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Day 10: Manuel Antonio and San José

¡Pura Vida, amigos!

Today, we spent the morning in Manuel Antonio National Park. The beach park is characterized by scuttling monkeys, lounging sloths, white sand, and topaz blue water. Margaret, Mark, Marissa, Emily, Kristina, and myself went on a hike around the park before returning to the beach to hang out.

The water was warm and clear. I, prepared for this situation, had brought a snorkel and mask. I spent the next 2 hours or so diving beneath water, gazing at the stunning fish inhabiting the coral reefs. From a distance of a meter or so, many of the fishes looked dull and neutral colored, but upon closer inspection, they exhibited bright and vibrant designs and colors. I saw fish with horizontal yellow and black stripes that, close up, were really black and rainbow stripes. Fish that looked black argyle but were really red. Tri-colored fish (yellow, blue, and red) with speckles of green on the red head. They were truly sights to see. Unfortunately for me, I forgot to reapply sunscreen to the my back and the back of my legs, so I, too, became multi-colored.

After about 3 hours at Manuel Antonio, we loaded into the bus for lunch at a nearby hotel, and then again to begin our journey to San José.

We stayed the night at the same hotel as the first night, and at dinner, we presented gifts to Mario and did some reflecting on the trip.

Tomorrow, everybody else will head to the airport to depart for the U.S.; I will be taken to the bus station to continue my journey back in La Fortuna. It’s hard for me to treat this day as the final leg of the journey and reflect here, as my time in Costa Rica is barely halfway through, but in my time here, I have made strong relationships with my fellow students, faculty, and tour guide. I do not know what this next step will bring, but I eagerly await the adventure.

Until then, ¡Pura Vida!

Day 9: Monteverde and the Pacific Coast

Today we left Monteverde to make the trek to the Pacific Coast (Jacó). The day was mostly characterized by the bus ride, which took up the morning through early afternoon. We grabbed a quick lunch before heading to a crocodile safari tour, which took us to the coast, showed us the mangrove forests, and gave us a glimpse at some of the great animals we had yet to encounter (such as many crocodiles, different types of birds, and interesting species of iguanas).

Later, we hunted down our hotel, which was owned by a Dutch man, so the decorations were not what we were expecting, albeit be (although the tulips and giant wooden clogs were very pretty). Fortunately, there were shops and beach access nearby, so a few of us gathered together to explore a little bit. We found a shop with vegan ice cream (which Margaret greatly appreciated), and later we walked on the beach, admiring the gorgeous sunset and inspecting interesting stones and shells.

Tomorrow is the last day of the program before flying home. We’ll be at Manuel Antonio National Park in the morning, then we’ll drive back to San José in the evening.

Good night, ¡Pura Vida!

Day 8: Monteverde

We started today with a nature walk in the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, followed by a nature talk by a guide. It was a sunny day, so we could see clearly to the other mountains when there were breaks in the dense vegetation. There were many interesting and different species; one of note is a caterpillar that we noticed before even starting the walk. Mario promptly informed us that this caterpillar was in fact dangerous (venomous), and that one could tell this based on the bright colors and patterns of the animal. There was much of this type of conversation on the walk.

Following the walk and talk, we ate lunch and headed to a different part of Monteverde to plant a few trees. Then we returned to town for some free time.

In the evening, we went on a night walk. Nighttime, which starts around 6pm in Costa Rica, brings out many new interesting creatures. We had the chance to see some tarantulas as well as some mammals with names I have since forgotten that look like they’re in the opossum family.

Tomorrow, we head to the Pacific Coast!

¡Pura Vida!

Day 7: Arenal and Monteverde

Salutations all!

We drove to Monteverde today and arrived before lunch, after which we toured an orchid garden, learning about the different kinds of orchids and inspecting ones you wouldn’t even know to look for. Following this, we went zip lining in the cloud forest. I was not prepared for this. I could not anticipate how it felt to be high up in the air with nothing in front of you and nothing behind you. It was an incredible experience that I won’t soon forget.

We then had some time in town to walk around, get some food, and do some shopping.

Due to a scheduling error with the hotel, we landed at a pizza place for dinner. This was wonderful. The restaurant had live music (and of course Mario just happened to know the singer, Bernardo), an inviting atmosphere, and excellent food. Mario and Hazel danced to the music, Mario sang for us, and we simply ate and enjoyed each other’s company.

