Hello everyone!
Just to let all of you know, Kristen and I are alive and well despite the recent lack of blog-activity.
So, to catch up a smidge, here´s the latest:
Kristen and I visited Volcano Poas two weeks ago (I think). It´s one of the largest volcanic craters in the world, spanning just over a mile and reaching a depth of 1000ft. Our guides all said to go early in the morning because, like most mountains but especially Costa Rican ones, Poas gets cloudy in the afternoons. Well, we got there around 11:00 and expected to see very little, but to our surprise and great pleasure the whole crater was visible; a stunning expanse with a sulferic springs at the center of it all. Pictures will be posted next time...the internet connection today is spotty.
Poas also has a beautiful lagoon that Kristen and I hiked to, as well as an informative (albeit in Spanish) visitor center. Lots of fun.
This past weekend, Kristen and I fled to Nicaragua for three days. Costa Rica gives out temporary traveler´s visas, which expire after a 90-day period. To renew this visa, one must simply leave the country for 72 hours. Easy enough.
So we went to Nicaragua. Our destination was Managua, to rendezvous with Annie, an American (and Midwesterner to boot!) working with ELCA Global Missions at the Lutheran Church there. She and her Nicaraguan boyfriend Luis acted as our guides for the weekend. Luis and his family are very involved in the heated Nicaraguan political atmosphere, so we received government, history, and culture lessons as we went. Managua is a very poor city - so poor that the poverty and general uncleanliness of the area surprised Kristen and I. There was a violent revolution in ´79 and a bad earthquake some years ago that aided in defacing the city, but it is still unfortunately impressive. Over 50% of the people in Nicaragua live below the poverty line, and unemployment is around 60%. Incredible.
Grenada, by contrast (where we went last Sunday) is beautiful. Churches, parks, and a boulevard with a European flavor inhabit Grenada. The poor and beggers are present in some force, as well, but the city is much neater than Managua.
So. That was the past two weeks. In brief. This weekend is Halloween, and today we made masks with the kids at the orphanage, pretended to ¨trick or treat¨and filled plastic gloves with popcorn. Everything went very well. Until four of our beloved 5/6 year olds dug through the garbage (after being asked not to repeatedly), found and removed the empty microwave popcorn bag, tore it up, and proceeded to lick the salty and buttery inside, making a point to find Kristen and I to show us just how well they couldn´t listen. Sigh. You win some, you lose some.
The rest of this weekend is going to be filled with a scary movie, pizza-bagels for dinner (we´re cooking) a trip to Sarchi (maybe).
Blessings to all of you, wherever you are.
Friday, October 31
Friday, October 17
¡Uff da, que lluvia! (and not as much theology)
So, my weekend plans have now changed somewhere around 347 times. Last weekend I did not go to Volcán Arenal as planned, because the trip organizers changed some plans, people dropped out, etc. So we were going to go this weekend. Then we decided not to, and instead go to Guanacaste. Well, it’s been raining in Costa Rica like you wouldn’t believe. And not just like, “Well, duh, you’re in Costa Rica, dude” rain. We’re talking serious rain. It makes the locals a bit worried. So, of course, buses to Guanacaste aren’t exactly running like normal right now, so we’ll be finding
something to do around Heredia/San José this weekend.
In other news, I just gone done with a final exam in Spanish 410, and I think it well. Tuesday I start 411, and after that I’m not sure what comes next as far as classroom Spanish. Some classes are a little slow, others are very interesting, and just like back home, a great deal depends on the quality of the professor. I can only imagine how difficult it is for these professors to organize a curriculum that roughly suits and fits in with what we students are doing in our various universities all across the states (or, in some cases, all around the world). Some days I have moments of “Oh, yes, I’ve always wanted to get into this area of language in more detail!” Other days, it’s more of a “Um, didn’t we learn this the second week of high school Spanish?” I would say, overall (to put it in such a way wherein I really would not like to come off as elitist or uppity), that my Augustana professors did a pretty darn good job. ¡Muchas Gracias, Sr. Ogdie y Sra. Herman!
I’m still in search of a comfortable faith community down here. Sooner or later I’m going to go exploring in San José for the alleged Lutheran Church that I have such high hopes for. In some ways, I do feel very much (at the risk of sounding hypocritically heretical) “spiritually fortified” down here. Maybe “theologically tested” would be a better term. The fact is, I’m living in a country in which the state religion is Catholicism, my host family consists of staunch Pentecostals, I’ve been approached by at least five Jehovah’s witnesses (one of whom I took twenty minutes to argue theology with), likely the only Lutheran in my entire city is an agnostic Norwegian, and the best friend I’ve made in my program here is an atheist. I was talking to Anna last weekend on our way to San Ramón, and we both seemed to agree that we feel a fairly daunting lack of the religious communities and theological discourse we both had become accustomed to back in the states. In short, I miss worship at Spirit of Joy and Augie’s chapel, and I miss debating theology. Lost in translation doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Speaking of the Norwegian (by the name of Marius), I have a short story I’ve been meaning to share. I was speaking with him one day with some other kids in our group, and he was teaching us some Norwegian words. For some reason, we wanted to know how to say “cheesy.” He said they don’t really use the word much, but asked for a scenario in which he used it. I said something to the effect of “Well, imagine you and some Norwegian buddies are in Mexico, and you bite into a really cheesy tortilla, and you want to say ‘Uff da, that’s cheesy!’” Time sort of froze just then (for me anyway), as I proceeded to mentally beat myself for being such an ignorant punk and for even daring to say such a stereotypical thing around a Norwegian. I can’t describe how stupid I felt. Imagine my surprise, then, as Marius immediately responded to my comment with a very amused chuckle and said “Ah, I see you already speak Norwegian!” I didn’t really have time to realize he wasn’t offended before another girl asked “Wait, what did he say?” to which Marius responded “Uff da. We use it all the time. I haven’t heard that for a while!” and went on to explain its meaning and use, complimenting me all the while for knowing the expression. Whew. The cultural things you learn when you study abroad…I tell you what....
