I don't want to go home. I'm not ready. But the airport made me truly never want to return to Costa Rica. Couldn't check into my flight until almost noon even after one of the security guards told us 11am was when check in would start. I swear, all they did was change the JetBlue signs to US Airways, and all the JetBlue workers changed their shirts to US Airways shirts, and then they came out to check all of us in! I will never fly US Airways again; it was a pain in the ass, and I was trying to stay as calm as possible. You all know what a high patience level I have! :) It really took every ounce of me to not become an ugly American. I kept telling myself that this is a different place. It didn't help that the woman on my flight from the group was complaining about everyone. (Kelly, you know who it is. And Edwin, if you're reading this, please ignore all I just wrote. I know if you had been there, there would have been no problems!) I was NOT going to let this experience at the airport ruin my opinion of this wonderful country. If, no WHEN I go back, I guess I'll just have to stay!
Costa Rica has been such a treat! Paulo came over to the hotel this morning to do some work stuff, so we got to see him again. I'm going to miss a lot of people from this trip! I had a lot of fun with Susie and Karla; I'm going to get Susie to catch the travel bug yet! I feel as though Kelly is a kindred spirit (a girl who knows how to flip the bird!)...traveling and such. Kathryn has been so patient with everyone, and we have our theme song! Lesley and Angie are a blast! And, of course, Edwin. He has been the best guide of his homeland. I've told him he has an open invite to Chicago anytime; I hope I can be half the host he was to me. I've learned so much from Edwin about the country and how important it is to do something you're passionate about, and I had a good time doing it (though most of you know I'll make fun where there isn't any). He was fantastic. I'll take any tour he does!
And that's it! In a few hours, I'll be able to sleep in my own bed...I am looking forward to that! I haven't gotten a full night's sleep in over a month!!! One day I'll learn how to sleep in strange places. For now, though, I'm dreaming of where I can go next...suggestions??
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Last day of activities
Day 9 of our trip was essentially our last day! Tomorrow we are shuttled to the airport to go home.
We used today to see Carara National Park, which is on of the most important nesting places of the scarlet macaw and white faced monkeys! We listened to Roy Arroyo, one the naturalists from the park, who truly had to have done a lot of pot in the 60's! He started by talking about the birds and explaining how they live in pairs and mate for life, and if one dies, the other becomes a widow! This was fine! Then he started talking about how the macaws have a great capacity for love and new that love, just like humans. If we don't have love, we're upset and Ticos (if we hadn't noticed) are capable of a lot of love, and when you love, the boundaries of personal space become fuzzy and, WHEW! It was hilarious especially when Susie and I started communicating with things like "where is the love?" and "can you feel the love tonight?". Thankfully when Kelly sensed an opening to get us out of there, we jumped. Edwin was waiting to take us on a hike to look for macaws and the elusive white faced monkeys!!
I love these hikes; I don't think we took enough of them, but the humidity in the rainforest is crazy!! You are just wet from the time you begin until the time (if you're lucky) you return to some air conditioning! Drenched! I drank over a liter of water, and sweat it out during the 3 or 4 mile hike. I kept looking for a snake: I really wanted to know how I'd react if I saw a snake in the wild! No luck!
BUT: we did see a family of white faced monkeys!! Edwin had said he'd sent then an email and sure enough they responded!! They weren't too far overhead, and it was amazing to see!
After that excitement had ended, we started the journey back to San Jose, where we'd be having dinner and saying our farewells! I thoroughly enjoyed driving through all the suburbs and the city of the central valley by San jose. It's so interesting to see how different places are laid out. In Costa Rica, everything is done by road-no trains. It's sad they don't have trains because it would be more environmentally sound than all the vehicles on the road. I sat up by Edwin and asked all sort of annoying questions about the urban system that he couldn't always answer because he's a farmboy and treehugger! (I mean those in the nicest, fondest kind of way!)
We were late returning to the hotel and only had about a half hour to get ready. Susie and I did tag team showers and were ready in record-time (even Susie!!). Edwin had found us a restaurant on the top of the mountains to look down on the central valley. The view from this restaurant was outstanding and it was actually cool at the restaurant! It was one of the first times I didn't feel like I was drenched!! We got to see a cultural dance show and then danced till it was time to go. We got a great group picture with the city in the background; the rainforest was nice, but nothing compares to the lights of the city! We had to start saying our farewells!!
