Arenal Volcano

Arenal Volcano

Hello, everyone! Last weekend, the last weekend of January, CISabroad went on its last group excursion together. We went to the Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna Hot Springs. Well, we didn’t exactly see the volcano, but we did see one of its’ beautiful, big waterfalls on Sunday.

On our way to Arenal, we stopped at a well-known public park whose caretaker is very creative in the design of the trees there. I really liked his tree sculptures! There was also a Church there, and I peaked in since the doors were wide open and saw that a wedding was going on at that time. It was a bright and beautiful day for a wedding.

We left Saturday morning and went to a city right next to the volcano. In 1986, the volcano erupted on the other side from where we were, completely destroying the city, which was then rebuilt on our side of the volcano. We waited until about 4 to go to the hot springs since it was a very hot day. The Bali hot springs were beautiful and warm! The water temperature ranged from 104 to 116 degrees and there was three water slides, two bars (with expensive drinks!), 27 pools, and a few waterfalls. I loved the warm water and spending time in the hot springs. They were like hot tubs, but bigger and better. I would never have gone to that place if I was alone, but it was perfect with the whole group of us and would be a perfect vacation spot for someone and their boyfriend or husband. At 7:30, we went to the buffet at the back of the hot springs where I got a variety of wonderful food, but most notably, I got pasta alfredo, my favorite! I also splurged and bought 70% Britt Chocolate, which is in my opinion Costa Rica’s Godiva equivalent.

The next day, I went horseback riding to the waterfall. It cost extra to go horse back riding but was totally worth it since I love to horseback ride and haven’t done so in ages. Although my horse, whose name was Merne, wouldn’t listen to me, it was great. He was a 4 year old, stubborn horse who knew that he was in charge and wouldn’t move faster unless the rangers asked him to, which he would then begin to trot to catch up. Not only was he a slow walker, but he was always hungry, like me, so he would stop at the edge of the road for snacks as we walked. When we got to the waterfall, it was 200 or so steps down (sadly, we couldn’t take the horses) and then back up again, but it was truly a beautiful waterfall to see. The water was freezing, so I didn’t go swimming. I missed a rope swing that everyone else who didn’t choose to go horseback riding did, but I preferred to ride, anyway. Hopefully I’ll find a rope swing (called Tarzan Swing) somewhere else.

 

Poas Volcano Excursion

 

Poas Volcano Crater, Lagoon, and Canopy Tour

Before I start on my Poas Volcano trip, I just wanted to mention that there was a small tremor on Friday the 17th that I actually felt! It was so cool! I just hope that there are no major earthquakes while I am here.

This past Saturday, my group went to the Poas Volcano for a day trip. It was about an hour away from San Jose by bus. The elevation of the Poas Volcano is about 9,000 feet (where San Jose is about 4,000 feet) above sea level. We were told to bring warm sweatshirts and rain coats since it tends to get cold there, which it was. The volcano was completely covered in clouds, so it was impossible to see the crater or lagoon, and the clouds made the volcano a very cold and wet place. Although we didn't see the crater, we did get to enjoy the lush green plant life that exists on the volcano. My favorite plant was called, "Poor Man's Umbrella" and I have attached a picture of me under one of its' leaves. I found it was harder to breath on the Poas Volcano due to its higher altitude (I felt out of breath although not exhausted) but since we weren't there for long, I didn't have any problems.

 

 

We came back down the volcano and went to the Poas Canopy Tour, which was a zip lining trip. The word for zip lining in Spanish is Canopy. There were 12 cables and 21 platforms (sometimes we had to walk from one platform to another). This was my first time really zip lining and it was a blast! We wore leather gloves which were used to "break" ourselves as we approached a platform by grabbing the cable behind us. The longest cable we went on was the last cable, at about 1800 feet long. The average speed was 45 miles per hour, although people have gone as fast as 60 miles per hour on the cable when it is wet. I loved zip lining and I can't wait to go again!

 

The Canopy Tour was followed with a wonderful buffet lunch. We stopped at a local fruit stand on our way back and I picked up fresh strawberries and unpasteurized cheese. That area is known for its dairy and strawberries.

