't afraid of getting lost, and we actually had a lot of fun going slow. We laughed the whole time and enjoyed all the scenery more than everyone else... at least that's what we kept telling ourselves. Brandon, being the funny character that he is, decided to tell me to hurry up by calling me "little foot". The name is kind of self explanatory. Obviously this was a short joke and it just stuck for the rest of the day because it made us laugh every time someone said it.

 

After over an hour of hiking we finally reached the waterfalls! There were two of them right next to each other and we walked up almost underneath them and took tons of pictures and had a grand ole time... for about 20 minutes. All of that hiking to be there for 20 mins and then we made the trek back. It was definitely worth it though and we plan on going back sometime.

I am definitely wishing that I had a pair of choccos for this trip or another pair of sandals that strap on to your feet. I've been wearing flip flops around the center and it would have been much more comfortable to have a good pair of walking sandals. I guess I'll have to remember that for the next big trip that I go on! After our hike we actually had to do a bunch of classwork womp womp. I'm still getting used to the whole waking up early and going to bed pretty early thing. We are pretty much on a 12 hour day/12 hour night schedule with the sun coming up around 5:40 and it starting to set just after 6. I absolutely love not having a watch though so I don't have to really worry about what time it is. It is now time for me to go try to magically rest my legs for tomorrow because as of right now, they are killing me. Maybe I should have ran a little more before I came here so that I could have been in better shape!

Until next time, watch out for the huge toads that wait for you on your front porch step!

~Little Foot

Finally here!

My first post from Costa Rica! I can't believe that I'm finally here. EVERYTHING has been so much better than I expected it to be: the scenery, the people, and especially the food.

It has been such a long day. I got to the airport at 8:15 this morning, met up with the 17 other students and my professor, and our plane took off right around 10:15. The flight only took about 3 hours so it wasn't bad at all... but once we got to Costa Rica, we had to load all of our stuff, as well as ourselves, onto one bus. Now this wasn't a charter bus or even a school bus like you would imagine. This bus had the bare minimum to it, and all of our luggage was stuffed inside and on top of it. The busride took a little less than 4 hours going through steep, narrow roads through the mountains and hills. Costa Rican drivers are crazy! I probably could have stuck my arm out the window of our bus and touched the cars driving past us in the other direction. For the entire busride, I couldn't help but look out the window the entire time at the amazing landscape. Everything is so green and there are hills, mountains, rivers, and trees everywhere!

One thing that I wasn't completely expecting was how differently people live here. I knew that I wouldn't be seeing houses like I'm used to in the suburbs of Houston, but the houses that families live in here are so small and are basically shacks to our standards. Most of them are just a little larger than my living room back home, and everything is so open. All of the doors of houses and stores are open so it's like you are always outside... it's pretty cool. Another thing that surprised me was how many people were walking to get from place to place. Yes they have cars, but most of the people we drove past were walking to wherever they were going. It's totally different than the way I grew up. Everyone seemed like they were very close to each other because they were either working together or they were just sitting on couches talking. And they don't waste all their time watching tv! Shocker, I know.

The Soltis Center is unbelievable! It is gorgeous here, and again, everything is wide open. We are staying in bungaloes and I'm in a room with 2 other guys, Trey and Gilbert. Our rooms are so much nicer than anything I was expecting. Everyone's favorite part has been the showers... they are huge! As a group, we've already encountered our first "adventures" of the trip. We found a frog outside that is bigger than the size of my hand, and in one of the girls' rooms there was a lizard just hanging out on their wall. I can't wait to see what else Costa has in store for us!

I can't believe it is only 9 o'clock... we are all in our rooms laying in bed because everyone is so wiped out from all the traveling today. I didn't think it was possible, but after being here for just a few hours, I am even more exicted for the rest of this trip than I was before. Everything has been an adventure so far (it's going to take a while to get used to the Spanish speaking and the different currency) and I know that there is going to be so many more exciting things to happen. I couldn't be happier right now :)

Can it be morning already?!?!

So here is my first official post!

I can't even begin to describe how excited I am for this trip to Costa. After starting to think about it and planning everything starting around November, it seemed like June 1st would never get here... but now it's less than 12 hours away!!!!

These last two days have been so crazy. I've made about 20 trips to Walmart/Target/Academy because I kept thinking of little things that I didn't have. It's also taken me a solid two days to pack for this beauty of a trip. After using our bathroom scale, my suitcase currently reads 50.5 pounds. Hopefully the luggage people are feeling nice and won't charge me for it being too heavy. Not to mention that my backpack is stuffed full... mostly with food it seems like. I didn't realize all of the little things that I would need to do before leaving: calling the credit card companies to let them know that I'm going out of the country, buy the most random things such as wrinkle-free spray and ankle high socks so I don't get blisters, download all of my class files to my computer in case I don't have internet access, and of course get a haircut so I can look somewhat presentable.

Looking back on the whole process of planning this trip, I am so relieved that it is finally almost here. I still remember all of the advising appointments that I had with both study abroad advisors and financial aid advisors. Not to mention the four vaccinations that I had to get, which was not fun at all. All of the hard work is finally about to pay off! As much as I'm going to miss everyone, this is going to be a once in a lifetime experience for me. I could not be more pleased with the trip that I'm going on. First of all I LOVE traveling so I was already happy. But to make things even better, it has always been one of my dreams to go to a rainforest... and now I get to live in one for two weeks!

I'll keep this updated as much as I can. Hopefully I will be able to at least every other day. But until then, I'm going to try to get some sleep. "Try" being the keyword. I'm way too excited right now thinking about all the monkeys, beaches, and whatever else lies in front of me. Next time I get to post on here, I will be there! Wut?!?!

COSTA RICA HERE I COME!!!!! :)