Summary of Ecuador

This week was quiet an experience. I have never been anywhere in South America but my best friend is from Neiva, Columbia and her extended family is from La Libertad, Ecuador so she has been a lot and when I would talk about where I was going on this trip she told me ALL about Ecuador. She is actually the one who suggested that we go to Sacha Lodge, the amazing historical sight we visited Monday. My dad travels around for his job and he goes to Cuenca about once every other month for business. He has never been to Quito but was still able to tell me a lot about Ecuadorian tradition. I feel like this was the stop on our journey I was most prepared for.

The Flight was wonderful from Costa Rica to Ecuador, I love window seats and this was a great week for that because the sights going up and landing were absolutely stunning. Taking off was during sunset so that was beautiful, landing getting to see the mountain’s by moonlight was beautiful. The flight attendant got mad at Noah for trying to sneak listening to his IPOD after they asked for all electronic devises to be turned off. She was scolding at him in Spanish so it was pretty entertaining for all of us to watch. After we got off the flight finding our transportation was very easy because the airport was pretty cleared out since we landed so late at night. There was a gentleman with a big sign that said “The Traveling 5” right besides the baggage claim and he led us to our van and we got to the hostal after a short ride.

Hostal Johmana was absolutely wonderful. I am not going to lie I was a little unsure of how I felt about it when we first pulled up but once inside it had a very homey cultural feel to it. When we got there Saturday night we just went straight to bed. On Sunday morning we woke up to the wonderful complementary breakfast provided. We sat outside on the balcony which provided a wonderful view of the mountains and also the city. The hostal is actually owned by a Swedish man so that is why there is a Swedish flag in the picture I am attaching of the view we had every morning when we ate breakfast. During the day on Sunday we just hung around the hostal unpacking, catching up on laundry form last weeks adventures and planning out our trip for the rest of the week and getting the locals opinions on what we should do for the week. I just loved Agneta who was the woman who was kind of like our “mom” at the hotel. She made us a “home-cooked” Ecuadorian meal on Sunday night, she kept saying we needed to be fueled up for our big adventure tomorrow. This was by far my favorite meal so far of the trip, Mary Beth however did not like it so much, the spices Agneta used did not settle well with her and she felt sick for a few hours. We were worried she was not going to get to feeling better in time for our van ride at 11pm. She took a quick nap and woke up feeling brand new. While she was napping I packed her stuff for her our trip.

Our van arrived exactly on time to the hotel and we all slept most of the ride since it was a “red-eye” van ride. We arrived at the Sacha Lodge in just enough time to put our stuff in lockers and get changed for our adventures. I accidently forgot to pack hiking shoes for Mary Beth so she had to buy a pair which ended up costing a lot at the sight but I split the cost with her since it was my fault, they were $60. It was a good thing that Ecuador uses the USD because that is all both of us had. I was very scared on the Canopy Walk since we were so high in the air but I ended up getting lost in the beautiful view that it did not bother me too bad until Mark and our tour guide Andres decided it would be funny to play a prank on me and come up behind me while I was taking a picture and pretend to throw me off. I of course screamed like a baby and we all ended up laughing for a while. I am lucky I did not drop my camera and that they did not drop me. In addition Mary Beth’s shoes we all brought Socha t-shirts. As with any tourist place the t-shirts were expensive each shirt was $25 but this place was worth it and the souvenir shop was a really cool hut styled lodge. (I attached a picture below)

Tuesday we went to Mitad del Mundo which means middle of the earth. Although this place was not exactly as exhilarating as the tropical jungle we went to Monday it was still a lot of fun and very memorable. I really enjoyed it because we got to do a self-guided tour. Although guided tours are great I really enjoyed getting to look at what I wanted to look at when I wanted to look and for how long I wanted to look. I love people watching and absorbing other peoples cultures and this was a wonderful place for it. I really enjoyed eating at the local restaurant for lunch it was delicious, of course the menu was a little difficult to read since none of us speak Spanish but we were able to figure it out.

