Volunteer Abroad Blog

Costa Rica has many traditional and delicious foods and beverages. There is no better way to experience the culture than to go to a small family owned restaurant (soda), and order the local food and drink while engaging in conservation with Costa Ricans (in spanish!) Here are some must-haves from the Costa Rican cuisine. 

1. Christmas tamale - Tamales are dough made from corn with pork, spices, beans, vegetables, and rice boiled in a plantain leaf. Families typically make lots of tamales during the Christmas season.

2. Guaro - Sugarcane alcohol.

3. Casado - A typical, large and very inexpensive, plate served at at local restaurants or ’sodas.’ Usually consists of rice, beans, meat or fish, salad, and platanos.

4. Coffee- Costa Rica produces some of the world’s best coffee.

5. Fruit and fruit juices - Banana, papayas, mangoes, mamonchinos, coconuts and an abundance of other locally grown fruits and their juices are a must have on a hot day.

6. Natilla - Sour cream like condiment, often served with gallo pinto.

7. Gallo Pinto - Rice and beans dish, made with onions, spices and herbs, typically served for breakfast.

8. Salsa Lazano - A bottled sauce with a unique taste, found at supermarkets

9. Platanos (fried ripened, yellow plantains) and Patacones (fried unripened, green plaintains)

10. Olla de Carne - Typical Costa Rica soup, made with large pieces of meats (beef) and vegetables (potatoes, plantains, ect).

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Traveling in Costa Rica can be a fun and exciting experience! The public bus system is convenient and inexpensive and you can get to just about anywhere via the San Jose bus stations, located one hour by bus from San Ramon. Here are some help travel tips while traveling in Costa Rica.

1. Carry a copy of your passport.

2. Check return bus times and buy your return ticket when you arrive to your destination.

3. Avoid putting your luggage above the seats in the bus and do not let anyone handle your luggage.

4. Visit a rain forest and both coasts, Caribbean and Pacific.

5.  Go to local bars and restaurants and try the local cuisine speak with the locals.

6. Try to speak as much Spanish as possible.

7. Pack as light as possible, especially for weekend trips.

8. Take a red taxi if possible and ask taxi drivers to start the meter, “ponga la maria, por favor”

9. Always watch your belonging and keep valuables close, especially while traveling by bus.

10. Wear lots of of sunscreen and bug repellent.

Follow these tips and you’ll be sure to have an enjoyable experience!

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 Author: Sarah Hackman

Last day in Panama. I walked around Casco Viejo this morning, more celebrations in the plazas with music, dancing, and Kuna and other vendors. I went to the Mercado de Mariscos again, had a cup of the lobster ceviche this time, delicious! I decided to go to the Calzada, the causeway, today. The Calzada is a 2km palm tree lined walkway at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. Many Panamanians and visitors come here to walk, run or rent a bike for an early morning exercise. The Causeway has views of the city skyline above the harbor, including Cerron Ancon and Casco Viejo. After walking the Causeway I went to the Centro de Exhibiciones Marinas where there was a small aquarium, beautiful views of several islands in the Pacific and a small nature trail with iguanas and other animals. It was another hot day in Panama and although I really enjoyed my travels, I am excited to get back to the cool, central highland town of San Ramon. I packed my things, checked out of the hostel and made my way to the bus station ready for a long ride back to Costa Rica. The hostel had a sign hanging above its main staircase with a quote from T. S. Elliot which read, “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” This is true of San Ramon and I believe as I continue to travel I will always think of Costa Rica as a home away from home.

A few suggestion for future travelers of Panama city:

Stay in Casco Viejo and soak up its old world charm

Indulge in Granclement’s ice cream/gelato

See the canal and learn about its history

Take a walk or bike ride along the Causeway

Enjoy fresh ceviche from the Mercado de Mariscos

Experience the beautiful wild life of Soberania National Park

Relax in the beautiful Kuna Islands of San Blas

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Life is good at the Camaronal turtle conservation project! Volunteers spend their days hanging out on the beach, helping maintain the project site and resting up for their night patrol.

