Day Four: Arenal

                Costa Rica: “Rich Coast”. Wheither this name was created for the land, the produce, the thought of gold, or the people themselves, the name holds true. I am continually being amazed by both the land and the people. The land has this ability to want to accept the people and works to be the most productive it can manage. Everything is so rich here. The people… their entire way of life has changed to conserve and preserve their home. I have never thought a society could accept new ways of thought so easily. They accept what they have to do to undo their ways and work nonstop to make up for their past. They have taken the forest under their wings. Not only are they environmentally aware, but they are also friendly. As we drove today, I passed by countless costa Ricans who waved at me, smiled, yelled, and blew kisses at our bus. They are so welcoming and sweet. Woke up bright and early to go on a road trip to Earth University. We packed our bags, boarded the boats, and were on our way. Somewhere along the way, I have lost my ipod touch and my earrings… Im not a happy camper right now. But, after a long bus ride, during which I dozed off multiple times, we arrived at earth university.

 Earth university is a really impressive place. There are 400 hundred students over a massive campus. 100 students are accepted every year from all over latin American and Africa. All applications are given a fair chance, and the school gives out 50 free rides, 25 scholarships that are nearly all inclusive, and 25 that have very little financial aid. The students have a project as a final where they have to create a product to sell. If the product fails, the school takes the losses, if the product does well, the student collects the money. The school is run off of aid by Kellog and other aids. It’s such a beautiful place. Our guide, a man from Kenya who is a sophomore, showed us the gardens. The gardens showcase multiple options to battle agricultural problems. Ill post pictures later showing each. Some of them are brilliant… and beware mom and dad, I may try to start planting when I get home. I wish I knew if they had the info to do some of the activities on their website.

                We ate a fresh lunch at the cafeteria and then headed to the school store, where I picked up a few presents, and a sticker for my guitar case. From there, we boarded the bus and took a four hour bus ride to sarapiqui, where we arrived after dark. The hotel… is gorgeous. I am so completely in love with this place. The rooms are each in a cabin, and the cabin has a wall of windows, airconditioning, three beds, table, a working bathroom and lights everywhere. Not to mention a pool, Jacuzzi, and a spa with rates that are so decent that im seriously debating a massage and a manicure tomorrow night. Even for Vienna, the rates are cheap. The only downside is that the wifi is HORRIBLE. But the rest of this.. this… this is paradise.
I am so pleased to be a part of this trip and so exstatic about everything today. It’s a very good day.

Oh, and to retrace my thoughts for a moment, on the busride here, we passed through many towns. The people of costa rica are fantastic.

Pura Vida!!

Day Three Final

Sorry for the delay in posts, It’s been hectic and we haven’t had any wifi. To finish off what happened on tortugero, I should start by saying that we did indeed find our lost key. After that, we hopped back onto the boats and took a long ride back past the village of tortugero. We were to go on a turtle walk late that night. From 9-12. We had dressed in all black and were not allowed to carry lights with us. We hiked up the beach for two hours, and a hike on sand is not easy whatsoever. After two hours, we took a break, and wound up sitting and lying on the sand to watch the brilliant night sky. When you looked up, it was nearly as clear as a night sky seen on the boat in the middle of august. I luckily had my binoculars and we passed them around to get a better look while we waited for the guides to return. While we were relaxing, they had somehow disappeared from us. No worries, we simply leaned back and enjoyed the moment of peace. To be honest, I fell asleep lying there for a few minutes.

                The guides finally joined the group and we returned on our walk. We had passed other groups on the way to our resting spot who simply said “nada”, meaning they hadn’t spotted turtles. However, the other groups went out earlier and we were the last to hunt. Thank goodness we did because half way through the walk home, we found what appeared to be an overturned rowboat up along the bank of the beach. Our guide nearly jumped out of his skin “Holy Christ! Un Tortuga! Tortuga!” He was so funny. We sat back on our heels and waited a little while, because the turtle was just starting the process by digging the nest. Our guide called the STC (sea turtle conservation center) to come collect data while we waited. After about five minutes, the leather back turtle started laying her eggs. She lays about 80 eggs in a bootshaped nest, and goes into a trance while she lays so that we aren’t actually bothering her while we watch. The eggs are normally ping-pong ball sixed, however, she laid multiple tiny eggs that are “fake” eggs to confuse predators. This leather back had been tagged before and was 1.5 meters long. Leatherbacks are named as such because of their lack of shell. If you cut the back of a leather back, it will bleed. It has multiple bones  under its skin that act as a shell.  We watched her lay eggs for about 45 minutes. What a shame too. The spot where she was laying was right before a sand cliff that was well inside the tidal zone. Within a few hours, the sea would wash over the nest and ruin it. As part of the reservation, we were unable to help move eggs or even think of doing so. 1 hour of work down the drain.  Still, it was an extraordinary experience. The STCC crew worked with swift speed to collect their data without harming her. Everyone involved was so glad to be a part of the experience. We returned to the hotel exhausted but extreamly pleased with ourselves.
Pura Vida!

