*********** Article Bump- Please "Read More" for Adrian's full write up of the trip to accompany the video. From handstands on airplanes to volcanos, it sounds like an awesome trip! ***********
Mark Toorock and Levi Meeuwenberg (The Tribe) recently joined Adrian Gonzales (APK Alliance), Derek Klein, and Jared Woods on a trip to Costa Rica. They met up with the local community and had several performances and demonstrations. Adrian cut together this video of their experiences:
Recently, members of the Tribe (Mark Toorock and Levi Meeuwenberg) APK Alliance (Adrian Gonzalez), and Miami Parkour team (Jared Woods and Derek Klein) visited Costa Rica in an effort to spark interest in the art of Parkour, meet and jam with local practitioners, and tour the country. We were invited on behalf of the University of Veritas to put on a performance and day of workshops for the students and faculty alike. The trip was as much a success as it was a fun opportunity to share the country and hospitality of my family with friends.
To inaugurate the trip we decided to entertain the flight crew and passengers with a few quick handstands on the airplane. Though certainly surprised, their applause indicated their approval.
Saturday we arrived in San Jose and were greeted by our host Alejandra Barahona (Dean of Universidad Veritas).
From the airport we headed to lunch in San Jose after which we headed to the University court yard which was to be the site for our performances and workshops. The courtyard would make for an interesting performance spot and although the area provided some unique opportunities, we decided it would be best to rent some scaffolding to make for a better, and more versatile setting. That evening we rested in anticipation for our jam the following day with the Costa Rican parkour team.
Sunday we headed off to the University of San Jose where we were greeted by Manfred Castro, Raul Jimenez, and Kathya Delgado, all members of Parkour Costa Rica. After showing us a favorite spot of theirs we connected with the rest of their group elsewhere on campus. The three hours that followed saw us touring the University and jamming with everyone in a fun and positive environment. They were enthusiastic to have us there and eager to show us their skill and favorite training grounds. My family and I helped to translate for the both groups to aid in communication. However, even though a language barrier existed between the majority of our two camps, it did nothing to deter the fun and energy shared through the art of parkour.
We took plenty of pictures and invited our new friends to come out to the shows the following Wednesday.
Monday was a day of rehearsal and prep. We spent a few hours walking the University and planning our runs and demos. We also contemplated how to best use the scaffolding and how to go about running worshops, especially given the absence of decent training mats.
We headed off with our host to rent scaffolding in a nearby town of San Francisco. It gave us yet another opportunity to drive through neighboring cities and take in the sites. With all the arrangements in place for delivery we returned to San Jose for lunch with my family (who are well spread throughout the country). We headed back to the University to kill time while our host hunted down mats to use for the workshops. In the meantime we played around in a nearby facility used for classrooms and theater presentations. The presence of working students did little to deter us from filming some vaults and climbing. We ended up deciding that this location could serve as a secondary site for performances if we ended up getting rained out on Wednesday. Finally we were able to acquire some fairly decent mats, enough to at least teach rolling to one or two people at a time.
Tuesday my Uncle and Aunt drove us up to the Poas Volcano. It’s just one of the many active Volcanoes in Costa Rica and sits about an hour and a half north of the city. Luck was not on our side that day though. The Volcano is best viewed when the weather is clear enough to see down into the crater. On this day though the clouds moved in too soon and we were unable to see much of anything. That didn’t stop us from enjoying the surrounding jungle and even getting the opportunity to see a nearby lagoon that used to be the volcanoes principal crater. We took in the surroundings and headed to lunch at a nearby restaurant.
Lunch was followed by a visit to a waterfall on the way down to San Jose. Mark tempted fate by posing for a picture while standing on a slick guard rail with a drop of some 20 feet behind him. Still he made it out ok and joined the rest of us on the trail behind the waterfall. That site made for some fun clips as well (video coming soon).
Tuesday evening we relaxed at my Aunts house and rested for the upcoming day.
Wednesday we arrived early at the University for final preparations and warm up. The crowds gathered slowly in anticipation for our 11:00 am show. As is the case in Costa Rica however, the clouds started to move in little by little. As we took positions on nearby rooftops in preparation for our big entrance, Mark made the announcements and introductions in Spanish to the crowds. Sure enough though, the rain started to come down. Drizzling at first then heavy, causing us to jump right into the demo and move through it as fast as we could before the area and surfaces became too treacherous.
We finished the show without incident, but with lots of last second improvisations. The crowds responded to the energy and fast paced demo though and were very entertained. The weather continued making workshops impossible for while. We rested and killed time until the rain let up and the time came for our next show. We played around on location and kept the passersby interested. After lunch the weather cleared up nicely and the sun was unobstructed for the afternoon. The crowd was slightly smaller for the second half of the day, but no less energetic. It added to the effect of the demo that our choreography had us running through the audience and even surrounding them at times. Their attention was constantly shifting based on where we were in the courtyard making nearly everyone of our moves and sequences a surprise.
As we wrapped up the show we cued our Costa Rican friends Manfred and Raul to join us for the finale. The audience, now more enthused than ever, jumped right into the workshops. After an hour or so of working with everyone the sun was setting and it came time to wrap up.
Thursday we awoke early to head to Puerto Viejo, a small town on the Caribbean coast. The winding roads took us through the rainforest and countryside near Limon. We arrived and ate lunch at a resort managed by more of my cousins. The hotel restaurant was a mere 30 yards (if even that) from the sand and we walked to the beach to find that we had it all to ourselves. We spend the day in water, tricking a bit on the sand, and walking the length of the beach. We even managed to hike a bit through the rainforest and take pictures and videos on nearby cliffs.
That night we hit the town for a while. The relaxed Caribbean atmosphere and lifestyle was infectious though and we retired fairly early as the week’s activities caught up with us. The next day we made the drive back to San Jose and caught our afternoon flights home.
All in all it was a fun trip filled with laughs, good food, new friends, and a chance to share the discipline/arts we all love.
Users' Comments
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1.
11-18-2008 13:53
wow, awesome guys. looks like it was great!
2.
11-19-2008 01:22
dude, that was awesome! think you guys will ever perform here in south carolina?
3.
11-20-2008 20:08
Sweet Vid! Loving the mo-hawk man! Its a shame SkyNative couldn't get them Salmon bars on Ninja Warrior.... Next year though. He'll be the first Americano to win it!
4.
12-04-2008 05:37
SOunds/looks like you guys had a blast and I hadn't seen the vid until now and all I have to say is very nice. Can't wait till the next venture for you guys. Till then
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Next year though. He'll be the first Americano to win it! 
