Juniata Men's Soccer in Costa Rica Day Four

By Nate Weick

 

Day four of the Juniata's men's soccer team's trip in Costa Rica served mainly as a transition to our second location, the Tilajari Rainforest. We will be staying in the rainforest tomorrow before making the trip to the Pacific coast of Costa Rica to stay at a beach resort and regroup for the final three days abroad before returning to Huntingdon.

 

We began the day with a long commute to one of the main attractions of the trip, whitewater rafting. We spent around two hours riding the strong currents and rocky waves of the Costa Rican rivers with assistance from trained instructors. As you could probably guess, many of us succumbed to the current and enjoyed an unplanned swim in the river. We even stopped halfway along the river to enjoy fresh pineapples and watermelons which had a sweet taste that made it all worth it. However scary the time on the waters may have seemed for us, there is no doubt that it was definitely a thrilling and valuable experience that brought the team closer together.

 

We then made the journey to the rainforest and checked in to our new home for the next two days, the Tilajari Rainforest Hotel, which is also where we held our second training session of the trip. The hotel has a well-kept soccer field as its front lawn and includes a restaurant, pool, and a view of lush surrounding environments with natural wildlife such as spider monkeys, lizards, and supposedly jaguars. We enjoyed a night at the hotel training on the field and having dinner at the restaurant while taking in the new environment.

 

Tomorrow we will first compete in our second and final friendly match of the trip against San Carlos, another well-respected club in Costa Rica. Next, we will visit Waterfall La Fortuna and enjoy a dinner on the site of volcanic hot springs. These are two of the main tourist attractions on the trip, and we are all excited for the sightseeing.

 

¡Pura Vida!