In the evening, I did the ever-so-exciting task of washing some laundry.

Tomorrow, we will head on a nature walk in the cloud forest.

Sweet dreams, and ¡Pura Vida!

Day 6: Arenal

¡Buenos dias, amigos!

Tenorio Volcano National Park was the agenda for the morning, and it did not disappoint. In addition to the incredible beauty of the park itself, a natural gem was at the end of our little rainbow. Rio Celeste, a river running as blue as the sky, greeted us at the finale of our trail. There are a variety of explanations for the color: 1. the Mie Scattering that causes the sky to look blue to the human eye also causes the color of the river to appear such a bright blue, 2. the color is a result of particles in two rivers joining together, the chemical reaction resulting from the calcium carbonate from one river meeting the sulfur from the volcanic river, and 3. when God was done painting the sky, he dipped his paintbrush in the river to rinse it off. I like the last one.

After the hike of the morning, we took it easy for the rest of the day at Baldi Hot Springs. Using the thermodynamics from the Arenal volcano to heat the water, the hot springs were a series of pools that increased in temperature the further up you went. It was a great way to relax and recharge after the hike and after the craze of yesterday.

In the evening, we had a pleasant surprise! Ozeas Costa and his daughter dropped by during dinner to say hello! It was truly wonderful to see friendly, familiar faces. In addition to Ozeas being our instructor on campus before leaving for Costa Rica, each of us hold him in very high regards and hope to see him in the future, either as friend or professor.

After dinner, Mark, Margaret, Marissa, Emily, Kristina, Mario, and I ventured to the Rainforest Café for dessert and coffee before ending up back at the Lava Lounge for a quick drink.

Tomorrow we leave for Monteverde.

¡Pura Vida!

 

Day 5: Sarapiqui and Arenal

Hello!

Today was quite an eventful day. In the morning, we drove from Sarapiqui to La Fortuna and visited the Catarata Río Fortuna (Fortuna river waterfall). Down to Earth coffee was the next stop. The owner, Matias Zeledon, gave us a tour of the shop, explained to us the different parts of the coffee plant, and even let us sample some of the tea from coffee cascara (the fruit of the plant that surrounds the bean). Matias was charismatic and warm and happily answered our questions about sustainability, coffee production, and general questions about the coffee industry both in Costa Rica and the United States. We also took a slight detour to a few pharmacies in search of relief for a skin condition flare-up of one of the group. We then headed for lunch.

After lunch is where the journey got a little…interesting. We embarked on a kayaking trip on Lake Arenal, but things got a bit dicey when the a storm approached. Each kayak held two people; I was paired with Emily. It started out fine, if not a bit cloudy. Arriving on another end of the lake, we gathered the kayaks together to try to get a group picture — in the bustle, Mark’s phone (while encased in a plastic protection bag) made it’s way into the water. It did not float.

We still got the chance to jump out of the kayaks and into the water, which was both warm and cold in spots due to the thermodynamics of the volcano. Meanwhile, the clouds were getting ever so slightly darker and more menacing. Climbing back into our vehicles, thunder and lightning appeared much closer on our radar for comfort, so we decided that this was a good time to head back. Starting our return, we felt rain on our heads and shoulders. It started out as a light drizzle. Flash forward 3 minutes and we couldn’t see our feet in front of us in the kayak — in fact, it was problematic to even open our eyes.

Fortunately, I had my sunglasses with me, so with Emily in the front, paddling with her eyes closed, and me, steering in the back, we started back. The lightning got closer to where we felt like it surrounded us; the thunder seemed to shake the water. And it was an incredibly long way back. Our kayaking guide was shouting to us to hurry up, go faster, move quickly. We wanted to shout back that we were going as fast as we could. Additionally, kayaks steered by people who couldn’t see through the rain kept bumping into each other — chaos and confusion and slight panic made their presence known.

We did make it back to our dock, and despite emotions running high and a general sense of shakiness, we were safe. After that adventure, it seemed the best plan to go to the hotel for a little bit to rest. We returned to Down to Earth coffee for a little bit to continue to talk to Matias and drink some wonderful coffee-chocolate-banana smoothies. Matias and I got to talking, and I mentioned that I would be staying in Costa Rica past the trip end to work at Finca Educative Don Juan, located in La Fortuna. Mario, reminded by this conversation, called Don Juan, and the next thing I knew, we were saying goodbye to Matias and heading on our way to visit the Finca.

