Family, tropical fruits, and hiking

Our family came to visit us the first weekend of March!! It was so refreshing and made for an amazing weekend! 

Our parents came on Thursday so we checked out downtown that evening instead of going to class. Shivani forgot to bring sneakers...crazy girl wore her uggs to Costa Rica haha. So we got her sneakers and got some souvenirs. Then we had Pizza Hut for dinner, which hit the spot.

Friday we woke up at the crack of dawn and left for Rio Celeste!  We had an amazing tour guide and driver that stopped at fruit stands where we could fill up on fresh pineapples and lychee. We also got ice cold coconut water and when we finished the vender opened the coconut for us to eat the inside. Out parents just loved the fruits. 

Rio Celeste was beautiful! We had to hike for an hour and a half to get there but it was well worth it! 

After that we went to Liberia to spend the night. The town was beautiful with lots of Spanish influence. There was a festival going on when we went which was really cute. There was live music, lights, decorations, and street vendors. 

On Saturday we had breakfast and left to go see the volcano Rincon de la Vieja. That was very unique. We were in the rainforest one second and the next we were in barren land because of the volcanic activity. All the trees were bare and you could feel the heat coming out of the ground. There was bubbling mud and sulfur hot spots.

After that we came back to San Jose and said our good byes on Sunday. It was one of our favorite weekends in Costa Rica.

Veragua Field Trip

For our Land Vertebrates class, we went to the Veragua Rainforest which is basically a huge protected rainforest where many scientists come to do research. Let me tell you...this was not a vacation haha. But it was definitely a unique experience. We hiked through the rainforest for hours over a span of 2 days.  This was no regular hiking, it was steep and slippery and pretty scary. Never thought we would do this but it was a pretty cool experience and we got to see tons of animals.

Here is a video of the trip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dysx1cUjCRM

Field Trip to Cahuita

We took a field trip to the Caribbean with our Marine Biology class. It was a unique experience. We got to learn about and see all the different organisms that live in the intertidal zone like the moray eel, sea urchins, chitons, snails, and much more. Then we went snorkeling! That was also amazing! We saw a nurse shark so close up. It was almost 5 feet long and right under us. It was pretty amazing. Also the boat we were in was tiny and the waves were huge! It was such a cool experience.

Here is a link to a video of some of the highlights of our trip:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0Al2vLzZeBkVnowOUY0VFkwd1E/edit?usp=sharing

Fun in the Sun

          Weekend in Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. There is a series of beaches connect next to each other and you can easily rent a bike for $5 and ride along all the beaches! This was one of our favorite beaches.

The hostel where we stayed at! There were hammocks everywhere. 

                                    

                                       

 

Check out our video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP80Z_44p6o&feature=youtu.be

Sibu Chocolate Tour

We went with out study abroad program CEA on a chocolate tour in a town called Heredia about 30 min away from San Jose. Cacao is a major export product in Costa Rica. Two men, Julio Fernandez and George Soriano, started the Sibu Chocolate Company with the idea of being environmentally friendly. They traveled to many countries like France and Italy to properly understand how to create divine chocolate. Sibu makes organic, authentic chocolate, and it is truly delicious! They have interesting flavors such as Sibu's signature spicy truffle with cardamom, nutmeg, organic cinnamon and a hint of chili pepper. We also tried a lime truffle enrobed in milk chocolate.

YUMMM

Chocolates are packed in
boxes made from
Cacao leaves to be
environmentally friendly. The
orange objects under the box
are the actual Cacao fruit. 

A variety of Sibu chocolates! The designs make
the chocolates even more appealing. They
tasted better than they look!

 

Rads sampling some decadent hot chocolate. 

                           

Check out our short video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0_VvOhiHWk&feature=youtu.be

Zip-lining in Monte Verde

We went zip-lining in Monte Verde with a bunch of friends. We took the public bus on the 5 hour journey to the cloud forest of Monte Verde for only $5. Then we got a hostel for only $6 per person. And they gave us the penthouse! We were really excited until we realized that there wasn't hot water, and that it so super noisy because of wind. I don't think I've ever been to a place so windy. 

Anyways we had an amazing time zip lining. For $40 we got to go on 14 cables, of which 4 are extremely long: 1-1410 ft, 2-1275 ft, 3-1800 ft, 4-2250 ft. Cables have an approximate height of between 225 ft and 450ft, Tarzan Swing, Rappel (90ft), 21 platforms. Total walking distance of 2.8 Km., tour duration 3 hours.

I loved the Tarzan Swing! You basically jumped off a platform and free fall for some time and then the rope catches you and you swing super super high. It was amazing. We also go to do a zip line in the superman position. It felt like we were flyingg!

It was a real hike! and the air was thin so we were huffing and puffing our way up haha.  It was over all a great trip. We were slightly sore the next day haha. 

