Pura Vida and Power Plays: Augustana Volleyball takes on Costa Rica

Jaco, Costa Rica     We started off our day with a 3-hour bus ride from La Fortuna to Jaco. On our way to Jaco, we stopped for lunch at a local buffet and found freshly made smoothies as well. We crossed the famous Crocodile Bridge and drove past the National Park of Tarcoles where we saw some awesome crocodiles and looked through a gift shop.       Once we arrived at Beach Break Resort in Jaco, we immediately ran to the beach to relax after a long day of travel. The black-sanded beach and the warm ocean was beautiful as the team is ready for a full beach day tomorrow!       After the beach, we walked to Jaco Walks which is an outdoor place with many restaurant options. We split off into groups and chose anything we wanted to eat for dinner.      Of course, we had to finish our night off with a sweet treat and most girls chose these churro ice cream sundaes. It was a day full of good eats in Jaco!

Zip Lining We started our day bright and early with a 6 am wake-up call for a drive to La Fortuna to zipline.   First, we hiked to the beautiful waterfall in La Fortuna which was around 1.5 miles long and took 50 minutes. Most of us felt like we were on the stair master, but it was worth the experience.   Then, we climbed to the top of our first zipline and the nerves started to settle in. Jadyn, being the braveous of the bunch, excitedly volunteered to go first and show us how the ameteurs how it’s done. Although she smacked a tree which may have caused for some deforestation and was given the name “tree girl”, we followed in her brave footsteps.   Everyone had a blast getting the opportunity to go on 7 different ziplines.        We stopped in La Fortuna for lunch and ate arroz con pollo. Some chose to follow it up with ice cream while others stopped at a coffee shop.   We made our way back to our place to relax before getting dinner and visiting...

 Chocolate Farm First, we arrived at Two Little Monkeys Cocoa Farm where we learned about the importance of planting trees and conserving the rainforest. We proceeded to each build our own tree.       Then, we hiked to a nearby river where we swam before lunch. We underestimated our water-walking abilities due to multiple falls, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the wonderful views.         We ate a local lunch and celebrated one of the employees' birthdays with delicious cake.        We learned the history of cocoa nibs and the process of making chocolate. We tasted "warrior juice" which consisted of water, cocoa, allspice, and cayenne. It was definitely NOT a fan favorite, but we learned it is good for the immune system. We also drank the hot chocolate we made which consisted of milk, sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa.       Next, we got creative and made little chocolates from milk chocolate, dark ...

 La Fortuna     Today, we made our way to the outskirts of Quesada. We survived a 3-hour bus ride on the winding roads, but the views were worth it. We drove through what is known as a cloud forest.        We stopped halfway to Quesada and walked around for a half hour in a small town. We took lots of pictures in the town center before heading on the road again.      Ellie and Sydney had to take down a large (NOT actually so large) spider on the bus. We tried to use a leftover coffee cup, but the spider won.         Our lunch consisted of a buffet-style meal and a sweet treat at Pops Heladeria. The favored flavor was coffee by a long shot.      Once we arrived at Termales de Bosque (which means Hot Springs of the Forest), we admired the views before heading to coach at a nearby volleyball clinic. Most of the kids didn't speak English at this clinic so we had to get creative with communication. This...

 San José     Today, we started off by visiting the center of San José, the capital of Costa Rica. Our tour guide quizzed us on our knowledge of the city's history.        Next, we toured the Cathedral and learned that "addresses" in Costa Rica are based on the center of the city (or Cathedral) or a popular place. We also discovered it was BEAUTIFUL inside!      After walking around downtown San José, we stopped for lunch at a place called Spoon! This meal consisted of chicken wrap with coleslaw and fries.       To cap it off all off, we enjoyed a sweet treat: strawberry milkshakes!!! Others enjoyed local iced coffee as well. Then, our afternoon was spent enjoying some free time by the pool, napping, reading, purchasing snacks from a local supermarket, and journaling.      We made our way to Santa Barbara and led a youth volleyball clinic. We were slightly late due to a car crash on the interstate, whic...

 Go, Go, Go!     Started the day off right with a pit-stop at a local coffee shop to see what all the hype is about Costa Rican coffee. We can conclude their coffee lives up to it for sure!      Next, we volunteered at this organization where we were able to learn about the history behind how it originated and is now impacting families around Central America. We toured their facility, played multiple outdoor games with the kids, and ended with a hearty meal at a local restaurant.       We made a quick pit-stop at a local supermarket to gather up some snacks and sweet treats... AND quickly discovered that glass-bottled Coke were thrown into plastic bags to drink.      $2.61 for ALL of these snacks. YES please! Currency is crazy sometimes.           For our final afternoon fun, we spent time at a private high school with some younger kiddos and then with high school players. We ran volleyball dr...