I was incredibly grateful to both Mario and my fellow students who came along for the ride — everybody went out of their way (not entirely by their choice) to accompany me to the farm. Fortunately, they were as amazed by the layout and the beauty as I was — this farm didn’t look anything like the ones I’m accustomed to in the U.S. Don Juan has a special knack for geometry. Tall banana trees near some of the cabins, fruits and flowers of every kind encased in perfectly straight paths, vegetables growing in circular plots, a kids’ play area in the shape of Costa Rica next to one of the four ponds — it was incredible! Don Juan doesn’t speak much English, so my Spanish skills were put to the test. It foreshadowed my immersion in the Spanish language during my stay at the farm.

Following our visit to the Finca, we headed back to town for dinner. After dinner, Mark, Margaret, Marissa, Emily, and myself went to the Lava Lounge in town to catch part of the Cavs game.

It was one of those days where I felt like we really learned to trust and depend on each other.

Tomorrow, we hike in Tenorio Volcano National Park to see Rio Celeste as well as some time to relax in some hot springs.

¡Pura Vida!

Day 4: Tortuguero and Sarapiqui

Hello all!

This morning was characterized by quite a bit of driving. We bid farewell to Tortuguero and set out for Sarapiqui, going straight to lunch at a shop for whitewater rafting. Lunch was a nacho bar, and the people running the place were kind enough to even provide peanut butter and jam for those of us who wanted to make sandwiches.

After lunch, we drove up to a point high up on the Sarapiqui River, where we were then divided into two rafting groups. My group, led by a guide named Davies, included Emily, Margaret, Mark, and myself. Davies was a charismatic and warm guide, and the rafting itself was exciting (it was my first time whitewater rafting, too!)!

Following the rafting excursion, we went to our hotel to rest for a few hours before dinner. Dinner was pizza, Costa Rican style. Afterwards, some of us, led by Mario, explored the area surrounding the rooms of the hotel, looking for frogs.

This is our only night in Sarapiqui; tomorrow we leave for La Fortuna.

Farewell for now, y ¡Pura Vida!

Day 3: Tortuguero

We had an early morning, as many of us woke up at 5am for a 5:30am boat tour of the canals of the Tortuguero National Park. The hotel we’re staying at, La Rana Roja (The Red Frog), is located alongside a few other hotels within the park itself. Mario gave us a run down of the history of the park, especially how people were living in this area, and when the park was established, the government didn’t force them to leave, so there are communities and hotels established within the park.

On the tour, we saw many different species, such as the Bird-eating Snake, caiman, some spider monkeys, macaws, and we got to listen to the howler monkeys (***pictures to be included later***).

We saw structures, like a town called (no joke) San Francisco and several other hotels. There was even a biology station with a clothe sign hung about the entryway saying “Salva a los animales ¡NO A LA CALLE!”

Mario explained that the sign referred to a current controversy where some individuals want to build a road our to Tortuguero and others do not. He explained that there were social class, economic, and environmental layers to the issue, thus making it so contentious.

At breakfast (~8:15am), we discussed some of these aspects, but we mostly focused on sustainable development and how some residents interact with the environment. Mario has been clear from the start that while make people here are environmentally conscious, other are less so. People lived here and made a living in the park before it was a park, and not everybody saw/sees a need to change their lifestyles to be more sustainable. Regardless, development that is truly sustainable must account for humans and human needs as well as the needs of the surrounding ecosystem.

After breakfast, we had a break until lunch, where many of us journaled and talked. In the afternoon, we visited the town of Tortuguero. The place is a good spot for tourists; there were many shops run by locals creating crafts right before our eyes as well as making food from scratch. Unfortunately, there are some risks to tourist traps — one lady at a cash register short-changed me when converting from the U.S. dollar to Costa Rican colones. However, there was no shortage of kind, enthusiastic people to talk to. One store owner, Carmen, showed us how she carved bowls and cups, and when a few of us bought some of her work, she sent us off with a spark to the hand for good luck. Additionally, the murals of the town are exquisite — artwork depicting the values and experiences of the residents cover the walls of shops and community structures.

