We will Miss these kids...

What another amazing trip from The Roth's. They are an incredible blessing to Ridgefield and they just fill in the gaps for Costa Rican Resource. I like to think we dont have many things missing in our tours but if we could have a Roth Family and some Ridgefield kids join us on every tour it would simply be better.

They are now dropped off and in line getting their exit tax paid. The flight is on time and Mrs Roth will be calling everyone from their lay over stop. The trip has come to an end but the adventure must continue as we hope they take everything they learned and allow it to be a part of their lives. Thank you so much for allowing us to take care of your kids for the week and allowing us to share with them our love for adventure, conservation, and living the PURA VIDA!

We hope to get the chance to meet all of you in the future on a family vacation to Costa Rica. Check out the 5-Star resort they were lounging in last night. Could be you and the fam? Come on wives tell your husbands it is time for a family vacation. I usually dont push trips this hard but I am getting married Aug. 27th and I have not been able to convince my wife all we need is a tent on a river bank or a cave to sleep in and we will be fine. Thats the end of the blog bro (kids choice of words in the word "bro"), LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, PURA VIDA!

Bus Ride Back to SJO

Evening at The Springs

The ZIPLINE

Take a look at the zipline video it was a great success and perfect weather for the zipping. I remember last year it was rainy for Mrs. Roth trip and this group brought the perfect weather not only for the zipline but for all of the trip.

There are only a few blog post left and we hope you have enjoyed following. I know we enjoy posting and hearing your comments. We hope that if you are ever interested in a Costa Rica family vacation you will consider our company. We operate private family trips that can be geared towards more of a family type vacation as compared to this intense week with the Ridgefield kids. We dont make all of our clients climb into the cave and rappel. Just contact us at any time or feel free to pass on our info www.crrtravel.com or www.crrtours.com.

We would love to have you follow our facebook page also. You can visit our facebook page and follow us just click here. Enjoy the video of the zip and PURA VIDA!

Ziplining

Getting ready to zip past the Arenal Volcano

Random Pics of the Week

Ok, I just saw how much text was in the last post and figured parents probably would be more interested in seeing pics than reading me babbling:

HOLA TARINI & ALDEN

Just wanted to start this post off by saying Avesh says hola to Tarini and he actually did not fall in but he did push his guide in which was me. But it is ok Tarini it was all good fun and the water feels nice and refreshing.

Also I wanted Alden to know that when you come to Costa Rica we promise to take you rafting. You will love it. We will get you down safe and make sure you get really wet. I will also make sure the monkeys wave to you when we pass by in the raft.

We just arrived to the final hotel of this adventure. It is a great spot located with a great view of the Arenal Volcano. When we arrived it was super clear and the sun was setting. We will have pictures of this in the morning we were getting the kids checked in and did not get a picture in before it got dark. Tomorrow is a big day of doing zipline that is 700ft high, community service, Organic farm, and Hot Springs.

The Hotsprings will be quite the treat because this is one of Costa Rica's nicest 5 star resorts where we will be getting a day pass and the kids will enjoy the evening and a very nice dinner for our farewell meal. It has been an amazing trip and my sides literally hurt from laughing. I said it last year and I will say it again that I am really impressed with the Ridgefield kids. They are all so respectful, extremely smart, and very fun to be around. All of them agreed that the homestay has been the highlight of the trip. In just two short days at the homestays they talk about their families like they have known them for years.

Tell Ellie that the breakfast in Costa Rica is something called "gallo pinto" which is rice and beans mixed together with Lizano salsa and cilantro. The lizano salsa is really good. This is also served with plantains and eggs but the best parts of breakfast is the fresh fruit. The mango is incredible and a fruit called guanabana, guayaba, guava, pineapple, and so much more I'm getting hungry just writing this. Along with all of this Ellie is a cup of coffee that would put Starbucks out of business.

For dinner tonight it will be held at the hotel where we have a nice evening planned and we will be reading blog comments from today. Some of the kids got quite a bit of son and we told them to wear lots of sunscreen because we were going to be in the sun all day. We will probably be getting some Aloe. Enjoy your evening and thanks again for all the comments.

