Eastridge Costa Rica 2010

Exit Costa Rican Airport

2010-04-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

Well that is it. The kids are at the San Jose airport and waiting to board the plane. I leave the rest up to Jennifer and the rest of the parents. Hope to meet everyone someday and enjoy the stories!

When you exit the Costa Rican airport it is quite the simple process you just pay your exit tax (as if we havent pumped enough into the economy already but it is what it is) and then you make your way to the gate after going through security. Relatively small airport and some places to eat and internet if needed. Dont forget if your interested in planning a Costa Rica Family Vacation let us know and we can make it happen. We could also squeeze in Costa Rica's best waterfall rappel.

On our way to the airport

2010-04-24T05:26:00.000-07:00

The bus was loaded 5 minutes early and we were on the road at 5:55am. I guess they must be excited to get home. Right now the bus Im in is asleep. We will be arriving to the airport with plenty of time. The kids got a box breakfast which they can eat now or when they get to the San Jose airport.

I wanted to thank everyone again and again for following the blog. We are a small company and we try to specialized in the personal attention we offer. As you can see on the way we operate one of Costa Rica's waterfall rappel (just thought you might want to watch). Our goal is to grow the business but never become too big to where our tours are not personalized. When we grow our business the different projects around us grow also. In thanks I would like to send a gift to each follower of the blog. I know you will like it and it will arrive in a couple of weeks. All we need is your email address sent to info@crrtravel.com and let us know that you enjoyed following the blog for Ridgefield and leave your address if you would like. We have a Newsletter which will have quite a bit of information on the Ridgefield trip next month and if you would like to join just visit www.crrtravel.com/contact_us_newsletter.html Also if you are on Facebook we would love for you to become fans of our company page "Costa Rican Resource" as we will be leaving comments, updates of homestays, and information about the girls from the orphanage. Last of all if you would like to post comments on TripAdvisor at http://www.tripadvisor.com/ feel free it does wonders for small companies. Thanks for following and remember when planning your Costa Rica Vacation keep us posted.

Enjoy the pictures when the kids get home and we will be sending a video so you can live the adventure with the kids with a big bucket of popcorn. Remember we also operate Costa Rica family vacations so if you or anyone you know is interested in a Costa Rican Adventure just let us know http://www.crrtravel.com/. PURA VIDA A TODOS!!!

The Final Night...

2010-04-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

We tried our best to compete with the village and I have to say I think we did alright. I give the best party though still to the village. I wanted to mention if your interested in having a Costa Rica Adventure with your family we can organize an itinerary very similar to what the kids experienced. I said more than a few words to the kids telling them how much our team and I enjoyed having them. The trip was special for a few different reasons. The trip got off to a great start by how much time and effort I saw was put into the visit to the orphanage before and plans for even after. The girls at the orphanage mean a lot to us and to see them get treated the way they did was awesome. Another reason for this trip being special was the homestays. I have taken many groups to the homestays and some for a week or even two weeks. Ridgefield only stayed one night and they bonded better than most groups bond in a week. All of the kids were natural when it came to the homestays and loved hearing that homestay was listed at or near the top of everyones list.

The farewell party was about as first class as it gets. We were in The Springs Resort which is a 10-Star place on a scale of 1 - 5 Stars. We had our own section where we did pizza and a little bit more of salsa music. We started the night with salad and for as fancy as this place is they forgot to put forks in the room we rented. So we started the party by all eating salad with spoons. Nobody seemed to mind and then we jumped into the pizza and the party began. We had Mrs. Roth in tears for the second time this trip and the girls got up and said some very nice things and cracked some jokes on myself and the team. It was a perfect night to end a perfect trip.

A huge thanks to you the family and parents of an awesome group of kids. We can not thank you enough for allowing your kids to take part in a dream of ours in helping others help one another and having lots of fun doing it. Ridgefield students are an amazing example of how little things can go a long long way. I feel good because I think we are sending these kids back to the San Jose airport with plenty of memories. The students will be remembered from all parts of their trip with the memories they left with the girls at the orphanage to the salsa dancing at the homestays. MUCHAS GRACIAS & PURA VIDA!!! Stay tuned there are still a few more blogs tomorrow...

The Springs Costa Rica

2010-04-23T14:56:00.000-07:00

Well we finished at the Organic Farm and it was without a doubt the best meal yet. We had yucca chips made from the same yucca the kids picked out on the farm. Love the story about Jack and Drew as kids picking stawberries. When leaving the Organic Farm it was Mrs Roth who attracted the attention in buying a machete. I assume she plans on checking it. It was the same machete Don Juan uses on the farm and it is a monster. So if you see Mrs Roth's kids cutting the lawn with a machete in a week from now then she took the whole culture experience a little too far. It's funny because all these culture experiences really start to set in when the kids arrive to the Costa Rica San Jose airport when they leave.

During the organic farm one of the last things the kids did was make their own sugarcane juice. Don Juan put the kids to work and they did a great job. The pictures posted here are from the farm. You can see the yucca we pulled out of the ground and then the same yucca the kids had from lunch.

After the farm the kids went souvenir shopping and now we are back at the hotel. We are getting ready and then off to the party. This is just a farewell dinner and its hard to match a party like the village but there is a great waterslide at the hotsprings which is usually a big hit. If your looking for an upscale Costa Rica Family Vacation then you might want us to book you in this resort "The Springs". Will post after the party. PURA VIDA!

