Beautiful beaches and mostly fun kids
Trip Start
Jun 16, 2005
1
9
46
Trip End
Aug 2006
Quepos,
Costa Rica
Monday, July 25, 2005
Well, after a fairly difficult day on Friday that ended in a search for shoes (Argenis chose to throw things in class and got himself kicked out, then 'moved' - hid - our shoes by reaching through the window next to the landing where all the shoes are and throwing them below the landing, then was throwing rocks at the church and through the window, etc.) Ben and I headed for Quepos and Manuel Antonio national park. What a preface!
First, I should say that most of the days have been going very well and that most of the kids have been behaving without having to be told to do so. They are even getting a lot of math practice with worksheets, which are boring but at least give them a lot of good repetition of math facts. We did collages in the morning on Friday and they came out really well; with such a mixed group of ages it's difficult to make sure that art projects are appropriate for everyone, but so far it's working.
So... Quepos! Ben and I took a bus for about $4, and it was a 4-hour ride. We took your advice, Mom, and went zip-lining through the rainforest. It was so cool! We stayed the first night in Quepos, which is just a regular town, at a regular backpackers' hotel for $25. Then we decided to try our luck in Manuel Antonio, which is much more touristy, and found a room for $30 that was ridiculously much better (the hotel didn't even consider that we might want it because it was 'small' and not air-conditioned. The fan was fine!). The hotel, Costa Verde, is situated on a mountainside overlooking the Pacific, and a few steps away was a view of the ocean. We had a patio, towels, and real pillows, and three pools! We only swam in one of them, the 'adult' pool, which also was overlooking the Pacific. It was amazing. So, Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Rob, if you guys get to come down, I know where we're going. We got to have dinner at a pirate restaurant, yar, while watching the sunset, and breakfast in the morning overlooking the ocean AGAIN for about $3-4 apiece. So, we felt like movie stars on college budgets. Nice, huh?
We got back in time for church at Sola Fe and it was a really cool service. It was the first time Ben had gotten to meet the people there, so that was great. Diana is leaving on Saturday, so everyone was crying...
Today, class went much better even though I caught something (that Jennifer already had and that Marci has now). Gotta love the germs here. No fever, though, so I'll be running on Tylenol Cold and sleeping as much as possible -- used to it by now!
Hope you are all doing well. Mom, thanks for the box! None of my marathon mailbags have come yet, but I'll keep bugging the office. Pictures will be on their way as soon as I can find a computer that will download my pics!
Love,
Elizabeth