Towards the end of our time in Tortuguero, I had the chance to speak with a local shop owner about his take on sustainability and how the town has changed because of tourism and development. He talked about how tourism bettered the town and gave it some capital to develop; meanwhile, sustainability was vital to maintaining the beauty and community feeling that brought tourists to the area in the first place. This ended up being a self-perpetuating cycle — the tourists come to town, the town develops and strengthens, the town continues to be sustainable, more tourists continue to visit.

After spending time meandering town, our group strolled the beach on our way to a talk by a woman named Jimena representing Sea Turtle Conservancy (formerly the Caribbean Conservation Corporation), a non-for-profit organization dedicated to protecting and conserving sea turtles in Florida and different parts of Central America. We learned a bit about the different types of sea turtles, common behavior for different species, threats to them, etc.

Following the turtle adventures, we took a boat back to the hotel for the evening. Tomorrow, we drive to Sarapiqui.

¡Buenas noches, y Pura Vida!

Day 2: San José and Tortuguero

***FYI: Photos will be added when I can access a cord to upload pictures from my phone and camera to my computer***

¡Buenos días, mis amigos!

Today we left San José, bright and early! We departed around 7am for Tortuguero by bus. This included a 4 hour bus ride, but it didn’t feel long, as we had much to see and talk about on the trip. From San José many mountain ranges and volcanoes are visible through the clouds; Mario pointed them all out as we made our way out.

A little bit outside San José, we passed through the gorgeous Braulio Carrillo National Park. We drove through the mountains of the park, encountering dense, diverse vegetation, small waterfalls, and interesting drivers. Mario explained some of the history of the country, some of the protections of the national park, and his experiences with wild drivers in San José and the surrounding areas. We even got the chance to stop and take some pictures!

Another stop on the way to Tortuguero was a banana plantation next to the road. Mario knew so much about how the bananas grow and are farmed; it blew me away! He demonstrated with his hands how, when they’re growing, the bananas are kept in the darkness of a plastic cover over the bunch, so that they’ll expand in search of light (instead of curling up). This expansion helps the bananas lay flat so more can be harvested and stacked together. The plastic bag covering the bananas also protect the bunches from bugs and bruising while they grow. Mario asked the driver to pull over so he could show us the banana train, where bunches are hung on a network of racks where they are pulled by workers to the center/farm to be prepared for transportation and handling. The workers, he said, are kept on a strict diet so they are in good physical condition to labor out in the heat and humidity.

After stopping to see the train, we piled back into the bus and discussed how the workers on these plantations lived and worked. For many working for large corporations like Dole and Chiquita, they live in towns owned by the companies. This was not unlike the coal towns from the early 20th century in the US, where the mine would pay in specialized currency on usable in the town. We discussed these parallels later at dinner, where Mario explained that the conditions of the the workers used to be grim, like in the case of the miners, but after the civil war in the late 1940s, social welfare laws/regulations were passed to protect these people. Since then, he said, conditions improved considerably.

We passed other plantations, such as papaya plantations, but we’ll stop and dive into those on our way back from Tortuguero. Once our drive was over, we boarded a boat. Tortuguero cannot be accessed by land; you have to either fly in or take a boat, so off we went. On the way there we saw incredible animals and plants, including a caiman! Everywhere we looked, there was something new to see, a testament to the biodiversity of the area. In our on-campus lectures, we had been told by Dr. Costa to pay attention to how much vegetation we could see in one area, and what relevant advice that was! In Ohio, where you could look at a a width of 10 feet and see 4 or 5 different species, here I could hardly even count how many there were. Mario had quizzed us on the bus about the causes of Costa Rica’s amazing biodiversity, and it was a true treasure to get to see the results of the tectonic history, diversity in climates and elevations, and incredible evolution and competition all at play.

Once we arrived in Tortuguero, in our hotel, Rana Roja, we ate lunch and had some free time to get settled. For many of us, this meant cooling down at the pool!

At ~4pm, we all met with Mario, who took us for a nature walk around the string of adjacent hotels, where we saw incredible plants and animals, whose scientific and common names Mario knew. He also went into depth about how the creatures lived and grew. Since the boat ride, he had been pointing out nests for the largest type of oriole in the world, and on the walk, we finally got to see several flying about and nesting in nearby trees.