Adventures Accomplished!!!

2010-04-23T11:47:00.001-07:00

Everyone did everything. It looks to be a close tie between Pacuare river rafting adventure and zipling as the favorite adventure of the week. It is always hard to believe that from the modern airport of San Jose we made our way to some of the deepest parts of the jungle with this group and they did amazing. They got a bit wet on the cables but now we are at the organic farm and it stopped raining which is nice because we plan on making this part very educational. The farm is 2 acres and the family lives off hte farm. This is without a doubt the best meal they will get all week. The fathers name is Don Juan and he educates the locals on how to grow and live self sustainable off the land. Don Juan is to the lcoals here what Lebron James is to a some kids back home. Don Juan is the Man!!! He is also a funny guy so its a great fit for kids. To be walking around an organic farm you have to do everything possible to keep it interesting. It is a great experience for the visiting students to see the different crops. We just got done pulling yucca out of the ground and now we are heading to do the sugar cane. It is starting to look pretty good chances are the voclano might clear. As you can see we also had Don Juan sport the Ridgefield hat. Don Juan can be part of your next Family Vacation to Costa Rica just let us know if your interested? Watch this video of an adventure for the whole family.

Rafting Pics and CRR w/Ridgefield Gear

2010-04-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures from rafting and I also posted a picture of myself with the two guides Jonathan and Jheudy. Did I mention that Jheudy or Jonathan can be your private guides on a Costa Rica Adventure Trip? As you can see we are sporting our Ridgefield hats and it was taken with the computer cam so its not too clear but we have all retired from our modeling careers and plan to stick with tourism. It is a rainy day today which means the kids get to learn to see why this country is as green as it is. we will be leaving the zipline in about 30 minutes and all is going excellent. After here we are heading to lunch and then some time to souvenir shop. If there are any souvenirs you would like to request now is the time and I will tell the kids to get on it. I was talking with the kids this morning and I asked them what they liked better. The nice hotel with AC hotwater and TV and an incredible swimming pool or the homestays? I was happy to hear that they all said the homestays which means the village to the village served its purpose. But a huge thanks to the kids because they are who made it what it was. Well I plan on making this a full day of blogging and get as many in as possible. We love hearing the comments. The last cable is the next in line and it is almost 1 km long. They already did the highest cable which was over 700ft. Will post in a few from the Organic Farm. If the Organic Farm is not enough try looking at this for a Costa Rica Adventure. Hi to all and PURA VIDA!!!

The Arenal Volcano

2010-04-23T06:15:00.000-07:00

Well at this moment it is behind a cloud but dont worry if you decide to book a trip with us and plan a Costa Rica Adventure I promise it will come out. It is a light fog and around 11am I would expect great views of the volcano. If not I know a great place to buy postcards that the kids can take home. We are all eating breakfast right now and you would never believe what they are serving: RICE AND BEANS! After breakfast we are heading to the ziplines. These ziplines to give you an idea are through the rainforest and are 8 different cables. If the zipline does not sound like enough adrenaline look at this Costa Rica Adventure. The longest cable is 1km long and 700ft high. If you are afraid of heights today is the day to act sick and beg to stay behind in at the hotel pool. This will not be happening because all the kids seem pretty pumped and ready for the cables. After the cables we will have what I think is the best meal of the week at an organic farm. This place is just a quick stop and the kids will actually get a chance to make their own sugar-cane juice. In the evening we have a special treat as we will be visiting The Springs Resort where we will have our final dinner as a group and enjoy the hotsprings. I want to thank all for following this blog and stay posted because we will be treating everyone who has been following but you have to wait till the last blog. Dont worry rafting pics are still coming stay tuned...

Canyons, waterfalls, & class IV Rapids!!!

2010-04-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

The river name is Pacuare. This is an indian name of the nearby Cabecar tribe. We rafted 18 miles on an extremely sunny day and I am happy to say after my lecture on sunscreen we have no lobsters in the bus. We made a flawless run down the river accomplishing a run that National Geographic has listed as one of the top 5 scenic rivers on the planet. Not a bad way to celebrate Earth day! We got a little bit of a late start because there were some tears to be shed at the homestays. When we arrived to the river we did the saftey speach and we were on our way. This company started on this river and rafting is what we do so in our opinion this is the best Costa Rica adventure of the whole week. I really like this adventure because if you compare it to ziplining it is very different. In ziplining it is just hang on and go. While in rafting you all have to work as a team. We had 6 in raft plus a guide. Everyone paid attention (I think a few were a little spooked during the safety speach which is normal) and did an excellent job working as a team in what was a perfect run. We are now heading to the Arenal volcano which will be around a 4 hour drive. If you liked reading about the river just think about having your private raft with our company. You can plan a private Costa Rica Family Adventure with us today. The next hotel is an amazing place with incredible views of the homestay. During the half way point we will be stopping for the greatest icecream sandwiches on this planet. At this present moment we are passing through large plantations of pineapple. Im posting pictures from the party last night and will post rafting pictures later. Hope all are well. PURA VIDA!!!

A Night to Remember...

