Costa Rica - Day 3

We left the big city of San Jose and stopped by Bocadito del Cielo, a beautiful restaurant in the mountains. In Guayabo National Park we were greeted by Rosita, our tour guide who took us around the park and we had the amazing opportunity to be part of nature for an hour and a half. Her knowledge was wonderful! In the middle of the forest, we saw the ruins of an old indigineous civilization.
From there we stopped in La Hacienda, a restaurant located in an amazing ranch with the most beautiful view I had ever seen. We had lunch there and then the natives showed us the traditional way of making sugar cane candy. It was fascinating! After leaving La Hacienda, we drove to EARTH University, had dinner and an introduction by the university coordinator. The weather was extremely hot and very humid, but I can't even explain the beauty of this place.

Costa Rica - Dia 2

We had an amazing welcoming from the consul and the acting ambassador of the United States in Costa Rica on Wednesday morning. We received a special briefing from these officers and learned much about the relations our country and Costa Rica have.
Lunch was served at El Patio: a beautiful restaurant located in downtown by the pedestrian street. As usual, the food was splendid and very delicious. After lunch, we had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Pedro Leon who works close to President Arias, the president of Costa Rica. Then we were able to walk towards the National Museum of Costa Rica, where we toured and learned more about the way indigenous inhabitants lived, their art, and culture. At the end we were able to visit a butterfly center where gorgeous butterflies were all over, including the blue one. I then had the chance to meet with Roberto Porras and he showed me around. He also took me to his home and we had dinner together with his mother and a foreign exchanged student from the United States. It was wonderful!

Costa Rica - Day 1

We finally landed in Costa Rica at 2:10 pm. It was a wonderful 3 1/2 hour trip. The landscape from the plane was beautiful. I saw mountains, farms, ranches, and much more. We met Isabel and Julio from Costa Rica. Julio is a historian and Isabel is a biologist. Her emphasis is animal behavior. We took a bus from the airport to the hotel where we were received amazingly. After resting a little bit, we had an authentic Costa Rican dinner. It was so delicious. Take a look at the picture above.

San Antonio Texas

I arrived in San Antonio around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday February 24, 2008. I was welcomed by a nice lady and a private driver. I was amazed when I saw his vehicle. It was a brand new black Lincoln. I felt important for a few minutes, especially when opened the back door and closed it for me. I arrived at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio Hotel at 3:00 pm and I went straight to an orientation. The service was superb. The hotel had a swimming pool and a hot tub on the 11th floor outside and was located by the San Antonio river: a beautiful part of town. The Alamo Franciscan mission was located across the street from the hotel and we had the chance to walk along the river for two nights.

Toyota sponsors this tour so on Tuesday I had the amazing opportunity to visit the manufacturing plant in San Antonio. We had a brief historical introduction and then we visited the plant. This plant manufactures only the Tundra pick up so it was wonderful to see the whole process of putting this amazing vehicle together. We also had a great training exercise in which we were able to put together lego cars as a time. We learned about the importance of working together as a team. It was wonderful!

I also had the chance to meet the consul general of Costa Rica in the United States. He gave a very detailed presentation of his country and we had the opportunity to ask him many questions.

I am currently typing this blog at the Dallas airport. In 45 minutes we will be boarding the plane that will take us to Costa Rica. We had to get up at 3 a.m. to fly from San Antonio to Dallas this morning. Estoy muy cansado! Nos vemos.

Preparations

It has been very hectic to get ready for this trip. Substitutes were arranged and lesson plans were prepared for them. I am leaving tomorrow for Boise where I will fly out to San Antonio, TX on Sunday for a two day orientation before we travel to Costa Rica. I can't believe this experience is finally happening. Pura Vida!!