Rainforest Adventure

We had to get up really early yesterday, at about 5 o’clock. We spent the morning in the gardens of the rainforest lodge, but it was a real blast when we finally got out into the real rainforest. We took a long hike where we got to see incredibly dense green forests, but the highlight of the hike was the bridge.

It started raining the moment we reached a long, green bridge that cut through the forest. The rickety bridge seemed to go on forever and was 75 feet up. Twice, we emerged from the forest and were over large, flowing rivers. It was pretty nerve-racking, but an amazing experience.

Ray

Day 2, Part 2: Sarapiqui

La Condesa and Sarapiqui in Pictures

Day 2, Part 1: Sarapiqui

The Internet is (amazingly) available in the rainforest but uploading a 5 minute video is proving to be a bit challenging. So...here it is, in two parts. Enjoy!

Bats in Costa Rica

Today we had a very busy day. Along with all the other things we focused the majority of our time on BATS!!!!! First we learned about the background of bats and how to identify the different species. We also learned how people have a pre-conceived ideas about bats and think that they are icky but they are totally COOL! After our orientation we set up feces collectors to tell how the bats spread the seeds that they eat. We had dinner and afterwards we went back and put up mist net to try to catch a bat to learn about them. Then we switched groups and got another orientation. After we learned all of these things we saw real bats and got to touch them. We got to touch the wings. It was such a thin leathery membrane. Violet and I were afraid we were going to break it. These bats were definitely the highlight of our day!!!
-Meghan and Violet-

Pictures to come soon, but it's almost 10, we've been up since 7 and we have a 5AM wakeup to see what the feces collectors have for us to find! Students are trying to determine whether or not bats are responsible for spreading the seeds of the fruits they eat to clearings in and around the Sarapiqui rainforest and river. The students have hypothesized that these seeds would grow into fruit plants and become the first stage in a succession of a developing rainforest. Tomorrow can't come sooner!
-Mr. Musselman-

La Condesa and Sarapiqui Video

Miss Connolly has put together a beautiful movie including many pictures and short clips the students have taken over the course of the first day. Unfortunately our schedule has been so packed that we haven't had an opportunity to be near the wireless internet long enough to upload the video! We'll post as soon as we can!

On the Way to Costa Rica

Welcome to Costa Rica!

It's past 1:00am Costa Rica time and we've just settled into our hotel rooms. It's been a very long day, but after a delay in Dallas, we're all safe and sound in our rooms.

We have lots of video already, but Ms. Nichols and Miss Connolly need to rest, too. We will post again when we can.

Costa Rica's stars are beautiful already, the people are welcoming and gracious, and they make the most amazing food.

Up for tomorrow: Sarapiqui!

Ready to go

It's great to see everyone excited and ready to go! We hope you all have a great trip to Costa Rica!

This is Violet and my volice thread!!:)-Meghan

One-of-a-Kind Orchids

Shopping & Packing

Well, I went out and bought a suitcase today, so I guess I am going to Costa Rica! I then headed over to REI where I bought 6 packs of Gatorade to add to my water, a small, chamois-like towel, sunscreen, bug spray, Nikwax - a waterproofing spray used to rejuvenate my GoreTex shell, and a vest. I wanted something light to wear that had lots of pockets and space to put stuff so I wouldn't always have to be swinging my backpack off and on. I can use this vest for birding and fishin' when I get home.
Then I stopped off at CVS where I picked up some toiletries, Imodium, and Pepto Chewables.
I then laid out all of my "stuff" and my clothing and I think I am in really good shape! I have 7 light-weight, quick drying shirts, both tee and button up style. I have 3 pairs of long pants that are quick drying, 2 of which can be unzipped to make shorts. I also have one pair of decent looking pants to wear on the plane. I have 3 pairs of shorts, 2 that are quick drying and can serve as bathing suits. Socks (3 white, "quick-dry", and 4 white cotton), underwear, a belt, and 3 pairs of shoes - 1 of which is a water shoe. All of the shoes are old, broken in, comfortable, and I don't care if they get wet and muddy. I also have a PolarTec pullover, a windbreaker, my GoreTex rain shell, a Mr. Musselman style hat, an umbrella, a Red Sox hat, binoculars, Costa Rica bird book, a Costa Rican bird list, a whistle with a compass, my Leatherman tool, a small flashlight, my digital camera, and a Croakie for my glasses in case I fall in rafting or am upside down on a zipline!
I'll review the packing list WorldStrides gave us on Monday and then see what else I'll need to get. One week from now we'll be in the air and on our way!
Mr. Williams

What?! Less Than 2 Weeks!?

I can't believe we only have two weeks until departure. I have to say, I can't wait to get on that plane. I took a good look at the hotels this weekend, and the homepage of the Centro Neotropico Sarapiquis eco-lodging caught my eye because of the two links on the graphic in the upper left corner (they're the little boxes in the picture to the left). Check out the Flora and Fauna and Costa Rica pop-up windows here.

At home, I have two orchid plants that have bloomed only once in my care. They're not very hard to keep alive but in general, it's very hard to make them flower. For obvious reasons, living in Massachusetts makes it exceptionally hard for a tropical plant to flourish. I can't express in words how excited I am to see these beautiful plants living in their native environments and blooming to their fullest. Staying at the Volcano Lodge will be an experience of a lifetime.