Day three continued: tortuguero

After break, we headed out to the sea turtle conservation museum and tourist info. I will agree that it was informative and interesting, but I've heard it all before... I guess that's what watching animal planet for years and years when I was younger has gotten me. From there, we walked the the village.
To get to the village, we passed through an elementary school, and were even allowed to visit a fourth grade class. It was so interesting. The children were all in their uniforms of skirts or long black pants, and there was no air conditioning in the room. Instead, the room relied on a cross breeze from the ocean and one fan. The kids were sweet and we asked them many questions. The school was being renevated and their desks were made of recycled materials. The people of tortuguero impress me so much. Within the last few years they have compleatly changed their way of thinking. From killing turtles in mass numbers Inhumanely,to now , where they do everything they can to recycle and protect the turtles. Back home, this would have cause a rebel. But these people adapt so quickly to new ideas and change, I really am impressed if only everyone had this way of thinking.
Anyway, in the village, we were shown the recycling plant and then were left to explore and shop. I bough a hammock, a bracelet, and a bunch of gifts for friends and family. Not to mention a mango milkshake that was to DIE for. I even made a new friend in a husky, who apparently really wanted my banana bread and tried to eat the bag. He tried to follow me onto the boat when we pulled off.
When we returned to the hotel, I skyped with my grandparents and parents( hi everyone!). In the process, the room key to our room fell off the keychain. That's the second time in two days. The manager thinks were so stupid. At about 8 we headed out for a sea turtle walk. More about that later, it's time to board the boat for day three! Pictures from day two to come!
Pura vida!!

Mustard seeds

I wanted to corecct something: When i wrote about jimmy and his mustard seeds, I was wrong. I heard the story wrong. He didnt hold the seeds, it's a reference to the fact mustard trees are strong and push against things. His grandmother said that a mustard tree could move a mountain.
With faith, everything is possible. And after last night's turtle walk, I fully believe it.
Pura vida!!

Day Three: Tortugero (part one)

So, Jimmy offered us an extran oppertunity today. Instead of sleeping in, we decided to watch the sunrise. To do this, we had to meet at 5:20. So, i set my alarm for 5. Of course, the Howler monkeys behind my room made it difficult to sleep past 4:50. So i got up, recorded their howls on my phone, and sat on the porch. I caught a gecko, which is similar to those found in hawaii, only difference is thier skin... its not as translucent.

early morning crew

we had a friend watching with us

right after the sunrise, we went to the boat house, to go on a tour of the canal.

A camin! these guys are smaller than crocs and only have one preditor when theyre young: birds. This is a speckled camin because of the "goggles" he has around his eyes.

our tortugerean tour guide. He has a great ability to see the animals that even jimmy cant find. hes a great guy, and a real sweetheart.

a bleeding tree: this tree has a myth about it. When Costa Rica was just formed, there were no humans so, he gods scattered corn seeds on the earth and sent the vampire bat to go to the heavens and suck the blood from a young tapir. The vampire bat then flew down to the earth and defecated over the seeds. From the seeds, humans were created. This si why the tapir is sacred to the natives. This tree was also defecated on, and to this day holds the spirit of the tapir. When this tree is cut, it bleeds red and the sap has the same consistancy as human blood.

these jesus christ lizzards are as common as squirrles.

i cant remember who this guy is, but his defense is to act like a stick.

These two birds are rare. Jimmy was going nuts with his camera. They were in the midst of a mating ritual when we found them. I think theyre a subspecies of heron. but i could be wrong.

Bats! This one has a baby. They are great to have with allthe bugs.

more bats!

A Green iris. A little rare.

I cant remember who this guy is, but look at his eyes!

cormorants, much like the ones back home on the chessapeake.

probably the best picture of a basalisk lizzard that ill get. He ran over the water after this.

End of the tour and we were going full speed!

Well, After the tour we came back and had breakfast. Now we are having free time, and then we will get an early lunch and go to a sea turtle conservation site. It's just 11 am and im already sweating.

