CHS Costa Rica 06

Beautiful Jungle Waterfall

2006-03-25T19:31:00.000-06:00

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/r-baird/costarica/MOV06182.MPG

Huge Trees

2006-03-25T19:28:00.000-06:00

Kids say "OLA" by the Huge Tree

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/r-baird/costarica/MOV06170.MPG

What a trunk!

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/r-baird/costarica/MOV06217.MPG

Amazing Animal Footage

2006-03-25T19:26:00.000-06:00

Crocodile Up Close

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/r-baird/costarica/MOV06134.MPG

Wild Pig (?) Eating

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/r-baird/costarica/MOV06224.MPG

Driving and Hiking Through Costa Rica

2006-03-25T19:21:00.000-06:00

Bus driver narrates the trip

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/r-baird/costarica/MOV06122.MPG

Kids do their usual complaining during hiking

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/r-baird/costarica/MOV06180.MPG

Let's Go Surfing

2006-03-25T19:17:00.000-06:00

Ben & Becky Surfing in the Pacific

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/r-baird/costarica/MOV06251.MPG

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/r-baird/costarica/MOV06242.MPG

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/r-baird/costarica/MOV06236.MPG

A few beach shots from today Saturday

2006-03-25T18:23:00.000-06:00

We spent so much time today surfing, playing soccer on the beach, and getting burned that your faithful vacationers didn't take that many photographs. These are a few that we have from today. We do have video of the kids surfing and other folks will eventually be able to add some better beach shots to do justice to it all. pero manana.

Half Day at the Falls

2006-03-25T18:13:00.000-06:00

We hiked in about an hour or 2, depending if you were trying to keep up with Ross Moore, or just traveling at the pace of the typical human. The hike was amazing as you traveled through high savanah farm country, into jungle, out of jungle back into remote high open savannah, back into jungle, past massive strangler trees, back into open, sunny and hot plains, where massive agave grew, back into jungle, including a very quiet and eerie area that felt like an ancient burial grounds, across streams, across Indiana Jones style bridges, down some very rocky trail, and into the jungle engulfed water fall. There we saw snakes, butterflies, crabs, and other tourists, but not too many. The kids swam, dove into the water, sunbathed, ate lunch, and tried to shoot some nature shots. Alexis droped her camera in the river, we changed Joel's bandage for his finger, we loaded up and went on more hikes, to steam vents, mud pits, and other waterfalls.

best

Robert

Animals wild pig

2006-03-25T18:10:00.000-06:00

this little guy awaited us as we entered the jungle. I don't have my trusty field guide handy with me here in the internet cafe, so I'll just call him a wild pig.

Animals iguana and bird

2006-03-25T18:07:00.000-06:00

We have iguanas and birds that hangout at our hotel in Tamarindo.

2nd Round Student/Parent/Teacher Posts

2006-03-25T18:00:00.001-06:00

Champaign High Costa Rican Stories

Having been in Costa Rica for more than half of our allotted time here, I feel that I am making a good judgment in saying that it is one of the most amazing places I have ever seen. That being said it is reasonable, if not expected, that I get a bit homesick for friends, family, pets, etc. This dull ache in my heart paved the way for a beginning of a truly special relationship between myself and a certain Costa Rican named Pablo. Monday night, exhausted from a full day of traveling, I was feeling a bit lonely as I walked down the path to my assigned bungalow. Just as I felt that my heart would burst with sadness,I was startled by a movement on the steps. There, a mere three feet away from my door, lay a small starving dog, just barely hanging on to life. I immediately went into survival mode. With amazing speed I unlocked our door and sprinted to the food stash. After two seconds, I had managed to grab a trail mix bar and a couple of crackers and I was back outside, sitting next to my new found love. In my first ten minutes with Pablo (the name seemed to fit him well), I laughed, cried, and everything in between. The time after those few minutes was to say the least, less magical. Boys from our group came and coaxed Pablo away from my side with promises of paradise and better food. I was sad for a while but I refused to let it ruin my trip. Those precious few minutes with that stray dog will be held in my heart for the rest of my life.

Alexsis Johnson

It was the fourth day of our 10 day adventure that I found the most enjoyable. We started out going to a man made lake with a beautiful view of an erupting volcano. We got to go swimming in the lake and the water felt so good. After lunch most of us walked about a mile to a waterfall. We climbed down about 150 yards to the bottom of the waterfall where we went swimming. Some of us , Ross, Becky and myself, went climbing downstream saying “ lets just go to that next big rock and then stop.” The problem was that every time we got to the next rock there was another rock to climb to. In the end we probably climbed about a half mile downstream. If they would not have told us to come back I could have gone all day. It was so pretty and so much fun. On another note one of the funniest things I have seen so far was Libby busting her stuff in 120 degree water. The memories made here will last a life time.

Liam Slesinski

We Got Lost
The End

Burrito y Humberto

Oleshia Lee

So far, the highlight of my trip was at the Hot Springs. Libby fell into the hottest spring..

