March 3:
“Guys what time is it?” yelled our roommate at 6:30am. Everybody groaned simultaneously… After icy showers, getting dressed and playing whack’a'mole with a shoe and ants; we headed for breakfast. Our morning meal consisted of Gallo Pinto (rice and beans) fresh fruit, eggs, toast and juice. We’re packed and with the help of our resident driver, we loaded the bags on top of the bus. We stopped at a bank, where we exchanged boring US dollars for beautiful multi-colored colónes. We hopped back on the bus and headed to Escazu for a delicious lunch of casados. We ate, hung out, and because of the heat shared ice cubes. We missed the farmers market on the way to Palmichal, but that´s OK. We enjoyed the scenery and counted 25 dogs along the way. 5 minutes from our destination, it started pouring. Not California pouring, Costa Rican Rain forest pouring. We reached Palmichal and had some empanadas while we waited for the rain to pass. Then, we were able to move into our rooms and learned about the Eco-lodge from the Director, don Hernan. After dinner, we were ushered to a classroom where we learned to salsa dance! Now that we were good and tired, we did a scavenger hunt for colónes before falling asleep for the night. The night´s scavenger hunts for colónes went a little late, but lights were still out at 9:30.
March 4:
We awoke lethargically at 7:26am this morning. Some of the girls were awake at 6:30, but the lazy half of the species was still asleep. After some more gallo pinto, we got ready for a visit to a farm. This was an epic adventure; we walked up a cool dirt road taking in post-card views for 45 minutes. After the cows greeted us, we helped an honest hard working family at the farm for a little bit… we hauled some firewood for cooking and moved many stones from the pasture so the grass would grow better. We learned about the ingredients to the biodigester and made friends with the goats. Some ice tea and cookies followed.
After returning to the lodge, we had lunch, after which we explored the creek that tumbles past. We played in little waterfalls and splashed around for about an hour. Next we enjoyed the company of a local orchestra group made up of teenagers. They played about 7 or 8 songs for us and shared about their days. After the music, we played some group games with them before enjoying a snack together.
Dinner was fresh salad, salsa, potatoes, and rice with shrimp. Then we had time in the evening to plan for the informal English lessons we will be giving on Tuesday. We discussed how we want to divide up and make the best use of time with the local students. Then we had fun making pictures and planning learning games that we´ll use in a few days.
March 7:
After a completing time on volunteer work projects, the group went via buseta to Puriscal for an up-close personalized tour of an artisanal coffee facility. There they saw how the coffee fruit is processed, sun dried and how to tell the quality of a bean; all before they toasted their own roast! The students had an opportunity to sample the best coffee the world has to offer! Afterward, they made their way to the town center just in time to see the toucans! (They took lots of photos – coming soon).
After the coffee plantation tour the group had a sunset ice-cream treat in the town square and headed back for their final dinner at Nacientes Palmichal. The group enjoyed chocolate Marshmallow treats as a post dinner treat, along with an on site scavenger hunt (prepared by Synergy School students).
March 8:
Today finds the group using their Spanish with local artisans by putting their bargaining skills to the test as they shop for souvenirs in San Jose. While they are sad the trip is coming to an end, they are also excited to share the memories of their experiences with loved ones that they will see tomorrow.