Miravalles

Even though Monteverde would have been enough travel and fun for the weekend, Don Jorge thought we should do some more, so we headed to nearby volcano Miravalles (seen above).

Upon arrival at our hotel we were able to bathe in their over sized hot tubs filled with natural hot spring water. The pools varied in heat so it was easy to find the most comfortable place. They also had a sweet water slide for us to use even thought I bet it was for smaller children then us.

The following morning we made our way to the base of the volcano. There we went horseback riding, went on a short hike, bathed in a waterfall, and then soaked ourselves in hot mud. We took hot mud baths at series of hot springs and fumaroles that were sort of like a miniature Yellowstone. The hot mud was supposed to refresh our skin. It just sort of left my skin sort of dry and made me smell a little bit like sulfur. However, afterward we were able to once again bathe in some more natural hot springs, which removed most of the smell.

Only one other group in the Aquinas program's history has had this experience, so I'm glad Don Jorge was feeling ambitious this weekend so that we didn't miss out on all Miravalles had to offer.

Monteverde

Monteverde is a refuge located in Costa Rica's famous cloud forest, which is named justly seeing as how is almost constantly immersed in fog and rain. This constant abundance of moisture makes it one of the most bio-diverse places on the planet. As we hiked to the highest points of the refuge we watched the clouds role over the tops of the mountains as thought they were waves on the beach. Nearly every surface of the forest is covered in a green coat of moss, ferns, or leaves. Monteverde also lies along the continental divide that runs from northern Canada down to the tip of South America.

As part of our weekend stay in Monteverde we did a Canopy Tour in an area apart from the reserve. This unique form of ecotourism lets you take zip lines through and over to of the cloud forest. It was pioneered in Costa Rica and has understandably become an important and extremely popular activity for adventurers who make their way to Monteverde.

Within the same park as the canopy tour we visited a butterfly vivarium as well as a hummingbird garden. Within the butterfly vivarium we were able to take photos of a a few of Costa Rica's thousands of species of butterflies. The newly hatched ones from their cocoons would even climb write onto your hands. Other more lively butterflies would sporadically land on our clothes or let us sneak up close and take photos as they sucked nectar from fruit plates strewn about the greenhouse.

In the hummingbird garden we hung around different sets of feeders as the birds zipped between our heads and perched themselves within a few feet of our cameras. Monteverde is home to more than 20 species of hummingbirds most of which we were able to see at within the garden as they dipped their slim beaks into the feeders. Then just as we were about to leave one of the birds perched itself atop the feeder well with in reach of my hand, so I slowly reached out and touched it for a moment then ran away quickly out of fear that it might pluck my eyes out with its slender yet sharp beak.

Monteverde is truly one of Costa Rica's greatest treasures with an abundance of flora and fauna and a variety of creative ways to experience it all.

Hanging out on the Continental Divide.

Cathedrals Old and New

After a cup of coffee atop Irazú, we made our way back down the mountain into the city of Cartago. First we visited the ruins of an old cathedral that had been destroyed by an earthquake in the nineteenth century. The ruins are also home to a creepy legend that states every foggy night in Cartago a priest can be seen wandering around the cathedral. He has been condemned to do so for eternity as punishment for having an affair with a local woman and then murdering her thereby defiling the church itself.

Afterwords we headed a few blocks down the a Byzantine style church known as Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles. This basilica is the site of the patron saint of Costa Rica known as La Negrita. As the story a goes a young girl found the a doll one day as she was collecting wood outside the city. She brought it back to her room and stored it away. The next day she was back out in the woods and found the another doll upon the exact same rock, so she took that back to her room to store it away with the other only to find the other had disappeared and that she was holding the exact same doll. She informed the local priest who also put aside the doll to look at it later, but when he went to do so it had disappeared and reappeared on the same rock once again. The priest took those to be a sign of divinity and a desire by the virgin to have a cathedral built on that location. However, the cathedral was not built on the site where the doll was first found until many years later after the destruction of the original cathderal. Many beleive that the destruction was a sign from the virgin to build the new cathedral at the current site. The doll as well as the rock upon which she was found remain with in the cathedral to this day. Year round Costa Ricans as well many other Catholics make pilgrimages to the sight to pray to La Negrita and receive her blessing and healing. Visitors walk along the central nave on their knees praying until they reach the alter where the doll is currently housed. The cathedral is home to countless charms that are supposed to represent individual miracles related to the healing of individuals. Witnessing the old and young as they demonstrated their faith in god, the church, and their patron saint by making their way down the aisle along their knees paired with the stories of healing and showings of gratitude via the charms made our visit to Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles a profound experience.

Afterwords we visited yet another cathedral this time in the river valley of Orosi. Also in ruins, the cathedral of Ujarrás is actually Costa Rica's oldest. We made this a short visit however in order to make it to lunch more quickly. We ate at buffet down by the beautiful lake located in the center of the valley. At this restaurant they made coffee using a sort of old style coffee maker. Where they poured hot water through a canvas sack filled with freshly ground beans, it was easily the best cup of coffee I have had here yet.

