A Whole Trip Overview

Day 1: (5/15)

My day started at around 6:30am. My bags were already packed and I left my apartment around 7:15am to CLT Douglas International Airport. I met up with the rest of the Close Scholars group and we completed the check-in process to board the plane to Costa Rica. Upon arrival to San Jose, we met our tour guide Herson and our bus driver Miguel. Our first stop was Walmart! In their cafe, I got a taste of my first Costa Rican food of rice, beans, and fish. After eating, I shopped around Walmart for different Costa Rican snacks. This was when I was first introduced to Costa Rican money called colones. I bought some cinnamon treats, barbecue chips, and trail mix. After shopping at Walmart, Herson gave us a tour of the city of San José from the bus since it was raining outside. After the tour, we checked into our hotel for the night. Once we rested for a little bit, Herson took us to a restaurant right across the street for dinner. I had beans, rice, and tilapia. During dinner we discussed the plans for the next day. That night I went straight to bed because I was exhausted but I was very happy to be in Costa Rica!

Day 2: (5/16)

After eating breakfast at the hotel, we rode to La Fortuna, where the Arenal Volcano was located. We traveled to Jauri Tropical Farm, where we learned about all the fruits, vegetables, and plants they grown and how they are used for human products such as medicine and cosmetics. Shelia was able to pick an organic pineapple and the tour guide used his machete to chop it up so we could taste. It tasted so much better than pineapples at the grocery store! We also had lunch at the farm, with more rice and beans, beef, and vegetables. Our guide showed us how the sugar cane is pressed into sugar water then we were able to try it ourselves. We got to drink the sugar water our group produced and then we tried some moonshine made from the fermented sugar water. Afterwards, we traveled to the La Fortuna Waterfall to take a dip in the Fortuna River after descending nearly 500 steps to get there!

Day 3: (5/17)

We traveled to a local orphanage to spend time with the children and learn about how these children ended up in the orphanage. Some of us played soccer, colored coloring books, and just talked with the children. The children ranged from ages 0-9. I mostly played soccer with one of the younger boys. After spending time with the children, we traveled to La Fortuna and ate lunch at one of the local restaurants. We went on a 2.1 mile hike in the rainforest surrounding the Arenal Volcano and learned about different types of plants and animals. Fun fact, this area was where the movies After Earth and Spy Kids 2 were filmed! After the hike, we traveled to Baldi Hot Springs Hotel and Spa to spend time at the geothermal hot springs and water park. My favorite part was when I tried out the 4 water slides. One of the water slides was shaped like a toilet bowl, which dropped you into the water at the end. We had a buffet dinner at the resort, trying out a variety of different foods and even trying new desserts like Costa Rican chocolate cake.

Day 4: (5/18)

We traveled from La Fortuna to Monteverde to go horseback riding. My horse’s name was Tequila and she was white and covered in grey dots. I thought of Ms. Anne Close when I rode my horse since she loved horses. The views were beyond anything you could imagine! When we got off of the horses, our guide staff showed us the coffee and chocolate production at the farm. We got to try different pieces of chocolate, chocolate covered bananas and coffee. They allowed us to milk a cow and showed us how oxen help grind sugar cane down to make sugar water. They showed us how to cook caramel candy by hand and make empanadas. We enjoyed dinner there as well.

Day 5: (5/19)

After waking up and eating breakfast at 6:30am, we traveled to Selvatura Park for zip-lining and the hanging bridge canopy tour. There were 13 zip lines, each one with a spectacular views. My favorite part was the last zip line, which was almost 1 kilometer long! I also got the chance to do a Tarzan swing. After ziplining, we went on the canopy tour over the hanging bridges. We saw many colorful birds that looked excited to see visitors! We hiked about 1.6 miles across 8 bridges. We spent a free afternoon souvenir shopping in downtown Monteverde and went to a wonderful Italian restaurant specializing in wood-fired pizza.

Day 6: (5/20)

We spent the morning at the Monteverde Institute to do some community service. I helped move different plants to various spots to be planted, as well as filling up pots with soil to be planted with seeds later in the week. We worked along side some students from the U.S.(Vermont and Virginia) who had been in Costa Rica for nearly three weeks working at the institute for their senior projects. At the institute's main office, we met the executive director, Fern Perkins. Mrs. Perkins is actually a South Carolina native who fell in love with Costa Rica on a high school trip and has lived there since 2011. She gave us a tour of the institute and explained some of the research projects they have hosted as well as how they have helped the community. We also discussed different ecological impacts that trees, plants, and different resources such as wood and water have on the country of Costa Rica. Later that day we traveled to Manuel Antonio.

Day 7: (5/21)

We completed our last nature hike of the trip at Manuel Antonio National Park. We saw a variety of different animals and plants like the shampoo flower, a sloth, many white capuchin monkeys, a white-nosed coatimundi, a couple of snakes and too many bugs. After the tour we arrived at the beach in Manuel Antonio and got to spend time in the warm Pacific Ocean, building sand castles, and just hanging out with each other. We had the rest of the day to relax and chill at the hotel. My favorite part of the day was watching the sunset at the beach right across the street from my hotel room! It was absolutely beautiful!

Day 8: (5/22)

We traveled back to San Jose from Manuel Antonio. On our way back, we stopped the on the side of the road to visit the Tarcoles Bridge to see crocodiles that gather in the river underneath. These crocodiles were huge! That night, we had dinner and a performance by some Costa Rican dancers! These dancers are a group of young people who are determined to keep the dances and traditions of their grandparents alive. I got pictures and videos of them, allowing me to rewatch the beauty of their cultural dance! It was a great way to spend our last night in Costa Rica!

Day 9: (5/23)

We traveled from the hotel to San Jose International Airport. The Close Scholars and I sadly had to say goodbye to our tour guide, Herson, and our bus driver, Miguel. I would be lying if I said some tears were shed while we were saying our farewells. The flight to Charlotte was full but uneventful.

I know am beyond blessed to have had this opportunity provided by the Close Foundation and Winthrop University. I will forever cherish the memories made from this trip for the rest of my life and share them with friends and family!

-Seth Merritt