Oak Hall Costa Rica 2010

Farewell Oak Hall...

2010-06-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

This was the night where we talked about the trip. We had cook out at my parents house and ate their last Costa Rican dinner. From what I gathered it was a huge success. I mentioned to the kids this evening how blessed they were to have Mrs. Randell who is a teacher so full of life that is always seeing the positive side of everything. Just a great person to be around and very enjoyable for myself and our team. It was good to see Mrs. Randells fun personality rub off on the kids as the whole trip was laughter from start to finish. A big thanks to Marisabel also for coming down and being an excellent addition to the team. I am going to miss these kids and it was great having visitors from so close to home. I have lived in Costa Rica for almost 9 years but before that I was raised in Ocala and went to a small private school. Oak Hall use to crush my middle school team in basketball so it was fun to start a different relationship with Oak Hall that I hope last for years to come. Your kids are great as we had a flawless trip, very respectful, and everyone got along with everyone. This says a lot about Oak Hall as a school and the education the kids are getting.
I feel priviledged to have had a small part in these students education and I hope the things they learned during their stay from talks about recycling, walks through the rainforest, and even the part when they were sweating and about killing me on the hike to the cave which I hope can be used to face challenges along that way and realize that the road is not always easy but dont give up because it is all worth it in the end. Again another huge thanks to you parents without you guys we would not have jobs or the chance to show off this amazing country. We hope to see all you parents down here and enjoy the Costa Rica ziplines with us soon. Have a great evening and PURA VIDA!!!

Vacation to Costa Rica with Volcanos

2010-06-14T17:29:00.001-07:00

Hope all are well. The things are good hear. The kids spent the night at an elevation of around 9,000ft which is the highest elevation they have been at this trip. They then went higher this morning visiting the tallest volcano in all of Costa Rica which is the Irazu volcano. Who knows maybe next time they come visit we can have a zipline adventure from the volcano. We are having their farewell party this evening and Im sure it will be filled with much laughs. We hope when the kids get home they can talk you into a Costa Rica Family Vacation. I wanted to know if anyone got the postcards? It was a new program I was using called "Shoot-it" so just curious to see if anyone got them in the mail? Have a great night and dont forget to pick your kids up from the airport!!!

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Sleeping in the Cave

2010-06-13T10:24:00.001-07:00

Last night was a great night. They all slept until 8am which is very late for the cave. Although this is not your average hotel and geared more towards the student crowd we still offer this for our Costa Rica Family Vacations. They must have been tired after the hike. The night was with a great meal and Mrs Randell even suprised everyone with a bunch of glow stick necklaces and bracelets. This was the first time I had seen this and it was a great hit. THe kids loved it and we even had a jam session with the guitar. Polly is quite the guitar player from what we can tell and Jesse one of guides has some skills also so it made for a litte Cave Concert. Today the kids are taking a hike to another waterfall and then heading down the cave and driving to what I consider the best hotel on the trip. It is called El Trogon Lodge which is located at about 9,000ft. The only bad thing about this place is that it does not have a zipline adventure but thats OK. They will all be sitting by the fire this evening because it gets pretty chilly here. This is a lodge where people come from all over the world to see one of the most beautiful birds on the planet which is the Quetzal bird. It is a great stop for us to break up the drive from the cave and also a chance to try and get the kids fired up about a bird.

It is getting towards the end of the trip and I can tell you Ive laughed like crazy on this trip it is a great group of kids that Mrs Randell pulled together and everyone is getting along perfectly.

Rappel and Sleep in a Cave

2010-06-12T15:36:00.000-07:00

The kids made it. It was a great hike and they were all about to kill me until we arrived. They did very well during the hike and when we arrived we had lunch ready for us. After lunch everyone had some down time till 1pm and that is when we got them ready for the rappel which will involve a little more skill on their part as compared to the Costa Rica zipline. The rappel was about 100ft high and the looks on their faces was interesting during the instruction talk. We then came back to the cave which they rappeled we got them ready for a hike to the top of a 600ft waterfall. Just an amazing all around day and they seem to really like it here. This is one of the most beautiful places I have seen in this country and I explained to the kids that very few tourist have the chance to make the visit here. Although if you want to be one of those tourist you can plan a Costa Rican Family Adventure and include the cave. Almost none besides them which made them feel proud of the hike. Well it is off to dinner and we will be sleeping to sound of the waterfalls running everynight. YOUR KIDS ARE SLEEPING BEHIND A WATERFALL TONIGHT HOW COOL IS THAT?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!PURA VIDA, I LOVE THIS PLACE!

