Hi all! Lots to tell this week.
Last weekend we had a great group excursion to La Fortuna, one of the main locations in Costa Rica for outdoor adventures. We had a full weekend with hiking, swimming, and paddling. We arrived late Friday night to a nice Airbnb right outside of downtown, and just spent some time settling in. Then we woke up bright and early on Saturday for our full day tour. We started with some hiking at a nature reserve near Arenal Volcano. Most of the rocks we were walking on were solidified lava from previous eruptions. Luckily, there were very little clouds or mist, so we were able to see all the way to the top of the volcano’s cone.
Mostly clear skies at Arenal!
After eating a typical casado for lunch at a local restaurant, our tour continued with a waterfall hike. We took a tractor ride up to the top of the La Fortuna waterfall, then climbed down to the pool at the base for a swim. The water in the river was pretty cold, but it was so refreshing to stand near the base of the waterfall and feel the mist spray us. There were also lots of rocks to climb over and sit on, and lots of other tourists enjoying the water.
For the last stop of our tour, we went to a hot springs resort to enjoy all the pools they had. It was such a relaxing contrast from the cold water in the river. I love swimming but I can’t stand cold water, especially on my back and shoulders, so cold showers or getting fully submerged in a cold river aren’t really my idea of a good time. The hot springs were really nice, though. In a bit of a Goldilocks moment, I decided that the hot pools were, in fact, too hot, and I did not get all the way submerged in those either. The children’s pool, however, turned out to be the perfect temperature.
Before hiking down to the waterfall
On Sunday we slept in a bit, then drove to Lago Arenal for some paddle boarding. Being right at the base of the volcano, we had an amazing view that I’ve never had while paddling or kayaking before. After about an hour, the wind started to pick up and was blowing us towards the less safe part of the lake, so we headed back to shore. It was a relaxing afternoon, though, and my arms and shoulders definitely felt it the next day.
View of Arenal Volcano from Lago Arenal
At work this week, Pablo and I mainly spent our time working on our prototype. We observed more Doppler procedures on Wednesday, and also talked to Dr. Vargas to plan out when we can print our headset. The headset needs to be printed in two halves and then glued together, so we won’t have both halves until next week. On Thursday and Friday, we prepared for our final presentations, and went to a few different hardware stores to get glue, screws, springs, and some foam cushioning. On Monday we’ll be putting everything together, and then presenting our project to Dr. Wettergreen. Hard to believe we’re almost finished!
Back half of the headpiece