Hola from Arenal Volcano!
We are currently at the Arenal Observatory Lodge wrapping up our second weekend excursion. The lodge here is the closest people can stay to the base of the Arenal volcano, and thanks to our proximity (and great luck!) we saw quite a show last night. At around 9:30 pm bright, glowing lava began flowing down the mountain accompanied by dramatic smoke rumbling! It was an incredible experience that we were lucky to have witnessed.
We are currently at the Arenal Observatory Lodge wrapping up our second weekend excursion. The lodge here is the closest people can stay to the base of the Arenal volcano, and thanks to our proximity (and great luck!) we saw quite a show last night. At around 9:30 pm bright, glowing lava began flowing down the mountain accompanied by dramatic smoke rumbling! It was an incredible experience that we were lucky to have witnessed.
After arriving at the lodge yesterday, we headed straight to Baldi hot springs where everyone enjoyed the naturally heated pools and exciting natural water slides. It was great to relax after such a long week of hard work. Today we changed speed a little bit and embarked on an intense five hour hike to a waterfall and crater lake on the trails around the observatory. Returning tired, muddy, and a little sore, we still heard exclamations of '¨hey that was actually really cool!¨'
Last week, back in our village of Tujankir, the group organized a successful bingo night where every Putney student was pared with a local. Everyone was forced to use some Spanish (or at least a lot of gesturing!) to communicate and it definitely helped break boundaries.
We celebrated July 4th on Saturday with another hike to the waterfall of Rio Celeste. We were accompanied on the hike by our local friend Don Jorge, and six Ticos (Costa Ricans) from town. When we got back, we had a traditionally American hamburger dinner followed by a bonfire and roasting s'mores.
We celebrated July 4th on Saturday with another hike to the waterfall of Rio Celeste. We were accompanied on the hike by our local friend Don Jorge, and six Ticos (Costa Ricans) from town. When we got back, we had a traditionally American hamburger dinner followed by a bonfire and roasting s'mores.
We are continuing to have a wonderful time with this group and everyone is looking forward to the adventures that await us in the second half of this trip.
Saludos!
Shiri and Jake
Saludos!
Shiri and Jake