We used today to see Carara National Park, which is on of the most important nesting places of the scarlet macaw and white faced monkeys! We listened to Roy Arroyo, one the naturalists from the park, who truly had to have done a lot of pot in the 60's! He started by talking about the birds and explaining how they live in pairs and mate for life, and if one dies, the other becomes a widow! This was fine! Then he started talking about how the macaws have a great capacity for love and new that love, just like humans. If we don't have love, we're upset and Ticos (if we hadn't noticed) are capable of a lot of love, and when you love, the boundaries of personal space become fuzzy and, WHEW! It was hilarious especially when Susie and I started communicating with things like "where is the love?" and "can you feel the love tonight?". Thankfully when Kelly sensed an opening to get us out of there, we jumped. Edwin was waiting to take us on a hike to look for macaws and the elusive white faced monkeys!!
I love these hikes; I don't think we took enough of them, but the humidity in the rainforest is crazy!! You are just wet from the time you begin until the time (if you're lucky) you return to some air conditioning! Drenched! I drank over a liter of water, and sweat it out during the 3 or 4 mile hike. I kept looking for a snake: I really wanted to know how I'd react if I saw a snake in the wild! No luck!
BUT: we did see a family of white faced monkeys!! Edwin had said he'd sent then an email and sure enough they responded!! They weren't too far overhead, and it was amazing to see!
After that excitement had ended, we started the journey back to San Jose, where we'd be having dinner and saying our farewells! I thoroughly enjoyed driving through all the suburbs and the city of the central valley by San jose. It's so interesting to see how different places are laid out. In Costa Rica, everything is done by road-no trains. It's sad they don't have trains because it would be more environmentally sound than all the vehicles on the road. I sat up by Edwin and asked all sort of annoying questions about the urban system that he couldn't always answer because he's a farmboy and treehugger! (I mean those in the nicest, fondest kind of way!)
We were late returning to the hotel and only had about a half hour to get ready. Susie and I did tag team showers and were ready in record-time (even Susie!!). Edwin had found us a restaurant on the top of the mountains to look down on the central valley. The view from this restaurant was outstanding and it was actually cool at the restaurant! It was one of the first times I didn't feel like I was drenched!! We got to see a cultural dance show and then danced till it was time to go. We got a great group picture with the city in the background; the rainforest was nice, but nothing compares to the lights of the city! We had to start saying our farewells!!
Day 8- Brady Barr and crocs
After the debacle with the outrigger last night, we had a large reflection session with Kelly and Marilyn about the trip so far. Once it was over, of course I wanted to socialize a bit with the others, so I convinced Kathryn (from OK) to come for a drink. Everyone else seemed to be recovering from the shipwrecking disaster and motion sickness from all the driving. Kathryn and I convinced Edwin, Didier,(our driver), and Kelly to have a drink with us. This bar was definitely different than Selva Verde...I bought the first round and tried to be an imperial and a red wine. The guy gave me a Bavaria and a white wine (it's actually funny because I asked him 3 times for red, "rojo" and I still got the wrong drink!! I miss the nice bartenders from Selva Verde! They knew us and knew our drinks! I had a good time with them until the bar closed and we had to clear out!
We all wanted Sunday to be a nice easy day after the craziness, but we didn't know how the day would go. We were going to meet Brady Barr, from National Geographic, and see some crocodiles! It was a drive from our hotel to get to the croc station on the river.
Brady Barr gave a good speech about crocs which was very informative and not too long. He joked about biodiversity, which we have heard lectures about the whole time we've been here, but then he proceeded to tell stories about crocs and the misconceptions a lot of humans have!! Afterwards, his partner spoke, Juan Bellanos, about the crocs in Costa Rica, and then we for to hear from two teachers that are part of a headstart program for crocs. They have their students raise hatchlings and then release then into the wild after about a year! You can do this with any species! I really wish I was teaching bio this year because I would make my students do something like that. We even got to meet some of the students! It as great and Brady told us that their funding and the grant that they had was gone, so they were working for free!
Once that was over, they brought in some baby crocs and caimans. We even got to hold them!! I chatted with the teachers from the program and the last thing I held was a baby croc! It started squirming, then peed all over me!! Gross!
Then came the highlight: Brady and Juan were going to catch one of the full sized crocs they have in captivity to show us how they do it! We were in the pen where there were 5 large crocs, all serving life in prison because they were a danger to humans and crocs alike!! They got one, restrained its jaw, then Kathryn and Jake were sitting on it to restrain it!!! It was crazy. Then they asked if we wanted to sex it, figure out the gender! Almost everyone went and pushed their finger in this hole and if you could feel the penis, it was a male! Kinda exciting!!
I have a ton of little videos from the croc catching! Once it was done, we ate lunch, and then headed out. We were going on a croc sightseeing tour on the Rio Tarcoles! It was going to be a nice covered boat where we wouldn't have to do any sort of paddling or kayaking.