2010-04-22T04:55:00.001-07:00

It is official. The highlight of this trip was the village. I do not know how ziplines, rafting, and caves can get beat by no hot water and very simple living quarters but they did. We take student groups almost always to the village but we have seen how much the parents of the students enjoy it also. That is why we are offering in our Costa Rica Vacation Packages the chance to visit the village or even stay for a few nights! The village put on a show that was amazing. The Ridgefield kids did an excellent job in acting as if they had been here for a month. Everyone showed up to the party with their homestay families and it was dance, food, and music till around 9pm. There is a young artist in the community and she paints scenes from Costa Rica. We presented Mrs Roth with one and as I announced this was the first time doing this as we were very impressed with all that has been done for this trip. When the kids get home expect to see some Itunes of salsa music. They are all naturals and of course Jeremy took the stage with some break-dancing moves which the whole village loved. I want to apologize I do not have the chip with the pictures it is in the bus and will get to it later so I just posted one of the pictures of the girls that did the local dance at the school yesterday. But I promise to post after the rafting. It is a beautiful sunny day. Just the perfect morning to be heading to raft one of the most scenic rivers on the planet. Pictures will do no justice for the river but I will try my best. Have a great day and do not forget if you are interested in your family attending a Costa Rica Adventure let us know!

Soccer Game and off to the Party!!!

2010-04-21T15:51:00.000-07:00

I love the picture of Drew playing soccer with the smoking volcano in the backround. Just part of your average scenery on a Costa Rica Adventure. It was a great soccer game and Ridgefield won by one goal. Take a look at the Soyak's homestay and the Ridgefield gear they are sporting now. They also have a Raiders bumper sticker on their front door now. The homestays are turning out to be an excellent success. I over heard one of the parents say this will by far be the best and most rewarding part of the trip for the kids. We are getting cleaned up and then off to the party. This is no average party. We have the whole town coming together for a dinner, song, and dance. We also plan on presenting Ridgefield with gift from the community as a thank you for the visit. I promise not everyone gets the community gift so this is a special group. I was talking to Jeremy and Janine's homestay mother and she told me that the money she was making off this group will be paying for her son's new school uniforms. Love hearing those stories. Well more stories to come but now off to the party to check on their salsa skill. We had a quick salsa class in the cave so now it is to the test to see who was listening. Also take a look at the picture of the little girls. Those were the uniforms donated by Ridgefield. Have a great night and thanks for the comments! Also dont forget we can plan your Costa Rica Vacation just contact us today!

Community Service and Homestays

2010-04-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

When I met with Jennifer this morning she told me the kids were a bit nervous about the homestays. We were able to change that very quickly. Being nervous is a small part about a Costa Rica adventure but often an important part. We introduced all the kids to their families in a presentation that made everyone at ease. We were all at the kindergarden where the EastRidge kids had just finished buidling 2 recycle bins for the schools. The local students put on a show for us of local dance and then the EastRidge kids went to work. After the work was done all the mothers from each homestay was there waiting where we introduced each group of kids to their families. The mothers from the homestays welcomed each member of the group with a huge hug and a smile. Everyone seemed happy to be on their way to the homestays. I asked the kids if they were still nervous and they all assured me they were not. The mothers here do an amazing job of helping the kids feel comfortable. Each group of kids returned to their homestay where they enjoyed lunch and will be with their homestays until 3pm when we start the soccer game. We have all the houses located in two sections of which each house is very close to the other. We have staff members in each section helping with the translation to break the ice and get the ball rolling on the social time they have now.

The community service was a huge success. Jonathan the guide made the comment that we set a record today and building that this group was faster than any group yet. All the kids were painting and nailing and working hard until we finished. It was a hot sunny day so we did most of it in the shade and then let the paint dry in the sun. Jennifer Roth said if you need your decks painted when they get home the kids should be ready.

Also in the last blog their were comments about chocolate and if Costa Rica makes their own chocolate. The answer is YES. The cacao fruit was very important in Costa Rica because it was the main link between Costa Rica and meso-americas . The Cacao fruit was also used at one point in Costa Rica as the currency. Now cacao is used to make chocolate for student tourist to bring home to their chocoholic parents!!!!

Also there was a question about the Turrialba volcano and the volcano in Iceland that is happening now. There are a lot of different types of volcanos with many different activities. The activity that we see in the picture of the Turrialba volcano is fumarolic activity which is just the release of gases and water vapor. It is a column of water vapor that you see which makes for a nice picture. There is no concern of the Turrialba volcano erupting as we see in Iceland. Sorry for not explaining this earlier and just posting a picture of a smoking volcano but this should help. I just read the book on the history of Ridgefield. The Soyak's brought a book down as a gift on the history and we are sitting with one of the homestays and enjoying looking at the pictures of all the old houses in Ridgefield that are about 50 times the size of the house we are sitting in. Take a good look at the pictures from the hotel at Casa Turire. This is one of the main hotels we work with when planning a Costa Rica Vacation or Costa Rica Adventure package. All or our guest fall inlove with this place.

Beautiful Morning...

