La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Sarapiquí

(Pardon the lack of picture placement in this post. Blogger is seemingly failing me today) La Paz Waterfall Gardens just outside of the Poas volcano, is a pleasant little tourist attraction when Poas is to cloudy to be viewed. There used to be five waterfalls there but after a devastating earthquake last year three of them have been destroyed. Nevertheless, the two that remain are impressive by anyone's standards, and in addition to the waterfalls the park serves as a small zoo, offering great close up displays of Costa Rica's diverse wildlife.

After a few hours in the park we made our way up to Sarapiquí to the northeast of San Jose. Sarapiquí is in the neotropic zone of Costa Rica, consisting of a mostly wet climate with extremely diverse flora and fauna. There is a sort of void in Costa Rica's tourism industry here yet but it is definitely showing signs of a vibrant life. At out hotel we visited a museum comprised of our program director's private collection and archived footage of the indigenous cultures in Costa Rica. On display were the tools of shamans, festival masks, traditional, headdress, and the architecture was modeled after that of the indigenous peoples of the Talamanca mountain range in the south. Our sole day spent in Sarapiquí was a busy one. Don Jorge set up a tour consisting of horseback riding, a canopy tour, and some white water rafting all of which we did in a persistent light drizzle. We finished the day soaked and exhausted but with a wealth of experiences that few will get to do in there lifetime, let alone in one day. Yet, perhaps the most entertaining thing for all of us was having Don Jorge and his wife Doña Ana with us the whole time doing the exact same things as while in there sixties. Along with the plethora of activities that fill up our time here, we always appreciate Jorge and Ana's presence providing us with not only an education but an important underlying lesson on growing old that is as invaluable as anything we have done. In case I haven't expressed it before, they are what make this trip special for Aquinas College, and I cannot think of any better way to enjoy Costa Rica other than with them. (Pictures coming soon of the activities too....)

(I guess we must be getting sentimiental now that our time is coming too an end here... less than a month to go, but we are looking foward to a trip the Caribbean, Arenal Volcano, as well as Panama so expect at least a few more posts!)