Wednesday we got to go to Basilica del voto Nacional which is a historical site. On the way we got to walk through two parks. We were very surprised by the amazing condition they were in considering they are surrounded by such urban conditions. We feel we were good judges of this too since we all took Dr. Brothers PRT 250 class and learned all about operations and maintenance of parks. I really enjoyed the architecture we saw along the way and of course I enjoyed the architecture of the Basilica del voto nacional. The 3km walk there and the 3km walk back was kind of tiring but I definitely needed the exercise since I have not gotten to exercise much instead I feel like all we do is eat!

Thursday we went to the LDU Quito football match at Casa Blaca stadium. This was an amazing experience that I very much enjoyed. I am a huge sports fan and do not actually know much about football (soccer) so it was really fun to watch and try to learn. The stadium was HUGE. Being from Wisconsin my family are season ticket holders for Lambeau field which holds like 75,000 people and I thought that was a big stadium but that had nothing on this stadium. Quito won and it was crazy fun watching the fans cheer. While we were there we all brought something from the souvenir store. Alex, Mary Beth and I brought jerseys which were $16 a piece. Mark brought a soccer ball which was $18 and Noah brought a mug which was $9. I attached a picture of Noah’s mug.

Friday we all slept in a little and woke up barely in time for breakfast. Agneta made us lunch on the hostal she was really sad it was our last day and wanted to make it special. She made us homemade empanadas they had chicken, vegetables, olives (we had to be careful because the pits were still inside) and boiled egg. For dinner we finished up all of the left over groceries we had from the week since we could not bring them with us. We spent the day getting everything packed and ready for our next adventure and catching up on sleep and going through all of our pictures from the week. We also had free Internet at the hostal so we all took a good amount of the day catching up with family and updating facebooks, twitters, and our blogs (of course J)

We spent:

Flight- $2,816.65

Food- $470.00

Lodge- $434.00

Natural- $1,500.00

Built- $80.00

Historical- $30.00

Sports- $141.00

Souvenirs- $260.00 (Football game= $75, T-shirts at jungle= $125, MB shoes= $60)

Total: $5,731.65

Last week’s grand total left over: $95,000

-$ 5,731.65

= 89,268.35 left for the rest of the trip.

Picture 1: http://www.jhomana.com/

Picture 2: http://www.travography.com/amazonia/

Picture 3: http://www.ldu.com.ec/servicios/shoppingCart/index.php?id=156

Picture 4: http://tamarindandthyme.wordpress.com/2008/11/11/an-ecuadorian-sunday-lunch/

Thursday - LDU Quito Football Match (Rec/Sports)

Since football (not american football, but rather american "soccer") is so popular and some of the best teams inhabit the areas around and including Ecuador, we decided to see what all the hype was about and go to a local football game. Quito hosts the stadium used by LDU Quito, a team that plays on the highest level of professional football. The stadium is located in the northern part of the city, just 12 km from the hotel. We were able to purchase tickets for an afternoon match through the front desk of the hotel. Tickets seemed very reasonable at 25$ each (125$ total). We took a public bus for the 2o minute ride and it only cost us 8$ total! The stadium was very impressive and much larger than any of us expected. The Estadio Casa Blanca is the largest stadium in Quito, and the second largest in Ecuador. The stadium itself opened in 1997 although LDU Quito called 3 other stadiums their home throughout the span of the club's life. Everything seemed normal until the game started. The local fans were going crazy! I've never seen people so passionate about a sport! Between the screaming and cheering we eventually got caught up in the commotion and joined in. LDU Quito ended up winning the match 3-2 and the fans stormed the field. We thought it best to leave as soon as possible before things got too far out of control so we headed back to the bus and paid 8$ to end up back at the hotel after a very exciting day. It was truly a new experience for all of us and I think we all enjoyed it.