2010-04-21T05:40:00.001-07:00

We made it to the hotel and we had all set up for them to have a great dinner out in the pool area. The place is one of my favorites and I think it was a good place to be after the cave and before the homestays. This area of Costa Rica I love planning Costa Rica Vacations here because it is a bit out of the very touristy areas. It was quite the surprise this morning to wake up and see how active the volcano was. The nearby volcano is the Turrialba which at this moment I am writing this looking at the smoke stack shooting out the top. Turrialba was a volcano that last erupted 150 years ago and has been doing practically nothing since. Just in the last 6 months it has started some activitiy. The best part about being in the Turrialba area is that we are close to the best rafting in Costa Rica. The Pacuare River rafting tour is only 30 minutes away. It is in the distance so no worries not danger but it make for a beautiful site as on a clear day it has a steady stream of smoke coming out the top. When it comes to clear days it is tough to beat the day of today. You can not see a cloud in the sky. At 9:30am we will be picking the kids up from the hotel and taking them to the village. At the village we will begin community service and the kids will be working for the morning. After the morning of work we will get the kids together and they will go to their homestays and spend time with their families. Just to give you an idea of the village it is up in the mountains with incredible views of the valley. The picture of the volcano was taken from the village. The village is around 75 families. Everyone is family and it is an amazing fun, safe, and extremely friendly area. The locals are all very much apart of the activity of bringing tourist. The average mother of the homestays was making $20 every two weeks. With the arrival of student groups to these homes the mothers of the homestays have an income that they can live off of and support their monthly expenses. They have also been able to save some money and invest in to their homes making it a more comfy place for visitors to come visit. The homes are very simple but filled with plenty of hospitality and kindness. It is an amazing experience and it always turns out to be one of the highlights of the trip. We will make sure the kids speak Spanish with the local kids and after lunch we have planned a soccer game so I will be posting all stats after the game if not just turn on ESPN and watch Sportcenter. In my opinion this is one of the best parts about a Costa Rica Adventure. Have a great day everybody and thanks for the comments!!!

Long Drive...

2010-04-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

We are at an elevation of around 10,000ft. We just stopped for a break to stretch their legs and got some hot choco. We will soon be driving through the cloud forest where Jonathan and Jheudy will explain the difference between a cloud forest and a rainforest which mostly deals with the elevation. A rainforest will be from sea-level to 5,300ft while a cloudforest is from 5,300ft to around 10,000. After the 10,000ft we reach Paramo (sub alpine forest). Well that is your lesson for the day and you will be getting a quiz tomorrow. We usually consider ourselves prepared when it comes to tours but it turns out we ran out of gas. We had to have the kids push the bus at 10,000ft of elevation. If you plan a Costa Rica Family Adventure trip with us dont worry you wont have to push. We will refund all families for the labor of the kids. It was around 3 hours of pushing the bus and you can see it took all of them in the picture. (Im just kidding of course but thought this would be one way to show you what the kids have been riding in during the week). Dont worry we have plenty of gas. If not they will need the excercise for there Pacuare whitewater rafting adventure in the next couple of days. We are now arriving to an area where if it is clear we can see both coast. Ok we just past it and it turns out we could not there were a few clouds in the way. Well Jose and Randell our drivers are doing a great job getting us down the mountain and we should be arriving to the hotel around 6pm our time. Hope everyone has a great evening and thanks for commeting! I also wanted to say that we were very impressed all the girls wanted to wash their own dishes. They even offered to wash mine which will definately win them some free Costa Rican adventure gear. The pics are to prove that they washed the dishes.

Costa Rica's Gem

2010-04-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this hidden piece of paradise. This happens to be the perfect spot for student trips and also if your interested in a Costa Rica Family Adventure Trip you can not beat this place. Not only because it is made of large rock structures but everyone slept great and we had a morning with a 5-Star breakfast, intense hike, and a majestic swim hole where all the kids got to jump off a rock into the pool. During the evening last night Jessie put on a concert with the guitar and all gathered around the campfire. They actually stayed up till around 9 which is very late cave time. The nights are early here and it gets dark quick around 6pm which is pretty normal for a Costa Rican adventure. Along with early nights comes early mornings. We slept all night, how could you not with the dream machine waterfall (Costa Rica is home to some of the most beautiful tropical waterfalls) running all night just feet away from your bed. We had a group of monkeys join us in the trees for breakfast which mean the neighbors like their visitors. After breakfast we made our way to the pools which is a hike straight up and it took around 30 minutes to arrive. At the pools the kids had the chance to swim around and even jump off a rock a few feet high but all did it. We also gathered everyone together and I read the blog comments to them. So for all reading go ahead and comment, say your hello's, and whatever because the kids lightI up and it makes for a great laugh when we read them. We will be eating lunch today and then making our way over Costa Rica's tallest mountain which will put us round 10,000ft and then we will drop down to to the next hotel which is Casa Turire Hotel. This happens to be one of my favorite hotels in the country and it is by no means roughing it. It will put us very close to the village that we will be staying in the following day and I think all the kids deserve a treat for a night because they survived living in a cave. Jennifer Roth wants it to be in the blog that COSTA RICA IS AWESOME and the kids are doing GREAT!!! On behalf of myself and our staff I have to say this group has the ultimate chaperone in Jennifer Roth. She is doing an excellent job and just thought everyone should know. Enjoy the pics we will be in the bus for the next four hours and they will probably be asleep. I will do a blog post reading at dinner tonight so I expect to see some comments. If you want to plan this amazing experience for a family vacation then visit our site at start planning your Costa Rica family vacation now!

