Well, it's Monday & like most Mondays that means it's time to head back to reality. We had a lot of ground to travel and so Alonso & I worked in some fun stops to break up the trip and add some diversion to the day!
After our last breakfast by the beach, we boarded our boats and headed back through the mangroves. Along the way, Alonso spotted a boa for us and the ultimate sighting for birders - the Common Potoo - an owl like bird that resembles the tree it roosts in.
Once we made it back to mainland, we boarded the bus for San Jose. Our first little stop was Parque Esfera, which has these spheres that are over a 1000 years old. Many stories exist on their purpose including a landing strip for UFOs, of course! Across the street from the park - the first train ever in CR is on display.
For lunch, we stopped in Jaco - a popular beach town with Americans and surfers. It was busy, hot & crowded! The kids had a good lunch and then grabbed an ice cream at the local chain, POPS. We did a little souvenir shopping in Jaco too and stopped by a mega supermarket so they could buy coffee to take home - hopefully you all received that gift! :)
Another popular stop when in route back to SJO is the Tarcoles Bridge. Under this bridge exists the highest number of crocs per square km! While it looks pretty dangerous to cross such a bridge, the locals depend on this business and the truck drivers slow down when coming through. We spotted 12 crocs and a heron. We waited anxiously thinking the heron would become lunch, but he was smarter than we thought. If you look closely in the photos, you'll see croc eyes under the murky water!
Our final stop before arriving in San Jose is a well-known artisan market from the same people that own the big market in Sarchi (if you're familiar with that place.) We got our final gifts to take back home from here!
Back at Casa Conde, we ended a wonderful trip with a nice dinner buffet poolside and a group meeting. I asked the kids to give me their highlight of the week and tell me something fascinating they learned. Their answers would make you cry. Their answers are the reason I do these trips. Doing trips of this nature with 15-20 kids in tow is beyond exhausting, but intensely fun and rewarding.
Your kids were amazing and I thank you for trusting me in leading them through this adventure abroad! - Laine
Look closely right in the center of the pic and you'll see a boa coiled up.
Seeking shade on the boat ride!
Made it for the Clt flight just as everyone was boarding, but Bennett couldn't resist a donut stop! Notice it says "share." :)
My digs! A couple months' supply of delicious coffee - straight from the source! Hope you got some too!