Total Spent: (141$)

Wednesday - Basilica (Historical Site)

Today we decided to journey through the town of Quito on foot and take in some of the sights along the way. Our main destination for the day would be the Basilica del Voto Nacional which is located in the historic center of Quito, just 3 km away from our hotel! The weather has been nice and we figured some exercise wouldn’t hurt us. Along the way we walked through two well-kept parks, Parque El Ejido and Parque La Almeda. We were very surprised that these nature parks were in such pristine condition as they are surrounded by urban construction on all sides. Other than the parks, we saw mainly shops and small businesses as well as some unique architecture. Nothing compared in uniqueness and pure awe than the Basilica upon arrival. The steeples looked to stretch endlessly into the sky as we stood at the base of the historic building. The Basilica is 140 meters long and 35 meters wide. It is 30 meters high in the sanctuary, 15 meters high in the votive chapels, 74 meters high in the transept, and 115 meters high in the two frontal towers. In the sanctuary, there are 14 bronze images representing 11 apostles and three evangelists. We decided to take the full tour and paid 3$ per person (15$ total). On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a small outside restaurant and grabbed a couple appetizers for the walk home (15$ total). The food was delicious and was a great way to end a fascinating day.

Total Spent: (30$)

Tuesday: Built Site: Mitad de Mundo

We can't believe Tuesday morning is here! We are excited for a new day but still exhausted from the long trip to the Lodge yesterday! Today's trip was a built monument created in 1979 and finished in 1982. It is the Mitad del Mundo, the middle of the Earth! The grounds contain the Museo Etnográfico Mitad del Mundo, a museum about the indigenous ethnography of Ecuador. The 30-meter-tall monument was constructed to mark the point where the equator passes through the country in the geodetic datum in use in Ecuador at that time. The museum houses an incredible planetarium where we all went to go in and cool off. The show playing was on the season and stars that can be felt and seen here at the equator. It was very informational and a few school groups were inside cooling off as well. The cost per person for the show was $10.00. We self guided ourselves through the monuments and stone work.

Back outside, all of us took a picture standing on the equator! Noah was doing flips and yelling, "Northern, Southern, Northern, Southern!" It was pretty entertaining, and was pretty cool to cross the line back and forth.
Transportation to and from the site was the Blue Line Public Bus that took us just north of downtown. It was only one dollar each way! What seemed like a short few mile trip took us almost 45 minutes due to crazy traffic, what we can equate to New York City traffic where everyone does whatever they want at any time. We survived though! Food on location was at a local restaurant where Mark and I (Alex) had a Fritada, which is pork, mote, a type of roasted corn, and a tomato salad, and a cream soda. ($4.00*2=$8) Noah and Kristen each had tostados, toasted corn, and chifles, fried plaintains. ($3.25*2=$6.50). Mary Beth was brave and decided to try the locally imported Encocados, the fish basted in coconut sauce with rice. This was $5.50 a plate.

The pace for today seemed more relaxed and easy going than the jungle the day before just because we felt we didn't have to see as much to get the full experience. We can't wait to see what Wednesday has in store!

Costs for today:
Bus per person: $2 * 5 = $10
Planetarium: $10 * 5 = $50
Food total : $20
Day grand total: $80.00

Monday: Natural Site: A real Jungle!

