¡Viajes, viajes, y más viajes!

Well, it is the end of day 13 here, and we have been very busy, not only in class, but traveling as well.  We have gone to three very diverse and beautiful places since Saturday, so I thought I'd catch up on those before we go to our next very diverse and beautiful destination.

On Saturday, we had our excursion to la Isla Tortuga.  After our first week of rather vigorous classes, it was a nice change of pace.  We were on the bus for about two hours before we arrived to the port where our catamaran was waiting.  We were on the Pacific side of Costa Rica in the Gulf of Nicoya.  When we got to the island, it was breathtaking.  Here are some pictures from our day.

Disembarking

Coconut Trees

My view for the day!

This is Paco.

We had the opportunity to ride banana boats, snorkle, jet ski or go horseback riding.  I opted for the 5th option of being a beach bum, which I have missed dearly since moving to Texas from the East Coast.  We were served lunch on the beach and had a wonderfully relaxing day.  

The following day, we took a tour of Café Britt, which produces one of the most popular coffees (and chocolates!) exported from Costa Rica.  We had a very entertaining presentation, and learned a lot about coffee growing and processing.  I also purchased way too much coffee and chocolate in the gift shop, so if you get some when I get back, please act surprised.

The coffee growing cycle

Different stages of the coffee growing cycle

Two of our very entertaining tour guides

Our most recent trip was today, to the National Museum of Costa Rica.  It has a butterfly garden and is very well laid out.  We got to see a lot of artifacts and interesting pieces.  

There was also an exhibit of photography by Francisco Coto, who chronicled very important events in Costa Rican history through his art.  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to photograph the photographs, but they were excellent.  The photographs that I really took notice of were the ones after the eruption of the Irazú Volcano, and a very candid photograph of John F. Kennedy entering the National Theater.  The photo was taken just six months before he was assassinated.  After seeing the museum, we walked around the mercadito, which appears to be the souvenir capital of the country.  Overall it was a great day, except for the fact that this was our last official trip with Mónica, the best tour guide in the world.  I was hoping for a better picture with her, and I got it!

LeAnn, Mónica y yo

That is about it for tonight.  I have my individual presentation tomorrow in Métodos y Técnicas para la Enseñanza del Español como segunda lengua, but I'm pretty sure I'm ready, provided there's electricity for my powerpoint!  Next up on the travel agenda:  ¡El Parque Nacional Tortuguero!