We are going on our last group excursion this upcoming weekend, and I am making plans with friends to travel on our own on other weekends, hopefully to Monteverde and Panama.

Antes de empiezo hablar sobre mi viaje al volcán Poas, quiero decir que hubiera un temblor pequeño en el 17, viernes, ¡que siento! ¡Qué chiva! Espero que no hay temblores grandes mientras que estoy aquí.

Este domingo pasado, mi grupo fueron al volcán Poas por un día. Estaba a veces una hora lejos de San José por autobús. El volcán Poas es sobre 9.000 pies alta (San José está 4.000 pies alta) de la altura del mar. Hubiéramos dicha traer sudaderas e impermeable porque típicamente hacía frío allí. Hacía frío. El volcán cubrió total en nublados, entonces estaba difícil ver el cráter o laguna. También, los nublados hicieron el volcán frío y mojado. Aunque no miramos el cráter, miremos las plantas buenas que existía en el volcán. Mi planta favorita se llama “Poor Man’s Umbrella”, y hay un foto en esta blog de yo debajo de las hojas de la planta. Estaba difícil respirar allí porque estábamos muy alta. No podía respirar, pero no podía estar exhausto. Porque no estábamos allí por mucho tiempo, yo no tuve problemas.

Regresamos al fondo del volcán y estábamos al Poas Canopy Tour. Había 12 cables y 21 plataformas (a veces caminamos de una plataforma a otra. ¡Era mi primera vez haciendo canopy y le me encantaba! Llevamos guantes de cuero que usamos moverse más despacio por agarrar el cable detrás de nosotros. El último cable estaba lo más largo, más o menos 1800 pies largos. El medio velocidad estaba 45 miles cada hora, pero había personas que pueden moverse tan rápido como 60 miles cada hora cuando el cable está mojado. ¡Lo me encantaba y quiero regresar otra vez!

Después de hicimos canopy, almorzamos comida buena de un *buffet. Estábamos a una frutería cuando regresamos y compré freses frescas y queso despasteurizada. Esta área se conocía por sus fresas y lácteos.

Vamos a nuestro viaje final la semana siguiente y estoy haciendo planes viajar con amigos a otros lugares. Espero que vamos a Monteverde y Panamá.

Bahía Ballena – Whale Bay

Bahía Ballena

Last Weekend, we went on an amazing excursion to Bahía Ballena, which is on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, about a 5 hour drive from San Jose. We spent two nights there at a wonderful hotel which had homemade casado breakfasts, a pool and hot tub, and hot showers. Casado is the name for their rice, beans, vegetable, and meat combination, which is a very common meal in Costa Rica. They eat rice and beans at almost every meal here, including breakfast.

 

 

 

We left right after class on Friday and made a stop on the way to Bahía Ballena to a river which was swarming with crocodiles! I got some amazing pictures of them. They crocodiles were right next to a herd of cattle, so we figured they had plenty to eat. At the fruit stand, I bought a granadilla, which is a fruit whose seeds are eaten. It’s really good and a little sweet. We arrived at our hotel around 6:30. For this trip, we would be rooming with one other person and I got to room with one of my close friends in our group. Breakfast was at 7 on Saturday morning and we left at 8 to go whale and dolphin watching.

 

 

 

We went whale watching on a 28’ boat with a 140 hp Johnson engine (for any of you boat lovers out there!) This time of the year, there are almost always a few whales to see since they come to the bay with their young to teach them how to swim and dive. Our tour guide said that the mother whales like the bay because it is shallow enough for them to lift their calf out of the water if they need to. Almost immediately we saw a calf, probably about a year old our guide said, and shortly after we saw her mother. An interesting tidbit I learned about whales is that they are identified by their tales, which are all different just like our finger prints.

We then headed up the shoreline to see the rock formations and get an introduction to each beach that was there as well as to see Whale Island up close and personal. There were two interesting rock formations, one called the elephant and the other called an Indian, both due to their shape. Similarly, the whale island was named because when the waves are heavy, they spray off the island, just like a whale; it was not named Whale Island because there are whales at the island.