Best Dinner in Town

2010-06-12T04:19:00.000-07:00

We left the hotel and went out to dinner. The place we went is called The Airplane and all the kids got a big kick out of it because it really is an airplane. The food is good but the view is the best part. This is a nice place and we usually use it for our Costa Rica Family Vacations but we thought the students deserved a treat. We enjoyed a nice meal with plenty of laughs. It looks to be that most were with sun but nobody super fried which I have to say turned out good because on a full day of sun in Costa Rica I have seen nothing but lobsters show up to dinner. Today will be an early morning and we gave the kids the talk about the next two day adventure. The most important is that 1.5 million tourist travel to this country a year and many student travel groups make their way to Costa Rica but practically nobody experiences this magical experience of where we are about to go. They say in life nothing good comes easy and that is the perfect description of todays cave hike. we will start the hike around 9am after we leave the hotel at 7:30am and hike for awhile. So stay tuned because I actually do have signal there and will be posting from the cave. Have a great day everyone and enjoy your Saturday. I wanted to mention to take a look at the picture of the girls and I could not help but think that a Costa Rica zipline out to the island would make for the perfect spot.

Beach, monkeys, & Sloths

2010-06-11T12:33:00.001-07:00

Well today they did the nature hike with Johnathan through the National Park of Manuel Antonio. They all seemed to enjoy and got to see plenty of wildlife (we know walking can not compare to a Costa Rica zipline but we do our best to keep them interested). This park is filled with monkeys and great beaches. Right now everyone is out of the park and on the public beach. Most are playing soccer or rented some surf boards and are trying out the waves for the afternoon. It is a bright sunny day and I told everyone to load up on sunblock so I will let you know at dinner how many listened. This evening for dinner we are going out to eat at the El Avion which means the airplane and this place has the best view of the Pacific you can imagine. We will be arriving at 5:30pm just in time for the 6pm sunset. The kids have the afternoon to watch the world cup, surf, or take a siesta and get ready for the monstor hike manana. Hope all are well and have a great weekend!!! Don't forget we do Private Family Adventures to Costa Rica if anyone is interested?

Waterfall and Road Trip

2010-06-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

Today we woke up and hiked to the waterfall. It was a beautiful hike and one of the most scenic waterfall this country has. This is a great waterfall for student groups of a family vacation to Costa Rica because the hike is intense but almost all can handle it. It is called La Fortuna falls and it was about 5 minutes from the hotel we were staying at. After the trip to the falls everyone dried up and we got in the bus for what was the 5 hour road trip to the Pacific coast. We made good time and everyone said it did not feel like 5 hours which means we kept things active in the bus having some games to play. We also made a stop at a super market where the kids found mountain dew which happens to be the only super market in Costa Rica that sells it. We are now at the hotel in Manuel Antonio and the place was filled with monkeys when we arrived. The hotel is just steps away from one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet and Costa Rica's most famous national park Manuel Antonio. I also got some quotes today from the kids so here is what they had to say. Thanks for following and have a great day. The kids would love to hear your comments so let them fly and I will read them in the bus:

Cole: "Take me higher"

Will: "Its Magical"

Michael:"Human Kamakazi" (Tom during Rafting)

Celeste: "I dont speak that"

Taylor: "Hi Allie Mom and Dad"

Austin: Hi Sam!

Ty: Hey mom, I miss You

Chase: "PUra Vida"

Polly: "Hey guys want to hear a story?"

Danielle: "Look its a squirrel"

Caroline & Emily: "Thats my quote" "No its my quote!!!"

Kate: Pictures Pictures & Pictures

Tom: The Costa Rica zipline adventure was amazing!!!

Excellent Day!!!

2010-06-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

This was a great day. I think the kids actually enjoyed it more than the zipline adventure. It is 5pm anWd we just got back to the hotel. The rain has just begun and the service project went great. When we arrived the local kids were waiting for us and boy were they happy to see us. I told the Oak Hall kids that we would have to do our part of playing with the kids and from the time we arrived to the time we left it was nothing but laughs and smiles. We did everything from duck duck goose to a soccer game of USA vs CR. The local kids even put on some dancing shows for us with some local music.