Lisa L Clark

This has been a trip of a lifetime so far with my oldest child. One I know I could not afford to give her. It is awesome to see all of the students helping the aldults with their communication of Spanish.
We went on the Canopy tour yesterday I had every intention of jumping, but when my mom got stuck in the middle all my confidence wenrt out throough my feet so I chickened out. Coming from a parents point of view this trip is great.
Faye Catchings,

How about this? Three generations of the Sugg Catchings family out of the U.S. together in Central America (Costa Rica). I went on the ride of my life, usually I am afraid of heights but, after my daughter Lisa chickened out I let them hook me up and wouldn’t you know it I got stuck in mid-air, God and I really had a long talk at that point.He told me to finish the Canopy Tour and remember except for plane rides my place was on the ground.This has been another thrill of a lifetime for me. As a co-teacher in social studies this trip is awesome!!!!

So far out of all the things we have done so far on this trip my favorite was the waterfalls. It’s so hard to pinpoint one thing I liked the best, we have done so many amazing things. This group is great, I know whenever I think back to this trip I’ll have the biggest grin on my face, these people are so crazy and absolutely hilarious!

Lindsey Hallett

The whole trip has been awesome! My favorite experience was the experience I was dreading, the Canopy tour. I believe I would go on it again.

Kitty Hallett

Day 6 and the kids haven’t killed me yet. Evey day is a new adventure in the fearlessness of the teenage mind. From sliding down the slides in scalding hot water or racing through 120 degree water to letting a giant bug crawl up one’s arm (all for 100 colognes or best offer) the kids are crazy. Third trip to Costa Rica and definitely the most adventurous. Of course a few of the “adults” are no brighter. No names but the leader is fearless.

Roger Webber

My name is Joel Thompson (age 9). I got stitches after putting my finger in the gear of an old grass cutter (not on purpose). I also lost my fingernail in the gear. The good news is it was the index finger of my right hand. I’m a lefty. I’m still having fun but will have to miss out on some fun swimming in the ocean and below waterfalls.
Still having fun, Joel

You will not recognize me upon our return because I have all gray hairs. Losing four kids on a taxi, losing two kids at an art fair, rashes, diarrhea, fevers, delayed planes, lost passports and wallets, stolen money and ipod, tico raccoons entering a room and eating all of someone’s food (and trashing it), blistering feet (from the hot springs), bug bites, bloody nosed canopy guide (given to him by one of ours), fifteen people in one single shower, a trip to the emergency room for stitches …. Well, all I can say is I can’t wait to plan the next one! My greatest satisfaction is hearing our kids communicate in Spanish and seeing them not be afraid to immerse themselves with their surroundings. Reading their postings on this blog says it all! Pura vida and we don’t want to come home

J Sra. T.

PS Good job Central on winning your first two baseball games!

Animals Bugs

2006-03-25T18:00:00.000-06:00

We've seen lots of animals you won't see in Champaign/Urbana. These guys were caught right outside our cabins when we stayed in the mountains. The rhino beetle was very strong.

Dispatch From the Beach Town

2006-03-25T15:54:00.000-06:00

Tamarindo is a dusty, hot, funky, hippieish, one-road town with a lovely, expansive beach, and waves that sustain 10-year-olds to 60-somethings with their long, roiling advance. Numerous surf, t-shirt, and trinket shops, old and new hotels, up-scale crafts and art boutiques, are home to an international cast of tanned expatriots, funky locals, enthusiastic tourists, dogs on the beach and in the bars and iguanas crawling through the landscaping.

Our hotel offers nice cabanas, a small bar and restaurant near a small, cold swiming pool, and quick access to the beach. Our kids have swam, surfed, boogie-boarded, sun-bathed, hunted for shells, danced to Brazilian music, eaten grilled sea bass (and Subway sandwiches), bought yet more souvenirs, and lamented the fact that the trip is soon coming to an end. Indeed, we end tonight with dinner, cards by the pool, a birthday party for Cheryl (with cake supplied by the French bakery down the road), packing and loading of the bus, and leaving by 4am to drive down the bumpy savannah road back to Liberia for an 8am flight out to Houston.

Did we mention the bumpy roads of Costa Rica--apparently the country has a very high fuel tax that should pay for massive road improvements, but a large percentage of the money is still going toward other services. We have bounced and bumped our way through most of the country--only the famous Pan American Highway has offered speeds over 50mph.

If I can gather enough energy to return to the hotel, fighting sunburn, jungle bites & vacation fatique, I will return to this air-conditioned internet cafe to post pictures and some more stories from the kids.

best

Robert

Short Update from the National Park Rincon de la Vieja

2006-03-23T18:42:00.000-06:00

Just talked to Robert on Instant Messenger for about 5 minutes. They had gone to the National Park at 8:00 a.m. and were just coming out at around 6:00 p.m. They were going to go to Liberia to eat at Pizza Hut. (Yes, Pizza Hut - they all apparently want American food). But before they got on the bus, they heard live marimba music playing from a nearby hotel. They went in and there was some type of live marimba band playing. Robert said that all the kids were dancing and that he had just finished dancing the macarena with Becky. Ben went up and did a timbales solo with the band. It seemed that they were all having a blast.

From the very brief update, I got that they had a GREAT time in the jungle. The National Park was more remote than the area where the Canopy tour was. They saw steam vents, mud pits, waterfalls, tapirs, snakes, and monkeys.

