The following post features student writing.
They say a single tree cannot make a forest, but this massive one definitely comes close!
¡Hola amigos!
Today was the start to our first excursion to Hacienda Barú, an ecolodge and wildlife refuge. Because of the trip, we were able to sleep slightly later this morning and then left Biolley and drove through the beautiful countryside for two and a half hours. Our drive was very scenic and green. We saw the beach during our ride, giving us a new perspective of Costa Rica that we hadn’t experienced yet.
Within ten minutes of arriving at Hacienda Barú, we saw two sloths and many iguanas! The sloths were sleeping (of course!) and were adorable. The iguanas were everywhere and scurried away from us without hesitation.
After getting situated, we ate lunch at the hotel’s restaurant. The restaurant offered both American and Tico favorites like casados, sandwiches, and pasta.
Blog team, assemble!
After lunch we went to the pool to cool off since it is much hotter here than in Biolley. We also played games in the pool, making for a fun afternoon. We then had free time to catch up with family and friends and to explore our ecolodge’s surroundings.
Later on, we went on a walk through the woods to the beach. We arrived on the black sand beach, which had strong rip currents so we didn’t go in — so we enjoyed the view instead. The water was surprisingly warm for the Pacific Ocean!
A team “Charlie’s Angels” group pic.
For dinner we ate at the hotel again and had similar choices to our lunch. Although we miss Laura’s cooking, our meals here have been good so far! We are getting excited to go zip-lining tomorrow and horseback riding the following day before returning to our home in Biolley.
Muchos abrazos,
Maya y Kenna 🙂
P.S. Many of us found tiny crabs in our cabins — yay for new friends!