All Kids did the Rappel!!!

2010-04-19T15:24:00.001-07:00

Usually with a group this side a few back out but not on the Ridgefield Costa Rican adventure. When you are asked to walk off the side of a waterfall that is over 100ft most times than not a few kids end up backing out. Not EastRidge kids. They all did it and all supported eachother. Even little Jordan did it. Her equipment weighed about twice as much as her but she still made it down. The kids are all getting cleaned up right now and then we will get ready for the evening activities. We have a guitar, some cards, and a great meal for dinner. Just so you get an idea the kitchen here is the best part. Yes we are sleeping behind a waterfall but the food here is amazing. Here I am posting some pics of where they will be sleeping and the kitchen area. If you want to make this part of your Costa Rica Adventure just let us know and we can make it happen on your Costa Rica Vacation.

We made it!!!!!

2010-04-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

Well we are here and we are about to eat some lunch. Here are some pics on the arrival of the cave and the kids exlporing. First things first I have a quote from each for you to enjoy:

Samantha: Hi mom and dad this is an amazing Costa Rica adventure! I miss you love you BYE!!!

Adam: Dear mom and dad. Costa Rica is great and I saw a one eyed dog.

Rosie: Hey Billy Hey Bonz, Costa Rica is amazing Love yall!!! Miss you!

Kalia: hey mom and dad I miss you a ton. But Im having the time of my life. LUV YA!

Ali, Maggie, & Jessie: We sweated four pounds off on the hike today. Maggie now weighs 40lbs. Ali and Jess tried Noni and won $5 for eating the largest chunk. She said it tasted like snot. Say hi to Ella and Natalie.

Anne: Hi mom and dad and Lauren, Hope you had a good time in Boston. We are having a blast here. We hiked 1 1/2 miles straight up and Im practically smaller than Jo-jo now.

Andrew: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!

Drew: Just say COSTA RICA IS FUN!!!

Jeremy: This waterfall is crazy.

Allison: Costa Rica is awesome. i saw my first monkey and ate my first miracle fruit.

Andrea: Costa rica is a lot of fun. The girls at the orphanage were really nice. Hope everything is good at home see you soon.

Sarah: Pizza is made in Italy and I won a penny. We are about to rappel off the side of a waterfall over 100ft!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jason: Im too busy eating so I will give a quote later.

Tom (Me): These kids ROCK!!! They did great on the hike and its going to be an amazing night!!!

Dinner and Cave Talk

2010-04-19T05:14:00.000-07:00

Well we had pizza and I think everyone enjoyed it. If you want to go a little more upscale on your Costa Rica Adventure package we can make it happen but this hotel works for the students. It was their last meal before eating at the campsite. It turns out the campsite actually has the best meals of the trip. Like I said we are camping but by means are we roughing it. We will be eating breakfast here at the hotel and then its grab your cave bag and get in the bus to where we get dropped off for the hike. The cave bag can only consist of your essentials. I had to tell the girls yesterday that at no point in the next 24 hours will we be passing any malls so there is no need to bring any extra shoes, bags, earings, just the necesities of life. Which were toothbrush, change of clothes, flip flops, and watershoes. All ipods and electronics will spend the night with the bus drivers as they will be taking care of the rest of the luggage. Well we off to eat a big breakfast and then to the hike. Will keep you posted today on this amazing Costa Rica adventure. PURA VIDA!!!

The Pacific Coast

2010-04-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

It is about 15 minutes till we see an amazing sunset. If you are interested in seeing this same sunset on a Costa Rica family vacation there are plenty of luxurious places that the family might enjoy. Take a look at some of the top activitie we offer when planning a Costa Rica Adventure. Also if your in not in the mood for driving there are charter flights that we can arrange from the Costa Rica's San Jose airport.

We arrived to the Pacific Coast hotel just after lunch and we have been in the sand since. The kids had a chance to get play around and we will make our way to get cleaned and then have dinner. The kids have been very well with the rice and beans so this evening we are treating them to pizza. During the pizza dinner we will start the talk about the big day tomorrow. We will be leaving the hotel around 7am where we will make the 3o minute drive to where we start the hike. The hike tomorrow is intense by I can promise you it is worth it. The pictures you will see on tomorrows blog are of some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in this country. I have been in this country for 9 years and have tried hard to find a place as beautiful as this but I have yet to match it. I am thrilled to be sharing this place with your kids and I know it will be a great adventure for e

Image via Wikipediaveryone. Just to fill you in on things we will be meeting up with 4 more guides in the morning making a total staff count of 10 entering the hike.

The kids learned a lot today in the bus. One of the things they learned was how Costa Rica was formed and why it is considered the bridge between the Americas. It turns out that Costa Rica many years ago was under water and the volcanic activity started and volcanos came out of the ocean. After many many years of volcanic activity the bridge between North and South America was formed and is known today as Costa Rica. This explains why their is so much bio-diversity in Costa Rica. It is the reason why you can find animals from North America such as deer and rattle-snakes and you can also find animals from South America such as monkeys and sloths.

Well we plan on having everyone in bed early this evening and getting a good nights rest because the next two days will be hiking, rappeling waterfalls, swimming in pools at waterfalls, and sleeping in the CAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I get excited because this is one of my favorite parts of the trip. I cant wait!!! Dont forget if you are interested in planning a family vacation we will customize a Costa Rica family vacation to fit what your looking for.

