Beginning of Tour!

I’m writing ocean-side outside my hotel room that overlooks the water. Right now it’s pouring rain so I figured it’s a good time to write a new blog while I sit and watch the downpour. First, I have to rewind a bit. This week has been particularly hard because I’ve had to say goodbye to so many amazing people. It’s only been a few days and I already miss them. I wish so badly that our whole group had come to Drake Bay, especially since the majority of the Puntarenas and San Ramón groups came. There’s only five of us from Heredia, so we’re trying to get to know some of the other kids. They seem pretty cool and hopefully we can spend some time with them during the tour. However, I can’t stop thinking about how much I wish our friends from Heredia were here. I honestly will remember everyone from our group for the rest of my life. I wish that we all lived closer so that we could see each more often when we get back to the States. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to spend the last 5 weeks with. Our group dynamic was amazing—so many different personalities, so many backgrounds, but somehow it all meshed together so effortlessly. I’ve made some friendships that I hope will last for a very long time. There’s nothing like living in a foreign country and having countless crazy adventures to bring a group together.

On Friday, five of us (Me, Morgan, Katie, Autumn, and Zack) packed up and set off for our week-long tour of southern Costa Rica at the beautiful ocean resort in Drake Bay. We drove in buses where we met the other USAC kids from the other cities. We stopped for lunch at a soda after about four hours of driving and had some delicious rice and chicken. Then, we went to an open beach for about two hours to stretch our legs and relax. Most of us started up a soccer game on the beach, which I have to say was a billion times more intense than anything we ever did in Heredia. They put our soccer skills (or lack thereof!) to shame. After that we just sat around and talked with the other kids. It was really interesting to watch the tide change as well. The reason we had to stop playing soccer was because the water was slowly taking over our beach to the point where people were running through water to get the ball. Then, we were sitting on some legs further from the water and talking, but soon the water had creeped up until it was nipping at our toes. With literally no more beach left, we finally set off for the remaining hour drive to Sierpe, a very small town on the banks of a river. We stayed here for the night because early this morning we had to travel by boat to Drake Bay. Last night wasn’t too eventful; we walked around the town only to discover that there wasn’t much more to do than go to the pulpería. After dinner, a lot of us gathered in the Puntarenas boys’ room to mingle and play card games. Surprisingly, we were all super tired by around 10:30 and went to bed. I’m glad we did, because I felt very well-rested this morning at the wee hour of 5:30.

After breakfast, we piled into three different motorboats for an hour-long ride down the river and across the ocean. This is definitely an experience that I’ve never had before, and probably one that I’ll never have again. It was truly one of a kind. We flew past jungle and little bungalows tucked away in the forest. Our driver was awesome and pointed out some cool wildlife for us. We even saw a parazosa—a sloth!! I have no idea how he spotted it as he was driving, but it took the rest of us about five minutes to finally find it. It was hard to see because it blended in so well with the leaves. Soon, we came up to a narrow channel that we had to navigate through for a while, which was really interesting because the surrounding trees’ roots were completely exposed. They’re hard to explain, but I have pictures and videos of them. The reason we left so early was because we needed high tide in order to get through the channel. After about forty minutes, we reached the mouth of the river where it connected to the ocean. It was so cool to see the trees and landscape change from more jungle-like terrain to that of the beach. The next twenty minutes were some of the most terrifying—and exhilarating—minutes of my life. We hurtled through open water, many times bouncing around like crazy, crossing from one side of the bay to the side where our hotel is located. We stopped for a minute to watch a sea vulture dive down and scoop up a snake or something from the water. That was pretty cool to see.

When we got to the resort, I was breath taken. It’s more beautiful and serene than I could have imagined. There are little cottage type things that hold three different hotel rooms. The rooms are doubles and I’m rooming with Morgan. They are about a hundred feet from the ocean, and there are hammocks and benches all over where we can relax and listen to the waves. There are a bunch of jagged rocks, so not too much beach area that I know of, but there is a pool right by the ocean where we can lay out. Plus, there are little paths through the rocks that make for good photo ops.

After settling in, a bunch of us went to the pool to nap, tan, and read. After a while, Morgan and I migrated over to two hammocks. I laid there for who knows how long and then moved to a bench to get closer to the water. This place is so peaceful, so tranquilo. I could sit and watch the water all day. Something about oceans just blow my mind, how it means that we’re on the very edge of a country, not to mention a continent, and that the water lapping up around us could have very well came from Africa, Europe, or any other place. There’s something very humbling about the whole thing; it really makes you think about how small and insignificant you are in the world, and how there is so much more out there for you to see. It made me reflect on how lucky I am to be here, in such an exotic and beautiful place, a chance that many people don’t get to have. I’m so lucky to have this opportunity—it’s something I’ll never forget. Sitting out there made me think about the friends I’ve had to say good bye to on this trip, which got me sad all over again. This tour has a very bittersweet taste to it; on the one hand, it’s probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, but on the other, I know that in a few short days I’ll be saying goodbye to all of this and even more people that I’ve come to really care for. I guess all we can do for now is enjoy the time we have here with each other!

I’ll update you all with our activities while we’re here! Until next time J