The croc boat was fun, but you need a lot of patience. We didn't just look for crocs, but for birds as well. According to our birding experts, ("Birding is not a hobby; it's an art form!") we saw almost 40 species of birds on the river! Saw only a couple of crocs, but one was right next to my seat on the boat and it got a little close for comfort!! We went through a mangrove forest as well. I was astounded at the parts of the river where there was so much trash on the banks or floating. It disturbed me that people know how important this place is and they don't keep it cleaner! I talked to Edwin about it, and he said they don't have good enough sanitation laws. So sad because I'm sure the sewage is killing a lot of things in that river!
But I digress! The birds were amazing to see, but my head was starting to ache from straining to see any sort of lifeform in a sea of green trees!!
Edwin had a surprise for us layer that night: we were going to dinner at a restaurant by the ocean! We got all cleaned up (I had to wash croc pee off of me) and then went! You could hear the ocean, but not see it because it was so dark! Our dinner was all seafood!! I thought of Kerry. I'm not crazy about seafood, but I tried it. Had some squid, fried fish, lobster...I think it's the texture I don't care for!
After dinner we had our last reflection session about the entire program! Marilyn from NSTA has convinced me to become a member of the International committee. I, of course, agreed. We discussed our goals (I had none) and how the tour went! It was a good chat.
It was our last night at villa llapas and we wanted to celebrate, but the bar was closed! Can you believe it? So we drank our own liquor in the reception area! Had a long night I chatting and Jake, Edwin, and I closed down the place after 1:30am!!
We all wanted Sunday to be a nice easy day after the craziness, but we didn't know how the day would go. We were going to meet Brady Barr, from National Geographic, and see some crocodiles! It was a drive from our hotel to get to the croc station on the river.
Brady Barr gave a good speech about crocs which was very informative and not too long. He joked about biodiversity, which we have heard lectures about the whole time we've been here, but then he proceeded to tell stories about crocs and the misconceptions a lot of humans have!! Afterwards, his partner spoke, Juan Bellanos, about the crocs in Costa Rica, and then we for to hear from two teachers that are part of a headstart program for crocs. They have their students raise hatchlings and then release then into the wild after about a year! You can do this with any species! I really wish I was teaching bio this year because I would make my students do something like that. We even got to meet some of the students! It as great and Brady told us that their funding and the grant that they had was gone, so they were working for free!
Once that was over, they brought in some baby crocs and caimans. We even got to hold them!! I chatted with the teachers from the program and the last thing I held was a baby croc! It started squirming, then peed all over me!! Gross!
Then came the highlight: Brady and Juan were going to catch one of the full sized crocs they have in captivity to show us how they do it! We were in the pen where there were 5 large crocs, all serving life in prison because they were a danger to humans and crocs alike!! They got one, restrained its jaw, then Kathryn and Jake were sitting on it to restrain it!!! It was crazy. Then they asked if we wanted to sex it, figure out the gender! Almost everyone went and pushed their finger in this hole and if you could feel the penis, it was a male! Kinda exciting!!
I have a ton of little videos from the croc catching! Once it was done, we ate lunch, and then headed out. We were going on a croc sightseeing tour on the Rio Tarcoles! It was going to be a nice covered boat where we wouldn't have to do any sort of paddling or kayaking.
The croc boat was fun, but you need a lot of patience. We didn't just look for crocs, but for birds as well. According to our birding experts, ("Birding is not a hobby; it's an art form!") we saw almost 40 species of birds on the river! Saw only a couple of crocs, but one was right next to my seat on the boat and it got a little close for comfort!! We went through a mangrove forest as well. I was astounded at the parts of the river where there was so much trash on the banks or floating. It disturbed me that people know how important this place is and they don't keep it cleaner! I talked to Edwin about it, and he said they don't have good enough sanitation laws. So sad because I'm sure the sewage is killing a lot of things in that river!
But I digress! The birds were amazing to see, but my head was starting to ache from straining to see any sort of lifeform in a sea of green trees!!
Edwin had a surprise for us layer that night: we were going to dinner at a restaurant by the ocean! We got all cleaned up (I had to wash croc pee off of me) and then went! You could hear the ocean, but not see it because it was so dark! Our dinner was all seafood!! I thought of Kerry. I'm not crazy about seafood, but I tried it. Had some squid, fried fish, lobster...I think it's the texture I don't care for!
After dinner we had our last reflection session about the entire program! Marilyn from NSTA has convinced me to become a member of the International committee. I, of course, agreed. We discussed our goals (I had none) and how the tour went! It was a good chat.
It was our last night at villa llapas and we wanted to celebrate, but the bar was closed! Can you believe it? So we drank our own liquor in the reception area! Had a long night I chatting and Jake, Edwin, and I closed down the place after 1:30am!!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Shipwrecked
It was a four hour drive from selve verde to puntarenas and we began our journey early this morning. Thankfully I slept most of the way, even though Edwin was chattering most of the way!! He had promised he would keep quiet on the long trip! This did not happen. Every time he spoke louder, I turned up the volume on my iPod. I'm sure he was talking about the great biodiversity (we've heard tons of lectures on the topic), but I couldn't have cared at this point.
