Though we were all sad to leave behind our new friends in Bonanza, we’ve had a fun-filled few days in La Fortuna and now in Playa Hermosa. During our first day in La Fortuna we had some free time to shop for souvenirs. After our group lunch we all enjoyed a thrilling zip-lining excursion, featuring an extra-exhilarating “Tarzan Swing” at the end of the course.

Later, we dressed up in clean clothes for a lovely dinner out in town, followed by delicious gelato before our group meeting and bedtime. We spent most of our second day in La Fortuna completing a canyoning expedition which included rapelling through waterfalls, crossing beautiful suspension bridges in the rainforest, swimming in refreshing river waters, and gliding down yet another zip line, with gorgeous views of the Arenal volcano. Once we dried off and regrouped, we headed to Baldi Hot Springs Resort for our evening activity. Baldi is the world’s largest hot springs attraction featuring warm and cool pools, a natural sauna, a few amazingly fast water slides, and a great restaurant where we enjoyed a wide variety of delicious dishes, both Costa Rican-style specialties and comfortingly familiar favorites like fruit fondue with a chocolate fountain!

That night, we finished packing our things and headed to bed to get a full night’s rest before our bus journey back to Playa Hermosa for our final day together and farewell beachside dinner. In the morning we’re off to Miami. While saying goodbye will be difficult, we know we’ve made long-lasting friendships and great memories to cherish for years to come.

– The Community Service Costa Rica 2016 crew