Day 11: Leaving On A Jet Plane!

As this final blog post is being written, we are all sitting comfortably at 35,000 feet on the fourth and final leg of our epic adventure. After our final breakfast together at the hotel in San Jose we loaded up the bus and spent our last bus ride to the airport playing the hits - singing show tunes ("One Last Time" from Hamilton, specifically), Bohemian Rhapsody, chanting "Ivan! Ivan! Ivan!" and taking in the last few glimpses of the mountains. After an emotional goodbye to Luigi and Ivan we made it to our gate via some duty free window shopping. Upon landing in Fort Lauderdale we were told the Passport Control line was too backed up so we sat in the plane for an extra 20 minutes, which then had us "New York Sidewalk" walking to our gate. After 2 hours of waiting in various lines and a gate change we made it just in time to board our final flight back to Hartford. 

This trip has been jam packed with learning, adventure, human connection, amazing food, bus rides, beautiful views, and pura vida moments. None of these things would have been possible without two incredible people: Ivan and Luigi. It would be easy for a driver who speaks almost no english (except for his iconic "WOW") to fly under the radar on a trip like this. Ivan was everything we could have asked for and more. In the bus we could always rely on him to point out any wildlife we encountered, play music that got everyone singing, and dance with us while moving us safely all over the country. He accompanied us on almost every activity, and could usually be seen enthusiastically documenting all of our adventures with the greatest phone photography we've ever seen. Thank you for everything Ivan! 

"WOW!!!" - Ivan

Luigi has been working with Watkinson groups for 10 years and his reputation precedes him. We were told by previous travelers and chaperones how great he is, but he continued to exceed every expectation.On the first day he introduced us to Pura Vida, or the Costa Rican way of living that highlights living in and appreciating the present without worry of the future. Whether it was dancing to reclaim forgotten belongings, singing along to Disney songs, photographing our Tarzan Swinging, or introducing us to all the fruit and foods we could ever ask for, he always went above and beyond to make sure we were having fun, learning, and experiencing everything Costa Rica has to offer. Beginning his career in tourism as a river guide he blended his seemingly endless knowledge on his country with the charisma, energy, and joy that gave all of us a trip we will never forget. Thank you for everything Luigi!

Our Fearless Leader!

These past 11 days have been unforgettable. Every single person in our group (students and chaperones alike) have tried new things, stepped out of our comfort zones in the name of new experiences, and bonded over endless games of Contact and Egyptian Rat Screw (which Mr. Thomas did in fact get beat at by Ms. Martins). Thank you all for following along on our blog, and everything you do to support travel experiences like this for all of us and the Watkinson community. For the final time, buenas noches y pura vida!

The Final Goodbye!