That’s about all for now. Last night I went with my dance class to San José to see a dance performance at the Teatro Nacional that was very.......modern. Yeah, we’ll go with that. I’ll save a fuller description until later.
Until then, take care of yourselves. Challenge someone’s faith back home for me. =)
something to do around Heredia/San José this weekend.
In other news, I just gone done with a final exam in Spanish 410, and I think it well. Tuesday I start 411, and after that I’m not sure what comes next as far as classroom Spanish. Some classes are a little slow, others are very interesting, and just like back home, a great deal depends on the quality of the professor. I can only imagine how difficult it is for these professors to organize a curriculum that roughly suits and fits in with what we students are doing in our various universities all across the states (or, in some cases, all around the world). Some days I have moments of “Oh, yes, I’ve always wanted to get into this area of language in more detail!” Other days, it’s more of a “Um, didn’t we learn this the second week of high school Spanish?” I would say, overall (to put it in such a way wherein I really would not like to come off as elitist or uppity), that my Augustana professors did a pretty darn good job. ¡Muchas Gracias, Sr. Ogdie y Sra. Herman!
I’m still in search of a comfortable faith community down here. Sooner or later I’m going to go exploring in San José for the alleged Lutheran Church that I have such high hopes for. In some ways, I do feel very much (at the risk of sounding hypocritically heretical) “spiritually fortified” down here. Maybe “theologically tested” would be a better term. The fact is, I’m living in a country in which the state religion is Catholicism, my host family consists of staunch Pentecostals, I’ve been approached by at least five Jehovah’s witnesses (one of whom I took twenty minutes to argue theology with), likely the only Lutheran in my entire city is an agnostic Norwegian, and the best friend I’ve made in my program here is an atheist. I was talking to Anna last weekend on our way to San Ramón, and we both seemed to agree that we feel a fairly daunting lack of the religious communities and theological discourse we both had become accustomed to back in the states. In short, I miss worship at Spirit of Joy and Augie’s chapel, and I miss debating theology. Lost in translation doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Speaking of the Norwegian (by the name of Marius), I have a short story I’ve been meaning to share. I was speaking with him one day with some other kids in our group, and he was teaching us some Norwegian words. For some reason, we wanted to know how to say “cheesy.” He said they don’t really use the word much, but asked for a scenario in which he used it. I said something to the effect of “Well, imagine you and some Norwegian buddies are in Mexico, and you bite into a really cheesy tortilla, and you want to say ‘Uff da, that’s cheesy!’” Time sort of froze just then (for me anyway), as I proceeded to mentally beat myself for being such an ignorant punk and for even daring to say such a stereotypical thing around a Norwegian. I can’t describe how stupid I felt. Imagine my surprise, then, as Marius immediately responded to my comment with a very amused chuckle and said “Ah, I see you already speak Norwegian!” I didn’t really have time to realize he wasn’t offended before another girl asked “Wait, what did he say?” to which Marius responded “Uff da. We use it all the time. I haven’t heard that for a while!” and went on to explain its meaning and use, complimenting me all the while for knowing the expression. Whew. The cultural things you learn when you study abroad…I tell you what....
That’s about all for now. Last night I went with my dance class to San José to see a dance performance at the Teatro Nacional that was very.......modern. Yeah, we’ll go with that. I’ll save a fuller description until later.
Until then, take care of yourselves. Challenge someone’s faith back home for me. =)
Sunday, October 12
Cultural Experiences in San Ramon!
(Note: this post is mostly intended for Ben, Kristen, and Sam)
Ben, Kristen, Sam and I shared a wonderful weekend of cultural experiences in San Ramon. I feel so enriched and immersed via these experiences--so much so that I even feel compelled to write about them.
We enjoyed time with Ben and Kristen's host family, who are wonderfully hospitable, cooked dinner for them, explored the town a bit, and enjoyed good conversation with one another. It was great to be together again!
I'll write more soon (really, I will. I've even begun writing it...it's just too long to post at the moment), but for now I'm off to study for a really important mid-term and write a paper. Ciao!
Ben, Kristen, Sam and I shared a wonderful weekend of cultural experiences in San Ramon. I feel so enriched and immersed via these experiences--so much so that I even feel compelled to write about them.
We enjoyed time with Ben and Kristen's host family, who are wonderfully hospitable, cooked dinner for them, explored the town a bit, and enjoyed good conversation with one another. It was great to be together again!
I'll write more soon (really, I will. I've even begun writing it...it's just too long to post at the moment), but for now I'm off to study for a really important mid-term and write a paper. Ciao!
Thursday, October 9
Quality time with Andrew, Caitlyn, Sam T. Coleridge, and drug dealers
This is part 2 of 2 regarding my Tortuguero/Panamá trip. Scroll down to read part one if you have not yet done so.
After a 6:30 breakfast at the hotel we loaded up in the boat for the last time and rode back to the place where another tour bus awaited us. After a very long ride in which we watched a movie and I shared the iPod of my seat partner, Caitlyn (a friend with whom I bonded immensely over the course of this trip), we finally arrived at the Costa Rica/Panamá border, which basically consisted of a bridge and respective border patrol offices on either side. Our tour bus was not allowed to cross the bridge, so we all had to carry our things across and wait at the Panama border office. It’s always fun to get your passport stamped in a new country, but the organization (or rather the lack thereof) left us both frustrated and unprotected under a sun that was beating down on us, little more than 6° above the equator (so I´m told). After getting everyone through, we loaded up in vans and took off in the direction of Bocas del Toro. Transportation the entire day was very mixed – by the time we arrived at our hotel in Bocas, we had taken a boat, a bus, walked across the bridge, vans, and finally another boat to the island where we were staying.