They head for the beach tomorrow and hope to have internet access at that hotel.

Cathy

Ben & Robert on the Zip Line

2006-03-22T13:26:00.000-06:00

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/r-baird/costarica/zip_trip.mov

This short movie plays very small on the screen, but it's fun anyway.

You need Quicktime to view this movie. If you don't have it, you can download it from here.

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html

Bob and Jesus at the San Jose Market

2006-03-21T23:52:00.000-06:00

We visited the San Jose indoor market and walked through what seemed like blocks of stalls, selling everything from fine leather to fish heads. This is Bob, looking over his shoulder.

San Jose Contrasts

2006-03-21T23:46:00.000-06:00

These two shots were taken on our first day in San Jose. It's amazing the bold colors used throughout the region and also the contrasts between old and new.

Girls in the Jungle

2006-03-21T23:37:00.000-06:00

This video is too cute not to post!

Brooke, Janelle, Alexis and Libby entertain the "zip-line" line.

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/r-baird/costarica/MOV06107.MPG

Bike Transport in Costa Rica

2006-03-21T23:35:00.000-06:00

Ok, I really like bikes, all kinds of bikes, so this is one of my favorite pictures so far on the trip, taken when we first got into San Jose. These 3-wheelers are used throughout Latin America as good, cheap, no-pollution transport. Ok, I know you are saying 5 dozen eggs isn't very impressive. Let me tell you another story. This same night your intrepid reporter was sent on a journalistic mission to a local tavern known for playing old 70s and 80s US Rock n Roll: Led Zeppelin, Foghat, CCR, and others even we've forgotten about in the States. Imperial Beer was the beverage of choice for one and all at this bar. At one point, a beer delievery came in via one of these 3-wheelers, in the night, hills, traffic. The brought in about 8 cases of bottles on the front of one of these things! This had to weigh nearly 300 pounds. If that wasn't amazing enough, you should have seen 35 Ticos singing Born to Be Wild, verbatim, perfectly. This was a pretty tough bar, and I'm certain we survived since we came from the land of Rock n Roll.

Robert

Random Zip Line Photos

2006-03-21T23:21:00.000-06:00

Helpful Zip Line Guy

2006-03-21T23:01:00.000-06:00

As your humble narrator was blogging from his hotel bed, he overheard some of the girls explaining why they were going to marry a Tico--could it be that all the zip line crew were young, strong, handsome, helpful, and exceedingly complimentary as our girls zipped across 15 different lines?"

La Fortuna Waterfall Video

2006-03-21T22:49:00.000-06:00

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/r-baird/costarica/MOV05975.MPG

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/r-baird/costarica/MOV05976.MPG

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/r-baird/costarica/MOV05979.MPG

Video from La Fortuna Falls. These are short videos, but they may take a minute to load.

Getting Ready for Zip Line Tours

2006-03-21T21:18:00.000-06:00

As we prepared for the canopy tour Matt and Ross tested the helmets by head butting, about 24 times. This might have been annoying to the 48 people waiting in line, but it was a necessary and rigorous test of the safety equipment.

Some of our seniors, now confident in the strength of their helmets as we get ready to start our zip trip.

Cowboy Leaving La Fortuna

2006-03-21T21:09:00.000-06:00

I passed this cowboy as I was walking into La Fortuna in the morning. I wasn't able to catch his little dog in the shot--the little dog was walking point.

Volcano View From Hotel

2006-03-21T20:30:00.000-06:00

This was the view from our hotel.

La Fortuna Main St. With Volcano

2006-03-21T20:26:00.000-06:00

A little better view at the end of La Fortuna's main street than Champaign or Urbana--of course if the volcano blows, well, then. . . .

Real Jungle in the Canopy Walk

2006-03-21T20:19:00.000-06:00

Before the canopy tour I walked up and tooks some pictures of real jungle. This isn't Disney or a Hollywood set--these trees are 100s of feet tall, and one tree hold more bromeliads and other plants than an entire zoo back in the states.

Racoons, Costa Rican Style

2006-03-21T19:56:00.000-06:00

On the bus ride to the canopy trip we ran into some Costa Rican racoons,

My Top Decided Not to Agree with Me

2006-03-21T17:53:00.000-06:00

Hey all! I hope Champaign is exceedingly wonderful like Costa Rica. Everything here is beautiful. Except for really hot springs. I guess it was an initiation to do something stupid at the hot springs. Don't ask me what we were initiated into. But the deal was to run through the hottest hot spring there was and since I have so much common sense, I decided to do it. Twice. The first time I burned my shins and it hurt so badly. Then the second time I guess I didn't pick up my feet enough so I fell. Oh my goodness, it was like hell on earth. My top decided not to agree with me so during my rapid attempt to get up I got slowed down because I had to pull my top down. The things I said afterward were pretty inappropriate, so the video of it will be covered with music. It was a pretty exciting experience. Well, I miss everyone and I hope everyone is having a wonderful spring break. With love,

Libby.