Day Two Tortugero Explained

Alright, finally some time to actually write. Yesterday was a great day, truely. We left our hotel and hopped on a small bus. We then spent about 2 hours driving through the outside of San Jose. We avoided San Jose because of traffic and the drive was enjoyable. We listened to Jimmy give us more information than i wil ever be able to remember. We passed through one of the natural parks and Jimmy told us how Costa Rica was the last land to be formed when Central America was being formed. For this reason, Costa Rica is very diverse as it was a land bridge for all species to pass through. Costa Rica also has 290 active volcanic sites, however most are underground. Only 9 are mountainous and only some of those are active. Partway through the trip, we passed by an area where two rivers meet. I can't rmemeber what they are called, but one is typically crystal clear while the other is muddied yellow. They flow into a larger river... however, i cannot remember any of the details. I will have to google it later. 2 hours into the trip we pulled into a rest stop where dozens of other kids were for other EF Tours. We hopped back into the bus for a little and drive past plantations to get to a public dock on the river to Tortugero. We boarded a boat, but only after half of us waded into the river... which we found out later was infested by crocs! The boat took us on a 2 hour drive to the hotel. Its gorgeous, and surrounded by national park.
We had a little down time and went swimming.  In the middle of swimming, a pack of spider and howler monkeys descended into the trees directly behind my room. We were able to stand directly under thier trees. Fun fact: only male howlers can howl, and they make one of the loudest sounds in the jungle for thier size. Do i believe it? yes, very much so.
After lunch, (which had sea bass, rice, beans, and mashed potatoes) we went on a hike. Jimmy led us on a jungle path which was naturally formed. We passed through a village and went through one person's backyard to get to the trail. But before we could get tothe trail, we were greeted by three young kids. They showed us their PET beetle, which was as big as the palm of my hand. Look at my previous post for more on that encounter. Once on the trail, we hiked a three mile route which was extreamly vigorous. Costa Rican dirt is mixed with old volcanic ashes (we can find volcanic rocks here, miles nad miles from the volcano) and is very slick when wet. As we're in a rainforest, its incredibly slick. everyone was falling down all over the place. My roomate, Talia, twisted her ankle and is now wearing my ankle brace that i usually wear for soccer and only brought on the trip "just in case...". By the time we summited, rivers of sweat were racing down all of our faces and dripping off noses. No matter how hard the climb, it was worth it. We were so happy at the top. Humid, but exceptional view. We hiked back down, just in time to escape sunset. In doing so, we hiked over the beach. Jimmy showed us that the litter on the beach (we are on the Carribean coast, just for reference) came from all over.
When we got back to the hotel, we were hearded to the poolside. All we wanted was to go to our rooms, get in swimsuits, or sit in front of a fan. Jimmy had us promise not to leave and took off. Upon his return, He and our other guide from tortugero had arrived with freshly cut coconuts from the seaside which we had just walked upon. they broke them open there and we slurped down coconut milk. Interestingly enough, I used to hate coconut milk, but after that I love it.
I called a couple people on skype, uploaded the pictures, and went to bed.
Pura Vida!

Day Two - Tortugero PICTURES

Ive run out of time to type much tonight, early wake up tomorrow. so This will be incredibly brief and incredibly poorly written. My apologies in advance.

Tours given by the most wonderful tour guide, Papa Jimmy.

Downtown San Jose

The mountains of Costa Rica: The backbone

This is neat. This is where two rivers meet. Sometimes they are the same color, but we were lucky... mustard seeds!

bathroom break! and we ran into two other EF Tour groups who are going to the summit! There wer about 60 of us crammed in the rest stop.

transportation of bananas through a plantation. he had 35 of these on a rope system that he was pulling. and each ways about 50 pounds...

I love the bikes here.

No one, no one at all saw Alex fall. I swear. Elegant landing though.

Fun fact: this is crocadile infested waters... we found out AFTER wading in them... everything is trying to kill us here.(from left to right: Elliot and Alex)

waiting for a ride

Only the first top layering has any nutrients in it at all. This forest is relativly young. So, the roots spread out a lot.

jesus christ lizzards run over water.. but hes taking a break

oriloe nests... spellcheck?

white faced capuchin monkey!

 1

Iguana

our new home, at the boathouse

Toucans greet us!

The view from our porch, and yup, thats the beach!

Our room!

Harold discovers tortugero!

Harold disapproves of litter.

Harold the toad and some seaweed.

what a bunch of litter!

Alex

And you thought cicadas look weird?

size is NOT exaggerated. Im good with bugs, but....

Cashew tree and the wonderful Jimmy

pineapple!

this is the type of tree sloths live on... colonies of ants live within the trunk and come out when you tap on it. But sloths move so slow that ants dont even realise they are there!

BIG grasshopper.

Woodpecker!

This is my favorite picture of all time so far. This little boy had this bettle as a pet, and was teaching me about it, in spanish. Such a sweet kid.

Jimmy is the best.

cattle are amazingly unafraid of busses.

Jimmy teaching our group as well as the locals about the native snakes. "Be careful, but not posionous."

what a hike!

Coquitto! The PET beetle! These three kidos found our group and wanted to show us their pet, Coquito! they had it on a leash, which the little boy is holding. 

the leaders... and Jimmy!

We finished, and survived! What a hike, and what a great group. We are so sweaty and tired now. Keep hydrated!

The river we came through, and, in the distance, niquragua.

These were all over hte place. Also, Red Posion dart frogs hop EVERYWHERE. You'd think they'd be rare, but it was hard not to step on them some places on the hike. Only in higher elevations though.

On the beach..

what we hiked.

nina and I at the summit. What a view!

end of the hike! half a mile on sand... ouchie on the feet.

After a long hike, the best thing is a FRESH coconut poolside.

We went on a walk on the beach. Looked at where the trash was coming from... Jimmy didn't have a clue where this bottle originated from.. both spanish and chinease titles on it? No comprendo!