There was one kid they called the pretzel and he said he wanted to show everyone how flexible he was and then Chase picked him up which as you can see made for a great picture. We then got to work on the project buidling the recycle bins for the school. It was a great success and we gave a little talk to the kids on the importance of doing recycling. I have to say Taylor was quite the MVP when it comes to the hammer. She wacked in a nail like every three hits. Kate made for the blooper of the day when she was in a paint war with of the kids and she fell over the side walk. Everyone held their breathe but were all happy to see her get up laughing. We also did sack races which in a foto finish Celeste beat the school champion. I also have to give Polly the picture of the day as she played duck duck goose with 10 kids by herself for about an hour.

Her Spanish is getting good. So far the highlights of the trip from what Ive gathered has been the rafting and visiting the kids. We leave for the beach in the morning but we will be visiting the beautiful waterfall of La Fortuna first. This is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the country as you will see when I send the pics. Well thanks again for sending all the kids as I know the small school in the village today was extemely happy to have the visit. All the kids stayed 4 hours after school. This was only the second group that has ever visited the school and the principal told me how excited she was to see how much the Oak Hall kids interacted with the kids of the school. The local and rural activities are almost always a must for student trips but if you are interested in making this part of your Costa Rica Family Adventure we can make it happen.

Organic Farm

2010-06-09T11:49:00.001-07:00

Here we are having one of the best lunches I think this country has. The organic farm where we will walk the kids around after lunch is filled with some of the best home-cooking you could ask for.

The kids enjoyed the national park and it was another clear morning and they had the chance to watch larger boulders shoot out of the volcano and watch them tumble down from a distance. During the organic tour the kids will get a chance to squeeze some sugar-cane juice and pull out a yucca root. This is definately a hands on tour as is the next where the kids will be nailing and painting during the school project we will take part in. One of the guys in the picture could be your driver or guide in your next Costa Rica Family Vacation or they could take you ziplining through the rainforest.

Day 4 Arenal National Park and Service Work

2010-06-09T05:22:00.000-07:00

Well today we take a break from extreme adventure. At no point during the day will be we be rafting big rapids or hanging extremely high in the rainforest. Todays adventure is hiking through the National Park of the Arenal Volcano. This will give Johnathan a chance to describe to the kids just how the volcano has formed and how Costa Rica has formed. Johnathan can also be your private guide on a Costa Rica Family Vacation.

Yesterday was an incredible day. The kids gave our staff Oak Hall shirts which we will all be wearing so expect to see a picture of us with the Oak Hall gear on. When I got up this morning it was cloudy and I just turned around and Im seeing blue skys so with some luck the Volcano will be out for the hike. Yesterday we also did the haning bridge hike and the zipline which were both a huge success. Cole Randall which to me looks like a kid that is not scared of much responded: "That was some super scary stuff".

After the hanging bridges we made our way back towards the hotel and half the group played soccer with Johnathan and some locals and the other half went back to the hotel. Sorry we did not get the quotes yesterday we got a little carried away in the bus. I ask questions to the kids about information Jonathan has talked about and we give away free stuff such as t-shirts, pens, coffee, and the kids really got into it and it got pretty intense in there. Well enjoy the pics and stay tuned because we should have some great pics from the school we are visiting today. We will be doing a service project in the afternoon and hope to finish it and send some pics home representing Oak Hall mark on rural Costa Rica!!! Thanks for following and making comments and Taylor said she loved the ziplining!

From Mrs. Randell

2010-06-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

Wow, we're having a blast. Your children are phenomenal! We've been rafting, ziplining, hiking- and we've only been here three days! Wahoo! Volcano, organic farm, and hiking to the falls tomorrow afternoon. I need a vacation! Stay tuned...... by the way Costa Rican Resource offers some of the best Costa Rica Family Adventures!!!

Morning of Zipline

2010-06-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

It seemed that everyone was well rested at breakfast. The Volcano is still very clear as you can see in the group picture. At the moment they are on the Arenal zipline hanging 700ft above the rainforest floor. The naturalist guide Johnathan and I are working on a quiz that we plan on giving the kids after the nature walk at the hanging bridges.