Me Gustan Los Ticos

2006-03-21T17:51:00.000-06:00

Hola familia y amigos! Gracias Para me permite ir a Costa Rica! Yo quiere vivir aqui. Me gustan los ticos y el sol. Espanol es una idioma magnifica; los ticos piensan es gracioso cuando yo trato hablar en espanol porque yo hablo gracioso. Me encantan mi familia y amigos y claro que si Costa Rica! Pura Vida! - la chica mas bonita de Costa Rica

-- Janelle

Pura Vida everyone!

2006-03-21T17:50:00.000-06:00

Pura Vida everyone! Everything is amazing in Costa Rica, even the food! Everyday is filled with so much to do, and I think I'm going to come home a few pounds lighter from all of the walking and hiking. I'm also going to come home a few shades different, but lets just not tan. Lets just say I decided it would be okay to go the first two whole days without wearing sunscreen, and now I am in excruciating pain. I'm just glad my mom is not here to scold me about not wearing sun tan lotion. I'm having a great time and I miss everyone back home! Hasta Luego!

~Brooke McMahon

The Market

2006-03-21T17:49:00.000-06:00

The Market - Ben Donaldson

The second day here in Costa Rica, the plan is to go to a gold museum and then go shopping at the San Jose. We get to the gold museum, and it has these insane hardcore guards walking around with sawed-off shotguns strapped to their backs and the gates had locks consisting of retina scans, fingerprint scans, voice recognition and everywhere we looked were vaults of 2 ft. thick steel with laser gates that would saw off your leg like a light saber…so we decide maybe we should spend no more than an hour in this museum…of death. Everyone makes it out okay, except for this poor, poor, girl named Alexis Johnson. The story is too gruesome to recollect, so I'll move on. We get done mourning Alexis's fate and decide it's time to do some shopping! Woot! We get to the market and find out that this so-called “market” is actually a warehouse with stands EVERYWHERE creating tiny three-foot wide pathways that weaved around through this place. The stands consisted of souvenir stands, meat vendors, counterfeit backpack makers (Katie and Jacqueline actually found one with “Dansport” instead of “Jansport” and bought it for Katie's boo, Dan), knife makers, glass blowers, hit man hiring booths, places to hire the guards from the gold museum, and a hello kitty/my little pony stand overflowing with rainbows and happiness. Oh yeah, one had to watch where one stepped in the place because there would randomly be traps such as blow darts, endless pits, and saws coming out from the walls that were triggered by stepping on a small switch on the ground. Our entire group made it through this market alive and we travel back to our hotel and on the way, a flock of pigeons attack us and force us to run the boiling hot 4 miles back to our hotel, uphill both ways. Then Alexis came back to life (?) and she, Libby, Liam, Brooke, Janelle, and I went and got some Pizza Hut. Oh P.S. the food down here is absolutely amazing along with the coffee, candy, and everything else. Basically we are all having an amazing time on this ten-day adventure into a foreign land.

-Ben'

Costa Rica: It's Pretty Cool

2006-03-21T17:43:00.000-06:00

Costa Rica: It's Pretty Cool
It's the 5th day of our trip and we're having the best time ever. Yesterday we went to a waterfall and got to explore the rapids below which was really tiring, but that's okay because afterwards we got to go to a hot springs resort place. It had man made pools but naturally heated water from the volcano that was only a few miles away. We relaxed in the hot springs sipping our pina colas and pineapple daiquiris. It was exactly what you think of when you think of a paradise vacation. There have been some really funny moments too. The first night in one of our hotels Matt R. was so excited about the lamp in his room that you turned on just by touching, that he came to our room to show us ours. He plugged it in and got really upset when it didn't work. When we say upset we mean he started screaming like a girl and rolling around on the bed. It's fitting that he screamed like a girl because here all the boys have taken forever to get ready to go places which is supposed to be a girl thing. Right now we are on our way to the canopy tour and can't wait to ride on the zip line. It's going to be a little scary but a whole lot of fun. The whole trip has been a lot of fun so we expect no less. Hi to people at home in the cold. :
-Katie and Jacqueline

A List of the Strange/Stupid Things I've Seen/Heard About

2006-03-21T17:38:00.000-06:00

A List of the Strange/Stupid Things I've Seen/Heard About. -Stan Wojnar

1.) Matt Kresca reading Cosmo magazine at the airport.
2.) Ross Moore and Matt Kresca having a bucket of water dumped on them by Canadians in the hotel in San Jose.
3.) A dead/unconscious (not sure) man laying in the gutter in San Jose.
4.) Costa Rican kids staring at the sunbathers in our group at the park in San Jose. There was also a man selling sunglasses standing there the whole time.
5.) Luke Matthews and Matt Kresca holding their eyes open to the sulfuric steam coming out of the volcano crater.
6.) Ross Moore giving Alexis an asthma attack by cutting off the power to her room and then banging on the door after dark.
7.) Several people jumping into the scolding hot waterslide at the hot springs.
8.) After seeing Luke Matthews and Matt Kresca do it, more than half of our group decided to run across the steaming hot pool at the hot springs, which Libby fell into.
9.) People walking in on other people in the bathrooms because they a lot of them didn't have locks.
10.) Matt Kresca letting a giant beetle crawl up his arm and bite him, all for 1500 colones from Mrs. Thompson.
11.) Luke Matthews and Ross Moore eating spaghetti with their hands because they didn't have any silverware.
12.) Matt Kresca singing in the shower.
13.) Luke Matthews singing “Los Pollitos” on microphone in the bus as well as the microphone on our boat one day when we had another tour group with us.
14.) Trying to get Mr. Baird to stop playing soccer with the local kids in Alajuela.
15.) Mrs. Thompson breaking a chair during breakfast one day.
16.) Mrs. Thompson putting us all in taxi cabs one day. We had about half of the people go to the wrong place.
17.) Our tour guide making fun of our political system in a very humorous way.
18.) Our tour guide trying to sing “Los Pollitos” in the same manner as Luke Matthews.
Well that's all that I can think of at the moment, I'm sure I have missed something. I hope I haven't embarrassed anybody too much. I hope you people at home enjoy reading this. ------Stan Wojnar