We got to our new hotel called villa llapas which means "macaw" in Spanish. The macaws are these huge birds that are endangered here in costa rica. This part of the trip was way close to the beach on the pacific side.
Our new digs weren't as nice as as selve verde. After lunch, we got our rooms and had to change for our outriggers adventure. We were going to kayak out into the bay looking for birds and other wildlife. Our room was okay,(it actually had air conditioning in this humid jungle!) but of course as soon as susie went into the bathroom, we found a large spider in our shower!! I turned on the water to flush it down the drain!!
All our clothes are wet from perspiring in the humidity, and I swear nothing dries here!!
We got ready for our adventure and after a short drive, we arrived. We were going to take 2 kayaks because there were 14 of us. We went through the safety instructions an signed our lives away (yet again) and got ready to go. We saw the scarlet macaw as we were walking down to the water. A very big honor...Edwin ordered them just for us!! :)
We went through the paddling lesson and then split into groups. The first guide said "who are all the strong ones?" and you should have seen all of us spring into action!! Me, susie, karla, jake, lesley, angie, and Kelly our leader. That left the other group a little more "experienced" than us.
We took to the water first and had a very successful transition from land to water. It was very pleasant on the water. A little cooler than when we'd been hiking in the rainforest. During outrigging, you have to work to paddle together, which we did with Kelly leading the way.
So our group sort of thought it was a competition to get to the beach, so we didn't want to let the other group catch up to us. I guess the more experienced guide was in their boat and he wanted to take his group in first. We sat out on the open sea looking for birds and sharks and whatever else while they landed. They got everybody onto dry land and then it was our turn!! By the way, did I mention that the waves were about 10 feet high?? Our guide had to gauge how large he thought the wave would be and then tell us to paddle harder.
He finally found something he liked and we started in to the shore. As we got closer to the shore, our guide must have realized that he sorely misjudged the water and he started shouting "Paddle harder!" Now...what does that mean? Faster? Deeper? There was some miscommunication happening. As we approached the shore, the other guides who had already landed were helping us steer it in. The front of the boat where Kelly, Lesley, and I were filled with some water by our feet. What we didn't know was that a huge wave had come up behind us, taking out half our crew while they tried to get the boat on shore. Susie and Karla banged into the seats in front of then, bruising shins. Jake tried to help the guys push in the kayak, only to be knocked down by another wave. Flip-flops and sandals were flying in the water while the guides were frantically trying to get all of us out of the water. We did and then we watched as they tried to get the boat in. It was a sight!! These guys were fighting the ocean and the ocean was winning. We wanted to help, but couldn't do much, and waves kept crashing into the boat. One of the wooden seats went flying and was washed ashore. The whole front of the boat was missing it's top so it was filling with water. At one point the boat flipped over and as the guides tried to push it to shore, it filled with sand, making it even heavier!! Some of the wood cracked as they were pushing it. We lost the outriggers which are there to help the boat balance. Finally, they got it far enough from the water so we could all start bailing water and sand from it. Once we'd bailed enough out, we could push it further inland.
Now that it was inland, the guides went to work to are if it was going to be seaworthy to get us back to Edwin. The guides' boss came to the beach with some kayakers and he discussed with them what was going to happen! In the meantime, we all had some fruit!! They provided us with pineapple and watermelon, perhaps trying to lull us into a sense of calm before telling us that our boat wasn't going to be going back on the water! Should we be rationing out fruit??
It was decided that the first group that landed should take the seaworthy outrigger and go to the closest beach. Then two guides would bring it back for us and we would row ourselves from the deserted beach. They came back and got us and we paddled ourselves to safety; this time the landing went much mrore smoothly and Edwin was there to welcome us!!
It was really funny talking afterward and getting Edwin's side of the story. Edwin is one of the most caring people ever and he wants everyone to have a great time, so we knew that he would freak out when he heard about the dilemma. He said the boss of the outrigging place called him and said, "Dont panic; everyone is fine. We've had a slight problem with one of the outriggers!". Edwin jumped into action, got permission for us to get picked up on a private resort, and get us home to safety!!
Whew! What a day! We returned to the hotel and showered for dinner, sharing all our different perspectives of the catastrophe.
We got to our new hotel called villa llapas which means "macaw" in Spanish. The macaws are these huge birds that are endangered here in costa rica. This part of the trip was way close to the beach on the pacific side.
Our new digs weren't as nice as as selve verde. After lunch, we got our rooms and had to change for our outriggers adventure. We were going to kayak out into the bay looking for birds and other wildlife. Our room was okay,(it actually had air conditioning in this humid jungle!) but of course as soon as susie went into the bathroom, we found a large spider in our shower!! I turned on the water to flush it down the drain!!