Another interesting animals was the red poison dart frog, which one of the hotel workers found for us (we ended up stumbling on a few later in the evening). Mario explained that there were different levels of poison, which is why the guy who found it was able to show it to us in his hand. It never ceases to amaze me that such beauty can also be so dangerous to us.

If you’re looking for a new fashion accessory, there a leaf that is right for you. It stuck directly to our clothes (when Mario showed us how to put it on), and even in Kaitlyn’s hair! My favorite plant, however, had to be a red flowering bush with fruit called, “Hot Lips.”

After the nature walk, we had a few moments to rest; most of us took this time to continue to walk around, gaze at the plants, and study the crabs that burrowed next to the sidewalk. This was followed by dinner, then a frog hunt with Mario.

We walked around the outdoors looking for and identifying different frogs in the dark with our flashlights, finding individuals such as an olive tree frog, a red-webbed frog, and many others.

As we retreated to our rooms for the night, we stumbled upon the red-webbed frog, and Margaret, leaning in to get a better picture, received quite the surprise. Our amphibian friend jumped quickly from the railing where we first saw him to Margaret’s phone/hand, from her hand on to her shoulder (got a little bit caught in her hair), and eventually from her back/neck area, to the railing on the other side of the walkway. Margaret stayed frozen and totally calm so as to not scare the little guy.

Tomorrow we stay in Tortuguero for a boat ride through the canals in the morning, and in the afternoon, we’ll go into town to talk to the locals and attend a lecture.

¡Pura Vida!

Day 1: Arrival in San José

While we all arrived in San José, I left yesterday and took 3 flights to get here (Cleveland/CLE to Charlotte/CLT to Miami/MIA to San José/SJO). The first flight was real rough due to a storm in Charlotte — we flew around in a holding pattern twice, had one rollercoaster of a landing, and arrived about 40 minutes later than scheduled. The pilot did a great job, however, of navigating the storm. Fortunately, my connecting flight to Miami was delayed by more than 2 hours, so I got the chance to eat, pet a cute dog, and relax/recover. Getting to Miami was a breeze in comparison, and I crashed for the night in the airport. The flight to SJO also went pretty well, and I had no problems getting through Customs.

Upon exiting Customs, I was greeted warmly by our tour guide, Mario (EF Tours). As I was the first to arrive, Mario and I got to sit and talk for a few hours. He was a welcoming presence, and we chatted a bit about who we were. Mario seemed to know everybody he passed in the airport, and when I pointed that out, he explained to me that it was necessary to know people and connect with them when you’re in that business. This point, he expanded, applies to all friendships and relationships. We are all interdependent and interconnected and so must make time and energy for one another. He told me all this after about 15 minutes of meeting me. It was great!

(This is where we all ate lunch and where Mario and I sat to talk, Deli’ Malinche)

Mario also talked a little bit about sustainability and sustainable development and the government’s role in making change; his view was that government intervention could help with sustainable decision-making, instead of letting people decide to do otherwise. As other people showed up (first Hazel and Marissa, later Margaret, Kaitlyn, and Mark, and eventually Emily and our in-country OSU instructor, Dr. Kristina Slagle (not to be confused with our on-campus OSU instructor, Dr. Ozeas Costa)), I grabbed some food. Before Emily and Dr. Slagle arrived, Mario called for a bus to take us to the hotel to get cleaned up and wait for the others. As the bus arrived, there was a slight unplanned interaction between the two vehicles, so we waited a bit, eventually arriving at the hotel. At the hotel, the time zone change (Costa Rica is two hours behind my norm of Eastern U.S. time) and the stresses of traveling abroad alone for the first time started to catch up to me. Instead of napping, however, most of us in the group hung out in the lobby playing card games and talking as we waited for the last flight to arrive.

Once everybody had landed, we ate at the hotel — side salads, and rice, pork, and a tomato & vegetable mixture with sauce (except for Emily and Kaitlyn, who are vegetarians, and Margaret, who is vegan — they were served a pasta dish). Dessert was a cheesecake topped with a strawberry glaze. During dinner, Mario went over safety information and the itinerary for tomorrow and the next few days. After dinner, we all dropped into bed, preparing ourselves to be ready to go at 6:30am the next morning.

Tomorrow, we travel to Tortuguero for adventures there. I can’t wait!

Pura Vida!