Sorry about the dates on the video. I went ahead and posted them without checking that part of the video so dont worry Jo Anne your eyes are fine. But if you are tired of working just come down for a vacation to Costa Rica. I will have to ask Juliana about her time machine we could have used it for the 3 hour bus ride today.

Pacuare River Videos

FIESTA!!!

It was a perfect night. We had the stage set and the curtains opened and it started with the locals doing 5 different performaces for us. "They are SO CUTE!" (I think I heard the phrase 500 times from the Ridgefield girls talking about the little kids dancing). Emily did score a goal yesterday and Touchdown-Tyler was able to play "real-football" somebody said.

When the locals finished their dances it was time for Simon, Paul Abdul, and Steven Tyler who were the judges. It was an excellent show and I could not believe how the kids learned merengue and salsa in just 2 days. The winner though was Max and Avesh who did a Michael Jackson skit and stole show.

We are eating breakfast now and off to the river. National Geographic has this river listed as one of the top 5 scenic rivers on the planet. The name is Pacuare River and we will be on it for 18 miles and be posting when we get off the river. Enjoy your day!

The Game

The game went great and it just turned into a huge water balloon fight which was fine. We are now back in the homes getting cleaned up for the big party tonight. The village has prepared some dances and quite the show for us and it is going to be a blast. We are also doing a talent show so it should be interesting. I will keep you posted and enjoy the video:

Soccer Game...

The soccer game will start in a few minutes and it is going to be Ridgefield vs. Costa Rica. These kids from Costa Rica were scoring goals before they could walk so Ridgefield better bring their "A" game.

Everything has gone great and all seem to really enjoy the homestays which is always the best part of the trip. Stay tuned and I will be posting a video of the blog. Thanks so much for following the comments are great. PURA VIDA!

Less Greenhouse Gas as of Today

Everything went great this morning and since the kids are on Spring Break we did not visit a school but we went with many kids from the community to take part in an eco-project we have going on here in the village. We educate the kids on the 350ppm (parts per million) and how trees can help us get to that mark. At the present moment we are at 380ppm which is above where we need to be but that is what the Ridgefield kids set out to fix on their morning of planting trees and learning about the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and how it is measured and ways to control it.

If your interested in more about this you can read about it in a blog post we have on our site CLICK HERE.

Tortilla Class in Sitio de Mata

Sitio de Mata

We made it to the village of Sitio de Mata.

VIDEO UPDATE

THE QUETZAL!!!!!!

Make sure you read the blog post before this as I am posting a few right in a row.

Birding in the Mountains

We just hiked to a waterfall and had a perfect view of the elusive Quetzal bird (actually called the "Resplendent Quetzal" because of its beautiful colors). In all my 10 yrs. of guiding I never had such a good view. And the Ridgefiels kids got to see it without really trying.

The next pix is the waterfall and the last two are the male Quetzal.

Even the kids are excited about birding now!

Shoes

Best 60 bucks ever spent!

Morning

We are thrilled to have so many followers on this blog. I cant tell you how cool it is to have Avesh's family in India following this blog which gives it some real "spice"! I guess this would be a good time to mention we also operate amazing private familyvacations in Costa Rica and we even have hindi speaking guides (not really but I will learn if I have to). You can visit some of our family packages at www.crrtours.com and our student groups are www.crrtravel.com. Breakfast was perfect and we are going to take a nature hike. Everyone slept great and the day is perfect. We had all of the kids yesterday at the river not talk for 10 minutes and they all had to findsomething from nature that they found interesting. Diego and I have every article that they found in a bag. What we will do after the hike is give the kids a quick lesson on Biomimicry where we will show how everything they found has an interesting way of using something for design in the modern world.

Many of these pictures are coming from Jessica Roth or atleast the good ones. She is kind enoug

h to not charge me $500 a pic and allow me to post them on the blog!!!!! PURA VIDA JESSICA!

There are some quotes below and also if you are having trouble posting you can send an email to info@crrtravel.com.

Ryan H. --- Mom my camera is not working

Elizabeth --- HAPPY BDAY DAD and congrats on the race! you should try carb loading on some Costa Rican rice and beans for your next race. ;)

Emily and Elizabeth --- "Did I ask you to stop massaging?" "Did I ask you to talk to me?"