All our clothes are wet from perspiring in the humidity, and I swear nothing dries here!!
We got ready for our adventure and after a short drive, we arrived. We were going to take 2 kayaks because there were 14 of us. We went through the safety instructions an signed our lives away (yet again) and got ready to go. We saw the scarlet macaw as we were walking down to the water. A very big honor...Edwin ordered them just for us!! :)
We went through the paddling lesson and then split into groups. The first guide said "who are all the strong ones?" and you should have seen all of us spring into action!! Me, susie, karla, jake, lesley, angie, and Kelly our leader. That left the other group a little more "experienced" than us.
We took to the water first and had a very successful transition from land to water. It was very pleasant on the water. A little cooler than when we'd been hiking in the rainforest. During outrigging, you have to work to paddle together, which we did with Kelly leading the way.
So our group sort of thought it was a competition to get to the beach, so we didn't want to let the other group catch up to us. I guess the more experienced guide was in their boat and he wanted to take his group in first. We sat out on the open sea looking for birds and sharks and whatever else while they landed. They got everybody onto dry land and then it was our turn!! By the way, did I mention that the waves were about 10 feet high?? Our guide had to gauge how large he thought the wave would be and then tell us to paddle harder.
He finally found something he liked and we started in to the shore. As we got closer to the shore, our guide must have realized that he sorely misjudged the water and he started shouting "Paddle harder!" Now...what does that mean? Faster? Deeper? There was some miscommunication happening. As we approached the shore, the other guides who had already landed were helping us steer it in. The front of the boat where Kelly, Lesley, and I were filled with some water by our feet. What we didn't know was that a huge wave had come up behind us, taking out half our crew while they tried to get the boat on shore. Susie and Karla banged into the seats in front of then, bruising shins. Jake tried to help the guys push in the kayak, only to be knocked down by another wave. Flip-flops and sandals were flying in the water while the guides were frantically trying to get all of us out of the water. We did and then we watched as they tried to get the boat in. It was a sight!! These guys were fighting the ocean and the ocean was winning. We wanted to help, but couldn't do much, and waves kept crashing into the boat. One of the wooden seats went flying and was washed ashore. The whole front of the boat was missing it's top so it was filling with water. At one point the boat flipped over and as the guides tried to push it to shore, it filled with sand, making it even heavier!! Some of the wood cracked as they were pushing it. We lost the outriggers which are there to help the boat balance. Finally, they got it far enough from the water so we could all start bailing water and sand from it. Once we'd bailed enough out, we could push it further inland.
Now that it was inland, the guides went to work to are if it was going to be seaworthy to get us back to Edwin. The guides' boss came to the beach with some kayakers and he discussed with them what was going to happen! In the meantime, we all had some fruit!! They provided us with pineapple and watermelon, perhaps trying to lull us into a sense of calm before telling us that our boat wasn't going to be going back on the water! Should we be rationing out fruit??
It was decided that the first group that landed should take the seaworthy outrigger and go to the closest beach. Then two guides would bring it back for us and we would row ourselves from the deserted beach. They came back and got us and we paddled ourselves to safety; this time the landing went much mrore smoothly and Edwin was there to welcome us!!
It was really funny talking afterward and getting Edwin's side of the story. Edwin is one of the most caring people ever and he wants everyone to have a great time, so we knew that he would freak out when he heard about the dilemma. He said the boss of the outrigging place called him and said, "Dont panic; everyone is fine. We've had a slight problem with one of the outriggers!". Edwin jumped into action, got permission for us to get picked up on a private resort, and get us home to safety!!
Whew! What a day! We returned to the hotel and showered for dinner, sharing all our different perspectives of the catastrophe.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Day 6- how do people sleep here?
Sleep is an still an elusive thing. Damn howlers!
This was our last day in Selve verde. I'm not sure if I'm happy or not. The humidity in this place is unreal. Nothing dries! You feel permanently damp!
We began today with a trip to Tirimbina Reserve and another hike into the rainforest. I'm kinds over it...I'm not gonna lie. It's very pretty, but I think our forests are just as nice. But that's the uniformity I like. Hey and guess what? It rained again! Not as bad as yesterday, but we were still walking in rain! Crazy! We saw the cocoa tree, and then, the highlight was learning and making some chocolate! It was interesting. We tried the cocoa bean in its raw form and it's extremely bitter. Then we learned how they're dried, peeled, mashed up, and then heated and melted. Added some vanilla and brown sugar. Tried chocolate with chili peppers in it! It was really good, but very hot...needed water afterward. It was delicious! Really interesting to see the stages of chocolate making.
