Beach Day! Manuel Antonio and Jaco

Vamos a la playa! Our trip crescendoed today as our students enjoyed a long morning at the pristine national park beaches of Manuel Antonio. Any fantasies our students held of palm trees, monkeys, and white sand were fulfilled today and our students took full advantage. Our time at the beach almost felt like a reward for our students’ impressive handling of everything new the experienced this week.

After a morning on the beach, we all returned to our hotels exhausted and sun-kissed (don’t worry, warnings to liberally apply and reapply sunscreen were mostly heeded). This afternoon was spent mostly at hotel pools, with some particularly energetic and adventurous groups walking to the beaches of Jaco. For the first time this trip, our students have retired to their rooms 30 minutes before the mandatory bedtime, a testament to a day well spent.

Tomorrow our students will enjoy a cultural exchange with a local school and a visit to the town of Sarchi, known for its artisans and colorful, traditional coffee carts. These stops are on the way to San Jose, where we will sadly end our trip. Our students haven’t noticed yet, but the reality of our adventure’s end will start to hit them tomorrow. Thankfully, there is still lots of fun in store before we have to return!

You’ll notice there are fewer pictures from today’s fun... Please understand that us chaperones are not immune to the draw of a beautiful beach and we may have put our phones down a moment (or two) to soak it all in.