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Another day with the group has come to a close. Unfortunately, Clay wasn't feeling well this morning, so he stayed home to rest up and get his energy back. We brought him some electrolytes to drink, and his homestay family made sure he had whatever else he needed. The rest of us made our way to the El Tigre waterfalls once we dropped the items off at Clay's house.
El Tigre is a relatively new tour in Monteverde, having opened in 2019. Without a doubt, it's rather impressive in its scope, beauty and modes of transportation, but it offers even more in terms of sustainability. Feel free to consult the tour's website for more information about its commitment to the environment. What they are doing is pretty cool, and their mission connects to what Tradd talks about below.
We began quite high up, and we took this photo before moving downward at a steady clip for a long time. Some of the guys opted to take walking sticks, which certainly added some flare to the photo. You can see that we were bundled up. The tour began with some chilly weather. That changed very soon, and we made adjustments.
We encountered four beautiful waterfalls and traversed many (unstable) bridges, which only permitted the crossing of one person at a time (as shown below).
There were miles of hiking involved and the terrain was steep, muddy and slippery. We had to be quite careful with our steps. We were handsomely rewarded, though, with plenty of stunning views. Some of them are shown below, including plenty of group shots. Many more are in the Drive folder linked on the homepage.
Then things got interesting. We hopped onto horses to take us back to the top of the mountain. We had the option of riding in a Jeep, but we were glad we chose the horses. It was the first time on a horse for at least one of our guys, and it was a lot of fun. Plus we saw other groups cramming into the back of a Jeep without much room to move. We definitely had room to move. And move we did.
The horses seemed to know the path, as the guides let us go without leading us from the front. The horses moved slowly when they wanted to and galloped when they wanted to. Regardless of our means of travel, the views we were able to see were breathtaking. There's no way that photos could do justice to the experience, but you can see some below. We were hoping to have a view of the Arenal Volcano, but it was too cloudy. We'll hopefully see it this weekend, though. We'll be right down the road from it.
We then ate lunch at the site. It was typical food, and it was delicious. We chose our orders yesterday, and everything was prepared once we arrived.
Afterwards we drove back to the school and did our work for the day. We didn't have a whole lot of time to work, but we were pretty efficient while we were there. Our tasks today were simple. We needed to move a bunch of rocks and sand from the lower part of campus to the upper part. We also had to rake the trails. Nothing exciting, sure, but it was work that had to get done.
Today the blog will feature its first student reflections. Tradd and John have gotten us off to a great start, and hopefully all the boys will contribute their thoughts at least once before the trip has ended. They were given journals before the trip, and we have encouraged them to write down any thoughts or reflections.
Learning about Costa Rica, especially the Monteverde region, has taught me a lot about valuing nature and community. In Monteverde, people really care about protecting the environment, especially the rain forests they live in. The people of Monteverde really focus on conservation and tourism that is environmentally friendly instead of harming nature for money. That shows how important sustainability is to them. Another thing I’ve learned about is the idea of “pura vida,” meaning pure life, which is all about living simply and appreciating life. People in Monteverde really embody this phrase and follow it in their daily lives, something I really admire. Overall, the region shows how caring for the environment and your community can create a great community and true enjoyment of life. I hope that I can take these values back to Woodberry and make a positive impact on my school based on the things I’ve learned in my time here.
- Tradd Fain '28
One thing I’ve changed in how I think of things on this trip is the contrast between my normal life vs the normal life of the people in the neighborhood. The luxuries I call simple back home are dreams the people here have. Constant hot water, sustainable transportation and a variety of jobs are common back home but almost non-existent here. One thing that Costa Ricans have that some may not that I’ve realized is a strong and loving family, especially outside the home. The dinner table is constantly filled even with family members outside the home. The baby in my homestay is constantly surrounded and nurtured by the whole family, making sure he has what he needs, making sacrifices and contributing in ways that will be helpful in the long run. Good food and quality time make life of these people way better, setting aside what they don’t have and focusing on what they have.
- John Pitts '28
That's a wrap on Day 5. We'll now have a couple days without a proper excursion. We'll get back to the more adventurous activities on Saturday in La Fortuna. Tomorrow, we'll start the day at the CEC, and we'll get to work right away.
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