Day 4!

And here is day 4!

Today was an exhilarating, high-energy day! It all started off with a 5am wakeup call to walk to the beach and see the sunrise over the mountains. Afterwards, we returned for an egg and toast breakfast and set off towards Buena Vista beach to help out with the sea turtle conservation project. In what felt like 500 degree weather, we planted palm trees along the beach to protect the beach from erosion, so that the sea turtles would have a place to lay their eggs. I was a "digger" -- meaning that I dug the holes that the coconut trees were planted in. I had so much fun with this job, helped out by the gardening skills provided my my dad, and worked with everyone else to plant about 3o palm trees along the beach. When we finished, we were filled with a huge feeling of accomplishment because we knew that we had done something that would be beneficial to the survival of the sea turtle population.

We returned to the Tico Lodge after a quick lunch and decided that for dinner, we would partake in a Cook-Off Challenge (boys vs. girls) to see who could shop and make the best meal with a given budget and cooking appliances. The girls team and I shopped in town, and while we went slightly over the budget, we managed to buy all that we needed to prepare a tasty dinner. Afterwards, some of us went down to the beach to surf, tan, or play in the sand, while others (myself included) remained at the lodge to swim in the pool and take a relaxing nap in a hammock. Then, we all piled in the van to take a hike through the Costa Rican rainforest to this secluded beach, where we spotted crabs and enjoyed the wonderful scenery. On top of a bridge, we observed a gigantic crocodile devour our chicken meat bait. I was expecting to see a tiny baby croc, but when a gigantic 5ft crocodile emerged from the swamp to snatch the bait, I was terrified and thrilled! 

We then continued walking to a beautiful hotel that overlooked the beach, the ocean, and the vibrant setting sun. Sipping pina coladas, taking memorable photos, and spending time with each other in front of the sunset was a perfect way to relax after the hard day's work. We returned to the lodge and busily prepared our meals for the cook-off challenge. The boys grilled steaks and served them with grilled vegetables and rice. However, the girls won (of course :) ) with cooked pasta and red sauce, garlic cheese bread, and fruit dipped in chocolate for dessert. At last, we all gathered together to congratulate ourselves on our hard work today and look ahead to plans for tomorrow.

Overall, today was a day filled with delicious meals, tiring yet rewarding community service, a scenic hike and beaches, a thrilling view of a crocodile, and watching both the sunrise and sunset together as one bonded group of newfound friends. 

-Lindsay Spring

Today was really fun-filled and memorable! Watching the sunrise and sunset in one day was beautiful. Waiting for the sunrise we all gathered to take a picture of our words,"Peddie in C.R.", surrounded by our feet. After the sunrise we headed back to the Tico Lodge for breakfast. From breakfast we headed directly to Buena Vista to help the turtle conservation by planting precious coconut trees to help stop the beach erosion. After a long day of working on the beach under the hot cooking sun we finally finished by planting many trees in either the cotton debris or in the dead shrubbery. All we were given were a couple of machetes and some shovels to make all these transformations to make the beach more enjoyable and to allow the turtles to have a better habitat. 

After exiting the turtle conservation camp we went back to the lodge to either go surfing for a half an hour or to get food for our Boys V. Girls Costa Rica  Iron Chef Cook-off. I chose surfing. It was my first time surfing alone, I still tried, although I was not very successful. After gathering supplies for dinner, the group went on a hike  through some exhilarating paths. From the voyage we then walked to try and find crocodiles which ended up coming out to greet us on the bridge. We dangled chicken above them, using a fishing line as we lured them near enough for some pictures up close. From the hungry crocodiles we headed up to a mountain where we chilled drinking some juices and watching the sunset on the beach. We then waited after sunset for our ride back to the lodge to start our dinners.

 For dinner the males prepared steak, along with rice and some pineapple. The females prepared some pasta with tomato sauce, some cheesy garlic bread, and for dessert, some chocolate and fruit. After our loss the males had to do the dirty dishes but it was all worth it; after all it was a hard fought battle.

  Today was a great, not too stressful day and it brought out "Pura Vida" -- no stress, relax, no worries. From being in the most beautiful places all week I very much enjoyed today's itinerary and hope to have tomorrow be just as wonderful as today and the week so far.

  

-Ethan Kibrick