In August our extended family went on an eco-tour of the country of Costa Rica in Central America. The vacation focused on the nature, ecology, and natural splendor of this beautiful tropical country. It provided a wonderful opportunity for us to put into use many of the subjects we have studied: science, ecology, geography, social studies, and the Spanish language, to name a few.

Fourteen family members, ranging from 46 to 15, spent months preparing for this trip by researching Costa Rica and its immense natural diversity. So on August 1st, we were ready…or so we thought. Coming from the Southwestern desert, the lush, greenness of Costa Rica’s Central Valley amazed us as we left the capital city of San Jose and wound our way up to the Cloud Forest.

Cameras clicked, much to the delight of Jorge (our Tico driver) and Owen (our naturalist guide), as we drove into the warm moist clouds. It was like being on Mount Olympus! We knew we were in for a spectacular vacation.

Over the next ten days, we saw 200 foot waterfalls, drank from crystal clear streams, and swam in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It was monsoon season, so we witnessed rainfall that was measured in feet, rather than the hundredths of an inch we are used to.

One of the hardest things to adapt to was daylight. Since Costa Rica is so close to the equator, there is no seasonal shift in the length of day and night. Consequently, the sun always rises about 6am and always sets about 7pm. We quickly got into a routine of rising early and going to bed by 10pm.

Owen revealed to us plants that grew without soil on cracks in the bark of trees. The “Poor Man’s Umbrella” with leaves 10 feet across was found everywhere in the cloud forest. Tiny little orchids in amazing shapes and colors were discovered as we hiked through the forest. Gregg, the gardener in our family, was in awe of the man-sized bush that Impatien plants are there.

We learned about the forest canopy firsthand as we rode zip lines from platform to platform at treetop level. Whitewater rafting allowed us to see the forest from another perspective as we alternately churned along and sublimely drifted down the river for three hours. Even driving along the pot-holed dirt roads (most of Costa Rican roads are like this) we had opportunities for impromptu nature lessons. Tim shot 6 rolls of film and filled a dozen pages of his journal in just two days.

Wyatt caught (and released) eight different types of lizards. We also saw a basilisk lizard run across a stream, caiman, and wild iguanas (which are very different from our two family pets who beg for wheat bread). The variety and colors of frogs was astonishing; and Wyatt proved to have quite a knack for finding them amid the brilliant flowers—even at night in the pouring rain.

Imagine a twenty-foot long chain of cutter ants marching along a path, each carrying a brilliant green leaf segment ten times its length…all going back to the nest to become compost for fungus farming! The insects were super-sized and, for the most part, not biting. Their colors ranged from shiny metallic green to clear red. Candace, who normally HATES bugs, held a tarantula! I don’t know if we were more fascinated by the bugs or the poisonous snakes. The eyelash viper with its weird scales held our attention.

Christine was teased mercilessly by Alejandro about her fear of sharks, until a local warned those playing in the Atlantic to move to a more protected cove that was safe from sharks! That quickly shut down the teasing!

The two Steves got some great photos (and video) of the Quetzal, Costa Rica’s national bird with incredible plumage. They hiked miles through the forest, up the mountainside, through the countryside—all to capture banana and coffee plantations, strange mushrooms, and huge turkey vultures on film. In the meantime, they also learned some cool facts. The bananas we eat are a seedless hybrid of “wild” bananas. The best coffee is the organic shade grown type, which not only tastes best, but is also best for the environment. Quetzals prefer to eat wild avocados.

At rehabilitation centers, we were able to see Costa Rica’s various species of wild cats. The jaguar was majestic, although none of us could believe that he had once been a house pet! A big eared fox was soooo cute! Who would have thought that sloths were adorable! Diane was ready to take one home after playing with and holding a big-eyed baby. We all abandoned our dinner one night to race out to the parking lot when we noticed a sloth calmly climbing the telephone pole.

From a distance we saw howler monkeys and active volcanoes. Bathing in hot springs warmed by the Arenal Volcano was relaxing despite Rob’s questions about what would happen if Arenal “blew.”  We ate “local” food and practiced our really mediocre beginning Spanish on the friendly and patient Tico people. Everyone was helpful and welcoming. Linda had to wait until the last afternoon to fulfill her urge to spend colones shopping, but Sarchi with its artists cooperatives certainly left her sated.

None of us could believe how quickly the time had passed. As they say in that beautiful country as a form of greeting and as thanks…Pura vida!