For breakfast this morning we had more rice and beans and also some eggs and plantains. For lunch we will probably mix it up and eat some beans and rice. Well hear are some more pics and we are up to 10 followers which we like to see. Pass the word on also that we operate not just student travel but Costa Rica Family Vacations. Expect to see some quotes from the kids in the next blog publish. We will be passing around a peice of paper and they all are allowed a quote to you guys so stay tuned!!! Pura Vida!

Excellent evening and clear Volcano

2010-06-08T04:50:00.000-07:00

When coming to the Arenal volcano which is one of the 10 most active volcanos in the world everyone wants to see it. Sometimes it can be in the clouds like when we arrived. Well we did not see it last night but we sure heard it. The volcano had a few very nice eruptions which most thought it was thunder but it was just the volcano giving us a nice welcome.

The evening was great and this morning the volcano is extremely clear. I'm sitting in the hotel resturaunt looking at the volcano from bottom to top and a little smoke coming out of the top. This is around a 3 star hotel and is a great option for an affordable Costa Rica Family Vacation. The weather has been great for this trip to say the least and now getting such a clear day at the volcano is a huge plus.

On todays agenda is the zipline which will take us on cables the size of my big toe 700ft above the rainforest floor. Don't worry with over 70 different ziplines in the country this is by far the safest and most reputable so no worries. After the zipline we are heading the hanging bridges which happens to be one of the most educational spots of the trip. We plan to let Johnathan their naturalist guide do his stuff and educate the kids for around 2 hours on the rainforest as we hike over the hanging bridges.

Well I guess that is it for now and I will be posting later so stay tuned. PURA VIDA!!!

We will be doing the best zipline in all of Costa Rica so stay tuned!

Just stopped for a bathroom break and half way there

2010-06-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

It has been a very scenic bus ride and we are about half way to the Arenal Volcano. It looks at the moment to be a bit cloudy but that is very normal for Costa Rica this time of year. The rainy season starts in May till November and the really heavy rains are Sept and Oct. These days it is sunny in the moring and then a nice shower around 3 in the afternoon. The road fortunaly has been flat and straight since we are driving over the northern plains. Everyone seems to be sleeping or reading. Im very impressed with how much this group reads. If they dont have a book it looks to be they are listening to music. Im jamming out with the guide Johnathan and driver Randal to a little salsa music up front. Well enjoy the pics and dont forget to comment we would love to hear from you. Take a close look at some of the pictures with the local families. We like to think this is our specialty and if you are interested in combining some culutre with adventure in your next Costa Rica Family Vacation just let us know and we will make it happen. I think the Costa Rica ziplining would be a perfect fit for all reading.

More pics

2010-06-07T13:30:00.000-07:00

There begging me to post these pics of the river...

More Pics from River

2010-06-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

We got soaked!!!

Amazing Day on the River!!!

2010-06-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

With what I consider the best day of the trip we will take on the Pacuare River today. This is a river that is in my opinion if your looking for adventure a must do. I suggest this adventure to all families looking for a Costa Rica Adventure and always try and get the student groups on the river. We started the morning with a great breakfast. All the kids enjoyed the the local cuisine and the chance to hang with the locals for the morning. We then made our way out of the village and the 40 minute drive to the Pacuare River. When we arrived we had the saftey speach and then made our way down the river. Just to give you an idea of the time they had I think I heard Chase say "That was the coolest thing Ive ever done!!!". So Im guessing they liked it. It was a beautiful sunny day on the river and an amazing start to an incredible itin. We are now at a place where we are getting lunch in your traditional open air restuarant and then we will make our way to the Arenal Volcano. The volcano has been putting on a lava show lately so with some luck it will be clear and we will get to see some lava (from a distance of course).

We will arrive to the hotel at around 7pm and they will love this place. This is a hotel called Casa Luna Lodge which has very comfy rooms, awesome views, and great food. We wanted to spoil them for a few nights because we will be taking them to sleep in a cave later on in the trip and it was a long day on the river so this is they should be good and comfy for the next couple of nights at the volcano. Just some quick stats from the river nobody fell out! Pura VIda and thanks for following!

Breakfast in a village

2010-06-07T04:57:00.000-07:00

Today we are on our way to the river. National Geographic has this 18 mile run as one of their top 5 scenic runs on the planet for white water rafting. It is a beautiful sunny morning in Turrialba and the views of the Turrialba volcano are amazing. The Turrialba volcano is the second highest volcano in Costa Rica and since late 2009 has been smoking daily.

