¡A la playa! - Jaco and Manuel Antonio

Yesterday buses 1 and 2 descended from the central plains and mountains of Costa Rica to the Pacific coast and the beach town of Jaco. Our students were ecstatic to once again be on the move and closer to the beach. On our travel day, we stopped at the Tarcolez River for a bird and crocodile safari (successful on both fronts), a gondola canopy tour, and a short walk to and through a butterfly garden. Some travelers seven tasted some termites! This coastal heat is no joke so our students were definitely tired yesterday. The hotels here in Jaco are more comparable to the types of hotels our scholars are used to, and they were beyond stoked to find pools and functioning AC at this hotel. Last night, scholars tired themselves at the pool before dinner and then enjoyed a later bed/room check-in time.

The pictures below are mostly from yesterday but a few from today are present as well. (Remember that bus three is a day behind buses 1 and 2.) 

¡Vamos a la playa! Our beach day at Manuel Antonio was definitely a highlight of the trip. The monkeys didn't come out to see us, but we did get to see a sloth. (The park has changed its rules since our last visit in 2020 pre-pandemic. Food is no longer permitted inside the park in order to encourage the animals to find their own food. This new mandate must be working. Sigh.) Our trip crescendoed today as our students enjoyed a long morning at the pristine national park beaches of Manuel Antonio. Any fantasies our students held of palm trees and white sand were fulfilled today and our students took full advantage. Our time at the beach almost felt like a reward for our students’ impressive handling of everything new they experienced this week.

After a morning on the beach, we ate lunch at Tucanes restaurant. (This was hands-down the best meal of the trip thus far!) As I currently type, we are all at our hotels exhausted and sun-kissed (don’t worry, warnings to liberally apply and reapply sunscreen were mostly heeded). Some scholars are swimming while others are taking this time to rest and relax in the AC of their room before dinner this evening. 

Tomorrow our students will visit the town of Sarchi, known for its artisans and colorful, traditional coffee carts. These stops are on the way to San Jose, where we will sadly end our trip. Our students haven’t noticed yet, but the reality of our adventure’s end will start to hit them tomorrow. Thankfully, there is still lots of fun in store before we have to return!

¡Pura Vida!

Sra. Cuffee