A month before my trip to Costa Rica, I did quite a lot of hiking. However, all of those hikes did not seem to prepare me for hiking the volcano. When we drove up to the volcano it was so interesting to see the greenery along the rode as I am used to seeing concrete paths, and buildings and homes. We passed by fruit trees and what they called a living fence where plants grew around the barb wired and created a barrier of plants.
When we finally got to the hiking spot it had started to drizzle and there was a deep fog that hung down but that didn't stop us from venturing off. Another things that didn't stop us were the " in case of eruption signs".
When we started off on the hike it was pretty simple. There was a section where there were steps which made the hike pretty easy. However after those sections it was a continuous uphill climb. There were a few times where I can to stop and readjust myself to the steepness and the altitude, but I persevered nonetheless.
As the fog rolled in more and the rain drops danced down from the sky, it seemed the elevate the colors of the plants growing along the trail. Various shades of green, brown , red and gold shimmered through. Some of the plants grew outward, as if they were boldly expressing who they were and showing off their color and diverse shape. Other plants were more humble and grew low, folded over and blanketed the the earth.
Our hike not only brought us a diversity of plants but a diversity of people too. French, German, American, South American, families, children, people young and old all walked over each other footprints on the path up the Volcano.
When we got to the crater we looked over the edge to be amazed and all we saw was fog. The fog that had rolled in when we started our hike had beat us to the top and claimed the crater for no one else to see. A slight disappointment but the victory wasn't just in the destination but the journey of making it to the top.
When headed back down we had to make a quick stop to this small little shop that sold delicious strawberries that grew off the volcano and the wine they made from the strawberries.
Our final stop was too a restaurant where I had one of the most delicious meals I ever had. I order the chicken with rice and beans and the chicken so was soft and tender that is was practically falling off the bone. Very flavorful and filling. After our bellies were we were off to our shoe distribution for the day.
Our shoe distribution this day went by very fast, as the children were very close to be let out of school for the day. However a short distribution led to us being able to play with the children. Right after the distribution a soccer game was started.
I felt a little guilty jumping into the game, although I was invited I am a horrible soccer player. But although I kicked the ball a grand total of one time, I could not stop laughing and smiling.Seeing the interactions the children had, and the excitement and energy that flowed through them filled me with such joy.Even though I didn't understand everything they said but I studied their body language and watched their mannerisms and could see the bonds the children had within each other. Through watching them I felt welcomed and honored to be accepted amongst them.
After playing a few games and running around, we decided to take some of the extra shoes we had to a school in one of the squatter communities.
As we drove up , we passed by a wall that was built around the school. This was no ordinary wall, this wall was specifically built to prevent outsiders from giving the children drugs to sell. A wall that could only hide a small portion of the tragic things the children are exposed to.
When we set up our supplies, the children rushed over. The line was so long you would have thought they were waiting to get on a Disneyland ride. The children were filled with anxious energy, and they tried their best to hold in their excitement as they waited to get their new pairs of shoes. When we took a break from passing out shoes the children loved to be in front of the camera. Many of the rushed to be in a group photo and enjoyed making silly faces and exaggerated poses in front of the camera. It warmed my heart to see the smiles and hear the laughter from the children knowing that outside of their school's walls they faced many challenges, and temptations that robbed them of their childhood.
When we finally got to the hiking spot it had started to drizzle and there was a deep fog that hung down but that didn't stop us from venturing off. Another things that didn't stop us were the " in case of eruption signs".
When we started off on the hike it was pretty simple. There was a section where there were steps which made the hike pretty easy. However after those sections it was a continuous uphill climb. There were a few times where I can to stop and readjust myself to the steepness and the altitude, but I persevered nonetheless.
As the fog rolled in more and the rain drops danced down from the sky, it seemed the elevate the colors of the plants growing along the trail. Various shades of green, brown , red and gold shimmered through. Some of the plants grew outward, as if they were boldly expressing who they were and showing off their color and diverse shape. Other plants were more humble and grew low, folded over and blanketed the the earth. 
Our hike not only brought us a diversity of plants but a diversity of people too. French, German, American, South American, families, children, people young and old all walked over each other footprints on the path up the Volcano.
When we got to the crater we looked over the edge to be amazed and all we saw was fog. The fog that had rolled in when we started our hike had beat us to the top and claimed the crater for no one else to see. A slight disappointment but the victory wasn't just in the destination but the journey of making it to the top.
When headed back down we had to make a quick stop to this small little shop that sold delicious strawberries that grew off the volcano and the wine they made from the strawberries.
Our final stop was too a restaurant where I had one of the most delicious meals I ever had. I order the chicken with rice and beans and the chicken so was soft and tender that is was practically falling off the bone. Very flavorful and filling. After our bellies were we were off to our shoe distribution for the day.
Our shoe distribution this day went by very fast, as the children were very close to be let out of school for the day. However a short distribution led to us being able to play with the children. Right after the distribution a soccer game was started.
I felt a little guilty jumping into the game, although I was invited I am a horrible soccer player. But although I kicked the ball a grand total of one time, I could not stop laughing and smiling.Seeing the interactions the children had, and the excitement and energy that flowed through them filled me with such joy.Even though I didn't understand everything they said but I studied their body language and watched their mannerisms and could see the bonds the children had within each other. Through watching them I felt welcomed and honored to be accepted amongst them.
After playing a few games and running around, we decided to take some of the extra shoes we had to a school in one of the squatter communities.
As we drove up , we passed by a wall that was built around the school. This was no ordinary wall, this wall was specifically built to prevent outsiders from giving the children drugs to sell. A wall that could only hide a small portion of the tragic things the children are exposed to.
When we set up our supplies, the children rushed over. The line was so long you would have thought they were waiting to get on a Disneyland ride. The children were filled with anxious energy, and they tried their best to hold in their excitement as they waited to get their new pairs of shoes. When we took a break from passing out shoes the children loved to be in front of the camera. Many of the rushed to be in a group photo and enjoyed making silly faces and exaggerated poses in front of the camera. It warmed my heart to see the smiles and hear the laughter from the children knowing that outside of their school's walls they faced many challenges, and temptations that robbed them of their childhood.
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