Final Day - A beach cleaning and much more.





After a long morning of beach cleaning.

Max combing the beach for plastic and other trash that washes up each night.

Alex doing his best to help.

Cleaning up the beach... volunteering with the local turtle hatchery.

Local insects spotted outside. 


In the morning we had a delectable breakfast from the hotel's restaurant, which was pancakes, scrambled eggs, and pineapple. Then we went to the local turtle hatchery and learned about microplastics and their effect on the planet, specifically Costa Rica. We split into 2 groups and collected garbage from the beach for approximately 2 hours. After we finished with beach cleanup, we returned to the hotel for lunch, where we munched on pizza. Then we went to the beach, even though it was an absolute monsoon and swam in the ocean. Everyone was very surprised by the amount of rocks in the water, and we all left with a few cuts and bruises. We had some coke and Costa Rican cookies for a snack and then came back to the hotel to get ready for dinner and departure. We had lasagna for dinner and then said our final goodbyes to Costa Rica and piled onto the bus for our 5 hour bus ride. This truly was a trip of a lifetime, so thank you Costa Rica, for welcoming us with open arms. 

- hannah yancey, mercy '23




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