August 19th, 2017: Day 5
The rooster chimed in for the third consecutive morning two hours before wake up call. The early 5:30 wake up was filled with bittersweet endings as we prepared to leave Coto Brus and our wonderful host family. We received one last feast that consisted of eggs, rice and beans, cheese, fresh fruit, toast and avocado. After a delicious meal, we said our goodbyes to Ricauter and his family (including buster the dog, who…… stole everyone’s heart, but lost his…). We packed the bus and Ricauter sent us on our way with one last prayer in Spanish. It wrapped up our stay perfectly as we battled the language barrier all week, but still managed to learn and show God’s love to all we encountered.
As we started our six hour journey back to AMCA, we were thrilled to hear that a quick stop at the beach would break up our travel. As we travelled through the vast mountain ranges we encountered many bumps and turns that dampened our opportunities to sleep. Thankfully the never ending, beautiful views of Costa Rica filled our minds with joy. We approached the coast and knew the beach wasn’t far. Randall (the driver that brought us across the country), steered us in the right direction, and we ended up at the beach safe and sound. We watched the waves crash in and explored the wonders of what lied ahead of us. Taking pictures, collecting seashells, walking through caves, and climbing rocks were the favorite adventures. Some of our more daring teammates: Cody, Luke and Jack, got a whistle from the lifeguard for wandering too far on the rocks (REBELS). After a team selfie, bathrooms breaks and sweaty armpits, we boarded the bus for the final leg of the trip.
We arrived at AMCA with smiling faces and hungry tummys awaiting the tasty meal ahead of us. It was comprised of spaghetti, bread and coconut bars, which all tasted delicious and reminded us of home. After lunch, we went to the bank, aka Mike, and exchanged US dollars for CR colones. Once we received our colones, we loaded up El Toaster and headed to the market. We all spent money on wonderful gifts for all you readers! Kust even had to go back to the bank and exchange more. Haha @Kust. We had a fun time bartering with the merchants, and J-dawg shined her true colors by marking down prices left and right. The market was a really cool experience and a way for us to dive into the culture in a new and exciting way. After that market, we decided to expand our horizons and head to WalMart. Yes, you read that correctly, we went to WalMart. Many bags of Costa Rican coffee were purchased including Kust’s 10 bags. Luke finally bought a razor and shaving cream to shave that thing he called a beard (LOL). Our journey came to a close and we headed back to AMCA for some R&R. Our dinner of chicken, potatoes, salad and coffee flan reminded us of home once again. We spent the remainder of the night in team time, discussing 1 John 3:1-10. We enjoyed this fellowship with one another as we continue to grow as a group. Thanks again for keeping up with our wonderful journey, and can’t wait to share all the memories with you when we get home! YOU GUYS ROCK! (Get it, Push the Rock LOL)
Love, Matt and Sydney