Hey, Abigail here. Our going away party was Thursday night, because the ´Bama group´s last day on the site was Thursday. We went to a recreation center to have dinner with the crew and a few local families. It was really awesome to be able to socialize with them in a relaxed setting. At the end of the evening, we were all presented with certificates and a Costa Rican key chain.
Friday was a leisurely day at the site, mostly finishing the primer paint in one house, and painting a blue sealant on the outside of another. Marcos and his construction crew were great to work with, and there were a few tears when we said our goodbyes Friday. A few of us left in flip flops, after giving away workboots.
After we left the site we went to a waterfall. It was beautiful. Then the guide there said we should walk down to the bottom of it. What he didn´t tell us was that it was a strenuous hike, we should take water, and maybe not everyone in our group should go. It took up to 3 hours for the whole group to finish the loop. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Farmer´s Market for a bit. It was really cool to see all the different produce and flowers. Dinner was a fabulous pasta dish at Don Al´s.
Saturday, we got up early, had a wonderful breakfast, then piled into the van to go zip-lining. There were 8 lines, including the"Superman line" that took 45 seconds to ride, and where we were hooked up from the back, and quite literally were flying. Lots of fun!!!
After that, we went to Don Al´s ranch, where he invited us for lunch and an afternoon by the pool. What a great location! The food was fabulous - filet mignon tacos, chorizo sausages, and hamburgers. Yummy! An afternoon by the pool was just what we needed after a long week building. Several of our group rode the horses there and played foos ball, or kicked back in the hammock and soaked in the sun.
We then all piled back into the van for the ride to Villa Blanca, where we will be staying until we leave on Monday. This hotel is in the cloud forest, which means it´s a rain forest perpetually shrouded in mist. Even in the dark we can tell that the surrounding area is gorgeous. We had a fabulous dinner together, then all went to our casitas to sleep. Most of the group is going to Tabacon Hot Springs tomorrow, to soak their sore muscles at the base of the volcano. The rest of us will stay at the hotel, get a massage, and walk the trails through the forest here.
Hope everyone is well at home, and we´ll see you soon!!!

Wednesday February 18, 2009

Hola! Today was by far the hottest day in Costa Rica. While Tuesday brought lots of sun and winds, today was the heat we had expected! We helped put up the walls on one house, spread lots of dirt and some folks plastered and painted!

We held an intercultural activity of baseball, basketball and smores for the local kids in the neighborhood. They had a great time, as well as the men we work with!

Did I mention Ned has arrived! He is happy and enthusiastic to be here!!! We are glad for his prescence!

We will try to post some photos tomorrow...

Hola! We had our 1st full day of building! Wow! We were joined by a group of Methodists from Alabama, lots of crazy nicknames! Especially Flip Pancake and Biscuit and Gravy! And they say Californians are odd! LOL!!! BTW this is Daleen typing on Rob sign in...

We had a great day and met lots of great people! Marcos, Omar, Miner and lots of other builders. Some sunburn, some sore muscles and lots of tired people! Tomorrow we are going to build again and then do some souvenir shopping... Dinner out on the town with Don Al!!!

Did we mention NED is still in Houston!!! OMG!!! He had some passport issues, but supposedly he is coming here tomorrow, good luck with that!

We had yummy ice cream at POPs, but no one would go into the park with me! Well Jim did but no one else would. It´s kinda seedy and low rent, but fun!!!

Jim, Rob and Ralph had a gecko in their room and there are lots of Perros here!!!

We will post more tomorrow!!!

We Made It!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we have made it here... well, almost all of us. There is one member who couldn´t remember that we were leaving on the 14th instead of the 15th, so he will be joining us later on today... HI NED!

The flight went smoothly (there is nothing like waking up to the sensation of free falling in an airplane, am I right?), the bus ride went well (who doesn´t like getting 3rd degree burns on their ankles from the floor heater with the air conditioner blowing on our heads?) and after a Spanish Catholic church service this morning we are headed to see volvanoes, waterfalls, and orchids (oh my!)

Hopefully we will post more later now that we know where the internet cafe is (20 minutes of sweating and wandering in circles and being afraid of the man yelling ¨LADIES!¨at us even though he was our hotel guy...)

But for now we got things to do... so Pura Vida People!

Departure Day

Well it's 1 hour from when I need to leave my house. My bags are packed and sitting by the door. The weather in Yorba Linda, CA is cold and rainy. I came home and found my wife sitting near the fire place. She looked at me and smiled " What? Hey it hailed at one point today." I guess she has a point. I looked at weather.com and Yorba Linda says 45 and feels like 45 - cloudy. I go outside and it feels more like 30!

So out of curiosity I look up Alajuela, Costa Rica and knowing they are 2 hours later...9pm there I figured it would be cool. 72 and feels like 72 - Clear.

NO...I'M NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING AT ALL. :)

So other than the weather the other all important thing to check before going to Costa Rica... wwww.surfline.com and I like what I see.

SOUTH PACIFIC SWELL/SURF ACTIVITY: A fairly steady run of moderate strength storms tracking away from New Zealand last week set up the fun size SW swells (205-220+) which have been rolling in lately. That swell activity has passed its peak now and it will be gradually fading into the weekend. Smaller scale new SW(210-220) pulse shows on Sunday into next Monday, for mainly waist-chest-shoulder zone waves at the better breaks. That fades on Tuesday. Another shot of SW swell rolls in late Wednesday/Thursday for more waist-chest-shoulder+ surf, then it's a gradual fade into the following weekend. Forecast charts show potential for a similar size SW swell moving in by Sunday the 22nd and holding into the first part of the last week of this month. Stay tuned for updates on that potential storm/swell.

So hopefully the surf smiles upon us as I have planned a few days of surfing at the end of the build. It would be a shame to go all that way down there and not slide down a wave or 73 of them. :)

Tick-Tock...Tick-Tock

In 26 hours we all board our flights to begin our trip. The group is meeting in Houston...many of us meeting for the first time. I know that excited anticipation is an understatement. CA had a few days of rain so we welcome the sunshine of Costa Rica. The 2 travelling from Minnesota and the below freezing weather can hardly wait to make their escape. The bags are packed and the first aid kit is stocked.

Sunblock...check

Aloe Vera...check

chapstick...check

Advil...check - I expect a few sore muscles after each days construction.

I know I'm forgetting something. Oh baby wipes...check.

Look for "Luis" in the blue or blue and white Habitat shirt when we land. It's always "exciting" to be picked up in a different country by someone you've never met.

Our trip begins to build a house. We leave behind those that we love and will miss until we come back. The comforts of home will also surely be missed but the chance to give someone else their "new home" outweighs these thoughts. So off to bed I'll go and early I'll rise. Excited, like its Christmas Eve. I hope our flight leaves on time!