Rochester Students’ Costa Rica Trip
Was One They’ll Always Remember

On April 11, 16 Rochester School High School students left for nine days in Costa Rica. Led by school counselor Betty Hughes, Spanish teacher Sandy Flindall, and Chuck Hughes, the group experienced the trip of a lifetime.

Flying from Vermont to Boston, with another stop in Houston, the group arrived in the Costa Rican capital of San Jose, Thursday April 12 to start their adventure. After clearing customs and changing dollars into colones, the Rochester travelers were met by tour leader Margel Valentine, a native Tico who started out with an interesting history lesson about the country.

"Margel was great fun and an incredible resource," Betty Hughes said. "We were fortunate to have our own private motorcoach to take us to all of our tour destinations, and our driver was well-known as being one of the best at negotiating the steep and windy dirt roads of the mountains."

The group’s first day was spent just checking into their hotel and getting some lunch, more exploring and then dinner. The next morning, they were up early and headed out to the INBioparque, where they learned about biological diversity as they spent time at the research station created by the National Institute of Biodiversity.

"We got up close and personal with tarantulas, miniature deer, frogs, bees, butterflies and iguanas and walked through three different ecosystem trails," Hughes said. "It helped all of us understand the rainforest, cloudforest, and plant life in the different protected land areas in Costa Rica, so we were better prepared when we actually visited these areas."

After driving 22 miles through the Central Valley, the group ended up at the still-active Poas Volcano. There they saw one of the largest craters in the world (one mile wide and 300 meters deep), as well as a light blue hot sulfurous lake that changed colors with volcanic activity. From there, they moved on to the Arneal area, where many of the world’s coffee producers have their farms. After enjoying soaking in the natural hot springs, they settled in at their hotel with a great view of the Arenal volcano.

"This one was also very active and on a hike around the base of the volcano, we saw and heard it spewing big boulders and lava down the side of the mountain," Hughes recalled. "We also kayaked in Lake Arenal, one of the largest manmade lakes in Central America. Late that afternoon, we hiked to one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world, LaFortuna, located in the Arenal Rain Forest. We all went swimming in the cool pools of the falls."

The next day, the group left for Monteverde Reserve. Settled in 1951 by a group of Alabama Quakers who began dairy farming there, the area is now the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, a private non-profit reserve with six distinct ecological zones containing a wide range of flora, fauna and trees. Some of the Rochester travelers went for a horseback ride through the reserve, while others opted to explore the local town.

Everyone agreed that a highlight of the trip was visiting two local schools.

"At one elementary school, the students had prepared several traditional dances for us, and in turn, we performed for them!" Hughes said. "They had made refreshments for us and then we all played soccer. We met the American Peace Corps teacher there and she inspired us with her mission of teaching for one year to make a difference in the children’s lives of this small rural town."

Hughes added that, "Our students noticed that the students didn’t have any soccer nets for their goals, so the students met and decided to use some of the funds they had raised for their trip to purchase nets for them when we got home."

While in Monteverde on the Continental Divide, they hiked the cloudforest, learning about primary and secondary forests. They did a night hike and saw two-toed sloths, monkeys, iguanas, snakes, lizards, birds, ants and more. They also spent a morning being challenged by the canopy tour.

"We flew through the air on 16 different ziplines and ropes," Hughes recalled. "It was probably one of the single most exhilarating experiences any of us have ever had, flying in and over the cloud forest over 100 feet off the ground."

On the last part of the tour, the group traveled to the Central Pacific coast to Punta Leona. They also spent an afternoon at Manuel Antonia National Parque in Quespos, swimming in the ocean and viewing wildlife through a magnified telescope.

"I am a sincere believer in educational travel and I encourage my students to take advantage of opportunities available to them that can add to their perspective on life," Hughes said. "This trip widened every single student’s base of knowledge of the world, especially with the focus on the ecosystem of Costa Rica, a deeper understanding of what ‘sustainable economy’ means for us and our futures, along with global awareness at a new level."

The Rochester students were equally enthusiastic.

"I can’t believe how lucky I was to go there!" Amanda Brown said. "I was filled with a sadness for the poverty I saw, but the people I met seemed so happy and friendly, hopeful and positive. I realize that I have so many resources that I take for granted."

Jace Curtis noted that he enjoyed his first plane ride, and added, "It was beautiful, with so many plants and animals, and the history was so interesting. It will stay in my memory forever."

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