Julia --- "Mom send the shoes over"

Juliana --- "I dont have a quote"

Julia -- "Custom made converse were the best $60 bucks I ever spent in my life"

Novak -- "I am having an awesome time but my camera does not work"

Tom -- "No worries, Avesh is going to fix all the cameras"

Andy -- "I woke up in the middle of the night because Ty snores like a semi truck"

Addy -- "I do it out of love"

Max -- "Is Kenny still complaining about his haircut?"

Avesh -- "do people in Costa Rica get haircuts?"

Juliana -- "I now have a quote: my shoes dried after four days"

Ali -- "FUAAAAAA!!!" "Im having Nutella withdraws"

Jordan --- "Margaret and I are now one with Costa Rica"

Margaret --- "Hakunamatata"

Here are some examples of the Biomimicry talks they will be getting informed on later if anyone is interested:

Examples:

Some of the kids brought leaves which they are now using for different drainage systems, others brought a spider which they have been using to build fully waterproof surfaces, others brought mushrooms which they are now using the mycelium in mushrooms to make styrofoam that can be completely biodegradable. River rock was brought which is being used for as a design method for carpet flooring or tile floors which by designs that do not use all the same shapes or patterns but make a entire floor like dead leaves or the river rocks at the bottom of the river. This makes for easy repairs.

We just got done with a hike to the waterfall here nearby the lodge. We had the option of getting up at 5am to go look for the famous Quetzal bird which is a bird that people travel from all over the world to try and catch just a second glimps of it making it's way through cloud-forest.

The kids decided not to wake up but Diego and I gave it a shot and we struck out. We saw nothing and fortunately I had seen it a few times so I was not bummed. So we started the waterfall hike around 9am and when we were half way there literally just 20 ft infront of us was a beautiful Quetzal. It was absolutely amazng and we even got the kids excited about it (how could you not this bird is beautiful). I have been guiding for 10 years here in Costa Rica and it was the best view I have ever had of this bird for around 20 minutes and his pair showed up and they were just ready for the picture. My pictures did not come out well because most of my pics are taken with my phone but I will send some of the kids who had a camera. Well that is it everyone is happy that we saw Quetzal and now on to the best part of this trip and the most friendly and fun loving species there is and that is the Costa Rican people. We are now on our way to the homestays.

Juliana -- "I feel like a mountain goat"

Morning

We are thrilled to have so many followers on this blog. I cant tell you how cool it is to have Avesh's family in India following this blog which gives it some real "spice"! I guess this would be a good time to mention we also operate amazing private familyvacations in Costa Rica and we even have hindi speaking guides (not really but I will learn if I have to). You can visit some of our family packages at www.crrtours.com and our student groups are www.crrtravel.com. Breakfast was perfect and we are going to take a nature hike. Everyone slept great and the day is perfect. We had all of the kids yesterday at the river not talk for 10 minutes and they all had to findsomething from nature that they found interesting. Diego and I have every article that they found in a bag. What we will do after the hike is give the kids a quick lesson on Biomimicry where we will show how everything they found has an interesting way of using something for design in the modern world.

Many of these pictures are coming from Jessica Roth or atleast the good ones. She is kind enoug

h to not charge me $500 a pic and allow me to post them on the blog!!!!! PURA VIDA JESSICA!

There are some quotes below and also if you are having trouble posting you can send an email to info@crrtravel.com.

Ryan H. --- Mom my camera is not working

Elizabeth --- HAPPY BDAY DAD and congrats on the race! you should try carb loading on some Costa Rican rice and beans for your next race. ;)

Emily and Elizabeth --- "Did I ask you to stop massaging?" "Did I ask you to talk to me?"

Julia --- "Mom send the shoes over"

Juliana --- "I dont have a quote"

Julia -- "Custom made converse were the best $60 bucks I ever spent in my life"

Novak -- "I am having an awesome time but my camera does not work"

Tom -- "No worries, Avesh is going to fix all the cameras"

Andy -- "I woke up in the middle of the night because Ty snores like a semi truck"

Addy -- "I do it out of love"

Max -- "Is Kenny still complaining about his haircut?"