The visit to the Orphange AMAZING!!!

2010-04-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

I have brought many groups to the orphanage but I can promise you none were like this. This was amazing and it turned out so good for a couple reasons. The girls usually wear uniforms but this was the first Sunday we took a group there so the girls did not have to wear uniforms. Sunday just gives a casual feel to things and everyone seemed very relaxed. We arrived around 8am and the the EastRidge kids introduced themselves to the locals and then the locals introduced themselves also. We then did a quick show on what a typcial breakfast is for the girls and we made one of their favorite dishes which is called gallo pinto. This is the most popular dish for Costa Rican's and they all eat gallo pinto everyday. We were very hungry so we put the girls in pairs with kids from EastRidge and the Spanish practice began. We then did a presentation of the gifts that the girls brought.

The gift of $500's to the orphanage was somthing no group has ever done before. This was amazing and the fact that the kids help raised the money was one of the top moments of working with this home. Actually it was one of the top moments of our business. Being the river-guide adventure dude I dont see myself getting emotional on things but this topped riding a class V rapid. Just to give you an idea of the place it is a home of abandoned girls some victims to sex abuse, violent abuse, and orphaned. We as a company have been working with them for a few years now by bringing groups and also by taking the girls out of the home every 3 months to take part in tourist activities. We have brought the girls rafting, ziplining, volcanos, and last month to the beach. For all but two girls it was their first time to the beach. The country of Costa Rica is only 57 miles wide so getting to the ocean should not be that tough. The girls home is completely operated on private donations. They do 3 fundraising activities a year and that is what keeps them going for the year. The girls are trained in making bakery and when they turn 18 if available they find a family to take them until they are ready to live on their own which is usually 3 - 4 yrs. The girls also make jelly that they sell which is made of pineapple and papaya. All of the ingredients in the breakfast that we ate were products that the girls had grown on the property. They do an amazing job and the "Mama" who is a lady named Marielos is a mother of 23 girls that does an amazing job. She is in the picture accepting the $500 given by the group. Thank you EastRidge and all that had any part in raising the money for the girls. Our staff was also given Ridgefield hats which I will take a picture of all of us and send it to you. Please dont get scared we are really not as ugly as the camera makes us look. We are on our way to the beach cruising on the new highway. We will be arriving around lunch and will post later. Have a great morning everyone! We have not seen a cloud all day it is beautiful sunny weather!!!

If your interested in visiting the girls home on a Costa Rica Family Vacation we can make it happen!

Hotel, Dinner, and Get them to Bed

2010-04-17T16:30:00.001-07:00

Well we got them back to the hotel. The game plan for the rest of the day is to get them fed and in bed. As you follow us through this amazing week I want you to keep in mind that we operate Costa Rica Adventures for families and groups of all sizes.

They arrived at the hotel and we assigned them to their room. We also passed out some stuff for them to have one being a water bottle for each which we refill with purified water each time the kids need it. The other is a plastic bad made out of trash that the ladies from the village they will be visiting make. They did a little bit of souvenir shopping after the coffee show and then we made our way back to the hotel. From what I see we have a lot of dog-lovers on the trip. Dogs in Costa Rica seem to wonder the street and everytime we pass one in the bus you hear "AHHHHHH!". The morning will involve getting up and driving to the orphanage. We will be visiting and spending a few hours there and then make our way to the Pacific side. I know this group will be a great fit for the orphanage and everyone can practice their Spanish a bit. During the coffee show it is put on like a play and one of the performers gets married. So the picture you see is of Jack with one of the actress. Dont worry Jack really didnt get married. The other picture is of Jason with the styling the coffee picking hat. The other two pictures are checking into the hotel and where they will be eating dinner. Have a great night and will post in the morning!!!

Let the Adventure Begin!!!

2010-04-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

The picture below Jordan Roth is laying down acting like she is sleeping...

What a great group ready for this Costa Rica adventure. I can tell that this is going to be a great week. All was well at the airport and they arrived a bit early and we met them outside. From the airport we decided to go straight to lunch where we enjoyed their first Costa Rican meal which was a taste of rice and beans. Everyone enjoyed the food. We passed out name tags and we have begun trying to learn all the names. Jheudy and Jonathan (the guides) were happy to see how many kids have an interest in Spanish. The question of the day was Who is JuanSantaMaria? The answer was "The National Hero" which the kids heard the story on. The only mishap today was Deborah's luggage was lost but hopefully we will get it tonight from the airline. She said the fashion show could not begin until her bag arrived. We are now at the coffee tour. We stopped at a supermarket and all kids had their last chance to get anything they might have forgotten. I noticed a bag of cheerios and Jason was all excited to get an Egg made ofchocolate with a toy inside (the neccesities for an adventure trip and living in a cave I guess). Compliments to all as everyone is quiet when guides talk (which we love to see and dont always see). The coffee tour has just begun and I decided not to go only because Ive been on it 8,987 times and wanted to get a blog entry in. After the coffee tour we will make our way to La Condesa Hotel where they will have the rest of the evening to relax and eat dinner at the hotel. I can imagine once the coffee fades off they will all crash. Well looking forward to posting more and thanks so much for the comments and following. PURA VIDA!!! We took a picture of before and after the coffee tour and the other picture is of the group from lunch. They look in pretty good shape and I think they will be able to handle all the adventures of the canyoneering, zipline, and my favorite the famous whitewater rafting on the Pacuare River.