We are going to one of the most incredible places on earth. Are you ready?

Travel Connection Concerns Be Gone!

When Miss Connolly put out the travel itinerary to Costa Rica a few weeks ago, there was some nail biting about whether or not the hour long layover at Dallas/Fort Worth would be enough time to get 25 travelers through customs and to the terminal for our connecting flight to San Jose. After all, the thought of moving from one terminal to another at Logan is enough to give any seasoned traveler a headache.

Such is not the case however at Dallas/Fort Worth. All five of the airports terminal are interconnected by Skylink, a state-of-the-art monorail system that runs between terminals A-E with short travels times between terminals and even shorter wait times for the trams. The real kicker? Travelers do not have to leave the secured terminals to use Skylink, which means no standing back in line for baggage checks and shoe inspections! I know this puts my mind at ease... the last thing I think everyone wants is an impromptu "airport scavenger hunt" to help make an 8 hour delay layover go by faster!

Arenal Volcano

As a geologist, I can not describe how excited I am to see the Arenal Volcano up close and personal. Being able to see flowing lava will be a first for me. I have been twice to Mount St. Helens in Washington State, a volcano that erupted in 1980, spewing an ash cloud that extended across much of the Northern plains of the U.S. and was detected in trace amounts around all around the northern hemisphere. My first visit was in the early 1990's. Logging trucks were still clearing away trees from the surrounding countryside that had been downed by the volcano's horizontal blast (see video below.) I visited again in 2005. This time there were no more logging trucks, but instead smaller plants and grasses had begun to regrow around the volcano's vacinity, the first step to replenishing the once fertile soil that covered the region.



Both Arenal and St. Helens are known as stratovolcanoes. Stratovolcanoes are cone shaped volcanoes that have alternating periods of large explosive eruptions and lengthy, more slow flowing eruptions. Mount St. Helens is currently in a quiet period, with pressures slowly building underneath the surface. A year ago St. Helens experienced a minor eruption relieving some of the building pressure without a giant explosion. Arenal's current eruption has been going since 2000, when a violent eruption destroyed some nearby villages and even killed some natives before the eruption took on its more quiescent nature of today. Both volcanoes are along the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and are a result of subducting oceanic crust underneath the North American continental plate. See clips of the erupting Arenal Volcano in the video below.

Costa Rica expectations

I am really getting psyched about this trip! There are so many things I am excited about possibly seeing and doing. The Arenal volcano, plants of the rainforest, mist nets & bats, white water rafting (I have never been before), wild monkeys, walking in the tree tops, and of course, the birds! I would love to see a Resplendent Quetzal along with many other of the Costa Rican birds.

Mr. Williams

Techno Thank You: The Wonders and the Blunders!

Two weeks ago, the Eco-Club was welcomed with open arms to the Harvard Herbaria, where the wonderful assistant curators gave a tremendous presentation on herbology and the vast collection of plant specimen from around the world housed and preserved on the Harvard campus. Students learned about plant classification, co-evolution of plants and animals, and saw a number of exotic and fascinating plant forms from Costa Rica and other central american countries.

To thank our new friends at the Harvard Herbaria, the students took time out of the April 1st Eco-Club meeting to record thank yous and reflections on their "favorite moments" from the field trip. It was a privilege to oversee the taping sessions and a delight to hear first-hand how much they had all taken in from their experience. I was excited to pool all the recordings together and combine them into one big thank you to publish for the world to see!

To my horror I was reminded later that day of how technology giveth and technology taketh away! I still feel the experience was rewarding for the students, and will help them when they go to record their own video clips while in Costa Rica, but this time around a simple over-sized thank you card might have sufficed! (sigh) We all have our off days...

See what I mean by watching the video posted here:

The Exotic Costa Rican Experience

We are excited to go to Costa Rica because...

• I'm thrilled to go zip lining through the Monteverde rain forest.
• I want to see new types of frogs at the Monteverde Frog Pond.
• I can't wait to learn about Costa Rican culture and customs.
• Seeing the Arenal volcano erupt will be amazing.
• I'm looking forward to swimming in the volcano hot springs.
• I'm excited to go white water rafting.

- Sam, Jared, Christine, Carolyn, Bobby, Monica

Me Encanta Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a very beautiful and diverse country and we're excited to be traveling there. Here are some reasons why:

1. I'm looking forward to seeing wild monkeys and toucans.
2. I'm excited to see (but not touch!) the tapir and volcanoes.
3. I can't wait to go back again to see the things I missed.
4. I can't wait to experience a different culture.
5. From the pictures I've seen, it looks very beautiful.

- Emily, William, Brian, Meghan, Violet

Five Reasons We're Counting Down to Costa Rica

Here are some of our thoughts before embarking on our adventure:

• I am ecstatic about going white water rafting in the Sarapiqui River!
• I'm looking forward to seeing the rain forest from above on the zip line.
• I hope the volcano erupts while we're there!
• I would like to see the colorful birds in the dense rain forest.
• I am excited to see the monkeys and frogs.

- Ben, Amanda, Laura, David, Billy