Finally, after lunch we came to our last stop of the day, which turned out to be another cathedral. This colonial cathedral, however, is still standing. Inside were paintings from Mexico, sculptures from Guatemala, and woodwork from Ecuador. The cathedral truly was representative of Hispanoamerican art as well as the age of Spanish imperialism and colonialism that brought Catholicism to the Americas. This past Saturday while busy, tiresome, and full of education proved to be an extremely rewarding experience.

Volcanoes

This past Saturday we made our way up to Costa Rica's tallest volcano, Irazú. We were able to drive all the way to the top, which was better than hiking any of the 3000+ meters upward. In addition, the views of the cloud covered city of Cartago while we were driving were as beautiful as those from the summit itself.

At the top we were able to peer down into two of the recognized craters, Cráter Principal and Diego de la Haya, and roam around the third crater, Playa Hermosa. I got a pretty mean sunburn wandering around Cráter Playa Hermosa, probably because it was shadeless field of black rocks and sand, but the pain has mostly dissipated now and the experience was entirely worth it.

Upon exiting the park we drove down a dirt road along the side of the volcano to catch a better glimpse of another volcano, Turrialba, which as of late has been fairly active. It began spewing ash and acidic gasses about two weeks ago and the area been entirely closed off to tourists. Nevertheless, blessed with a clear day we were able to view the column of smoke and steam rising from its summit safely from the distant peak of Irazú.

Puntarenas

This weekend we traveled to Puntarenas, a resort town of old that may have lost some of its former glory but is once again emerging as a vacation destination. Although, we didn't exactly dive head first into la vida costarricense, we instead enjoyed a weekend of relaxation at the all-inclusive Double Tree Resort. We mostly passed our time between the pools and the beach. Most of us have returned with sunburns and sore muscles from being tossed around by 10 foot waves in the Pacific Ocean. The weekend proved to be a great time for getting to know one another meeting a few "Ticos" along the way. Thankfully, we don't have classes on Monday, so we have yet another day to rehydrate and rest before the heart of the program begins.

Also, perhaps the most interesting thing we happened upon was a small mariposario or butterfly vivarium that houses butterflies in all stages of life as well as its own brightly colored toucan.

First Day in the Mountains

Yesterday we made our way up into the mountains just side Santa Ana. We drove to the top and then hiked around the peaks and the forests for around two hours. It was fairly chilly and the wind currents blew hard over certain parts of the mountain. In fact, when we first got out to the vehicles we all had to duck behind them in order to even put on our jackets. Don Jorge pointed out a variety of species and noted some of the ongoing reforestation efforts occurring in Costa Rica's forests. Our hike concluded with a steep trek down the hillside to Don Jorge's second home in the mountains (pictured below) where he keeps an assortment of Pre-Columbian art. We passed the time there eating comida tipica, drinking coffee, enjoying the beautiful vistas from the balcony, and exploring our surroundings. After an hour or so of relaxation at Don Jorge's place our drivers returned to bring us back down the mountain. Along the way we caught our a glimpse of a 5-6 foot long boa constrictor slithering its way off the mountain road back into the forests. I would have liked to have jumped out and snagged a photo but I was locked in the trunk of our jeep on the way home. More pictures to come soon as well, so keep checking updated posts for new photos.

♫ Saliendo por un avión...♫

Though my bags may not yet be completely packed We are most definitely ready to go. Nearly a year has passed since we first learned of our acceptance into the Santa Ana, Costa Rica (see maps) study abroad program at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After finishing up the spring semester of 2009, summer swept by quickly into the fall. Things grew colder as the new semester crept by, and at the onset of the first snow we realized we were already sick of cool weather and dreading the imminent Michigan winter. I spent winter break dreaming of warm weather, beaches, and rain forest, and time over winter break slowed to a crawl despite the typically swift pace of the holiday season. Finally the first twelve days of 2010, full of packing and preperation, comprised the conclusion to the brutal anticipation.

Personally, I have decided it was not perhaps the best idea too leave work for a ten day hiatus prior to the trip. It really doesn't take more than a day or two of efficiency in order to pack and make sure all is in order for the the trip. My only problem consisted of getting malaria pills covered by my parents new health insurance policy. Other than that small snafu, other vaccinations and medications were easy enough to obtain. Really, after a couple of hours of ironing and folding and few phone calls to credit card companies and banks I found myself feeling confident in my preparations.

So, bright and early tomorrow (around 3:30 a.m. I believe) We will awake after a long night of little sleep and arrive at Gerald R. Ford International for departure and a mere six or so hours later arrive at our new homes and begin our venture into the "vida costarricense" in Santa Ana.