Don't foget that our company offers Costa Rica Vacations for small and large groups so if your interested we can make it happen!

5 Minutes Early

2010-04-17T06:26:00.000-07:00

Well I guess the pilot is trying to throw us off schedule. We see the plane has left 5 minutes which should not throw us off schedule too much. They will have a nice line when they get off the plane which should put us back on schedule. Well I hope everyone got back to bed after dropping the kids off. The morning here in the valley is cloudy which is fine the tempature is perfect and clouds start to lift in the next hour or so when the sun starts shining a little me intense.

Today is the big day. I wanted to thank you all for following the blog and we love seeing the comments. We will relay messages from the blog to the kids. Also remember anything you need to relay quickly to anyone call 352-694-3462 CR Office Vonage line so you dial just as it is or 506-8825-0891 which is my cell. All of the itin books are hot off the press and ready to be passed out. Each child as seen in the picture will get their personalized itin book which has all the information they need and then some. It also has a journal page after everyday which I tell them they have to fill out or else they can not participate in the adventures (thats not true but i do try to encourage keeping up on the journal).

Well I hope you enjoy the blog and at no point in my life have I ever been or ever will be a Pulitzer Prize winner so stick with me no the run-on sentences, spelling errors, and every now and then a little Spanglish. PURA VIDA!!!

Get to bed early...

2010-04-16T04:10:00.000-07:00

Well I hope everyone is able to pack before the late night. It seems like a reasonable bed time might be around 2pm for you guys. But if you have to stay up later just sleep on the plane no worries. Things in Costa Rica are running as planned ready for the East Ridge trip. All guides, buses, and events are in place just counting down till the airport pickup. We travel with a large crew which is part of the service we offer. We will have two buses, which means two drivers, two guides, one videographer, and myself (My title is "The Blogger"). This will put six staff members at all time on the trip along with other guides they will meet up throughout the trip such as the cave, rafting, ect. One job that each member of the staff gets is that they have to know everyones name by the end of day two. We let the bus drivers get till day 3 because they only speak Spanish so it is just a little tougher but they get it.

We had our first heavy rain yesterday which I have to say was great. It was a super dry rainy season last year. It is a beautiful morning right now and weather should be nice for the trip. Just to give you an idea of what the scene will look like for the kids when they arrive. They will walk through customs and immigration and then outside the airport where they will meet us. We all know Jennifer and assuming she has not changed her hair style we should recognize her but we also have signs with our logo on it and East Ridge on it. Jonthan and Jheudy the two naturalist guides will be meeting the kids and walk them to the area where we load the buses. We will all pile in the buses where the drivers will introduce themselves, I will introduce myself, videographer, and then Jonathan & Jheudy take over. They will arrive in the San Jose airport which is at an elevation of 3,000ft and is located in what is called the Central Valley which is closed in by volcanoes and mountains. The hotel we will be staying at the first night is at an elevation of 5,000ft which down here we consider chilly but for you guys just getting over winter Im sure it will be nice Spring weather. The picture above is a picture of the valley at night. If you look close you can actually see the Costa Rica San Jose airport from here. Well that is it for now and stay tuned because it is getting very close to show time!!!

Itinerary

2010-04-14T08:50:00.001-07:00

Hola East Ridge Travelers,

Here is a finalized itin. Everything is the same we just had to switch the order of a few things last minute due to availability at the orphanage. The trip will actually run smoother this way. Can't wait to meet everyone and looking forward to an amazing adventure:

Day 1 ---------------------- Arrive and Drive to La Condesa (La Condesa)

Today we will make the SHORT drive from the Costa Rica San Jose airport to La Condesa where you can take a nap for a few hours and just relax. We will need you at full energy level for the trip so starting off with a nap after the early morning might be a good idea. In the afternoon we will enjoy dinner and the coffee Tour.

Day 2 ------------------------ Visit Orphanage & Drive to Pacific Coast (Beach Hotel)

Today we will visit the orphange in the morning and then make our way to the Pacific Coast. Yes, you will get a chance to get your feet wet and also watch a sunset. This will position us just 20 minutes from the cave entrance for the following morning.

Day 3 ------------------------ Enter Cave (Cave)

Day 4 ------------------------ Leave Cave and Drive to Casa Turire (Casa Turire)

Day 5 ------------------------ Enter Homestays (Homestays)

Day 6 ------------------------ Raft Pacuare Costa Rica & Drive to Arenal (Arenal Hotel)

Day 7 ------------------------ Zipline, Organic Farm, & Hotsprings (Arenal Hotel)

Day 8 ------------------------ Fly Home!!!

The Big 3!!!