The town of Bocas del Toro gave the impression of being a tourist hub, but somehow managed to retain a sincere feeling of a true Panamanian island community….well, I guess that’s not exactly a topic to which I claim any expertise, but it certainly seemed as such at the time! Our arrival at the hotel included my first chance to meet Don Carlos Salas, the USAC coordinator for all of Costa Rica. We had the evening off, and after dinner on our own, most of us spent the rest of the night at La Iguana, a local club where I and a couple others had run-ins with a prostitute and two friendly marijuana dealers. Welcome to Bocas! That’s not entirely fair, of course, although admittedly there were times here that reminded me a bit of the town of Tortuga of Pirates of the Caribbean fame.
The next two days’ planned activities included island hopping around the area, which was a collection of groundbreaking experiences. Over the two mornings and early afternoons we were out and about, I walked the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen, swam in the warmest water I’ve ever felt outside a pool, ate the best fish I’ve ever tasted (including one of the eyeballs, a throwback to my China adventure), and snorkeled, saw wild dolphins, and held starfish (none of which I’d done before). I’m really running out of steam in describing this trip’s natural beauty; thus, I’ll let my posted pictures do most of the talking. At one beach there was a volleyball net which we used for almost two hours, also under an intense sun. Being an almost pure-blood Norwegian, I was certain that I would be supremely red and downright crispy after days of this, but amazingly I managed to return to Heredia with little more than slightly pink shoulders.
I should note here that this trip included the second of October, my dear mother’s birthday. Though I wasn’t able to get a hold of her that particular day, I did manage to call home once in Bocas, using a friend’s Skype account. It was really great to hear from them, and my only regret in doing so was that I couldn’t properly let them know how much fun I was having and how absolutely amazing everything on this trip was. I did find a little birthday present for her there, and I look forward to giving it to her when they come visit Ben, Kristen, Anna and me in November.
Speaking of shopping, I finally got around to doing a bit of that down in Bocas. I really haven’t spent that much in Heredia, but being surrounded by such a multitude of tourist shops in Panamá persuaded me into being a little more cavalier with my cash. I found a wooden necktie-paddle looking thing (and I’m not entirely sure it has any practical use) with a beautiful hand painting of a couple parrots on it, a comfortable black shirt which screams “I got this in Central America!”, an amber necklace, and a beautiful hand-painted feather (apparently that’s a popular thing here).
Another interesting part of our time in Bocas was the water shortage. The whole island just ran out of water the second day we were there, and didn’t come back until the evening before we left. This of course made shower and toilet use micromanaged activities, and we were all starting to smell a bit by the time the water came back. Ironically, all the clothes we had seemed to get extremely wet from the island activities we did in the mornings, and in the humid climate it was simply impossible to get anything to dry out. And yet, literally surrounded by salt water, washing hands or getting drinking water from the tap was just not possible. “Water, water, everywhere...”, as Mr. Coleridge put it (Rime of the Ancient Mariner).
Night life in Bocas was very fun as well. The places in town varied from small restaurants whose tables went out onto the water to one club which included an actual sunken ship. Our last evening there happened to be my roommate Andrew’s birthday, and so of course due celebration was in order. I personally chose to avoid the dance floor that night (despite the fact that I was sporting my classy new Panamanian apparel), and instead opted for a few hours of meaningful conversation with friends, another strong bonding experience. A small number of us even got some card games in during our time out. By this time, one simple yet fun game in particular (whose name we invented, dubbing it O.S.G., or Original Stupid Gangster...you can ask me if you’re curious) had become very popular since our first night in Tortuguero.
Despite the enormity of this blog post, there is so much more I could write about. As I mentioned previously, I’m not going to forget any of this, and I can only do so much to express how much I enjoyed it all. I suspect that has been (and will be) true of all my blog posts, but it rings especially true for this trip. Sometimes I forget I’m actually going to school down here, and a week-long trip like this almost gets lost in a semester full of adventure and fun.
In the meantime, I received a package from my friends at Augustana which included much appreciated food, letters, and an assortment of miscellaneous trinkets and gifts. Thank you guys!! Mail makes my week!!
This coming weekend I’m heading out to Volcán Arenal (which I’ve heard nothing but good things about) and surrounding area for some hiking and exploring with some of my fellow students here. I’ll try to throw up some pictures from this past trip as soon as I can, but before I know it I’ll be back next week with hopefully more fun stories and photos. It just never stops down here. Someone needs to remind me to breathe.
Once again, take care of yourselves. I miss you all. ¡Pura Vida!
After a 6:30 breakfast at the hotel we loaded up in the boat for the last time and rode back to the place where another tour bus awaited us. After a very long ride in which we watched a movie and I shared the iPod of my seat partner, Caitlyn (a friend with whom I bonded immensely over the course of this trip), we finally arrived at the Costa Rica/Panamá border, which basically consisted of a bridge and respective border patrol offices on either side. Our tour bus was not allowed to cross the bridge, so we all had to carry our things across and wait at the Panama border office. It’s always fun to get your passport stamped in a new country, but the organization (or rather the lack thereof) left us both frustrated and unprotected under a sun that was beating down on us, little more than 6° above the equator (so I´m told). After getting everyone through, we loaded up in vans and took off in the direction of Bocas del Toro. Transportation the entire day was very mixed – by the time we arrived at our hotel in Bocas, we had taken a boat, a bus, walked across the bridge, vans, and finally another boat to the island where we were staying.