Hot Springs

2006-03-21T17:36:00.000-06:00

Hot springs- Matt Kresca

The most noticeable thing about the second city we visited, La Fortuna, was the giant Volcano dangerously located right next to our hotel or resort or whatever it is called. This breathtaking sight was accompanied with a fear that this volcano would massively erupt killing everything in sight. Luckily, for us, this never happened. However, the hot springs came awfully close to experiences molten lava. Luke Mathews and I had the ingenious idea of running through then hottest lava at these “springs.” Seeing our bravery, others tried to match this amazing feat, but miserably failed. One person, without mentioning names, failed the worst. This person, Libby Beck (Did I say I wasn't going to mention names) fell directly into the current of lava. Her words following this experience sum it up best. She said,“* Holy Sh** Oh my * Crap** Fu** A** !!” Sounds like she had an awesome experience at the Hot “Springs”…if you can even call it springs. All I can say is that I haven't heard an array of cuss words like that since Vietnam. I can only hope to have as much fun as Libby did at the hot springs by the end of this trip.

The Infinite Hike

2006-03-21T17:34:00.000-06:00

The Infinite Hike
By Ross Moore

The moment had finally come where only the EF strongest would survive. I had been training months for the trek and no matter how many laps I swam in the pool I knew the hike would still be the most strenuous physical activity known to man. I would have to eat a hearty breakfast if I wanted to survive the treacherous journey so I ate thirty-two raw eggs. After breakfast I stretched for an hour because I did not want to pull a muscle, and it was time to head for the summit of La Fortuna waterfall. The starting group consisted of about twenty brave warriors, however even the strongest perish under conditions such as these. We left at 4:00 A.M. and had a fourteen-hour hike ahead of us without food, water, or bathroom facilities. An hour into the hike a hearse came by to pick up any bodies that had ceased to meet the demanding level of intensity it took to accomplish the task. Six warriors had perished by that point in time and others were still dropping like flies. On the side of the road skeletons could be seen from others that had tried the feat and failed miserably. Ten hours into the hike I could feel the fatigue set in and my legs were burning, I was suffering from severe dehydration and felt as if I would no longer go on. Then Sir Brunsington gave me a sip of liquid gold from his holy grail and I felt like I could bench press the world. I ran the next four hours powering up the seventy percent gradient incline averaging twelve miles an hour. When I had finally reached the top I knew that all of my intense training of waking up every morning at 5:00 A.M. and running multiple marathons had paid off. In the end only four survived the intense hike and around fifteen died of dehydration or were victims of cannibalism. All I can say is Costa Rica is tight…pura vida baby.

Luke's Story

2006-03-21T17:32:00.000-06:00

Luke's Story-by…Luke

The day began like any other would here in Costa Rica. William (our guide) was cracking chistes left and right and Geovanny (our bus driver) was pounding fists. We made our 2-hour Mecca to the Poas volcano and upon arrival we vigorously hiked for 2 days to reach the summit. It was pure blood and tears. Some struggled to continue but we pushed them on. Matt “Big Leslie” kresca even shed a few tears of sorrow from the extreme pain. Once we reached the summit, we had the most amazing view of….lots of clouds and burning sulfuric air. Our eyes watered once again, but this time it wasn't from the emotional feelings we got. It was pure sulfuric agony. Ross, Matt, and I (Luke) had the genius idea of seeing who could withstand the most pain without blinding themselves. We pinned our eyes open for a good 10 minutes and let the sulfur-filled air fill our eyes. We teared, tourists were snapping pictures. And our guide (William) told us that we were the first to ever take on the task of putting ourselves through extreme matters of pain in that way. Presently, Matt has lost his eyesight temporarily and we are hoping that his father, who is an “eye doctor”, can repair the damages. Actually he is fine and so are the rest of us. Pura Vida…Para Servir-Luke Mathews

The Human Sacrifice

2006-03-21T17:19:00.000-06:00

The Human Sacrifice
By Brooke McMahon and Janelle Yambert

Climbing up to the top of a foreign structure at the Hot Springs, Janelle, Becky, and Brooke helplessly look up to see Ross jump back with the reaction of almost peeing his pants. An Australian accented man, whom we shall call “The Virginian”, who turned out to have a comedian type personality, jumped at Ross in attempt to scare him; he was successful. After we all reach the top of this foreign structure, we converse with The Virginian about volcanoes, details about the trip, Costa Rica in general, and ultimately he comments about how this foreign structures purpose is meant for human sacrificing. Upon hearing the words “human sacrifice,” Janelle, Becky, and Ross decide Brooke would be the perfect candidate for such an idea to perform on this foreign structure. The Virginian, proud of his idea for the sacrifice, decided to get the footage of this activity on camera. While the Virginian found the perfect angle to capture the footage, we prepared our sacrifice. Ross began the human sacrifice by carrying Brooke in-between Becky and Janelle while they did the tribal song and dance. Once Brooke was on the ground dead, Ross reached for her heart, grabbed it, and took a bite out of it. After finishing up the sacrifice with bowing to Brooke's sacrificed body…we will always have this memory.