Wow! We had a great flight in heading to Quito, Ecuador! We finally got settled over the weekend and are roaring ready to go!
Monday we have the Natural Site visit planned. We decided on the Sacha Lodge located on the Napo River, a tropical rain forest jungle of over 3,000 acres! The Lodge management group usually has a strict policy of a 3 day stay minimum, but through careful persuasion, high priced passes, and University student influence, we were able to convince them to a daily pass! Our trip to the lodge started Sunday night because the van trip to the lodge was 4 and a half hours! We were picked up by the Excursion team of Quito Explorer Tours. The roads weren't that good in the smaller cities. On Monday morning, our day began at 5am! We woke up and were picked up by the Lodge crew in the 6 person tractor. Some of the terrain was best for use with a motorized vehicle because it was harder to stay on the smaller path that early in the morning. We learned the history behind the lodge and the jungle area on the ride out to the main land. It is set on 3,000 acres, has hundreds of species of birds, fish, and mammals. The Sacha Lodge has the world's largest and most biologically diverse rain forest located in the lowlands of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Our guide, Andres introduced us to the land area and got us prepped for the jungle walk. We walked past the 135 foot observation tower that shows the entire forest canopy! We climbed up the wood stairs to discover a world of treetop plants like orchids, and the rare Spot-breasted Woodpecker! We could even see the peak of Sumaco Volcano, 100 miles as the sun was rising! Once up in the tower, we started what would be one of the greatest experiences of our life, the Canopy Walk! It's a new addition to the lodge and is a 940 foot long canopy walkway above the tree tops. This sturdy walkway is fixed to the ground by three metal towers for stability, and offers an unbelievable opportunity to spot dozens of animals seldom seen from the ground. Thousands of colorful birds await to be spotted, hidden in the tree branches! Mary Beth was so excited pulling out her camera, she almost dropped it! The views were breath taking as the sun was fully into the sky and many calls of animals could be heard.
After walking the distance of the Canopy Walk, we returned down to the ground to head toward our boat ride.
We rode in a dugout canoe that led us on a lake safari and past local communities of the Quechua Indians and salt licks that were lined with parrots and parakeets. We had two guides on the canoe. One a native guide, Edgar, was raised in the Quito area and had expert knowledge of the rainforest's medicinal and other useful plants. He told us long stories of interesting uses. The second guide, Stephen, accompanied our group as a bilingual translator and naturalist, who had been educated in the biology and ecology of the rainforest.
The canoe ride was most informative and an awesome experience! When we returned back to the main lodge, we had a lunch of Cerviche, which is boiled prawns from the river with chili powder and lemon juice. With this came a small sweet roll and white beans. Mark was really the only one to eat all of the prawns, they are definitely an acquired taste. After lunch, we set out on foot to go on a monkey trek. I know we had a bad experience being chased by monkeys in Costa Rica, but these were majestic monkeys and had so much life and character to them! We left around 6pm to return to the Hostel around 11pm, exhausted, but so much more experienced in the beauty of nature!
The pictures of the Canopy Walk, the Spot breasted woodpecker, a howler monkey, and the canoe tour!

The cost per person including transportation, food, lodge visit, and guide was 300 hundred dollars per person. The lodge visit was $215, van ride $50, food $20, and guide fee contribution $15. Total: $300 x 5 people = $1500
Photos and info from: http://www.sachalodge.com/

hotel

Were staying at Hostal Jhomana right in the heart of down town Quito ,Ecuador. We have the Cuadruple bedroom booked for the week. Staying at this hostel we were able to save some more money than if we stayed at a hotel or resort. We only had to pay 62 dollars per night a total of 434.00

The Hostel was an old style home, very colorful and bright with unique paintings all over the common “living” room. There were many bedrooms on the first floor but I could count them all. There were 4 bedrooms on the second floor and the kitchen. We got shown to our room by a older Swedish lady I think her name was Agneta. Our room was on the third floor and was closed off from the other Cuadruple bedroom on the floor. Our room was a bright orange color with the 2 bedrooms and a small sitting room with a couch and our own bathroom with running water 24/7. Each bedroom had 2 twin-size beds, the beds were pretty stiff you ask me, But they did the job. There really wasn’t much to our room. There was a small couch out side the bedroom that one of us had to sleep on. Mark and Alex slept in the bedroom to the right, Kristen and Marybeth slept in the bedroom to the right and I slept on the couch. Every room in the Hostel had Wi-Fi and the Kitchen had a microwave, fridge, stove/oven and a toaster. The kitchen is where breakfast was served in the mornings. Usually there were pancakes and mango syrup, but twice we had fruit salad with a wide variety of fruits. (pictures above is actual views from hostel)

The first night all of us were treated to a Home cooked Ecuadorian meal by Agneta and her Husband Raul. There were only 8 people at the hostel that night and they are used to a number between 20 and 35 people. Agneta made us Locro(a soup of potato with corn), The main course she made for use was called Seco De Chivo(a stew made from mutton), and for dessert she made us morocho de leche (basically rice pudding with cinnamon) I only ate my soup and pudding ,mutton wasn’t not my thing. The next day we walked to a near by market called majestic with the other people who were staying at the hostel. There was a couple from Wales whom were very nice, and a young lady around 21 from Brazil. We bought bread, peanut butter, jelly, and some fruits that were a lot better than the fruit I get at food Lion. We bought some Lomo(steak) and Pollo(chicken ) that we would cook for dinner 2 nights that week. We made sandwiches 3 nights .We had bought a lot of fruit at the market and had fruit to snack on through out the week. For our last meal in Ecuador we went out to eat with the couple from Wales, we figured since we were both just looking for a quick meal that we would go to KFC. The couple from Wales was not too impressed but it was a meal and we only had to walk 2 blocks for it.(picture below is a picture of the market we went to )

On our trip:

Bread 3$.