The town of Bocas del Toro gave the impression of being a tourist hub, but somehow managed to retain a sincere feeling of a true Panamanian island community….well, I guess that’s not exactly a topic to which I claim any expertise, but it certainly seemed as such at the time! Our arrival at the hotel included my first chance to meet Don Carlos Salas, the USAC coordinator for all of Costa Rica. We had the evening off, and after dinner on our own, most of us spent the rest of the night at La Iguana, a local club where I and a couple others had run-ins with a prostitute and two friendly marijuana dealers. Welcome to Bocas! That’s not entirely fair, of course, although admittedly there were times here that reminded me a bit of the town of Tortuga of Pirates of the Caribbean fame.
The next two days’ planned activities included island hopping around the area, which was a collection of groundbreaking experiences. Over the two mornings and early afternoons we were out and about, I walked the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen, swam in the warmest water I’ve ever felt outside a pool, ate the best fish I’ve ever tasted (including one of the eyeballs, a throwback to my China adventure), and snorkeled, saw wild dolphins, and held starfish (none of which I’d done before). I’m really running out of steam in describing this trip’s natural beauty; thus, I’ll let my posted pictures do most of the talking. At one beach there was a volleyball net which we used for almost two hours, also under an intense sun. Being an almost pure-blood Norwegian, I was certain that I would be supremely red and downright crispy after days of this, but amazingly I managed to return to Heredia with little more than slightly pink shoulders.
I should note here that this trip included the second of October, my dear mother’s birthday. Though I wasn’t able to get a hold of her that particular day, I did manage to call home once in Bocas, using a friend’s Skype account. It was really great to hear from them, and my only regret in doing so was that I couldn’t properly let them know how much fun I was having and how absolutely amazing everything on this trip was. I did find a little birthday present for her there, and I look forward to giving it to her when they come visit Ben, Kristen, Anna and me in November.
Speaking of shopping, I finally got around to doing a bit of that down in Bocas. I really haven’t spent that much in Heredia, but being surrounded by such a multitude of tourist shops in Panamá persuaded me into being a little more cavalier with my cash. I found a wooden necktie-paddle looking thing (and I’m not entirely sure it has any practical use) with a beautiful hand painting of a couple parrots on it, a comfortable black shirt which screams “I got this in Central America!”, an amber necklace, and a beautiful hand-painted feather (apparently that’s a popular thing here).
Another interesting part of our time in Bocas was the water shortage. The whole island just ran out of water the second day we were there, and didn’t come back until the evening before we left. This of course made shower and toilet use micromanaged activities, and we were all starting to smell a bit by the time the water came back. Ironically, all the clothes we had seemed to get extremely wet from the island activities we did in the mornings, and in the humid climate it was simply impossible to get anything to dry out. And yet, literally surrounded by salt water, washing hands or getting drinking water from the tap was just not possible. “Water, water, everywhere...”, as Mr. Coleridge put it (Rime of the Ancient Mariner).
Night life in Bocas was very fun as well. The places in town varied from small restaurants whose tables went out onto the water to one club which included an actual sunken ship. Our last evening there happened to be my roommate Andrew’s birthday, and so of course due celebration was in order. I personally chose to avoid the dance floor that night (despite the fact that I was sporting my classy new Panamanian apparel), and instead opted for a few hours of meaningful conversation with friends, another strong bonding experience. A small number of us even got some card games in during our time out. By this time, one simple yet fun game in particular (whose name we invented, dubbing it O.S.G., or Original Stupid Gangster...you can ask me if you’re curious) had become very popular since our first night in Tortuguero.
Despite the enormity of this blog post, there is so much more I could write about. As I mentioned previously, I’m not going to forget any of this, and I can only do so much to express how much I enjoyed it all. I suspect that has been (and will be) true of all my blog posts, but it rings especially true for this trip. Sometimes I forget I’m actually going to school down here, and a week-long trip like this almost gets lost in a semester full of adventure and fun.
In the meantime, I received a package from my friends at Augustana which included much appreciated food, letters, and an assortment of miscellaneous trinkets and gifts. Thank you guys!! Mail makes my week!!
This coming weekend I’m heading out to Volcán Arenal (which I’ve heard nothing but good things about) and surrounding area for some hiking and exploring with some of my fellow students here. I’ll try to throw up some pictures from this past trip as soon as I can, but before I know it I’ll be back next week with hopefully more fun stories and photos. It just never stops down here. Someone needs to remind me to breathe.
Once again, take care of yourselves. I miss you all. ¡Pura Vida!
¡Corre tortuguita, corre! ...and other majestic sights
It’s been a while since my last post, but I’ve been out and about doing some serious adventuring. I wish I could send all of my photos to all of you! After a week of so much adventure and bonding with both gringo compañeros and Costa Rican/Panamanian scenery, it’s difficult to know where to begin (say nothing of what details to exclude in order to keep this blog post at reasonable length)!!
*edit – after a couple single-spaced pages on Word I realized I’d have to split this post. You are now reading part 1 of 2 covering my trip to Tortuguero and Panamá.
Like virtually all excursions I’ve had so far here, this one started extremely early in the morning. Most of the kids in our program (about 25 or so of us) met up at the University at 6:00 am (meaning I had to get up a little before 5:00...the horror!). After a short wait – read: I should have slept more – we were joined on the tour bus by almost all of the students from the USAC San Ramón program (about 15). Over the
next few days we would get to know each other very well, and many of us made some good very good friends.
After stopping for breakfast, our bus continued to the east coast (that is, the Caribbean) whereupon we had to get off the bus and take a boat into Tortuguero National Park. From our first glimpses of the canals that led to Pachira Lodge, we knew the park would not fail to captivate us over the next few days. I know I must sound redundant – it seems that every blog post I write I mention how jaw-droppingly majestic this or that part of Costa Rica is, but the simple truth is that it simply is as good as I try to make it sound, and usually better still. This country has given me no reason yet to cease my praises of her natural beauty, and as such I won’t. You really have to see it yourself (hint, hint – come visit me!).
