The bus and the music man - on the road in Costa Rica

So, a bus day, a long bus day. The challenge in a country as tiny as Costa Rica is to make journeys stretch out forever (or at least it seems that way). Our two tour buses went up, down, over, and back down again before it was all done. And now we are in Nacazcol - pretty undescribable as hotels go (but I will give it a shot)!

We left early in order to make sure the endless curves and hills of the first section still affected us with breakfast inside. The groaning and moaning from the churning was epic - and only ended when we pulled out of the long trip from the hotel and La Fortuna to the main road west. Our first stop was a convenient arts and crafts local (not the artisan shop I had anticipated, but something just as mercenary -  a souvenir stand.  A big one. If any of your children do not present you something from this shop, the merchants there didn't do their job). I must have been offered a basket for my armful of goods three times (just like at Home Depot). The overall quality of merchandise was higher than the Mega Super, so you should be pleased (and forewarned).

None of your children purchased this beautiful oxcart; it was right behind the store and is supposedly reflective of a traditional craft outlet in which the movement of produce is essential. 

Lunch was a brown bag that was given to us immediately after the bus left at 10:20. The students were asked to not eat until midday, but it was clear they didn't hear this message over their rending of the lunch bags and their sandwich chewing. It was just like lunch at Deal: "Anyone want to trade for my apple juice?" Within minutes the students had finished off lunch, and then proceeded to get antsy (the teachers, too).

An hour later, a quick stop was had at another little store, one that featured macaws, deer, and peacocks (not for eating, for viewing). Everyone dutifully lined up for their purchase of a bag of chips or plantains.  This was going to tide us over till the next stop - in the mountains again.

The macaws bid us farewell and we started on the longest, and driest, leg of the trip. Now that we were on the western slope of the continental divide, every ounce of moisture vanished. The vegetation was replaced with a California-like mixture of grasses, tall trees, and dusty scrub. Here and there fields are green, but it is clear that the rain has turned its back on us here in Guanacaste.

Now, each bus has taken on its own personality. I say this in forewarning. I am going to try and link up some of the personality of our bus in this next clip. To preface, our bus leader, Chris, likes to sing a lot. Students like adults to sing a lot. You might guess where this is heading. It only stopped after we had run through the critical musical impact of Disney movie and pop hits from the 1990s.

So, here you have it. Before we knew it, the concert was over, the encores completed, and the band had left the stage. We arrived in Liberia refreshed and turned north towards the Rincon de la Vieja volcanic zone.

The R de la V was a brief "hike" through woods, initially, and then through an open field in which there were gaseous emissions, mud holes, sulfur lakes - all indicators that beneath us a volcano was waiting to express itself. The students were most interested in the blurping mud, and the news that it was carted all over the world to sooth and refresh skin in day spas. Here it is in its natural environment.

After this excursion, we headed straight for the hotel. I know it is near the beach (a few kilometers away) because there is a little shuttle there and we are headed there in the morning. However, it is surrounded by mountains on all sides. It is, as best I can describe it, like a KOA campground for hotel guests. It is huge - it sprawls over many acres. There is a soccer field inside the compound, there is a store next to the teacher's suites, there is a tennis court, sand volleyball court, river, pool, and so on. The students are spread across this complex, with teachers scattered in their midst. It is so big that some kids took a truck to haul their luggage to their rooms!

Dinner is in a few minutes, so this will be the ultimate test. The weather promises to be warm tomorrow and we are hitting the beach in the a.m. Lunch, and then beach town time for all. Everyone is busy asking about flights and when we get home. I think homesickness is starting to settle in - curable only by hugging parents in DC. Of course, sunburns await us tomorrow as well as getting that last little bit of sand in our luggage, so homesickness might take a backseat to just outright misery.

Till tomorrow, then.