Casi Cielo.

Heya!

...Almost Heaven - that´s the name of the location we will be running our day camp after our week of adventures with our students. And the name definitely fits!

Well, the hot springs were absolutely amazing! I´m pretty sure the Pina Colada was the best I´ve ever had. Not to mention staring at the stars under the 4 separate pools warmed by the volcano. While we were there, we could hear little erruptions from the volcano. SO, we drove around the other side of the mountain and watched it spit lava into the air and roll down the side. (We were a safe distance away, I promise!) It was absolutely incredible to see such an awesome natural wonder in person. I have since discovered that this is one of the most active volcanos in the world (which is a good thing because then it doesn´t have one large erruption).

Staff training wrapped up yesterday with a huge fiesta - Chef Eric is also DJ Eric so we had a huge dance party. To top the evening off, a local Costa Rican drumline of sorts showed up and played for us. It was incredible to watch them perform and share a huge part of their culture with us!

Today we have broken up into our individual programs, so we have been checking out the various locations and sites we will have both our students and the Tico campers. I think I´m in for an incredible adventure! One of the sites is the home of a former Costa Rican president. Although our intent was to stop by, we were greeted with fresh pineapple juice, coffee, and a small meal as we stared at the river below and the volcano in the distance. And to top it off, the guy picked up a guitar and started to sing for us. I don´t know what was more exciting - watching him play or realizing that I understood his jokes in Spanish. :)

Well, I´m off until Tuesday. I´m hoping to hike a mountain in the am and head the beach for Sunday and Monday. I´ll be in touch with the random adventures I encounter!

Miss ya!

Pura Vida.

jc