Monday, August 4, 2014




Hola from Costa Rica! After an early morning (3:50 a.m. early) at the airport, a layover in Atlanta, and a long line through customs, we finally arrived at our destination (kind of, we were in Liberia). We had lunch at a local restaurant, consisting of rice, beans, chicken, salad, and fried plantains. And hot sauce! To say it was palatable is an understatement, it was phenomenal. Afterwards, we plopped onto a bus (air-conditioned, thankfully) for a two-and-a-half hour ride to Finca la Anita. "Ride" doesn't quite do it justice, though, as it was more of a scenic tour. We passed quaint-but-vibrant houses, small towns with fruit stands, and a whole range of flora and fauna (jungle-speak for plants!). We passed through the "dry" section, which was (in our opinion, extraordinarily) hot, with the sun beating down and trees resembling umbrellas, like the one Rafiki gave his wise words to Simba under in The Lion King. At one point, John, our director, pulled us over so we could try a new and exciting fruit: Mamon Chino. A photo can be seen above, it's an interesting variety! The "wet" section, the rainforest, started around the base of a volcano that we are in the shadow of, the Rincon de Viaje... the air turned cooler and damper, the trees lusher, with leaves that draped lazily among branches and created a whole new world. The roads turned to gravel, the sides dotted with occasional residences on small plots of land, often containing cows or chickens (all free-range!) On a side note, the cows are much skinnier and perkier here than their US counterparts. The cows could be seen strolling next to our bus-- right next to it, on the road, as seen in a photo above, and dogs loping happily along as well. After a slow (but enjoyable) ride, we arrived at La Anita to a strong rainstorm. We went over general rules, then situated ourselves in our cabins. They are oh-so-charming, complete with a hammock and rocking chairs on the front porch. Rubber boots were handed out and test driven-- by some, on a nature walk next to (and into) a creek. When dinnertime arrived, we were all hungry, and happy to eat a fantastic meal of sea bass, vegetables, salad, and, for dessert, "arroz con leche," or rice pudding, for those preferring English. Finca la Anita is a beautiful, exotic masterpiece (see the picture above if you don't believe us), and we are all excited to be spending the next nine days here. The stars are shining brightly overhead now, so we'll sign off and go to bed (we're pretty tired after so many hours on-the-go!)

Anna S. and Haley

1 comment:

  1. Glad you made it there safely. Thanks for a great description of your first day!

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