COSTA RICA

Day three was packed with adventure, starting from the busy city of San Jose and ending in the gorgeous village of Uvita. In the morning we took a short drive, heading to Bahia Ballena, where we went on 12 zip line cables, cruising through the rain forest. We later stopped for lunch at a restaurant where we ate on swings.

The best thing to order in Costa Rica, other than rice and beans, is a smoothie or any drink with fruit. There are a ton of exotic kinds like starfruit or guava, and they're all amazing!

After lunch, we walked across the busy street to an ice cream shop, eating another delicious snack- galleta ice cream. After this we had a three hour drive to Uvita, a beautiful village right by the beach. 

Rustic Pathways has a base house at the top of a hill in this village, where we stayed for the next four nights. 

Our rooms were great, but we would not have survived without the fan due to the insane humidity! 

For the next three days, we would go surfing on this amazing beach right next to the lush rainforest. Our two surf instructors, Paulo and Gerald taught us everything we needed to know to ride the waves! For four hours a day we got to surf in the warm waters watching the gorgeous sun set on the ocean. 

The surfing in Costa Rica was incredible- huge waves and the perfect temperature water; also it was pretty shallow, making it super easy to get to the better waves! 

It was really the best place to spend your afternoon in the village of Uvita. With the tall, green palm trees on one side and the gorgeous sun setting through the clouds on the waves on the other side- it was perfect and even more fun to surf in with this great setting. 

COSTA RICA days 1 and 2

PURA VIDA! Sophie and I just returned from an amazing spring break in Costa Rica with a couple of friends and Rustic Pathways. It was the trip of a lifetime! We traveled to a couple of different places in the country, going surfing, zip lining, rappelling, hiking, and much more. Our trip started at the airport, where we took a 5 1/2 hour flight to San Jose.

We were welcomed outside the airport by our Rustic Pathways counselors, Mauricio, Fofo, and Nancy, and an insane weather change (it was like a sauna!) After a short drive we ate our first meal, a traditional dish including your choice of meat, rice, fried plantains, beans, and a mixture of vegetables. It was delicious! 

After dinner, we continued our crazy drive through fog and darkness until we reached Earth University, where we would spend the night. 

Earth University 

The next morning we woke up early, then headed out to a farm. Here we fed and cleaned pigs and then milked the cows- a very interesting and dirty experience... 

Later in the afternoon of day 2 we went to a hydro farm, learning about all the ways someone can grow plants in different climates and conditions. Also we tasted some plants, one called la tuna which was delicious and good for your stomach! After the two farms, we drove back to San Jose, where we would spend the night in a great hotel.