Volunteers mainly work at night doing the patrols. There is one shift from 9pm to 2am and another one from 2 to 6 am. An average of ten nests will be found every night. The beach is 3 km long which means the volunteers will walk 6 km every night. While on patrol, volunteers relocate entire nests, taking some to the hatchery. The hatchery is checked every night and the volunteers help the little turtles to get to the water. Data is always collected; number of eggs, kind of turtle, position of the nest, new location, number of turtles hatched, etc.

Volunteers are provided with three meals a day from Monday to Saturday. Breakfast is from 7 to 8, lunch is at 12 and dinner is served at 6. On Sundays the volunteers can cook their own food in the kitchen or go into town. The volunteers have the day free in order to rest and prepare for the night work. Volunteers can also help with the construction of new trails or go to one of the three nearby towns, Carrillo, Hojancha or Samara. It is a 45 minuet walk to the bus station in Carrillo. There are different activities they can do in their free time such as going to the beach, hiking, reading, napping, horseback riding or swimming.

Volunteer Blake said this of her time at Camaronal, “The lifestyle here is both rigorous and relaxing. Days are filled with light chores, learning Spanish and recreations such as swimming, reading, and horseback riding. At night we patrol the beaches protecting Olive Ridley, Leatherback, Hawskbill and Black turtles. It is exhausting but rewarding!”

For more pictures of Camaronal, check out uVolunteer’s photo gallery

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Autho: Sarah Hackman

Back in the hostel in Casco Viejo, Panama City, another early wake up to catch the early bus to Parque Nacional Soberania. I made it all the way there this time and after a multiple km walk I reached Pipeline Drive, considered to be one of the world’s premier birding sites. Not many people on the trail for being an early Saturday morning. There were a couple of guided tours and some other tourists along the way. The wild life was incredible! I walked most of the trail with another American traveling Panama. We spotted howler and white faced monkeys, three sloths, blue morpho butterflys, and multiple species of beautiful birds including woodpeckers, toucans, acracaris, jacobins and trogrons. After a long morning/afternoon in the park, I made my way back to Casco Viejo. I relaxed in one of the hostel’s hammocks in their outdoor bar area outback. The hostel is in front of old multicolored apartment buildings full of Panamanians enjoying their Saturday evening, doing laundry and singing and dancing to the radio. After a rest, I spent the evening in one the plazas, enjoying the sites and sounds of Casco Viejo.

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Mary volunteered in San Ramon for three weeks and shares her story with us here.

“I visited Costa Rica a year ago and I fell in love with the people and the country.  After my visit, I wanted to return for a longer period of time.  I stumbled across websites for many volunteer organizations and thought it would be a great opportunity.  AI s I browsed through different websites I was a little discouraged to go forward with volunteer work as it is expensive.  However, uVolunteer was significantly cheap than many other organizations and unlike many it was not located in San Jose which I liked. Upon arrival the staff was great.  We had a welcome dinner at the dorm and hung out that night.  The next day we were given a tour of San Ramon and given a packet full of information about the town, the country, the culture, and our projects.  Orientation day was quite helpful.  We were also given a small orientation our first day at our projects.  A staff member took each of us to our project so we would feel comfortable getting to and from the location. I truly enjoyed my time at the orphanage.  The kids were so welcoming and loved having visitors.  It was very evident the difference that volunteers make in each of their lives.  A typical day as a volunteer included a variety of activities like drawing/coloring, reading, playing soccer or basketball, dancing, singing, etc.  They enjoyed dancing and playing soccer most of all.  It was also a pleasure getting to know the tias.  They are great role models for the kids.  The tias always treat the kids with affection and nurture them.