Avesh -- "do people in Costa Rica get haircuts?"

Juliana -- "I now have a quote: my shoes dried after four days"

Ali -- "FUAAAAAA!!!" "Im having Nutella withdraws"

Jordan --- "Margaret and I are now one with Costa Rica"

Margaret --- "Hakunamatata"

Here are some examples of the Biomimicry talks they will be getting informed on later if anyone is interested:

Examples:

Some of the kids brought leaves which they are now using for different drainage systems, others brought a spider which they have been using to build fully waterproof surfaces, others brought mushrooms which they are now using the mycelium in mushrooms to make styrofoam that can be completely biodegradable. River rock was brought which is being used for as a design method for carpet flooring or tile floors which by designs that do not use all the same shapes or patterns but make a entire floor like dead leaves or the river rocks at the bottom of the river. This makes for easy repairs.

We just got done with a hike to the waterfall here nearby the lodge. We had the option of getting up at 5am to go look for the famous Quetzal bird which is a bird that people travel from all over the world to try and catch just a second glimps of it making it's way through cloud-forest.

The kids decided not to wake up but Diego and I gave it a shot and we struck out. We saw nothing and fortunately I had seen it a few times so I was not bummed. So we started the waterfall hike around 9am and when we were half way there literally just 20 ft infront of us was a beautiful Quetzal. It was absolutely amazng and we even got the kids excited about it (how could you not this bird is beautiful). I have been guiding for 10 years here in Costa Rica and it was the best view I have ever had of this bird for around 20 minutes and his pair showed up and they were just ready for the picture. My pictures did not come out well because most of my pics are taken with my phone but I will send some of the kids who had a camera. Well that is it everyone is happy that we saw Quetzal and now on to the best part of this trip and the most friendly and fun loving species there is and that is the Costa Rican people. We are now on our way to the homestays.

Juliana -- "I feel like a mountain goat"

The Jump

Arm wrestle behind a waterfall

Sleeping and Waking Up in the Cave

Perfect night in the Cave

It turned out to be the perfect night in the cave. Also just so everyone knows because it is hard to get all the rappels on video but everyone did it. We will get a shot of some more action clips posted today. After the rappel we enjoy little hike to Costa Rica's tallest waterfall which is called Diamante and there we just chilled and watched the sun set on the Pacific from about a 1500ft above sea-level and half of that being the the waterfall we were sitting at the top of.

When we got back everyone got their sleeping clothes on and then it was food and music till around 10pm which would explain the faces in the morning that will be in the next post. We had pasta and the best part was the "real chocolate" desert from the cacao plant mixed with banana which was destroyed by chocolate craving teenagers in seconds. We light the cave up with candles and it was a full moon last night and just a perfect setting. Between Max jamming on the guitar and Jesse another guide plays the guitar and started Alelujua and Juliana and Ali started singing and everyone was singing till 10.

Now we are getting ready for breakfast and we will take another 45 minute hike and celebrate Stone's birthday. The hike will take us to a 20ft waterfall with a swim-hole that makes for the perfect area for a little jump off the waterfall. So yesterday with was rappeling and today we leave the ropes here in the cave and just JUMP!

Hope all is well in CT and thanks for following. I will try and find some pictures of the pranks from last night. I heard some heavy laughing around 10:15 which makes me think there might have been some shaving cream on a face or something of such.

Here are some quotes:

Ali, Addy, & Emily - "I thought you smacking a bug" "It's shaped like a fish!" "I have threeee! boarding passes now"

I am clueless to what the quote above means but these 13 year olds start with a language and I just lose them. I am sure some of you can relate.

Rappel now Dinner

AMazing day. Check out the video. Everyone is doing great no aches from the hike and just good times. J4 says love you mama and papa!!! Loving the comments.

Rappel now Dinner

AMazing day. Check out the video. Everyone is doing great no aches from the hike and just good times. J4 says love you mama and papa!!! Loving the comments.

The Cave

We made it to the cave!!!

Halfway There

Eating at the premaculture garden, halfway point to the cave.

Hydrating & Resting on Hike