Wow - what can we say? Day two

I am sitting here at a new keyboard trying to find the right keys - but I will persevere! No pictures with today`s post, because the computer isn`t mine and I am not sure how to load them. We do have PLENTY of pictures, though, and we might open a Shutterfly account to add your children`s pictures as well.

What a day. An early start with a great breakfast saw everyone leave the hotel at 8am, ready for whatever awaited us. Within minutes we were at 5,000 feet at Braulio Carrillo National Park, stopping at an overlook for many hundreds of what can only be the exact same picture - incredibly dense foliage going off into the distance. When the highway came out into the lowlands, we pulled over at a Mega Super (redundacy, perhaps?) and procceeded to use their one cashier for the next 45 minutes. Our students purchased virtually every piece of fruit in the place, and some Instant Ramen Noodles, boxes of cereal, Macaroni and Cheese - apparently feeling we would have no food at our next hotel!

Back in the bus we headed for a Del Monte banana plantation, which proved immensely more engaging that might have been supposed - we could actually see the banana `runners`taking the hundreds of bananas along the `tramway` to the processing plant. At the plant, the entire banana empire was revealed. Of course, the man with the huge stag beetle selling coconut juice was a BIT more interesting to our kids, many of who eagerly guzzled the juice right from coconuts. After another 45 minutes on incredibly rutted roads, we ended up at a small pier - at the edge of Tortuguero National Park. Dividing into four boats, we headed up the canals towards La Baula Hotel. Here, in a nutshell is what was seen from this two hour water journey: crocodile,  three-toed sloth, black river turtles, howler monkeys, wide variety of bird life, lots of vegetation. All of this wildlife waited patiently for us to photograph it, and then took flight or left.

At the Hotel, finally, we ate a huge lunch (albeit a bit late) and then, surprise of surprises, 56 kids hit the pool! I am quite lucky that my chaperone room is just mere feet from the pool`s edge. At 3:30, we gathered again (apparently Deal student`s are well trained in hitting deadlines and showing up) and headed for the little village of Tortuguero across the lagoon. Our guides told us a lot about this end-of-the-world spot, and then let the students free to wander. The incredible highlight was our students challenging a group of Costa Rican high schoolers to a match of the beautiful game on a pitch at the edge of town. There we were, about 10 on the "US" side and 6 on the "Tico" side, with plenty of subs - and we held our own. Very good-natured. Towards the end, little neighborhood kids on the edge of the field taking soccer lessons starting shouting in glee as our kids (I don`t say `"boys" because we were a gender-balanced team) would score, apparently against their older brothers! After a close game, we bid farewell with our honor intact and returned to La Baula for, yes, more swimming in the pool. Now, we await dinner at 7:00, and then a full day in the park tomorrow.

Yes, it feels like the tropics, and the rooms have no air-conditioning, but it is beautiful. Wish you were here! But then it would be a bit crowded, wouldn`t it? Till tomorrow, I remain your faithful correspondent.