2010-04-12T05:45:00.000-07:00

I must say that the East Ridge itin has all 3 favorites of adventure. I call them the Big 3 or better yet the Tres Grandes. There are many places to raft, zipline, and rappel. But there are none better than the three places you will be visiting. Although we have to invest some time in the bus to get to the three different places I can assure you it is all worth it. The Pacuare River which you will be rafting is rated by National Geographic as one of the top 5 scenic rivers in the world. It is a an amazing run with canyons and waterfalls from start to finish. The Cave we will be sleeping in Im sure is one of the top 5 in the world but I dont even think National Geographic knows about it yet so when it does make the list you can say you've been there. Last but not least is the famous zipline. With over 100 different ziplines in the country this is one of the many tourist attractions that have made Costa Rica famous. No other zipline though quite matches that of SkyTrek. With the views of the volcano and the cables that zip 700ft in the air it is surely without a doubt the best zipline in the country. Well that is it for now and I will be posting more since we are very close to the trip so stay tuned and get your friends and family following this blog because we are going to update day to day on this amazing East Ridge Adventure...

Connecticut VS. Costa Rica

2010-03-21T05:10:00.000-07:00

I know this probably looks like a soccer game but that is not where Im going with this blog entry. This is just a short entry of two interesting facts to give you an idea of the difference between the two areas.

Bird Species: Connecticut: 417 Costa Rica: 850

Mammal Species: Connecticut: 60 Costa Rica: 212

Well this should get you thinking that for your trip coming up in April you will be traveling to one of the most bio-diverse places on the planet. Hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoy the week!

Our Top 10 From the EastRidge Trip in April

2010-03-18T04:50:00.000-07:00

With a country filled with so many top 10's I have to say the EastRidge Itin has some of the best of the best. Here is a list of the top 10 events of your itin that should get you all excited:

10. Jheudy & Johnathan - 2 guides with many years of experience and love what they do. You will have a chance to learn so much with these two guides and please take advantage of it and ask lots of questions.

9. The second to last Zipline. There ae 8 different cables we will be on but the second to last is amazing. It is not only the longest but you go through almost a tunnel like part of trees that really give you and idea of how fast you are going.

8. The chips at the Organic farm - in my opinion the whole lunch is amazing but the best part are the homemade trips which almost everyone is going back for seconds.

7. The pool at Casa Turire - This is the hotel we will be staying at after river rafting and it is small and I know you will enjoy it. They have a small pool but just a great environment and a chance to relax before we continue our adventure.

6. Marimba - This is an instrument that we hope to have played for you during your trip. It is very Costa Rican and has quite the catchy beat to it.

5. The Hike to the Cave - You might be wondering how this made it to the to 10 because it is probably the part of this trip everyone will be giving me a serious look. The hike made the top 10 because after it is done everyone always says how much it was "worth the hike".

4. Bombas!!!! - Do not forget the Bombas. This is a Costa Rican tradition used throughout the country as a form of getting a party started. Basically it is a short rhyme often ending with a short joke. Very entertaining and can be done in English.

3. Salsa Lizanos - This is the best tasting stuff around. It is a salsa that is not spicey but just right.

2. People of Costa Rica - If we are at our homestays, orphanage, or visiting a school we will see smiles and enjoy being in the presence of people such "Pura Vida"!

1. Trits (Ice Cream Sandwich) - Yes, this is my number 1. We will assign a person on each bus to remind us to stop for trits. Dont worry we will be doing plenty of excercise to burn it off so prepare yourself for the best tasting IceCream Sandwich ever.

Eastridge Costa Rica 2010

2010-03-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

Hello Eastridge students and parents. It has been a long time planning and I think we are all ready for our Costa Rica adventure. This blog is being put together to get you ready for the trip and inform you on the many exciting events that you will be experiencing in your trip to Costa Rica. We will also be doing the blog during your trip so you can leave the web address with family members back home and they can keep up on the activities through reading the blog entries and looking at the pictures from the blog. You have a great itinerary and an excellent staff on board for your trip. We will be having two of our best guides with Johnathan Serrano and Jheudy Carballo who will be the leaders of two different buses where we will split the group up. We will also have Paulo our videographer who will be making sure we get the week on tape so you can take it home and show to your family friends. I will also be a part of your trip and my job will be the blogger. If you want things posted then I am the guy to talk to and if not I will just be doing a daily overview of how our days and adventures go. One of the best parts about your itin is that we will be enjoying much time with the locals and a chance to give back in the many community service activities we take part in. I invite everyone to be active in this blog and become a member and please leave comments. Looking forward to meeting everyone and stay posted for more fun facts about your up coming Costa Rica adventure!!!

Eastridge Costa Rica 2010

Exit Costa Rican Airport

On our way to the airport

The Final Night...

The Springs Costa Rica

Plan Your Costa Rican Family Adventure

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Adventures Accomplished!!!

Rafting Pics and CRR w/Ridgefield Gear

The Arenal Volcano

Canyons, waterfalls, & class IV Rapids!!!

A Night to Remember...

Soccer Game and off to the Party!!!

Community Service and Homestays

Beautiful Morning...

Long Drive...

Costa Rica's Gem

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All Kids did the Rappel!!!

We made it!!!!!

Dinner and Cave Talk

The Pacific Coast

The visit to the Orphange AMAZING!!!

Hotel, Dinner, and Get them to Bed

Let the Adventure Begin!!!

5 Minutes Early

Get to bed early...

Itinerary

The Big 3!!!

Connecticut VS. Costa Rica

Our Top 10 From the EastRidge Trip in April

Eastridge Costa Rica 2010