Costa Rica... the end of the voyage
Trip Start
May 03, 2008
1
Trip End
May 04, 2008
Puntarenas, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Sunday, May 11, 2008
We got off the ship nice and early and had plenty of time to check in and we were able to take a canopy tour in the rainforest. There were zip lines running from treetop to treetop where we got to attach ourselves and fly from tree to tree. I had done a canopy tour in Puerto Rico as well, but here was much better. The view from the rainforest was great. We were able to see through the trees and out to the small mountain range. I was with a good size group of just my friends, which made it a lot of fun.
After zip lining through the rainforest we went back to the hotel and hung out on the beach and by the pool. There were plenty of SASers all along the beach in Jaco and it was great to see so many of my friends for the last port. That night we went out for dinner together to a local Spanish restaurant and got some great food.
Just down the beach some other students had rented a house and were throwing a party that night. It was your standard house party with all SAS kids. It was definitely a new experience on the voyage and a fun one at that. I was excited to spend time with a lot of people before it was time to say goodbye.
The next morning we left at 6am for river rafting. We got to go white water rafting down a river in the jungle inland from where we were staying. The rapids weren't too difficult, but it was still a good work out and a lot of fun. Some of the rapids got up to class 3+.
After rafting we got back to the hotel and spent the rest of the time partying by the pool and beach before we had to head back to Puntarenas for dinner and to get back on the ship. My time there went by quickly especially considering I didn't go to sleep at all. I had fun and packed in everything I could before I left.
Once we left Costa Rica there were only 4 days left at sea to get into Miami. One day was spent going through the Panama Canal. This is new to the voyage because it used to end in San Diego. I have been to Panama before and saw the Panama Canal, but it was very interesting to actually go through in a large ship and watch as we passed through the locks. We had a special barbecue that day on the ship and just lounged out by the pool and started saying our goodbyes. It was inevitable, this experience had to end sometime. These past 3 and half months have been the most amazing times of my life. I have seen and learned so much about the world and myself. There isn't enough I can really say about the experiences I had because words just don't do justice what I have done. I am part of the less than 1% population that has circumnavigated the globe and has been fortunate to do and see so many amazing things and people. It has been an incredible journey and something so valuable to me. There is just no way to communicate what this actually has been for me.