To start this special trip we wanted to take the kids to a special place for breakfast. We also offer these little extra rural touches for our Costa Rica Family Vacation packages. We are heading to a village in the mountains where we will enjoy a local breakfast and hang with the locals. This is an great place with incredible views of the volcano and not to mention the best plate of rice and beans you can imagine. I took some pics of the volcano this morning so you can take a look.

Another reason for visiting the village is that it is a village made up of many ladies without work. By contracting them to do the breakfast its a couple days pay for a few ladies. We also have them make bags that we give to each student. These bags are made out of recycled rice and coffee bags which we ask each student to use during the trip. The idea on the trip is that we dont use any plastic bags and we use the recycled bags that the ladies from the village made us. Its a great way for the kids to do their part with recycling and also a chance to give some work for the ladies in the community. I'm already in the village waiting for the group to arrive but here is the picture of the view of the volcano from breakfast and the small area in the village where we will be eating a very local breakfast with some of the best coffee around. They say Juan Valdez actually drinks Costa Rican coffee. I dont know if that is true but it makes for a great bumper sticker around here. Stay tuned more to come...

All is good and Day 1 is complete

2010-06-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

The arrival was smooth and Johnathan their guide was waiting for them. It looks to be an amazing group. A lot of groups we get come off the plane and are quiet or tired but not this group. They talked and laughed the whole way to Turrialba. Love to see all the energy as we will need every bit of it this week. I will post pics in the morning but just wanted to let everyone know that all is good. Have a great night and if you want to send any comments to anyone on the trip just post them here and I will relay them on. PURA VIDA!!!

Dont forget as you follow the blog this week if your are interested in setting up a Costa Rica Vacation for your family we can make it happen.

Plane is late but we'll wait...

2010-06-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

Well if you are not familiar with "Latin Time" it means never to expect things to run on time. I guess this goes for planes flying to Latin American countries also. It looks to be that their flight out of Miami is running a little late but no worries we've got no place to go.

With the extra time I thought I would bore you with some info of whats been going on the last 4 days in our lives. It turns out that myself and 3 other guides from the company decided to climb Costa Rica's tallest mountain which is around 13,000ft. This mountain is called Chirripo and is one of the most beautiful places you can imagine. This is not a big tourist attraction only because it takes a few days to get there and most tourist want to do the rafting ziplining and all those fun things in the time they have in Costa Rica. I would say if you are on a return trip and have some experience then this is a spot that should be on the "bucket list". Here are some pics of myself, Jheudy (Naturalist guide), Eric (Naturalist guide), and Marlon who operates our rafting (Marlon will be guiding Monday morning on the Pacuare River).

Well this was a short introduction to some of the staff and a little info on one of the best natural beauties Costa Rica has to offer.

I cant get the picture up now but will post later...

Waiting at the Airport...

2010-06-06T10:37:00.000-07:00

Well it looks that all is good. We are at the airport waiting for the arrival of everyone and then we will be driving for around 2 hours for the first hotel. Just to give you an idea of what things will be like. When they land they will go through a circus of customs and immigrations as in most airports and then they will walk outside of what is a misty day in Costa Rica which is fine they are coming to visit the rainforest. They will be landing in the Central Valley which is at an elevation of around 3,000ft. They will be surrounded by volcanos on one side and then mountains on the other side. The final destination will be their first hotel which is in the Turrialba area that is located south of San Jose heading towards the Carib side. Well just to give you an idea of whats going on and stay tuned more to come!!!

It is getting close!!!

2010-05-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

It wont be long now before your trip to Costa Rica has arrived. We have an amazing itinerary for set up for you and we are very excited. I have to say with your trip all the guides wanted to go just because it had some of the best stops. Your trip is longer than most trips which just means we can fit more of our favorite things. We will be starting the trip out in excellent fashion by rafting one of the top 5 rivers on the planet which is the Pacuare River.

This blog is for all of your family and friends back home so they can keep an eye on you guys and see what amazing activities you will be doing each and everyday. We will have the students send messages back home, we will be sending pictures, and we hope to see your comments on the blog so we can relay them to your traveler. Depending on how the internet is working we are usually able to post up to two times a day keeping you very updated on the things going on. We hope you enjoy the blog and please feel free to comment it keeps us working hard. We will be posting a few before the trip just to get the group ready and excited.

PURA VIDA,
Tom