Pachira Lodge itself was quite the place in itself. Some of it looked a bit like something off the set of a Survivor series, but we were well accommodated by large rooms, excellent food, courtesy usage of canoes/kayaks, a spa, and two swimming pools. After lunch in the hotel, getting settled into our rooms (I roomed with a friend name Andrew this entire trip), and a short swim in one of the pools, we headed over to Tortuguero Village, which was on the actual Caribbean coast (whereas we were separated from the village by another canal). We watched a short video on the work being done at Tortuguero and around the world to protect the sea turtles that come here multiple times every year to lay eggs. Later we got our first look at the beach, and found some tracks of a turtle who had come the night before. We returned to the hotel that evening and had dinner, after which I joined my friends Ashley, Katy, and Brittany for a late swim in the rain. We met a very nice Tico named Alex in the pool (it was just the five of us) who playfully ordered us to not speak English while there, for which I was actually quite thankful – this week has really set me back on my Spanish skills! Finally, we joined a couple more Heredia girls and a couple San Ramón guys for some card games in one of our rooms.
The next morning we had a guided hike through a small section of a rain forest nearby. We had no problem getting up that morning, thanks to the lodge’s healthy population of howler monkeys. In case you’ve never had the pleasure of waking up to a pack of howler monkeys, imagine Chewbacca of the Star Wars universe standing right outside your window, screaming at you at the top of his lungs at 4:30 of 5:00 in the morning.
*edit- in his last post Ben described this phenomenon very humurously and surprisingly accurately. i encourage you to review this information now.
Anyway.... The rain forest tour was magnificent. I can hardly compare it to anything near my home part of the world (i.e. Minnesota/Wisconsin north woods…apples and oranges, and all that), but I can certainly say that this was one of the more beautiful woods I’ve ever walked through. The sheer variety of plant and animal life to which I was exposed was amazing in itself. To provide but one of many examples, I’ve never seen trees as big as some of the ones there – trying to take it all in was a task in itself. My solitary complaint about the hike was the state of the trails. Though it is through no fault of the park service there, the grand majority of the trail was wet and muddy, littered with unavoidable puddles. Luckily our lodge provided rubber boots (required in the forest) to trudge through.
That afternoon we had lunch at the hotel again, took advantage of the pools yet again, and then got on a boat (again) to take a wildlife/canal tour, which turned out to be immensely successful. We had the good fortune of having a tour guide blessed with extraordinary sight, spotting iguanas and toucans in far-off trees or practically invisible caimans in marshy waters. Although it was difficult to get a good photo of all that we saw (due to distance, a moving boat, and a not yet experienced camera operator), the sights and sounds of the jungle wildlife, backdropped by a beautiful sunset, left an impression in my mind that will not easily be erased. I did not yet realize, however, that the best was yet to come – nine hours of my life which included two of the most majestic (there’s that word again, in all its sincerity) and awe-inspiring events I’ve ever witnessed.
That evening, we went to the Caribbean beach once again, but this time all was dark. This was our night tour – our chance to see, if we could find one, a sea turtle laying her eggs on the beach. It was late in the season for the Green Sea Turtle, and they told us our chances were slim. Moreover, the beach goes into a sort of total lockdown at night – these people take their job of protecting the turtles VERY seriously. You are only allowed on the beach at night with a professional guide, who undertakes strict training and whose certification is easily stripped from him or her. White light (flashlights, head lamps, etc) is strictly prohibited, and even brightly colored clothing is not allowed on the beach, because the bright light disturbs the turtles. You don’t even want to know what happens if you get caught with a camera.
After a short wait, the guide of our group of about 10 (larger groups are also banned, so we split up) received a radio call that they had found a turtle and they she was available for groups to observe. After stumbling around the beach (and the path to it), led only by the silhouette of our guide and his dim red light, we found her. We missed the digging of the hole, but got to see her up close and personal depositing her eggs (which break the triple-digit count every time these turtles do this). The turtle, we were told, goes into a sort of trance while the eggs are being laid, which is a process that takes around a half-hour, but can last much longer. She certainly seemed oblivious to those of us watching and to the ranger holding up her back legs/fins so we could clearly see the eggs. After she was finished, she took the next 45 minutes to slowly and carefully cover the eggs with surrounding sand. At times she flat-out violently flung the sand behind her, overshooting the hole and spraying us onlookers with sand. We waited for her to finish as other groups cycled in and out to watch, when finally she headed back to the water, ever so slowly. The guides were extremely careful not to shine any of their dim lights into her face. The whole lot of us advanced slowly behind her as she crawled back, and after getting in the water, we could hardly see her dark shape after swimming a mere 20 feet into the water under the black sky. Though not a single picture was taken, it was a night of images that will never leave me.
We returned to the hotel around 10:30, and shortly I went to bed. After about five hours of sleep, I crawled out of bed again at 4:30 in order to head to the dock by 5:00. This morning a few of us would head back to the beach, but this time to search for baby turtles. They told us that we were very fortunate the night before to find a turtle and see so much of the process, but it was even more unlikely that we would find any baby turtles, again due to the time of year. Well, lightning struck twice.