We returned to the lodge for lunch and I attempted to nap while the others went to lunch. It didn't work real well. We met for our reflection of the tour so far. We've had a jam packed schedule! Not a lot of time for relaxation! The leaders want to know what everyone thinks because they want to know whether or not they can continue the program or not.
After our reflection, we saw and participated in conservation in action. We went with the learning center to plant a bunch of trees. On went the rubber boots, and the clothes we didn't care that would get dirty, and off to the farm we went! 115 trees had to be planted by us! Most were on the banks of the sarapiqui river to help combat erosion! So there we are: we've been told by every guide to stay on the path and be aware of snakes; here, we just marched right through the forest digging holes and planting trees, putting our hands down into the clay with reckless abandon! It was gross AND disturbing all at the same time!
When we finally finished planting, we went back to get cleaned up for our cookin class! We learned to make empanados and tortillas. It was a fun little demonstration. Then we went to dinner and went to our Latin dance class!! It was so much fun but hot!! There's very rarely ac here! We learned the merengue, salsa, and a costa rican dance called swing caculla (something like that)! It's very bouncy and energetic! I liked it!
We, of course, headed to the bar afterward (because that's how we roll) for a cold beer and it was desperately needed! Susie and I had teased Edwin that he hadn't showed us the real costa rica, so he agreed to take us to a local club! I was so excited to go dancing! A bunch of us went (most of the older crowd didnt come, but we did make karla come) including our bartender, Gerardo, who introduced me to the greatest drink ever: the guara sour! (Actually, Mau, the hot white water tour guide, told us to try it, but Gerardo made it). Guara is a costa rican spirit made from sugarcane. It's like candy! Can't drink too many and you'll be dancing on tables!! We had a blast at the club!! Now I feel like I've seen a bit more of the culture!! We have the best guide ever!
This was our last day in Selve verde. I'm not sure if I'm happy or not. The humidity in this place is unreal. Nothing dries! You feel permanently damp!
We began today with a trip to Tirimbina Reserve and another hike into the rainforest. I'm kinds over it...I'm not gonna lie. It's very pretty, but I think our forests are just as nice. But that's the uniformity I like. Hey and guess what? It rained again! Not as bad as yesterday, but we were still walking in rain! Crazy! We saw the cocoa tree, and then, the highlight was learning and making some chocolate! It was interesting. We tried the cocoa bean in its raw form and it's extremely bitter. Then we learned how they're dried, peeled, mashed up, and then heated and melted. Added some vanilla and brown sugar. Tried chocolate with chili peppers in it! It was really good, but very hot...needed water afterward. It was delicious! Really interesting to see the stages of chocolate making.
We returned to the lodge for lunch and I attempted to nap while the others went to lunch. It didn't work real well. We met for our reflection of the tour so far. We've had a jam packed schedule! Not a lot of time for relaxation! The leaders want to know what everyone thinks because they want to know whether or not they can continue the program or not.
After our reflection, we saw and participated in conservation in action. We went with the learning center to plant a bunch of trees. On went the rubber boots, and the clothes we didn't care that would get dirty, and off to the farm we went! 115 trees had to be planted by us! Most were on the banks of the sarapiqui river to help combat erosion! So there we are: we've been told by every guide to stay on the path and be aware of snakes; here, we just marched right through the forest digging holes and planting trees, putting our hands down into the clay with reckless abandon! It was gross AND disturbing all at the same time!
When we finally finished planting, we went back to get cleaned up for our cookin class! We learned to make empanados and tortillas. It was a fun little demonstration. Then we went to dinner and went to our Latin dance class!! It was so much fun but hot!! There's very rarely ac here! We learned the merengue, salsa, and a costa rican dance called swing caculla (something like that)! It's very bouncy and energetic! I liked it!
We, of course, headed to the bar afterward (because that's how we roll) for a cold beer and it was desperately needed! Susie and I had teased Edwin that he hadn't showed us the real costa rica, so he agreed to take us to a local club! I was so excited to go dancing! A bunch of us went (most of the older crowd didnt come, but we did make karla come) including our bartender, Gerardo, who introduced me to the greatest drink ever: the guara sour! (Actually, Mau, the hot white water tour guide, told us to try it, but Gerardo made it). Guara is a costa rican spirit made from sugarcane. It's like candy! Can't drink too many and you'll be dancing on tables!! We had a blast at the club!! Now I feel like I've seen a bit more of the culture!! We have the best guide ever!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Day 5 & no sleep
I know people pay big bucks to get those machines that have the river rushing and crickets, etc. but I want one with sirens and maybe a train horn in the background!! I have slept horribly every night, and thanks to the howler monkeys (yes there is a reason for that name) I'm up all night and pretty early in the morning and everyone knows how pleasant I can be in the morning!!