Mango jelly and strawberry jelly were 2 $

Peanut butter 2 $

Mangoes, Pineapples papayas and bananas were 10$

Steak and chicken for all of us was 20 $

Our KFC bucket was 10 $ and was well worth it.

Cuadruple bedroom and breakfast 434

Total 478.

locro

So Fly, like a bird !

The hotel we stayed at offered a complimentary drive to the hotel, so we didn't have to pay anything! How lucky are we?! Flight Information: Fare: San Jose (SJO), Costa Rica - Panama (PTY), Panama - Quito (UIO), Ecuador

5 ADULT . Saturday, September 24 2011, 05:42 PM - Saturday, September 24 2011, 11:21 PM.	USD 2,175.00
Fuel Surcharges	USD 500.00
Taxes (Approximate) Additional airport taxes may apply in some routes	USD 141.65

TOTAL: USD 2,816.65 For all 5 of us, it cost $2,816.65. It is a non stop flight, so we don't have to get on and off a bunch of planes! We can each check 2 bags and have a carry on. I can't wait for Ecuador ! (:

Preview of the week!

Alex: Blue

Noah: Green

Mark: Red

Kristen: Orange

Mary Beth: Purple

For September 29th:

Flights- Mary Beth

Hotel- Noah

Wrap Up- Kristen

Natural Site & Built Monument- Alex

Cultural/Historic Sight & Rec/Sports- Mark

We have $12,500 for Quito, Ecuador this week. Can't wait for this week's adventures.

Costa Rica Wrap Up

We had so much fun and are exhausted after this trip!
We did really well as far as budgeting and planning our time well in Costa Rica.

Our $100,000 budget broken up into 8 weeks leaves $12,500 per week trip.

Mark found great deals on the zip lines and rafting trip which totaled $495 USD (252,705.59 CRC) and $300 USD (153,154.90 CRC) The transportation was included in both trips. The guides picked us up at the hotel. Everything else we just walked to.

So we made out well. We had so much extra money for this leg, we decided to all get souvenirs. Alex got a mini volcano replica of Arenal that explodes fake lava and then recedes back in for the next explosion as well as postcards for his girlfriend. Mary Beth found a little masked man dog toy to bring home. Mark purchased a sweet rafting t shirt with his face on it fighting the rapids. Noah found a little monkey stuff animal that looked like the ones that chased us. And Kristen bought some jewelry from the local market!


Overall with the food, hotel, attractions, and souvenirs, we totaled $5,000 USD which came out to be 2,514,750 Costa Rican Colon. We looked like big shots with our US dollars out all the time. Everyone wanted to give us the best experience and really show us some South American hospitality.

We still have $95,000 dollars left for the next 7 legs of the trip!

Can't wait til we head out toward our next leg in Quito, Ecuador!

Make sure to check out our slideshow of pictures and click on them.

Hotel Stay!

I am so relieved we made it with very minimal stress. Besides my passport score and rushing to catch our connecting flight since we only had one hour everything went very smooth.

The hotel we are stayed at is called Arenal Observatory Lodge. It is only 1.7 miles from the Arenal Volcano. The five of us stayed in the La Carsona room, which has 3 bunk beds, luckily we all had our own bed. "La Carsona" huts are 500 meters from the main building and there are 5 huts. There is a common hut with two bathrooms and a shower that all 5 huts use. This was great because it contributed to meeting other people. This hotel is awesome for the amazing price we got. It has mini fridges in every room, a swimming pool, a kids pool, jacuzzi, jungle view, volcano view, lava view, game room, currency exchange, coffee services, safe hiking trails, free breakfast. It was $114 per night for all 5 of us.