La Fortuna Falls

2006-03-20T17:32:00.000-06:00

Some pictures. I have some video, but can't figure out how to post it. When Robert checks in tomorrow, hopefully he'll fix it.

Random Photos

2006-03-20T17:28:00.000-06:00

Per Robert's descriptions -

#1 - Soccer stadium

#2 - Park in San Jose

#3 - Caballero

#4 - Market in the park

Cataratas Resort

2006-03-20T16:55:00.000-06:00

Considering that we are looking at up to 8 inches of snow in Champaign, it seems kind of cruel to post these, but here you go. This is the hotel they stayed at last night and are staying at tonight.

Botos Lake

2006-03-20T16:50:00.000-06:00

A happy group at the top of Botos Lake

The Walk to Poas Volcano and Botos Lake

2006-03-20T16:26:00.000-06:00

The group hiked through the jungle to view Poas Volcano and Botos Lake

Update on Sunday - 3/19/06

2006-03-20T13:26:00.000-06:00

From: Robert Thomas Baird
Sent: Mon 3/20/2006 12:54 PM
To: Robert Thomas Baird
Subject: from costa rica

It has been only 3 days in Costa Rica, but yesterday, Sunday, seemed like a week of living all packed into a day that covered a lot of ground. A few of us began with Mass in San Jose in a very old church, back to breakfast at the Grand hotel, a bus ride through San Jose and then a long walk through the grand park in San Jose, where 1000s of ticos play soccer on ground that might be rough for motorcross events. The park was beautiful with massive trees--the trees in Costa Rica apparently just keep growing for 100s of years, and have no qualms about reaching 100s of feet. The park was very busy as an arts festival was in session and we walked through 100s of stalls looking for deals on crafts and items. Many folks at home will be receiving some nice gifts upon our return--handmade silver jewelery, intricate wooden boxes, leather work, and on and on. We kept walking through a lake and on to the national soccer stadium, where our own U.S. team recently played in a World Cup qualification match. There we caught our bus, but not before we were able to visit with our guide William´s son, who plays soccer for a 2nd division professional team, who were playing in the practice field next to the national stadium.

We then continued on to lunch, after driving through the Costa Rican countryside, mountains, coffee, strawberry, flower plantations. Every small town had a soccer field and since it was Sunday, every town had a game going. For lunch we ate traditional Costa Rican, beans chicken or beef, rice, plantains, fresh strawberries with milk (think fruit smoothie). Both of the lunch spots we have eaten at on the road serve many tourists, but there are locals crammed in eating, so the food is the real thing and filling. After that we went on to the Poas Volcano and Botos Lake. the volcano was not only shrouded in mist, but we were shrouded in fog at the viewing station-our trip to Botos lake was our first walk-via trail-through real jungle, and the pictures reveal that. Botos was clear and the view was nice from there. On the walk back down, the jungle trail offered shafts of light, provided by the water vapor of Poas.

We then pushed on to La Fortuna falls. We arrived and 20 Costa Ricans on motorbikes--a major form of transport here--were reving up and blasting away. After they left it was a bit more quiet and we enjoyed a spectacular waterfall, being able to walk up behind the falls. Next stop on our journey--remember, I said it was a long day--we stopped at a great road-side shop, where we ate fresh strawberries and bought homemade candies and water and drank coffee.

On the last leg of our bus ride to hotel de Cataratas we had to stop because we smelled something burning. Our trusty driver Geovani determined it was one of our air conditioners, so we turned it off (it was only about 60 degrees anyway) and headed on as darkness fell. We arrived at the hotel Cataratas and it is very large and has many bungalows and a nice pool, miniature golf, good coffee and food. That night our guide, William, played his guitar for us by the poolside and we rested after a very long day. We had a minor theft about 10 minutes after moving into our bungalows and we were a bit worried about what that might entail for the rest of our stay. Within an hour or so the local sheriff had already captured two guys and retrieved some of our cash and goods. As events unfolded we began to feel much more comfortable as it became apparent that not much happens around here without the locals hearing about it and setting things straight.

When we woke this morning we were surprised to see that our hotel was at the foot of two volancos, which towered over us like something out of Jurassic Park, it being dark last night when we arrived.

best

Roberto

Pictures from Heredia

2006-03-20T12:13:00.000-06:00

#1 - Gardens in the Church behind the soccer field

#2 - Police station

#3 - Janelle does some shopping.