 

When we got to the island, we were handed snorkeling gear and told that we could go explore the island from the water. When we jumped in, I was surprised to notice that the water was warm, not anywhere near as cold as the Great Lakes get. One of my first thoughts was, “why do I taste salt?” since I’m so used to swimming in the fresh water Great Lakes. Some people saw a turtle, although I was not fast enough to see it. I saw a star fish, some crabs, and lots of fish.

We headed up the coast line again where we saw a cave that looked just big enough to get our boat through. Our driver appeared to be in his late 20’s and was a very good driver. He brought us through that cave, no problem! I didn’t doubt he could go through that one, but he found another cave a little later and proceeded to go through that one. This time I was certain he wouldn’t make it, so I closed my eyes part way through the formation. Sure enough, we made it through. That was a great experience, getting to be back on a boat and exploring the caves.

Finally, we went on plane farther out to see the dolphins. At first we didn’t see any, then they started popping up right next to our boats. These dolphins liked messing with the boats: they would swim right next to the boats then dive, disappearing for a while, the reappear farther out making the boats chase them. It was so cool! We got to spend the rest of the night lounging on the beach and in the pool at the hotel.

 

On Sunday on our way home we stopped at Manuel Antonio, one of their most popular national parks. We were able to go swimming at the beach, or just walk through the forest looking at the wildlife. The one precaution we had to take was to watch our stuff since the monkeys liked to steal bags to search for food. One woman was looking through her bag to grab something and, with her still there, a monkey came up and grabbed a package of peanuts from her! It ran up into the trees and sat there, eating the peanuts, and then threw the package back down when it was done. So funny! I saw a sloth (which was far away so I couldn’t get a good picture), four or so monkeys, and three raccoons. Next time I go, I’d like to get a guide to show me all of the cool nature things I missed, but we didn’t have time this trip.

This was a wonderful weekend and I didn’t want it to end.

El fin de semana pasada, fuimos a una excursión buena a Bahía Ballena, que está en la costa del Océano Pacifico, a veces 5 horas por carro de San José. Dormíamos dos noches a un hotel fantástico que sirvió desayuno de casado que cocinaba allí, tuve una piscina y un jacuzzi, y duchas calientes. Un casado es una comida con arroz, frijoles, verduras y una carne que es común en Costa Rica comer por desayuno, almuerzo y cena.

Salimos después de clase viernes y pasábamos tiempo a un río cuando conducimos a Bahía Ballena. Este río tuvo muchos cocodrilos. Tuvo fotos buenas de ellos. Los cocodrilos estuvieron al lado de una manada de vacas, entonces pensábamos que los cocodrilos tuvieron mucha comer. También, fue una tienda de fruta adónde compré una granadilla que puede comer sus sendillas. Lo sabe dulce, ¡lo me encanta mucho! Llegamos al hotel a las 6:30. Por este viaje, una de mis mejoras amigas vivaba conmigo en mi cuarto. Desayunábamos a las 7 de la mañana sábado y salimos a las 8 de la mañana ver las ballenas y los delfines.

Fuimos en un barco de 28 pies que tuvo un motor Johnson que tiene 140 hp (se quiere saber). Estas tiempo del año, siempre hay ballenas ver porque llegan al  bahía con sus hijos le enseñar a ellos nadar y tirarse. Nuestro guía dice que las ballenas prefieren la bahía porque pueden suportar sus hijos encima del agua si necesitan. Casi inmediatamente, vimos una ballena y su hijo. ¡Qué lindo! También, aprendí que podemos identificarlo por sus colas que están siempre diferente, como nos huellas dactilar.

Fuimos adelante por la costa ver las formaciones de piedras, saber cada playa cerca de allí y ver la isla de la ballena. Hubiera dos rocas interesantes que vimos. Una fue, “el elefante” y el otro se llama, “caro de indio” porque los parece ser como sus nombres. En la misma forma, la Isla Ballena tuvo su nombre porque cuando las olas están fuerte, hay un roción en un lado de la isla que le mira como una ballena. No tuvo su nombre porque siempre hay ballenas cerca de la isla.