Since we had free breakfast every morning that saved us a lot of money. Box lunches daily are $8.50 per person and we got a voucher for 2 free per person for staying for the whole week. So 4 of the 7 days we ate box lunches so that was $17 USD per person. One of the days we ate lunch with the guys we surfed with so that was free. Another day we ate at the natural site so that was also free. We also ate at the museum one day so that was free as well.

For dinner the last night we ate at Cascajo’s del Arenal which our friends who gave us surfing lessons suggested was the best restaurant. Mary Beth and I had the Mountain Rice, a mixture of rice with mushrooms, broccoli florets, sweet peppers, green beans, etc... all perfectly cooked and presented. Alex, Mark, and Noah had the Volcano steak...steak with a pepper, onion, tomato, jalapeno sauce blend they also were very pleased. I took a picture of their steak because it looked so delicious. Overall the total bill was a very reasonable $72 USD. The first night the hotel gave us a complimentary dinner because anyone who stays for a full week gets two free lunch vouchers and one free dinner. The other nights we went to a little strip of local grocery stores, stores, and restaurants for dinner that the hotel manger told us about. It was a little less than a mile away. I had rice, salad, or chicken for dinner every night since I am so picky. Two of the nights we went to the grocery store and grabbed premade plates they had that we could put in the microwave. The total for the four nights was $179 with tips included.

The total for accommodation: (114 x 6 nights) + (18 tip) = $684 usd

The total for food:

Breakfast- $0

Lunch-(2 days of boxed lunches)- $85

Dinner- Cascaio- $72 + $179= $251

Total= $336

Total for food and hotel = $1,010

Friday - Built Attraction

After having the heart-pounding, adrenaline rush filled day yesterday and thinking we’d just take it easy today, we couldn’t help but do another exciting activity today. We had heard about Ecoglide Arenal from a couple of the locals and were told that we had to give it a try. Ecoglide Arenal Park is a man-made attraction located in San Carlos. This attraction was basically a tour that is taken within the canopy of the rainforest. We were strapped into cable runways and made our way through the tree tops like Tarzan. The views were beyond breath-taking. It was awesome to be able to see the native animals and birds in their natural habitats. Thanks to the safety system that is setup, we never felt as though our lives were threatened although some of us still experienced some hesitation because of the high heights. At the end of the tour we were served snacks and got to play around on a “Tarzan-themed” rope swing.

Thursday - Natural Site

Today we decided to get our adrenaline fix and do some river rafting around the Arenal Volcano. I chose for us to take on The Bull River, which is a class 3 and 4 river. We decided to book a the 8:30 AM tour, and found out it would last 7 hours. Of course none of us had any rafting experience before this and it may have not been the wisest of choices. The views of the rainforest and mountainsides were awesome, the smashing against rocks and taking on waves while being flung down the river was not so awesome. We did get to see some pineapple and papaya fields, which is something none of us had ever seen before. Mid-trip we stopped for lunch with the guide and were served delicious fresh fruits. In the end we all almost died, but we made it to the end and looking back on it we didn’t regret it. Before going home, we were fed a meal of gallo pinto and fresh fruit while sitting along the pristine river bank. It was quite the experience, but we will probably take it easy for the rest of the week.

Relaxing day on the beach...or an awesome adventure ?

Today we were going to go relax on the beach. When we got there we saw a group of surfers. They noticed us watching and offered us free lessons! It was so amazing. I fell off the most, but everybody got the hang of it eventually. The Costa Rican people were so friendly and helpful. They even invited us back for lunch at their home. We had hamburgers and salad. It was so good after a long day of surfing. The first time I went out I fell off so hard that my whole left leg is bruised. But, it was still worth it. I can't believe I actually learned how to surf! I thought we were just going to lay out at the beach and tan and it turned into a completely different experience. I am so thankful that they were so kind and patient with us. Surfing is something I definitely want to continue to do. Maybe I'll buy a surfboard back home!

Museum, here we come !