Shortly after arriving at the beach our guide found a group of them – they had just popped out of the sand. There were so many of them, and of course they were all ridiculously cute. Yet another one of nature’s wondrous curiosities – each and every tortuguita (little turtle) knows exactly which direction it needs to go and does so with full force and soon as it hits the air. You can turn them around or even move them down the beach some distance and they’ll eventually figure it out nonetheless. Despite the sad statistic that only 1 to 2% of these little guys will survive, we did not enjoy watching them any less. Rules on the beach in the morning are significantly less strict, and as such my camera was put to good use (though, as luck would have it – as if I were going to ask for more – my batteries died that morning, but thankfully after I had taken many shots). We had nearly a full hour to watch them scurry across the sand in their desperate pursuit of the sea and a safe life. To top it all off, the whole scene was brought to us by a Caribbean sunrise so beautiful that a proper description would put my own powers of written expression to shame. Being able to watch an adult turtle lay her eggs the night before and seeing a group of them begin their lives the next morning brought to me a powerful sense of satisfaction, of almost participating in something so breathtaking and yet something that not many will ever see outside of Discovery Channel.
Majestic.
scroll up for part 2
*edit – after a couple single-spaced pages on Word I realized I’d have to split this post. You are now reading part 1 of 2 covering my trip to Tortuguero and Panamá.
Like virtually all excursions I’ve had so far here, this one started extremely early in the morning. Most of the kids in our program (about 25 or so of us) met up at the University at 6:00 am (meaning I had to get up a little before 5:00...the horror!). After a short wait – read: I should have slept more – we were joined on the tour bus by almost all of the students from the USAC San Ramón program (about 15). Over the
next few days we would get to know each other very well, and many of us made some good very good friends.
After stopping for breakfast, our bus continued to the east coast (that is, the Caribbean) whereupon we had to get off the bus and take a boat into Tortuguero National Park. From our first glimpses of the canals that led to Pachira Lodge, we knew the park would not fail to captivate us over the next few days. I know I must sound redundant – it seems that every blog post I write I mention how jaw-droppingly majestic this or that part of Costa Rica is, but the simple truth is that it simply is as good as I try to make it sound, and usually better still. This country has given me no reason yet to cease my praises of her natural beauty, and as such I won’t. You really have to see it yourself (hint, hint – come visit me!).
Pachira Lodge itself was quite the place in itself. Some of it looked a bit like something off the set of a Survivor series, but we were well accommodated by large rooms, excellent food, courtesy usage of canoes/kayaks, a spa, and two swimming pools. After lunch in the hotel, getting settled into our rooms (I roomed with a friend name Andrew this entire trip), and a short swim in one of the pools, we headed over to Tortuguero Village, which was on the actual Caribbean coast (whereas we were separated from the village by another canal). We watched a short video on the work being done at Tortuguero and around the world to protect the sea turtles that come here multiple times every year to lay eggs. Later we got our first look at the beach, and found some tracks of a turtle who had come the night before. We returned to the hotel that evening and had dinner, after which I joined my friends Ashley, Katy, and Brittany for a late swim in the rain. We met a very nice Tico named Alex in the pool (it was just the five of us) who playfully ordered us to not speak English while there, for which I was actually quite thankful – this week has really set me back on my Spanish skills! Finally, we joined a couple more Heredia girls and a couple San Ramón guys for some card games in one of our rooms.
The next morning we had a guided hike through a small section of a rain forest nearby. We had no problem getting up that morning, thanks to the lodge’s healthy population of howler monkeys. In case you’ve never had the pleasure of waking up to a pack of howler monkeys, imagine Chewbacca of the Star Wars universe standing right outside your window, screaming at you at the top of his lungs at 4:30 of 5:00 in the morning.
*edit- in his last post Ben described this phenomenon very humurously and surprisingly accurately. i encourage you to review this information now.
Anyway.... The rain forest tour was magnificent. I can hardly compare it to anything near my home part of the world (i.e. Minnesota/Wisconsin north woods…apples and oranges, and all that), but I can certainly say that this was one of the more beautiful woods I’ve ever walked through. The sheer variety of plant and animal life to which I was exposed was amazing in itself. To provide but one of many examples, I’ve never seen trees as big as some of the ones there – trying to take it all in was a task in itself. My solitary complaint about the hike was the state of the trails. Though it is through no fault of the park service there, the grand majority of the trail was wet and muddy, littered with unavoidable puddles. Luckily our lodge provided rubber boots (required in the forest) to trudge through.
That afternoon we had lunch at the hotel again, took advantage of the pools yet again, and then got on a boat (again) to take a wildlife/canal tour, which turned out to be immensely successful. We had the good fortune of having a tour guide blessed with extraordinary sight, spotting iguanas and toucans in far-off trees or practically invisible caimans in marshy waters. Although it was difficult to get a good photo of all that we saw (due to distance, a moving boat, and a not yet experienced camera operator), the sights and sounds of the jungle wildlife, backdropped by a beautiful sunset, left an impression in my mind that will not easily be erased. I did not yet realize, however, that the best was yet to come – nine hours of my life which included two of the most majestic (there’s that word again, in all its sincerity) and awe-inspiring events I’ve ever witnessed.
That evening, we went to the Caribbean beach once again, but this time all was dark. This was our night tour – our chance to see, if we could find one, a sea turtle laying her eggs on the beach. It was late in the season for the Green Sea Turtle, and they told us our chances were slim. Moreover, the beach goes into a sort of total lockdown at night – these people take their job of protecting the turtles VERY seriously. You are only allowed on the beach at night with a professional guide, who undertakes strict training and whose certification is easily stripped from him or her. White light (flashlights, head lamps, etc) is strictly prohibited, and even brightly colored clothing is not allowed on the beach, because the bright light disturbs the turtles. You don’t even want to know what happens if you get caught with a camera.