Cuando estuvimos a la isla, buscamos y podemos explorar la isla de la mar. Cuando yo estaba en el agua, me sorprendí que el agua fue caliente, no fue tan frío como los Lagos Grandes cerca de Michigan. Mi primero pensaba fue, “¿por qué hay sal en está agua?” porque no hay sal en los Lagos Grandes que adónde típicamente nado y no estoy acostumbrada al mar de agua salada. Otras personas miraban una tortuga pero no miré porque no nadé tan rápida como mirarlo. Miraba una estrella de mar, unos cangrejos y muchos peces.          

Fuimos delante de la costa tal vez cuando miramos una cueva que mira suficientemente grande para conducir a través de la cueva. Nos conductor pensaba tener 25 años más o menos y conducía muy bien. No tuvo problemas conducir a través de la cueva. No dudaba que pudo conducir a través de esta cueva, sino yo dudaba que pudo conducir a través de otra cueva que él condujo a través de la cueva. Dudo que pudo conducir bien, pero nos sobrevivimos a viaje. Fue una experiencia muy emocionada, porque me encanta los barcos y las cuevas.

En fin, nos deslizamos más lejos de la costa ver los delfines. Al primero, no vimos ningunas, sino pronto vimos muchos al lado de nos barcos. Estos delfines le encanta jugar con los barcos: nadaban lejos de los barcos y después ellos desaparecieron para poco tiempo y podrían aparecer tal vez lejos de los barcos. Entonces, los barcos persiguieron a ellos. ¡Qué bueno! Pasamos todo del día a la playa y a la piscina al hotel.

Domingo, fuimos a Manuel Antonio, un parque nacional muy popular. Podemos nadar a la playa o sólo caminar en la selva para mirar a la naturaleza. Solo tuvimos cuidado y mirábamos nos cosas porque los monos les encanta grabar bolsas y los buscan comida. Una mujer busca en su propio bolsa tocar alguien cuando un mono llegó y tomó sus paquete de cacahuates mientras ella estaba allí. Corrió en los árboles y se sintió, los corría. Cuando él terminó, tiró el paquete al soltero. ¡Qué divertida! Yo miraba un perezoso, cuatro o más monos y tres mapaches. Cuando regresaré tal vez, quería tener un guía ayúdame ver todos los cosas que me he falta este viaje.

Estaba un fin de semana bueno que no quiere terminarlo.

Coffee Tour and First Week of Classes -- Guia del cafetal y la primera semana de clases

Hello, Everyone!

I arrived here in San Jose this past Saturday and it's been a whirlwind of activity ever since. I arrived late at night on Saturday, so my adventures really started on Sunday. My program, CISabroad, had their tour of San Jose and a coffee plantation tour on Sunday, which was a blast! I had my orientation with Veritas University on Monday and classes started on Tuesday. Throughout the week, I've been meeting new people, exploring the city and getting to know my host family. I'm loving my time here!

On Sunday, we walked around town with a tour guide who introduced us to some of the history of Costa Rica along with its politics and natural diversity. He was very knowledgeable about all the different plants, for example, the red leafed plants do not get attacked by bugs since the bugs think the leaves are dead. There is also a plant that is commonly called a “poor man's blanket” since it has holes in the gigantic leaves to allow sunlight to reach the leaves below it. I'll try to attach a picture later. As we walked, we arrived at the national park where he told us of one of their famous heroes, President Mora, who prevented an invasion from Nicaragua in the 19th century. He also introduced us to the political system. Unlike in the United States, all elections are by popular vote. They currently have a woman president, and each president serves for four years. If I remember correctly, they have to wait a full term to run for reelection, so no one serves more than 4 consecutive years. They will be having elections during February, so I will get to watch the elections while I am here.

