Monday Afternoon - Santa Elena

This afternoon we spent a couple of hours in the quaint little town of Santa Elena. The central core of Santa Elena is only about two blocks by two blocks and has quite a number of shops, tourism offices and restaurants. We spent time looking at the shops, trying to get out money from the ATM at the Banco Nacional, and eating ice cream at a small ice cream shop. I ordered an iced coffee and was given a coffee milkshake which was delicious. Some of the students went with Pablo, who knows of a place where they sell both original and replica soccer jerseys. At 5:30 we met back at the bus and went back to our hotel.
Supper tonight was really good. The cooks prepared rice with a black bean sauce, mashed potatoes, fish (marlin), carrots, fruit, and fresh juices and coffee as beverages. After supper they opened the disco again. The students are having a really great time and they are starting to mix a little bit with the other EF groups from the U.S. There are students here from New York State, Brooklyn, Maine, Rhode Island, and Philadelphia. Quite a mix and a really good opportunity for our students to learn about other people.

Tomorrow we are going to drive to the central pacific coast, go on a crocodile tour, and then check in at the hotel, which is located on the beach and actually has a swimming pool. Students will not be allowed to swim in the ocean because there are strong undertows. They can go in the water up till their knees, but if they want to swim it will have to be in the hotel pool. We've heard that the beach at this spot is amazing. It is several miles long and not very populated. We're really looking forward to getting to the ocean.