After a short wait, the guide of our group of about 10 (larger groups are also banned, so we split up) received a radio call that they had found a turtle and they she was available for groups to observe. After stumbling around the beach (and the path to it), led only by the silhouette of our guide and his dim red light, we found her. We missed the digging of the hole, but got to see her up close and personal depositing her eggs (which break the triple-digit count every time these turtles do this). The turtle, we were told, goes into a sort of trance while the eggs are being laid, which is a process that takes around a half-hour, but can last much longer. She certainly seemed oblivious to those of us watching and to the ranger holding up her back legs/fins so we could clearly see the eggs. After she was finished, she took the next 45 minutes to slowly and carefully cover the eggs with surrounding sand. At times she flat-out violently flung the sand behind her, overshooting the hole and spraying us onlookers with sand. We waited for her to finish as other groups cycled in and out to watch, when finally she headed back to the water, ever so slowly. The guides were extremely careful not to shine any of their dim lights into her face. The whole lot of us advanced slowly behind her as she crawled back, and after getting in the water, we could hardly see her dark shape after swimming a mere 20 feet into the water under the black sky. Though not a single picture was taken, it was a night of images that will never leave me.
We returned to the hotel around 10:30, and shortly I went to bed. After about five hours of sleep, I crawled out of bed again at 4:30 in order to head to the dock by 5:00. This morning a few of us would head back to the beach, but this time to search for baby turtles. They told us that we were very fortunate the night before to find a turtle and see so much of the process, but it was even more unlikely that we would find any baby turtles, again due to the time of year. Well, lightning struck twice.
Shortly after arriving at the beach our guide found a group of them – they had just popped out of the sand. There were so many of them, and of course they were all ridiculously cute. Yet another one of nature’s wondrous curiosities – each and every tortuguita (little turtle) knows exactly which direction it needs to go and does so with full force and soon as it hits the air. You can turn them around or even move them down the beach some distance and they’ll eventually figure it out nonetheless. Despite the sad statistic that only 1 to 2% of these little guys will survive, we did not enjoy watching them any less. Rules on the beach in the morning are significantly less strict, and as such my camera was put to good use (though, as luck would have it – as if I were going to ask for more – my batteries died that morning, but thankfully after I had taken many shots). We had nearly a full hour to watch them scurry across the sand in their desperate pursuit of the sea and a safe life. To top it all off, the whole scene was brought to us by a Caribbean sunrise so beautiful that a proper description would put my own powers of written expression to shame. Being able to watch an adult turtle lay her eggs the night before and seeing a group of them begin their lives the next morning brought to me a powerful sense of satisfaction, of almost participating in something so breathtaking and yet something that not many will ever see outside of Discovery Channel.
Majestic.
scroll up for part 2
Tuesday, October 7
"What size flippers you wear?" and Kenny G.
Hello all!
Kristen and I had a wonderful time at the Caribbean coast this past weekend. But first, we have some businessto clear up.
Item #1: Kudos to the Twins for a good season, and boo to Chicago (and Thome) for ruining the ending. There´s always next year. Unless Jesus comes back, which would be kinda disappointing. Disappointing because the Twins wouldn´t get another shot. And because the world would be ending.
Item #2: Kristen´s crushes have stalled out. Handsome David from the Nav Cafe held back some of his charm when we went there for lunch to celebrate having been dating for one whole year. We ate, talked, and watched Air Force One, which was a nice relaxing movie on their plasma screen TV (right). But David is on yellow alert for now. Computer Speak Video Store Guy hasn´t been seen more than once since my last post, and that one time he came out from behind the desk to shake my hand, and is under suspicion of hoping that Kristen would greet him with the traditional Costa Rican kiss on the cheek. She nervously turned towards a stack of movies and attempted to look very busy rummaging through a stack of DVDs. So that´that.
Item #3: How long can a three-year-old cry for, in consecutive minutes? At least 27 minutes, before Kristen went and consoled her. (Turns out she had only been sent to her room for hitting another three-year-old. Poor thing.)
Item #4: And Herb the Cucharacha (Cockroach).... Well, we had a block of space all set up for Herb when he introduced himself to us, but that space is going to be squeezed tightly closed now, thanks to Kristen. Herb introduced himself to us in the shower of our bathroom, before scurrying back down the shower drain from whence he came. However, last night Kristen entered the bathroom and Herb was stationed at the edge of the door frame, and when Kristen closed the door, Herb left (residue) with haste. So, a hearty farewell to Herb.
And now, Cahuita. A Corona commercial in actuality.
The beach area of Cahuita is powdery white sand, which stretches through a national park around a point and through some forested areas. At the point there is a reef, which Kristen and I snorkeled in for a couple hours early Sunday morning. The reef wasn´t typical deep crystal blue with hundreds of colors clashing and moving around. It was a dimmer brown, without brilliant coral, but the colors of many of the fish we saw were stunning. Bright oranges, sharp blues, flashy silvers, lime greens...something I´ve always wanted to do, and it was awesome! We even saw some volleyball-sized sea urchins - black spiny creatures that move little and sting a lot if touched. The only downside was that the tide was out when we went (early in the morning) which meant that sometimes to avoid touching coral (which is forbidden!!!!!) we had to awkwardly stretch ourselves out on the surface of the water and maneuver sideways or backwards in humanly unnatural manners. But it was worth it.
Now for Kenny G. When Sam and I were younger, Mom and Dad went to Hawaii for a Eisele family (Dad´s family) trip. They went snorkeling. When they were underwater, they couldn´t take any pictures. So when they surfaced and made it back to the Snorkel House, or whatever, they purchased a video of some scuba divers in the middle of an fish-full, coral-full reef, knowing that their Ben and Sam would love to see that video. The sounds of scuba diving, however, are not entertaining at all (blub blub...gasp...blub blub), and so the producers of the video decided to put Kenny G playing sax in the background to all of the fish and coral. I liked that video, and watched it several times. But when I went snorkeling, guess who I had in my head?
Yup. Kenny G. The whole freaking time.
But it was still a really good time. Hence, the "Kenny G" in the title.
