Located on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, Puerto Viejo had some of the best food I ate all trip, and was one of the only real life application of engineers all trip: sandcastle construction. Finally all those years of grinding Minecraft had there use, to fuel my grand idea for an bonkers build of pure sand and sticks. After situating ourselves upon the ominous black beach, ill prepared for the torrents of waves and rising tide that would be pitted against us, we began construction of our great vision. The first order was business was establishing a line of defense to protect the castle and its people from the vicious whims of Poseidon. Ergo, a wall and trench were erected, establishing the basis of a perimeter fully equipped with drainage services and a small reservoir of sea water to be later utilized for adding moisture and rigidity to the sands otherwise fluid nature. Next were the foundations upon which the glorious castle were to be built. Lead engineering Josh, along with myself, began collected feasible lumber upon which the hollowed grounds would be established. After creating an outline and delineating the various components of the castle, the building soon began with my dawgs as excavators, my hands as bricklayers, and my mind as the execution of Josh’s and I’s glorious envisage for the future of the world. It was hard, grueling work. Sweat beads rolling and perspiration plentiful, the strenuous manual labor under the tropical sun fatigued the mind muscles. Unequipped with any sun cream and only a few crisps to sustain the caloric deficit, our minds started to waver: is it even possible? How much will be sacrificed in pursuit of this preposterous vision of glory and wealth? Yet through sheer grit and determination we trudged on sculpting and molding the pulverized chaotic pebbles into a magnificent and coveted mountain of sand. Rising to new magnitudes of height, with the highest point towering an near theoretical impossible two feet, held together by the sweat and tears of the lives that lost there life in its construction. It the end, it still looked like a pile of manure, but on the heavens, it was the most magnificent pile of manure I have ever had the pleasure of looking at. In the end, the lessons learned were put on some damn sunscreen and only when you reach success do others flock to see your creation.