Costa Rica Day 6
Saturday. Although it started like every day so far in Heredia, today turned out to be an amazing day! We left early this morning to go to Poas Volcano. After traveling almost 2 hours to get there, we finally reached our destination. The ride there was filled with spectacular views of the whole city. We were able to stop at a small little restaurant on top of the hills to take pictures. It was an incredible view and I have never seen mountains and land so beautiful. After snapping lots of quick photos, we made our way to the volcano. It’s a short hike to the actual volcano site.. probably close to half a mile through a trail. Prior to leaving, all I had heard from people was that Poas Volcano was a wasted trip. Everyone I talked to that had been said they were never able to see anything… because the volcano sits on top of a mountain… the clouds tend to block most of the view 9 times out of 10. Luckily for us, the skies were clear that Saturday morning and we got to see the entire volcano. It hasn’t been active for several years, so it looked a lot different than I imagined. It was still an amazing experience and I’m so glad I was able to take pictures and see everything.
After the volcano, we hiked a mountain trail…. Completely uphill. When they told us it was a mile hike, I thought it was no big deal. I have walked WAY more than a mile since I’ve been here… so this would be a walk in the park. haha… completely WRONG. Being at a higher altitude made it harder to catch your breath, not to mention the “hike” was more like climbing straight up a mountain. But after photo breaks [or to catch our breaths] our group reached the top and the view overlooked a beautiful lake surrounded by trees and indigenous flowers. What an incredible view after working so hard to get there… The saying “it was all downhill from there” actually defined this situation as we spent the last mile of the hike going down the mountain.
After snapping a few last photos and loading up on water and Gatorade from the gift shop, the West Georgians loaded the bus and headed towards our lunch destination. For lunch today, we stopped at a locally owned restaurant right on the other side of the mountain. The food was delicious and the owners were especially nice to our rowdy crowd. Our next destination for the day was Sarchi. Sarchi is a small town outside of Heredia that is known for its souvenirs for tourists. They have a HUGE souvenir store that is equivalent to about the size of a Walmart in the States. They had everything you could ever want in a souvenir. However, because this is where most people go for all things to take home, the items are priced higher than local places around Heredia. I bought a few things there [I would tell.. but then they wouldn’t be surprises] but most of my gifts will be purchased towards the end of the trip.
I finished the night off going downtown with several students from West Georgia. It was the perfect ending to a great day!
Costa Rica Day 7
Sunday. Wow! I can’t believe my first week is already up! The honeymoon stage of the trip has quickly come and gone. The next week of the trip is referred to as the “frustration stage.” Apparently, this coming week is a hard week for most all students who have been on this trip before. Rumor has it, that this week it starts to sink in that we are actually living here, not just vacationing for a few days. Although at times I have been frustrated with the language barrier, I have to admit, I have done a lot better than I thought I would. Of course there is a part of me that still has a little nervousness each day. Each day is different and I never know what to expect, but I have started better than I had expected. But no worries, home is definitely where the heart is [especially in my case]… and I have ZERO intentions of staying here longer than 4 weeks. I credit the success for the first week to my care free spirit, ambition to try new things, and love for life. We’ll see how far those qualities take me into the next 3 weeks.
So today, we visited Café Britt plantation. I was a little skeptical at first because all I imagined was walking through miles of coffee bean rows for hours in the hot sun. WRONG. Although the scenery does not even compare to yesterday’s excursion, today was probably my favorite day so far. The tour started at 11 this morning [first day I have gotten to sleep in a little… so no wonder it’s my favorite?] and we were greeted by our very enthusiastic tour guide. It didn’t take long to figure out that the “tour guides” were actually professional actors and actresses. This made the entire day very entertaining and fun. We got to see pretty much the entire process and it was really cool to see how they harvest the coffee beans. At the end of the tour, the tour guides teach us the rules on how to buy the best coffee as well as how to tell if the coffee you are drinking is good quality. They also put on a play that shows the origin of the coffee bean and how it was spread to the rest of the world. After the show ended, we were led to the gift shop and restaurant. The restaurant consisted of a self serve lunch that was delicious. Chicken, rice, beans, vegetables, pasta, salad, fruit, soup, and lots of bread… everything that is common around the Costa Rican culture. We also got to taste test all of the coffees they have available for purchase. I am not a big coffee drinker and when I do drink it, I absolutely do not want it black. However, today, I found a coffee that I absolutely love served black. It’s produced only by Café Britt and its called Tarrazu. The large bags can be purchased elsewhere much cheaper, but I did by some small sample bags to take home. I also bought different chocolates for my family to try. And the cool thing about Café Britt… everything they have can be ordered online! Yes! So I guess this means that I’ll follow in my mom’s footsteps after all. Here’s to my new love for coffee.
After our excursion today, I went around town to a few of the shops… I’m not sure if today was a special day or if it happens every Sunday [which won’t be good for my bank account] but most every store was 50% off all merchandise! bought two pairs of adorable sandals for only $20. I have seen one of the pairs I got in another store and they were going to charge me $30 for that one pair. I’m so glad I got the great shopping gene from my nana and mom. .
When I got back to the house today, I skyped my sweet little, Bree, for a few moments. It was so great to see her and talk to her. I miss having our talks that we usually have every single day. I miss all the times that she comes in my room and we just sit there and talk for hours. I miss all our funny jokes and good times we have together.
I also FINALLY got to Skype with my parents today. It was sooooo great to see and talk to them. Email and Facebook are two amazing things, but they don’t compare to actually seeing and talking to someone. I am so thankful that they finally got everything working right. I hope we never go a whole week without speaking on the phone ever again. I know that this journey is not easy on them, but it makes it so much better when we can see each other and talk.
I also miss talking to my dad about sports… something weird to miss, right? He always keeps me updated on everything that’s going on… and I always look to him if I want to know something. I’m glad we got to chat about some baseball, if only it was for a few minutes. He also never fails at putting a smile on my face. That’s something I have noticed from both of my parents and grandmother over the past few years. They know exactly when I need a “pick-me-up.” Exactly when I need a phone call or text. And exactly when I need a good, relaxing weekend at home.
In exactly 3 weeks from today, my flight will already be landed… and I will be back in Georgia. Where my heart belongs. I love traveling. I love new experiences. But there’s nothing like being at home, surrounded by family and friends. The most amazing friends and family I could have ever asked for. I can’t wait until I hit that Georgia line.
I’m looking forward to another great week and hopefully I can tackle anything that comes my way! Except, I would really like for all natural disasters [earthquakes] to hold off for another 3 weeks. Hope everyone has a great week!
Buenos Noches [Good night] from Heredia, Costa Rica!
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