Sloths on the Line!
Dear Families,
Today was an exciting final day for your sloths. After breakfast, your students returned by bus to the highland town of Monteverde, climbing a bit into the hills before arriving at the Cloud Forest Lodge. There, they broke up into two groups, donned rugged harnesses, and took off for two hours of zip lining and rappelling. Cameras were not allowed on the trip, and so our action shots are limited, but we captured a few! The students returned to a delicious lunch of chicken sandwiches, fruit, and lemonade, and boarded the bus exhilarated.
What followed was a long, winding drive from the highlands to the coast. At one point, we were stopped for road construction, until our guides convinced the road builders to clear a path for our bus. We literally watched as a road grader cleared newly laid tar to expose a dirt roadbed, and our driver, André (aka Michael Shumacher), navigated the bumpy terrain.
The air turned warmer and more humid as we eventually hit the Pan-American highway and followed Costa Rica's Pacific coast for some miles before turning in towards Atenas. Along the way, students were able to stop at a souvenir "factory" to pick up wholesale goods for their friends and family. Predictably, the boy students were glued to the knife and lighter section, but emerged with only t-shirts and soft drinks.
Once the shopping trip was complete, your sloths made the final climb into the hills of Atenas and to Don Francisco's Cabinas -- a beautiful rural estate with lush green grounds and a swimming pool. The students were pleased to reconnect with their Toucan friends for swimming, dinner, and a karaoke sing-along. Good times to finish up!
Your children are very excited to see you. They have had a wonderful week, but they are ready to reconnect with home. With this in mind, look ahead to hearing our great stories at 12:15 a.m. sharp on Sunday morning at the arrivals area of SFOs International Terminal. This will be our last extended blog post of the trip. We will update from the road!
¡Pura Vida!
Your Sloth Chaperones
--------------------
Today, only Aryav and Rachel elected to offer a reflection, as the other students desired to spend their last night reconnecting with friends and singing.
Aryav:
"Today was a really fun, but also relaxing day. The day started off at around 7:00, and breakfast was, as always, delicious at Rancho Makena. We headed out for zip lining and arrived about 20 minutes later. After putting on our gear and separating into groups, we finally headed out to zip line. Needless to say, it was a definite highlight of the trip. Ever time we clipped onto the zip line, I felt a rush as I speeded down the line, a few times spinning out of control. But by far the best part of it was in the last four zip lines, when we overlooked rolling hills and trees from a thrilling height, feeling somehow both relaxed and exhilarated. There was also a part in the middle of our zip lining experience where we "Tarzan jumped" in an almost free fall. We ate lunch at the zip lining center, and headed out for a four-hour bus ride, stopping once for restrooms and to buy souvenirs. After finally reaching Don Francisco's Lodge, we hopped in the pool for a swim and ate dinner soon after. The night finished off with a karaoke party with both groups, and we got a night of rest before travel tomorrow."
Rachel:
(03/15/2019)
"This morning we woke up in Rancho Makena to a great breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and of course, gallo pinto (a traditional beans and rice meal). Next, we went on a short bus ride that was so bumpy that is felt like we were getting a massage. Once we arrived at the canopy zip line, everyone signed a waver, put on a harness, and finally, walked for about 15 minutes. The first few zip lines were exciting, but the height of the zip lines made me a bit nervous. The guides said some zip lines were as tall as 40 meters! We all slid down the vertical drop and climbed up through a hollow tree. As I zipped through the air, the mist of the clouds that floated through the cloud forest hit my face. It was an amazing and an extremely beautiful experience. I hope to one day visit a cloud forest again. Anyway, I want to wish my dad a happy birthday. Hopefully you have been keeping up with the blog and you had a wonderful day."
Yours,
-Rachel
Today was an exciting final day for your sloths. After breakfast, your students returned by bus to the highland town of Monteverde, climbing a bit into the hills before arriving at the Cloud Forest Lodge. There, they broke up into two groups, donned rugged harnesses, and took off for two hours of zip lining and rappelling. Cameras were not allowed on the trip, and so our action shots are limited, but we captured a few! The students returned to a delicious lunch of chicken sandwiches, fruit, and lemonade, and boarded the bus exhilarated.
What followed was a long, winding drive from the highlands to the coast. At one point, we were stopped for road construction, until our guides convinced the road builders to clear a path for our bus. We literally watched as a road grader cleared newly laid tar to expose a dirt roadbed, and our driver, André (aka Michael Shumacher), navigated the bumpy terrain.
The air turned warmer and more humid as we eventually hit the Pan-American highway and followed Costa Rica's Pacific coast for some miles before turning in towards Atenas. Along the way, students were able to stop at a souvenir "factory" to pick up wholesale goods for their friends and family. Predictably, the boy students were glued to the knife and lighter section, but emerged with only t-shirts and soft drinks.
Once the shopping trip was complete, your sloths made the final climb into the hills of Atenas and to Don Francisco's Cabinas -- a beautiful rural estate with lush green grounds and a swimming pool. The students were pleased to reconnect with their Toucan friends for swimming, dinner, and a karaoke sing-along. Good times to finish up!
Your children are very excited to see you. They have had a wonderful week, but they are ready to reconnect with home. With this in mind, look ahead to hearing our great stories at 12:15 a.m. sharp on Sunday morning at the arrivals area of SFOs International Terminal. This will be our last extended blog post of the trip. We will update from the road!
¡Pura Vida!
Your Sloth Chaperones
--------------------
Today, only Aryav and Rachel elected to offer a reflection, as the other students desired to spend their last night reconnecting with friends and singing.
Aryav:
"Today was a really fun, but also relaxing day. The day started off at around 7:00, and breakfast was, as always, delicious at Rancho Makena. We headed out for zip lining and arrived about 20 minutes later. After putting on our gear and separating into groups, we finally headed out to zip line. Needless to say, it was a definite highlight of the trip. Ever time we clipped onto the zip line, I felt a rush as I speeded down the line, a few times spinning out of control. But by far the best part of it was in the last four zip lines, when we overlooked rolling hills and trees from a thrilling height, feeling somehow both relaxed and exhilarated. There was also a part in the middle of our zip lining experience where we "Tarzan jumped" in an almost free fall. We ate lunch at the zip lining center, and headed out for a four-hour bus ride, stopping once for restrooms and to buy souvenirs. After finally reaching Don Francisco's Lodge, we hopped in the pool for a swim and ate dinner soon after. The night finished off with a karaoke party with both groups, and we got a night of rest before travel tomorrow."
Rachel:
(03/15/2019)
"This morning we woke up in Rancho Makena to a great breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and of course, gallo pinto (a traditional beans and rice meal). Next, we went on a short bus ride that was so bumpy that is felt like we were getting a massage. Once we arrived at the canopy zip line, everyone signed a waver, put on a harness, and finally, walked for about 15 minutes. The first few zip lines were exciting, but the height of the zip lines made me a bit nervous. The guides said some zip lines were as tall as 40 meters! We all slid down the vertical drop and climbed up through a hollow tree. As I zipped through the air, the mist of the clouds that floated through the cloud forest hit my face. It was an amazing and an extremely beautiful experience. I hope to one day visit a cloud forest again. Anyway, I want to wish my dad a happy birthday. Hopefully you have been keeping up with the blog and you had a wonderful day."
Yours,
-Rachel
Ready for you to come home too :) --- Adityas mom
ReplyDeleteRachel - Great reflection and we have cake left from Dad's birthday!
ReplyDelete