Soccer in Heredia

2006-03-20T11:48:00.000-06:00

Coming to you via the wonders of technology. Apparently there is no internet at the hotel. Robert walked into town and went to an internet cafe, but the connection was poor and he couldn't get anything loaded on the blog. He got on Instant Messenger, started to talk to his secretary at the U of I, who then called me on my cell-phone and told me to get on AIM. I did & now I'm downloading pictures for him & he's giving me instructions over Instant Messenger. Whew. It's a crazy world.

Cathy

#1 - Local boys play some soccer on a court behind the church

#2 - Matt & Robert played soccer with them too, then posed for this picture.

Visit to Heredia

2006-03-19T06:59:00.000-06:00

Saturday afternoon we visited a town north of San Jose named Heredia. This is the town where the University of Illinois has its study abroad home. [I have lots more images to post, but at them moment I'm having trouble uploading images to Blogger--I'll have to try later]

best

Robert

Homemade popcycles

2006-03-19T00:25:00.000-06:00

This afternoon, Mrs. Thompson took us to try some homemade popcycles in Hereda. These were quite good and we stopped to take a few pictures at the top of the hill, with the mountains in the background.

A big lunch

2006-03-19T00:08:00.000-06:00

Today we had lunch at big restaurant that can serves 100s at a time. The main dish is platters for chicken, pork, beef, rice, and beans served on bannana leaves. It was quite good and more than enough to eat.

A Short Detour-by Becky Baird

2006-03-18T19:18:00.000-06:00

It all started when Senora Thompson shoved Liam, Luke, Brooke and I into a cab with directions to "the green church in Heredia." As soon as our cabbie took off he asked me in spanish, "Where are you going?" I repeated the instructions given to him seconds earlier and he gave me a look that is best described as, "what in the???" At that moment the alarm in the back of my head starting buzzing, and I know los tres (the three) in the backseat felt similarly.

Cheryl, John, Emmily and Ten minutes and one near-crash later, we found ourselves in front of a very big, but very white church. We put our heads together and decided to breathe and then ask for directions. My spanish is decent (although I find the longer I am here the easier it gets) but it doesn't do any good if nobody knows where the green church is. With three sets of completely different directions, we decided it was best to return to where we were dropped off. Fortunately, we saw Cheryl and John with Emmily and Joel (the Thompson kids) with looks similar to ours.

As relieved as we felt, the eight of us still had no clue where to go. After a few minutes of recounting all we knew, we saw the lovely Senora Thompson running towards us. We literally ran 5 blocks to meet up with our somewhat worried group, and all ended happily ever after.

If this story is disconcerting for anyone, just know we were never in any danger, had the phone number of our tour guide and could have easily taken a cab back to San Jose. Basically, it was a learning experience that is a pretty good story as well. More later (probably sooner) before we leave el capital. Pura Vida!

Words and Pictures from Sleepy People

2006-03-17T21:31:00.000-06:00

Ok, we changed money and the kids tried out their spanish language skills on the cashiers in the bank and I don't believe we were shorted on the exchange rate. In our brains we are translating 1000 Colones as about 2 bucks. We are walking around with wads of 10,000 Colones notes and feel pretty importante. I conveniently failed to mention in the previous post that Luke Matthews lost his visa, id, and money. We were waiting to see if it was found on our tour bus, where he believed he last left it. We were not expecting good news as our bus was used after we rode into town by a group of local factory workers. Luke was starting to check out employment opportunities in San Jose when our travel hosts came through and brought everything back. The picture shows Luke and Becky in front of the Grand Hotel, with Luke not as chipper as he should be. Alls well that ends well.

Ok, the National Theater is beside the Grand Hotel; in our second photograph you'll see how even the angels have to be dusted off every once in a while.

For our third photographic installment you will note our dinining facilities in the Grand Hotel. Dinner consisted of rolls, rice, a kind of beef stew, a type of pressed rolled chicken, some Jello-like dessert, and, best of all, a thick, cantalope/watermellon pulpy drink.

Many of us walked around San Jose before dinner. We are in the heart of a big city, with lots of traffic--imagine Chicago pedestrian trafffic, but squeezed into streets half the size, but, then, so is everything else half the size.

finally, to sleep

Robert y Roberto

Happy St. Patrick's Day, from San Jose

2006-03-17T16:15:00.000-06:00

After an hour delay leaving Chicago, which meant we might have missed our flight out of Houston and been stuck in that fair city of Enron and Hurricane Katrina refugee camping facilities until Sunday, we actually made our flight and are now in San Jose. Everyone is a bit tired, but are now a bit energized with the city and are planning to go change money before 5 and eat in the hotel at 7. We will likely just hang around the hotel and get to bed early.

Tomorrow, after breakfast we head to the Gold Museum, then visit the market, then have a traditional Costa Rican lunch using plantain leaves for plates, and then go to visit the UI campus "south."

More to follow tonight, since your faithful reporters (Roberto y Roberto aka Baird and Slesinski).

Somewhat detailed, yet long anticipated itinerary

2006-03-16T22:04:00.001-06:00

(taken from the Educational Tour itinerary given to the group at the 3/14 meeting)

Day 1:

Flight to San Jose

Arrival in San Jose
Touch down in San Jose, the country's bustling capital and cultural center. Founded in 1737 as "Villa Nueva de la Boca Del Monte del Valle de Abra," the city's name was later abbreviated in honor of its patron saint: "San Jose."

overnight in San Jose: www.granhotelcostarica.com

Day 2:

Free time at Local Market
This morning, enjoy free time to shop for handicrafts at a local Costa Rican market.