 

After that we went to the Britt Coffee Bean Plantation, which was only about a half an hour bus ride away. As we got off the bus, we were given chocolate covered coffee beans. Two tour guides, dressed as plantation workers, showed us how coffee beans grew and how they were produced. I have pictures that I will add later in the week. They also introduced us to the historical importance of coffee as an exported item since it helped them to create an economy when they became independent in the 1800's.

On Monday, we were shown around the school and saw where our classes would be. We began on Tuesday. My two classes right now are my Spanish class, Advanced 1, for 4 hours a day and a Theories of Latin American Dance class two days a week. My Spanish class doesn't seem too hard, except for the vocabulary words. I like my professor and the small 9 person class size that we have. We began dancing the Swin Creolle on Thursday, and I am looking forward to more of the history, significance, and different types of Latin American dances. Also, I joined the taekwondo class here, which is hard since it's in Spanish/Korean but so far has been going well.

I plan to write every Sunday night. I may also write during the week (for example, expect a post this week about the excursion to Bahia Ballena I just got back from), but for sure expect a new post every Sunday night. ¡Pura Vida!

 

¡Hola, todos!

llegué aquí en San José este sábado pasado y fueron mucha actividad desde entonces. Llegué tarde a noche en sábado, entonces mis aventuras empezaba verdad en domingo. Mi programa, CISabroad, fue su gira de San José y una gira de un cafetal en domingo, ¡que fue emocionada! Fui mi orientación lunes y mis clases empezaban martes. A lo largo de la semana, he conociendo nuevas personas, explorando la ciudad, y conociendo mi familia anfitriona. ¡Me encanta mi tiempo aquí!

Domingo, caminamos alrededor de la ciudad con un guía turístico que nos introdujimos a la historia de Costa Rica con sus políticas y diversidad natural. Fue muy informado sobre las plantas diferentes, por ejemplo, las plantas con hojas rojas no están atacando por los bichos porque los bichos piensen que las plantas están muerte. También hay una planta se llama más común es la “manta del pobre” porque tenía agujeros en los hojas para permitir el sol alcanzar otros hojas bajos. Cuando caminamos, lleguemos al parque nacional adonde dijo a nuestras sobre uno de sus héroes famosos, Presidente Mora, que impidió una invasión de Nicaragua en el siglo 19. También, nos introdujo al sistema político. Diferente de los Estados Unidos, todo de las elecciones están por voto popular. Ahora, tiene una presidente mujer y cada presidente sirve para cuatro años. Si me recuerdo correctamente, necesita esperar por un mandato antes de puede presentarse a la reelección, entonces no hay alguien que puede servir para más que 4 años consecutivas. Las elecciones está esta febrero, así miraría estas cuando estoy aquí.

Después, fueron al cafetal Britt que está cerca de una media hora lejos por autobús. Cuando salimos el autobús, recibieron granos de café cubiertos de chocolate. Dos guidas turísticas, vestido en la ropa de trabajadores del cafetal, nos muestran como los granos de café cultivaron y produjeron. Tengo fotos que añadir más tarde de esta semana. También, nos introdujeron la importancia de café tan un cosa exportando porque ayudó los costarricenses crear una economía cuando sea independiente en los 1800’s.

Lunes, mostraron alrededor de la Universidad y vieron adonde serían nuestras clases. Empezaba clase en martes. Mis clases ahora están mi clase de español, Avanzado 1, que tenga para cuatro horas cada día y una clase de teorías de bailar Latino Americana que tenga dos días cada semana. Mi clase de español no parece ser muy difícil, pero las palabras de vocabulario están difícil. Me gusta mi profesora y la pequeña clase de 9 personas que tengamos. En mi clase de bailar, empezaban el baile Swin Creolle en jueves, y estoy deseando a más de la historia, significada, y los tipos diferentes de bailes Latino Americana. Así, me uní a una clase de artes marciales de taekwondo aquí, que están difícil porque está en español y coreano pero hasta ahora ha ido bien.

Planeo escribir cada noche domingo. Escribiría también durante la semana (por ejemplo, escribiré un correo sobre la excursión a Bahia Ballena que regresó justo), pero por seguro escribiré cada noche domingo. ¡Pura Vida!