Day Five - Monte Verde to Manuel Antonio

Waking up to the cold embrace of the clouds was refreshing after the humid mornings in other parts of the country. Aware of the five hour journey ahead of us we hoped for an early start to the day but the large line at breakfast stymied that desire. Nevertheless the breakfast was delightful and had the most refreshing pineapple and tangiest papaya we had tasted. Refreshed, we boarded the bus for our nerve-racking descent of the "road".

Four stops were planned for the day, the first of which was a reststop with a heladaria and an authentic Costa Rican eatery. Our guide, Berny, helped anyone who was daring enough to order at the eatery. After some initial hesitance, we found that  the plátanos and rice were both to die for. It gave a good snapshot of the tastes of common Costa Rican food and we also heard that the ice cream was delicious.

The american crocodile is the largest reptile in Costa Rica and is found throughout their rivers and estuaries. We passed a local restaurant that had a path to the river so that we could view the crocs up close. Unfortunately this was rather frowned upon by the owner of that establishment and el Jefe was around so we could not get through. The stop was not fruitless however as we passed over a bridge with a view of the crocodiles.

After a brief trip to the grocery store to pick up lunch we continued to the most anticipated stop of the day, the school. While the amount of children who were there was disappointing, but expected due to the school break, we formed a close bond with the three children who did show up. The three kids were all in their final years at the elementary school, but were of different ages. The two girls were fond of dancing while the lone boy enjoyed futbol. We visited a classroom and discussed the curriculum and other aspects of Costa Rican schools. Many questions were answered and a clearer picture of education was developed. We delivered our gifts to the students and after a quick tour which culminated in many photos it was time to be on our way.

Luckily the school was less than an hour from our hotel, the luxurious Shana, located on the pacific coast. After visiting our rooms and a taking a quick dip in the pool, which is flanked by forests full of howler monkeys, we took a quick walk to the beach close by, seeing three sloths on the way to the delight of many. It was nearly dusk and the waves were not very large so we left quickly. Nevertheless it was a good introduction to the Costa Rican pacific we would explore the next day. Soon after we returned to the hotel we ate and most called it an early night, sapped from the days of traveling. What a full day we had. Pura Vida.

-Jeff Naftaly y Zack Preuss (Seniors)