Travel Weekly: Next stop, Costa Rica

For Californians looking to vacation to an active, fun-filled environment, Santa Monica College student Eduardo Jaime said Costa Rica should definitely be on their list.

Jaime, who has lived in California his whole life, described his middle school trip to Costa Rica as a relaxing time.

"There wasn't a bunch of buildings, and it wasn't overpopulated," said Jaime, when sharing some differences between Costa Rica and Los Angeles. "The people were really nice and just friendly all the time, and it's a really cool place to go."

While in Costa Rica, Jaime said he spent the majority of his time on tour buses that would take him to different locations throughout the week.

Some of the places he visited included the different hot springs that Costa Rica had to offer. He said that one of his favorite experiences was traveling to one of Costa Rica's volcanoes.

While in Costa Rica, Jaime was able to experience a variety of different activities.

"We went water-rafting and zip-lining, and we went and inside this cave and just explored it," he said.

He mentioned that he was able to zip-line across certain parts of different canyons, and that although it may be scary at first, it is definitely worth trying.

"We went to a bunch of beaches," he said. "Those were really nice too. The water was really clean, very clear."

Jaime noted that the wildlife in Costa Rica was much more exposed than in Santa Monica or Los Angeles.

"We went to a rainforest, and we saw sloths, and we even saw monkeys on the beach," he said.

"They were taking stuff from people," Jaime said. "They took this lady's bag of chips and just ran up a tree. It was pretty funny."

He also mentioned that he went along on a crocodile safari, and was truly able to witness the enormous size of a crocodile.

"They're huge," said Jaime. "It's kind of scary, actually, at first."

For anyone looking for something to do in Costa Rica, Jaime said that zip-lining was his favorite activity, and that anyone should strive to try it.

Other places that he wishes to travel include Europe to see the Eiffel Tower, Canada to visit family and to see the snow.