Going to the Museo Nacional De Costa Rica was so interesting! It is the most important museum there. It is housed in the whitewashed Bellavista Fortress which was built in 1870. You can still see the bullet holes from their civil war back in 1948. My feet hurt from walking around the museum all day, but it was worth it! We got to see pre-Columbian artifacts, period dressed, colonial furniture, and religious arts and photographs. The whole museum is three stories and stores pre-Columbian gold jewelry that is the largest collection of its kind in Central America. I feel like my brain is on overload from learning so many interesting facts here! The museum gave us free lunch because they over booked the museum that day and everything was so hectic. It was so good, even though it was just sandwiches and chips. I'm glad we decided to go to the museum.

Arenal Volcano!

Wow! We are so lucky to have started out our around the world trip with such a fantastic natural site. The five of us trekked out the surroundings for some great views of the Volcano during the day and night! It is an active volcano that still has lava running down it! Scary but so cool!

We did have a bit of trouble in the airport once we arrived because Kristen thought she forgot her passport and wallet, but it turns out she packed it in another section of her bag.

We scrambled from my apartment near the airport to get in line for security at 5 am, two hours before our flight! The only thing that kept us awake is the adrenaline of knowing we were about to set out on a life changing trip.

We started out with $100,000 divided into 8 weeks is $12,500. So far the flights for the whole group were $2,558.35, which left us with $9,941.65 left in the budget for this leg of the trip, $97,441.65 in our total pool!

The best part of the trip was being chased by monkeys down the street! There is a picture in the slideshow showing how they ganged up on us!

The rest of the members will share their aspects and responsibilities for the trip as well.

First Flights:Raleigh -San Jose

Flight number	Departing City & time	Arriving City & time	Aircraft type
Flight : 969	RDU Raleigh/ Durham Sep 8, 2011 07:05 AM	MIA Miami Sep 8, 2011 09:05 AM	738
Flight:971	MIA Miami Sep 8, 2011 10:05 AM	SJO San Jose Sep 8, 2011 10:50 AM	757

Fare Summary:

Passenger type used in pricing Adult

Fare per person 465.00USD

Total Fare per person 465.00USD

Additional taxes and fees per person 46.67 USD

Total price per person 511.67USD

Number of passengers X5

Total price 2558.35USD

* 2 bags can be checked for free on American Airlines*

Pre-Trip

I am very very excited for this adventure I am about to partake in with my 5 friends. I spent the last few days packing and checking out the weather for our various locations. It took me forever to figure out how to post on this thing but now that I have it figured out I am very excited to share this journey with everyone. All of my other friends are pretty sad I am going to be gone for 8 weeks. Telling them bye today was very hard for me but they are all looking forward to me sending them lots of pictures. I definitely packed the most out of the group but I still think I did pretty good with my packing (I am a very heavy packer) especially when I have to pack for so many different weather possibilities and for such a long trip. I have never been anywhere outside of the US besides the carribean islands so I am feeling very nervous and excited at the same time. I hope no-one forgot anything, I guess we will find out soon enough....

Looking forward to following your trip

Thanks for including me on this trip.

YOU READY?

THIS IS SO CRAZY !!
By my next post ill be on my way around the world with 5 friends. Im excited for everything that's coming my way. Im not going to be packing much ,just what can fit in one book-bag,and snacks. Is anyone bring cards for the plane rides? possibly uno?

and to all of us besides alex :SHOTGUN on the way to the airport.

Almost leaving!

I haven't been able to sleep all night!

First, I am anxious to make sure I packed everything right, and second, so excited to travel around the world in the next 8 weeks!

I am not sure if I am prepared enough for all the climate changes and different weather patterns, but should be fine. In scouting, I learned to manage any situation and feel confident as tourists, we can figure it all out.


I'm going to miss my girlfriend a ton, she is so jealous that I am leaving to travel around the world because travelling is such a huge passion of hers. (she has scrapbooked every trip she has been on) She has given me a list of souvenirs she wants from every place we go to and has packed me her digital camera and tons of battery packs. She made me promise her to take pictures of everything, so that she can live vicariously through me. I also had to promise her I wasn't going to get arrested or do something stupid in a foreign country where she can't come bail me out. But we'll see. haha.

I am heading out to pick up the rest of the group and take them to the airport, I hope everyone's things fit in my car.

We will post again in a week when we visit the Volcano in Costa Rica!

Adios!