Costa Rica: Sea Turtle Initiative (Program Blog for June 16

Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

Here are a few things you can expect:

We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.

For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.

-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 16, 2021

Hola!

We’re finally here in the land of “Pura Vida” and our Costa Rica program couldn’t have started a better way. All our students landed in San José today and their luggage is here with them.

We had various arrival times throughout the day; from 6am to midnight. Students had the opportunity to enjoy the swimming pool at the hotel (after successfully passing the swim test, of course), interact with each other, play cards, sleep and rest.

We had some late arrivals, so we’re looking forward to eating our first meal as a whole team tomorrow (Thursday). And of course we’ll take our first group photo then.

Please Note: We couldn’t take photos of everyone yet given the difference in arrival times on Day 1, but we promise we’ll take more photos tomorrow and share them with the next blog update. So if you don’t see a familiar face yet, don’t worry – everyone is here.

We’re all excited for our early start tomorrow morning to travel to our Home Base in Parismina. We’ll stop along the way and go ziplining, so we’re all looking forward to that incredible experience!

Stay tuned for more updates in the coming days.

-Mag, Grae, Jason, Marco, and Luismi (the GLA team!)

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 17, 2021

Hola!

This morning we woke up pretty early to get breakfast and left the comfort of our hotel in Alajuela.

Today was the start of something exciting and challenging…

After a couple of hours we arrived at our zipline location for our first incredible adventure expedition.

We all got a great rush of adrenaline as we descended.

We descended through 10 different cables throughout the experience.

Some were so long you couldn’t even see the end!

The group faced their fears.

We all supported each other to overcome this breathtaking challenge.

A few more hours of driving and we arrived at Caño Blanco.

This is where we took a boat through the beautiful Parismina river.

We made it to our Home Base just before the sun set, settled into our new rooms, enjoyed a delicious dinner.

Then we showered and got into bed quite early as we were all exhausted from the long and exciting day.

Hasta mañana!

-The GLA Team

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 18, 2021

Hola!

Today we woke up early and were met by a Costa Rican doctor providing COVID tests. After a delicious breakfast we partook in team building exercises and an orientation of the grounds. Afterwards we had a guest speaker from the ASTOP foundation who educated us on the species of turtles and ASTOP’s mission.

A short hike later we were met with volcanic shores stretching as far as the eye could see into the fog. We found a few coconuts on the ground that happened to be ripe and through the power of teamwork we managed to de-husk and split open the coconuts for a delicious snack. The Caribbean sea was a perfect temperature and we enjoyed swimming in the waves.

Later tonight we’ll have our first night patrol and we plan to complete our mission of protecting and conserving the sea turtle population of Parismina.

Pura vida!

-Alisa, Neil, Reid, and Martin

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 19, 2021

Buenos días!

We started our day with a breakfast of fresh fruit and eggs. We then left for a farm tour of the surrounding property and wildlife. This tour was led by the Ecolodge owner, Jason. We spotted a sloth and its baby and got to hold baby iguanas.

We cut open coconuts and had the opportunity to taste the water and fresh coconut meat. We followed with lunch before heading to the beach.

At the beach we all took part in a friendly beach clean-up competition and took in the incredible views all around. Afterwards, we enjoyed the warm waves of Costa Rica. We then came back to our Home Base to enjoy dinner and take part in leadership activities. And after another day of service and adventure, we finally headed to bed.

-Sam, Isabella, Skyler, Willa, Cassidy Johnson and the GLA Team

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 20, 2021

Buenos días!

We started the day off at 8:00am with breakfast.

Then, we played a leadership game that got everyone involved in a fun way. It was then time to take a boat tour at the surrounding land near Home Base.

We were amazed to see howler monkeys and spider monkeys! We alos spotted a cayman and some exotic birds along the way.

Afterwards, we came back to Home Base and accumulated three bags of trash on the beach during our beach clean-up project.

Then we had time to cool off and swim in the ocean surrounded by black sand and enjoying the tropical warm water.

Finally, we came back from our swim and prepared for our night patrol with great enthusiasm.

-Cayden, Kendall, Shannon and the GLA Team

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 21, 2021

Hola!

Today we got up an and ate breakfast before getting in the vehicle for a ride to town.

Once we arrived in town we took a tour. We learned all about the incredible history and culture of Parismina.

We got fruit smoothies and then it started pouring rain for a bit. Fortunately, this was right around lunchtime so we went inside to eat lunch.

Afterwards we were able to go to the local craft fair to support the community and buy souvenirs from our trip.

They had handmade keychains, necklaces, paintings and hair wraps among other items to choose from.

We later saw a sloth on our way to the sea turtle hatchery.

At the hatchery we got to see two baby turtles waddle into the ocean to be put into the wild.

The baby sea turtles struggled at first to enter the water and kept getting washed up.

When we got back we did another night patrol at the beach.

-Gabby, Rosie, Ben, Cleo and the GLA Team

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 23, 2021

Hola familia!

We started our day with an early breakfast and made our way to the boats to meet the buses. We then had a two hour long bus ride to get to the Pacuare River for a day of whitewater rafting!

Once we got to the river we were met by a team of guides who equipped us with helmets, life jackets and a safety demonstration. Our group divided into six boats and started down the scenic river. Each raft went down class 2, 3, and 4 rapids then stopped for a river side lunch. The guides prepared a lunch of fresh fruit and a burrito buffet.

After lunch our teams continued down the river. Each raft eventually reached a beautiful canyon where many of us jumped out to swim. After a few more rapids we reached the end of our journey and headed back to the Home Base.

Back at home base we packed our bags and ended the day with a filling dinner. Over all it was a great adventure with beautiful scenery and loads of fun!

-Brooke, Mara, Lucy, Julia, and the GLA Team

P.S. Here are some more photos from our recent program experiences for you to enjoy!