But I digress. We went to the organization for tropical studies this morning at la selva. Had yet another lecture about the type of research they do on the rainforest which ran way too long, but then we took a walk through their rainforest and saw spider faced monkeys (did mention we saw a howler monkey the last day... They're all starting to run together). Lots of birds! And then it started downpouring! This is the wet season! We got drenched and had to head back to the station! I wish we could have gone further into the forest, but we had good reason for cutting it short...we were going ziplining and white water rafting!!
The ziplining was fun! Susie was worried at first about doing it, and so was karla, but they're troopers and did it. Supposedly it's a good way to see the rainforest, but you don't really see anything because you're too worried about watching the guides and knowing if you should break or keep going! I went first, and got stuck over the middle of the river!! The guide had to come out and pull me along like a monkey. Susie got stuck as well!! Once I got the hang of it, it was fun! Leslie and I got invited out for drinks by the guides (they were all young guys) at a local bar later in the evening. I said I'd go, but only if they were buying...and if edwin would come. That didn't happen.
Once the ziplining was over (and, I might add, I kicked Susie's ass on the last line...she insists she didn't know we were racing, but I think she was lying because she lost baaad!), we went to the sarapiqui river to go white water rafting. I was nervous especially when Mau, our guide, started telling us all the things that could go wrong!! (side note about Mau..gorgeous, sexy, hot...getting the idea? and he had to be in his upper 30s maybe 40. I couldn't take my eyes off him which made it hard to concentrate on what he was saying).
Again I digress...the rafting was the best thing we've done! It was hilarious because you have to paddle together and listen to the leaders commands which you know is hard for teachers, so it made for some interesting movements. You get soaked an once I realized I wasn't going to fall out of the boat (contrary to what Mau warned) I had a blast. There were 6 of us and it was the best part of the trip!
Once back at the lodge and dripping wet, we changed for dinner and bat misting at another reserve. This basically means we learned how they study and catch bats an got to see some live ones. I had a major problem with the bats. Not fear...more of a concern. I know we have to study them in order to learn more about them, but putting them in bags and yanking on their appendages is not some thing I like to view. The guide was telling us that they get stressed after a long time in confinement! Well, duh!! wasn't comfortable with it though I did touch one. Susie didn't initially touch one, but she finally did at the end.
I clearly needed a beer after the bats so, thankfully, the bar was still open, and got in a few drinks that night. Susie and I were up pretty late with Edwin our guide, and Didier, our driver. We had a good time!! Now if only I could put this good nature to use and get some good sleep!
But I digress. We went to the organization for tropical studies this morning at la selva. Had yet another lecture about the type of research they do on the rainforest which ran way too long, but then we took a walk through their rainforest and saw spider faced monkeys (did mention we saw a howler monkey the last day... They're all starting to run together). Lots of birds! And then it started downpouring! This is the wet season! We got drenched and had to head back to the station! I wish we could have gone further into the forest, but we had good reason for cutting it short...we were going ziplining and white water rafting!!
The ziplining was fun! Susie was worried at first about doing it, and so was karla, but they're troopers and did it. Supposedly it's a good way to see the rainforest, but you don't really see anything because you're too worried about watching the guides and knowing if you should break or keep going! I went first, and got stuck over the middle of the river!! The guide had to come out and pull me along like a monkey. Susie got stuck as well!! Once I got the hang of it, it was fun! Leslie and I got invited out for drinks by the guides (they were all young guys) at a local bar later in the evening. I said I'd go, but only if they were buying...and if edwin would come. That didn't happen.
Once the ziplining was over (and, I might add, I kicked Susie's ass on the last line...she insists she didn't know we were racing, but I think she was lying because she lost baaad!), we went to the sarapiqui river to go white water rafting. I was nervous especially when Mau, our guide, started telling us all the things that could go wrong!! (side note about Mau..gorgeous, sexy, hot...getting the idea? and he had to be in his upper 30s maybe 40. I couldn't take my eyes off him which made it hard to concentrate on what he was saying).
Again I digress...the rafting was the best thing we've done! It was hilarious because you have to paddle together and listen to the leaders commands which you know is hard for teachers, so it made for some interesting movements. You get soaked an once I realized I wasn't going to fall out of the boat (contrary to what Mau warned) I had a blast. There were 6 of us and it was the best part of the trip!
Once back at the lodge and dripping wet, we changed for dinner and bat misting at another reserve. This basically means we learned how they study and catch bats an got to see some live ones. I had a major problem with the bats. Not fear...more of a concern. I know we have to study them in order to learn more about them, but putting them in bags and yanking on their appendages is not some thing I like to view. The guide was telling us that they get stressed after a long time in confinement! Well, duh!! wasn't comfortable with it though I did touch one. Susie didn't initially touch one, but she finally did at the end.