During my time in San Ramon, I chose to do both a dormitory stay and a home stay.  I would recommend this to volunteers.  It is a great experience staying in the dorm as you meet a lot of people and most likely travel on the weekends with the people in the dorms.  It is also fun getting to meet so many people from different parts of the world.  A home stay experience is also worthwhile, though.  During the home stay, chances are that you will speak nothing but Spanish, which is a great way to learn.  It is also a great experience because you are truly able to see what it is like to live like Costa Rican families.  The families really enjoy having visitors and treat the volunteers like family. Traveling during your downtime is definitely worthwhile.  I would recommend to any volunteer to try and see as much of Costa Rica as possible.  In 3 weeks I was able to visit beach areas like Jaco, Montezuma and Santa Theresa.  I also did the zip lines in Monteverde, which were amazing.  Getting around can be a long process, but it is very easy.  The buses are reliable or people may choose shuttle service, which is typically faster.  Despite the long process, though, I am glad that I was able to do so much sightseeing before I left. uVolunteer is a great organization.  Their purpose isn’t just about helping the community but also about helping people grow as individuals.  In three weeks I learned so much about myself and who I want to be.  It was such a rewarding experience and I hope that I will have a chance to complete an opportunity like this in the future.

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Author: Sarah Hackman

After three nights in Kuna Yala it was time to leave. The San Blas Islands are truly a paradise. It was not easy to go, but I was looking forward to going back to Casco Viejo and Panama City. As you move away from the water in Casco Viejo it can get dangerous but I always felt safe where I was. Lots of police, including tourist police (Casco Viejo is the second most tourist visited site besides the Canal in Panama) as well as guards for the presidential palace compound which is just a block down the street along the water from the hostel. After the bumpy jeep ride from the islands, we got back to Luna’s late that afternoon. I watched the sunset from the Plaza de Francia in Casco Viejo and indulged in possibly the best ice cream/gelato I have ever had, and that says a lot coming from a true ice cream lover, at Granclement. As I walked home past more “independence month” celebrations in the plazas, listening to Panamanian music from radios in the apartment buildings, I really fell in love with traveling. I spent the rest of the evening talking with other travelers in the hostel, listening to the sounds of the city from the balcony.

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Week 6:

Last week I went to the zoo in Santa Cruz. The zoo was much nicer than I thought It would be. I really enjoyed the zoo and the cooler weather was perfect for walking around on the homefront. I´m still very happy in the school. Exams are starting soon and I am going on vacation next week so this is likely my last week at the school. I must admit I´m sad to leave, I’ve grown very close with the kids and I´m starting to get to know the teachers well. Although I´m sad to leave school I´m still excited to start at the orphanage. I asked to Kattia to work there and she coordinated it for me. However, a part of me thinks I will want to go back to the school in the new year. We´ll see how things are. I´m really excited for the trip next week. I´m especially looking forward to seeing the Salar de Uyuni en Potosi.

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Author: Sarah Hackman

After two nights in the Kuna island of Carti Yandup, I decided to move to the Robinson Islands of San Blas this morning. Rather than a whole village, there are only a few families living on the islands and some cabinas for tourists. I layed in a hammock on the beach under the shade of the palm trees for most of the day before a late lunch of fresh lobster. We went to the capital island of Kuna Yala late in the afternoon. Lots of activity and kids running around playing games and singing. We came back to Robinson just after sunset and after dinner sat under the most beautiful sky I have ever seen! I have never seen so many stars, the sky was full of them and the more you looked the more there were. You could hardly make out the constellations because of all the other starts around them. The San Blas islands are truly paradise.

For more pictures of Panama and Kuna Yala, check out uVolunteer’s photo gallery.

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Week 5:

This past weekend I went to Samaipata. Kattia was helpful in assisting me in planning my trip. She did everything from finding me a hotel to making a list of things to do, prices included. I really appreciated all of her help. I loved Samaipata. It was absolutely wonderful. I met three girls on my way there and spent my time with them. I really enjoyed their company and liked them a lot. I thought the ruins at El fuerte were amazing. We actually walked home from the ruins rather than having our car wait. The walk was hard especially in the sun but the view and the pictures I took definetely made it wonderful. I’m still very happy in my project placement. I am throghouly enjoying it. I´m actually enjoying my work more now that I´m always in the first grade class. The kids are great and I love the teacher. I like it a lot because I can see the progress the kids are making and I always feel well appreciated by both the teacher and students.

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