Gold Museum
This underground museum houses one of the world's largest collections of pre-Columbian gold.

Day 3:

Transfer to Arenal
This morning we'll journey across the Central Valley to the magnificent Arenal Region. Dormant for centuries, Arenal Volcano exploded in a massive eruption of molten lava and ash in 1968. Since that time, it has continued to spew great clouds of ash and occasional lava. It is now one of the world's most active volcanoes and volcanologists from all over the world come here to study this tropical volcano.

Visit to the Poas Volcano
This still active volcano is part of Costa Rica's most developed national park. Here you can see one of the largest craters in the world (about a mile wide and 300 meters deep), whose hot sulfurous lake changes color with volcanic activity. From a lookout point, see geysers and active fumaroles; in addition, a 20 minute hike uphill rewards you with a view of the jewel like Botos Lake, which occupies an extinct crater.

La Fortuna Falls

Hike through the forest to visit some of the country's most impressive waterfalls.

Overnight in the Arenal region.

http://www.mitour.com/Italia/nortedecostarica/cataratasIt.html

Day 4:

Hot Springs
You'll spend the afternoon relxing in the volcano-heated hot springs. The water is naturally heated from the volcano that rises above the hot springs. Stay until dark and you will see lava flowingt down the sided of the volcano - it's quite an amazing sight.

Overnight in the Arenal region

Day 5:

Tranfer to Monteverde
Continue through the mountainous scenery to the Monteverde (Green Mountain) Reserve, one of the most beautiful of the mystical Costa Rican jungles. Monteverde was founded by a group of Alabama Quakers; attracted by the country's pacifist history, they began dairy farming here in 1951. Now a biological reserve - and still primarily an English-speaking community - this treasure land of natural phenomena stretches from the lush ferns and mosses that cover the ground to the dark canopy formed by the tallest trees.

Canopy Tour
Get an entirely different view of the park from above - look out over tlhe fauna from suspended platforms. The more adventurous can even sail from platform to platform along horizontal traverse cables. Zipping over the canopy of the rainforest will be an experience you never forget.

Evening Wildlife Walk
This evening join your Tour Director on a walk through the forest to experience the nocturnal wildlife of the region.

Overnight in the Monteverde region.

http://monteverdeinfo.com/hotel/poco-a-poco/

Day 6:

Tranfer to Guanacaste
Today travel north to the region that boasts Costa Rica's most beautiful beaches - from seemingly endless stretches of beaches, to tiny, rock-clad coves.

Rincon de la Vieja National Park
In this park, you will find an area of geothermal activity creating fumaroles, geysers, and hot pools - it makes for a truly stunning landscape. In addition to hot springs and mud pots, you can explore waterfalls, a lake, and volcanic craters.

Overnight in Guanacaste

http://www.adventureincostarica.com/hotels.php?ID=HRVBUENA&Buena%20Vista%20Lodge

Day 7:

Rincon de la Vieja National Park
Enjoy a second day to experience the natural wonders of the park.

Day 8:

Transfer to Tamarindo Beach
Travel to Tamarindo beach--a long stretch of white sand on the Pacific Ocean.

Free time in Tamarindo Beach
Take this afternoon to experience the booming town of Tamarindo, or unwind at the beach.

2 nights in Tamarindo Beach: http://www.elmilagro.com/

Day 9:

Free Day

Overnight in Tamarindo Beach

we might see some leather back turtles

Day 10:

Transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Costa Rican Food Explorations

2006-03-14T14:42:00.000-06:00

I found a great web site that discusses Costa Rican food, drink, and culture. I've already made up my mind that I'm going to have to start off each morning with a plate of gallo pinto and wash it down with some agua dulce. About the agua dulce, I have to say I admire a culture that dispenses with the need for Red Dye #489 and some fat pitcher guy to sell sugar water--La Dolce Vita, no? For lunch, how about Picadillo de Platano Verde con Carne. For dinner, how about Lengua en Salsa? Actually, I'm not feeling like something that heavy tonight; I'll just take the Flor de Itabo and have Resbaladera to drink. Did I mention that in Costa Rica we have two coffee breaks each day?

best

Robert

The "thrill" of Costa Rica

2006-02-22T15:38:00.000-06:00

While we're not sure on which canopy tour we'll be going ... we're sure to have a great time in Monteverde, especially at the Poco-a-Poco Hotel.

March 17-19

2006-01-19T18:36:00.000-06:00

Our first two nights in Costa Rica will be spent in San Jose, Costa Rica's capital city. We will be staying at the Gran Hotel that lies in La Plaza de Cultura. Gran Hotel was built in the 1920's as Costa Rica's coffee exports surged, and today is one of the most beautiful works of architecture in all of Costa Rica. Gran Hotel is the only hotel declared a historical landmark by the Costa Rican government. This photo above is from their home website, although the pictures we post on our trip will be better by far.Gran Hotel