That was the highlight. Swimming in bath-warm water was another high point, and pausing swimming to get a close glimpse at a pack of howler monkeys was awesome, too.
(Intermission: How to imitate a howler monkey in three steps:
Step 1: Open mouth and form an "o" with your lips, as if you were going to say "oooooooo".
Step 2: Begin an intake of air, allowing your vocal chords to catch the air and make a choking, painful noise.
Step 3: First, increase airflow (and therefore volume) and slowly open mouth, followed by slowly closing mouth and decreasing airflow (and therefore volume).
Your lips should slowly mouth the word "wow" while you breath in and emit a pained, dying sound.
End Intermission)
Kristen and I ate Caribbean BBQ, had Rice and Beans with coconut milk (which sounds odd, but is, in fact, delicious), and played Cribbage while sitting in the hammock on the deck of our Cabana. It was awesome.
Our host family continues to be awesome. The weather is, apparently, just entering the really rainy month (seriously...holy cow). And the Orphanage is getting better! Today, no one seriously hit anyone else, and they all were making a good effort toward saying "Please" and "Thank You"! Small signs of improvement are cherished.
Hope all is well on the home front. Our thoughts are with you all.
Peace,
ben.
That´s all for now.
Kristen and I had a wonderful time at the Caribbean coast this past weekend. But first, we have some businessto clear up.
Item #1: Kudos to the Twins for a good season, and boo to Chicago (and Thome) for ruining the ending. There´s always next year. Unless Jesus comes back, which would be kinda disappointing. Disappointing because the Twins wouldn´t get another shot. And because the world would be ending.
Item #2: Kristen´s crushes have stalled out. Handsome David from the Nav Cafe held back some of his charm when we went there for lunch to celebrate having been dating for one whole year. We ate, talked, and watched Air Force One, which was a nice relaxing movie on their plasma screen TV (right). But David is on yellow alert for now. Computer Speak Video Store Guy hasn´t been seen more than once since my last post, and that one time he came out from behind the desk to shake my hand, and is under suspicion of hoping that Kristen would greet him with the traditional Costa Rican kiss on the cheek. She nervously turned towards a stack of movies and attempted to look very busy rummaging through a stack of DVDs. So that´that.
Item #3: How long can a three-year-old cry for, in consecutive minutes? At least 27 minutes, before Kristen went and consoled her. (Turns out she had only been sent to her room for hitting another three-year-old. Poor thing.)
Item #4: And Herb the Cucharacha (Cockroach).... Well, we had a block of space all set up for Herb when he introduced himself to us, but that space is going to be squeezed tightly closed now, thanks to Kristen. Herb introduced himself to us in the shower of our bathroom, before scurrying back down the shower drain from whence he came. However, last night Kristen entered the bathroom and Herb was stationed at the edge of the door frame, and when Kristen closed the door, Herb left (residue) with haste. So, a hearty farewell to Herb.
And now, Cahuita. A Corona commercial in actuality.
The beach area of Cahuita is powdery white sand, which stretches through a national park around a point and through some forested areas. At the point there is a reef, which Kristen and I snorkeled in for a couple hours early Sunday morning. The reef wasn´t typical deep crystal blue with hundreds of colors clashing and moving around. It was a dimmer brown, without brilliant coral, but the colors of many of the fish we saw were stunning. Bright oranges, sharp blues, flashy silvers, lime greens...something I´ve always wanted to do, and it was awesome! We even saw some volleyball-sized sea urchins - black spiny creatures that move little and sting a lot if touched. The only downside was that the tide was out when we went (early in the morning) which meant that sometimes to avoid touching coral (which is forbidden!!!!!) we had to awkwardly stretch ourselves out on the surface of the water and maneuver sideways or backwards in humanly unnatural manners. But it was worth it.
Now for Kenny G. When Sam and I were younger, Mom and Dad went to Hawaii for a Eisele family (Dad´s family) trip. They went snorkeling. When they were underwater, they couldn´t take any pictures. So when they surfaced and made it back to the Snorkel House, or whatever, they purchased a video of some scuba divers in the middle of an fish-full, coral-full reef, knowing that their Ben and Sam would love to see that video. The sounds of scuba diving, however, are not entertaining at all (blub blub...gasp...blub blub), and so the producers of the video decided to put Kenny G playing sax in the background to all of the fish and coral. I liked that video, and watched it several times. But when I went snorkeling, guess who I had in my head?
Yup. Kenny G. The whole freaking time.
But it was still a really good time. Hence, the "Kenny G" in the title.
That was the highlight. Swimming in bath-warm water was another high point, and pausing swimming to get a close glimpse at a pack of howler monkeys was awesome, too.
(Intermission: How to imitate a howler monkey in three steps:
Step 1: Open mouth and form an "o" with your lips, as if you were going to say "oooooooo".
Step 2: Begin an intake of air, allowing your vocal chords to catch the air and make a choking, painful noise.
Step 3: First, increase airflow (and therefore volume) and slowly open mouth, followed by slowly closing mouth and decreasing airflow (and therefore volume).
Your lips should slowly mouth the word "wow" while you breath in and emit a pained, dying sound.
End Intermission)
Kristen and I ate Caribbean BBQ, had Rice and Beans with coconut milk (which sounds odd, but is, in fact, delicious), and played Cribbage while sitting in the hammock on the deck of our Cabana. It was awesome.
Our host family continues to be awesome. The weather is, apparently, just entering the really rainy month (seriously...holy cow). And the Orphanage is getting better! Today, no one seriously hit anyone else, and they all were making a good effort toward saying "Please" and "Thank You"! Small signs of improvement are cherished.
Hope all is well on the home front. Our thoughts are with you all.
Peace,
ben.
That´s all for now.
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