I clearly needed a beer after the bats so, thankfully, the bar was still open, and got in a few drinks that night. Susie and I were up pretty late with Edwin our guide, and Didier, our driver. We had a good time!! Now if only I could put this good nature to use and get some good sleep!
Day 4
The selva verde lodge is very nice. I guess we would call it primitive. The only electricity is lights. There are no tvs, but happily there is a bar!
We started yesterday with a 6am bird walk (You all know I'm such a morning person!) with edwin our guide! I wish i drank coffee...its really good here according to susie. Edwin is the coolest guide ever. He's a costa rican biologist. We saw some parrots and great green macaws (which are endangered) and lots of frogs. The frogs here are beautiful. Very vibrant and colorful.
After the bird walk, we met for a mock field study I the rainforest with Paulo, who lectured for us the night before. There were 3 sites and we were split into groups and had to catalog and map all the species in our quandrant. Karla, Susie, and I were in a group with Leslie and Angie from PA. Susie and karla refused to go into the actual brush ( they were "recorders", so Leslie and Angie and I did. It was cool doing actual field work.
After the field work, Edwin took us for our first tour of the rainforest. It's hard to describe..very green and lush. It's true...there are many layers. An abundance of underbrush or leaf litter, off the path. For someone like me, who values some sort of order, it's a mess! There are plants everywhere and anywhere there could be sunlight. It's nice, though I don't know if you could exactly call it pretty. The colors of flora and fauna, when you actually see them, are bright and vibrant! The frogs are all over the place and have cool colors and designs on their backs. Butterflies and birds are beautiful.
We finished our walk and then headed back to the lodge. After lunch we got to meet with local teachers and ask them questions. It was really interesting, and it totally made me wish I spoke Spanish. I keep formulating sentences in half spanish ( with words I know) and filling in with french words. I actually understood a lot of the spanish because of that french. We talked to them for a long time.
Them we had to sit for another lecture by the director of the local learning center where they try to help the community through education. I was getting pretty tired of lectures by this point. I had no idea how many lectures we'd be sitting through.
During dinner, we got to continute our conversations with the local teachers, this time on a more personal level because we were at tables and split up with interpreters. It was fascinating! I have to send them something when we get back. The two guys at our table were both ecotourism teachers which is like a vocational type of class (similar to shop or auto tech). They were great and once we'd gotten over the initial awkwardness, we had a great conversation.
That night, Edwin had promised to take us on a night hike, so we grabbed our flashlights and he led the way. We didn't see too much, a couple of bats (which freaked a lot of people out...I won't name anyone) and that's about it. The stars were amazing! So many when we got away from the lights.
We started yesterday with a 6am bird walk (You all know I'm such a morning person!) with edwin our guide! I wish i drank coffee...its really good here according to susie. Edwin is the coolest guide ever. He's a costa rican biologist. We saw some parrots and great green macaws (which are endangered) and lots of frogs. The frogs here are beautiful. Very vibrant and colorful.
After the bird walk, we met for a mock field study I the rainforest with Paulo, who lectured for us the night before. There were 3 sites and we were split into groups and had to catalog and map all the species in our quandrant. Karla, Susie, and I were in a group with Leslie and Angie from PA. Susie and karla refused to go into the actual brush ( they were "recorders", so Leslie and Angie and I did. It was cool doing actual field work.
After the field work, Edwin took us for our first tour of the rainforest. It's hard to describe..very green and lush. It's true...there are many layers. An abundance of underbrush or leaf litter, off the path. For someone like me, who values some sort of order, it's a mess! There are plants everywhere and anywhere there could be sunlight. It's nice, though I don't know if you could exactly call it pretty. The colors of flora and fauna, when you actually see them, are bright and vibrant! The frogs are all over the place and have cool colors and designs on their backs. Butterflies and birds are beautiful.
We finished our walk and then headed back to the lodge. After lunch we got to meet with local teachers and ask them questions. It was really interesting, and it totally made me wish I spoke Spanish. I keep formulating sentences in half spanish ( with words I know) and filling in with french words. I actually understood a lot of the spanish because of that french. We talked to them for a long time.
Them we had to sit for another lecture by the director of the local learning center where they try to help the community through education. I was getting pretty tired of lectures by this point. I had no idea how many lectures we'd be sitting through.
During dinner, we got to continute our conversations with the local teachers, this time on a more personal level because we were at tables and split up with interpreters. It was fascinating! I have to send them something when we get back. The two guys at our table were both ecotourism teachers which is like a vocational type of class (similar to shop or auto tech). They were great and once we'd gotten over the initial awkwardness, we had a great conversation.
That night, Edwin had promised to take us on a night hike, so we grabbed our flashlights and he led the way. We didn't see too much, a couple of bats (which freaked a lot of people out...I won't name anyone) and that's about it. The stars were amazing! So many when we got away from the lights.
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