The view on our way there

The hostel was better 
than we bargained for

Tacos for lunch after a tiring day 

Volcan Arenal y Baldi Hotsprings

So two weeks ago we visited Arenal Volcano and the town of la Fortuna. It was an incredible experience. We left early in the morning to go to the national park where this waterfall was located. We had to walk 350 steps down to the waterfall. Surprisingly, going down was harder than going up just because the steps were so steep and slippery.

waterfall at Arenal that we got to swim in

        Once we got to the waterfall, we got into the water, which was FREEZING cold and really deep. It took us some time to get adjusted to the water temperature, but once we did it was really fun. I couldn't believe that we were actually in such a beautiful place. It looked like it was out of national geographic.The water was a crystal blue and there were green vines swaying above us.

        Nidhi and I didn't dare to leave too far from the shore, but others were more daring. They told us that if you go too close to the waterfall, you could get pulled under, and we ain't about that life.

The waterfall lead to this stream

After hiking the 350 steps back up, we went to eat lunch at La Fortuna. It was a really pretty town. We could see the full volcano in the backdrop. While we were there, we booked a full body massage and facial for the next day. 

 Then we headed off to the beautiful hot springs. There were 32 different springs with varying temperatures as well as 4 water slides. The first water slide we went on turned out to be a little painful. Nidhi was smart enough to opt out. Two of our friends came out with cuts and scrapes. But the other water slides were really fun!

Posing with the volcano in the background

This was the hottest spring in the VIP area 

The hot springs were super relaxing and a great way to spend the rest of the day. Then we went to los Lagos resort for shower and sleep finally. The next morning we work up, had breakfast, and headed off to our massage. It was soooo amazing! They even used those hot rocks from the volcano. 

When we got back from our massage, we left for the ox cart factory. It was overall our best weekend yet! 

Ox Cart Factory

 Walking around the factory. This factory used to be the only ox cart manufacturers since the 1920s. It used to supply carts, the only form of transportation at the time, to the whole country. The carts were first carved with wood and then hand painted for decoration.

Rads crafting away

The whole factory ran on hydroelectric power from the momentum of the large wheel. The force from the large wheel allowed the wood for cart wheels to be cut and shaped.Video of coffee tasting at factory  -- check out this video

I don't always like to study...

A Glance into the Costa Rican Healthcare System

 Hospital Calderón Guardia

Our Spanish class, which is designed for future healthcare professionals, took us on a field trip to the major public and private hospitals in the city. It was a really cool opportunity where we got to compare the Costa Rican healthcare system with the U.S.

First we went to Hospital Calderón Guardia, one of the main public hospitals in San Jose. It was interesting to see how things were run at this hospital because Costa Rica has universal healthcare, which means that the public hospitals provide all citizens with free treatment. While in theory it seems amazing, we got to see the realty of what universal healthcare means. It means long lines and and limited access to doctors when they are needed.

We saw how there were longs lines for everything at the hospital. If you want an appointment with a doctor for something simple like back pain and you go to schedule your appointment in January, you won't see the doctor until July. However, the good thing was that everyone had an opportunity to receive healthcare as well as free medications. Also the hospital provided the best treatment and had well trained doctors. The quality of treatment was not a problem.

Long lines at the Public hospital

After that we went to Hospital Clínica Bíblica, a private hospital 5 minutes from Hospital Calderón Guardia. The difference between the hospitals was like night and day.  The private hospital looked nicer than the hospitals in the US. We were blown away the moment we stepped in. There were high ceilings, huge rooms for patients, stained glass windows, and high ceilings.

Hospital Clínica Bíblica had the state of the art technology and amazing services for patients. There were no lines and personalized attention for patients. People can come in any time of the day, and be seen immediately, but the catch is that the hospital charges exorbitant amounts for treatment.  What ends up happening is that people have to pay the government for universal healthcare through taxes and then pay again when they go to a private hospital. They end up paying double.

The hospital also gave us a lecture about the Costa Rican healthcare system, which helped us understand the current state of health care in the country. Over all this field trip was very insightful and interesting. It was truly a unique opportunity!

Hospital Clínica Bíblica

Good Ol'e Simon

Casual Wed. evening, doing spanish homework and lounging with el gato. One things for sure, we definitely overcame our fear of animals here. 

Sunday NerdDay: Visit to Museo Nacional de Costa Rica

Things had become a bit hectic, so we didn't get a chance to post up pictures from our Sunday visit to the museum. Mainly we wanted to go see the butterfly garden, since Costa Rica is known for its diverse group of mariposas or butterflies. Turns out there were not as many butterflies as we had imagined, but it was a nice museum. There were various exhibits about the history of Costa Rica and exhibits containing pre-colonization artifacts. One of the interesting exhibitions discussed how the country eventually abolished its army. Costa Rica also abolished its death penalty unlike many other countries.

Beautiful day in San Jose. The skies were so clear you could see the mountain peaks from afar. 

Modeling in front of the National Museum. The museum used to be a Army building where soldiers used to stay, and it was also used for guarding the city. 

Costa Rican street art we passed on our walk to the museum.

Standing inside the mariposa sanctuary. 

This is the area where the butterflies are left to grow. You can see the wings of the butterflies hatching out of the cocoon. 

One of the craziest things we saw. This was excavated from the grounds in Costa Rica. It was identified to be a molar tooth of a Giant sloth back during the pre-columbian time periods. Can you imagine how huge the sloth must have been! This is just its one molar.