Off to Never Land

Two weekends ago I had the privilege of visiting Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica.  The trip was organized entirely by USAC, which is the program I am studying abroad through. USAC organizes two field trips per semester and the field trips vary depending on the semester. While in Monteverde we spent the first day hiking around the national park, and the second day we went zip lining.  We zip lined through the Cloud Forest. The location was stunning and zip lining is always a fun time. To my surprise zip lining was not my favorite part of the trip. My favorite part was the view at the end of the hike on the first day. The lookout in the Cloud Forest absolutely took my breath away. A picture of the view should be attached below, but like anything truly amazing, a picture cannot do it justice.  I would recommend Monteverde to anyone and everyone who is considering visiting Latin America.

Last weekend my friends and I visited Puerto Viejo. Monteverde still remains my favorite location in Costa Rica, however Puerto Viejo has some of the best beaches I have seen. The coast is full of clear water, and when I went swimming I saw hundreds of little fish attempting to blend in with the ocean floor. Some of the braver fish would brush against our feet and legs as we walked. Unlike Tamarindo, there were no large rocks on the sea floor, which are very hazardous to surfing. The beach was simply clear water and fine light sand.

Another thing Puerto Viejo has to offer which is unique to the area is the Jaguar Wildlife Rescue.  The Rescue Center was founded by two biologists, and provides proper veterinary care to wild animals who were injured or abandoned.  The Center offers tours twice a day which allow visitors to interact directly with the animals. When we visited they let us go into the baby monkey enclosure.  The monkeys would occasionally climb on some of us tourists, however they seemed rather attached to their caretakers, all of whom are volunteers.

I understand that all of my fun stories are from traveling various places, but I still do go to school.  While Costa Rica is a beautiful country, and has provided me with many wonderful experiences, it would not be worth studying abroad here if the school I was going to did not benefit me. Thankfully, I have been learning a great deal of Spanish in and out of the classroom. Costa Rica has proved to be an amazing experience.

Until next time,

April Skillings