Saving the turtles

So I have been spending my last two weeks in a small pueblo along the Pacific Ocean called Punta Banco. It has been amazing. With a population of 200, it is no more that one main dirt road that you walk in about 15 minutes. The town just got its first private phones this year and maybe in the next few years there will be public phones and computers. It seems to be the tradition for many people to pass the evening watching the news at the mini super (small market) in town. Everyone knows everyone here.

I am working with a turtle conservation program called PRETOMA where we walk along the beach every night looking for nesting olive ridley turtles and green turtles. Once we find the turtles, we transport their eggs into a hatchery. Unfortuantely we have to compete with the poachers for the eggs which means we can´t save them all. Many Ticos (Costa Rican men) eat turtle eggs because they believe it increase fertility. What a great reason to kill the turtle populations...yeah right! It takes about 6 weeks for the turtles to hatch and once they break through the sand, we release them on the beach. I don´t think I have ever seen such a cute animal before that fits in the palm of my hand.

There are two other volunteers from England, a coordinator and a few locals that I work with and live in a house with, which we call the station. It has been a lot of fun getting to know these people as well as the people who live in Punta Banco.

When I am not working with the turtles, I am playing on a picture perfect beach, surfing, swimming in a river, relaxing in a hammock, playing with the little girls in the town and passing time with good people.

I am eating a lot of gallo pinto (black beans and rice), fish, coffee and cerveza (beer), the staples of most Tico´s diet. A great afternoon snack are the coconuts scattered on the beach, which I have learned how to open.

I can´t describe how beautiful this place is. Not only are the stretches of beach lined with palm trees, there are tropical forests, waterfalls, monkey in the backyard, macaws and toucans flying above and a simple relaxing way of life that you can´t find in the States.

Until next time,
Pura Vida

Chapter Two...Save the Turtles

The adventure with my mom is coming to an end. Our trip was so amazing, it's hard to describe it with words. From swimming in a pool at the base of a waterfall, watching monkeys from our river kayak to riding horses to the top of a mountain, all of our experiences were incredible.

We packed up and sadly left our little beach home in Samara this morning. We both knew this day would come, but honestly, I didn't think it was going to be so difficult. Ester and Miguel, our new Samara family said they hoped to see us next year as we boarded the "gringo" shuttle to San Jose. So I guess we have to go back next year!

Unfortunately the ride back to San Jose was like riding a fishingboat in the middle of a storm at sea. I am glad that my mom brought a plastic bag because I thought I could have used it at any moment.

San Jose is not the place you want to spend any of your vacation time. So as my mom heads home to the daily grind of life in the States, I will be boarding a bus headed eight hours south to a small village called Punta Banco. Here, I will live among 200 Costa Ricans for four weeks and help to save one of their iconic species the sea turtle.

This is where one chapter closes and a new one begins.

Here are some pictures from the last few days of travel in Costa Rica! I will write about my adventures soon.

First 5 days

So I am sorry that it has taken me this long to write but I was having technical difficulties.
Here is the low down so far...

My Mom and I flew into San Jose and stayed at a little hostel the first night. San Jose is a unsafe and dirty city so we were glad to get on a bus to La Fortuna the next morning. The public bus to La Fortuna took 5 hours and we were able to see a lot of the small villages along the way. It is so beautiful here, (and I thought Washington had a lot of green).

In La Fortuna we hiked down to La Catarata de Fortuna (the waterfall of La Fortuna) and swam in the aqua blue water. Later that day we hopped on board a tour bus and went hiking in the rainforest, saw lava crashing down the Arenal Volcano and went to a hot springs resort.

The following day (Sunday) we paddled kayaks down a river lined with tropical forest. We saw howler monkeys, lizards, bats, vultures and lots of birds. We were the only ones with our guide, Julio, so it felt like a private tour. We were told that there were crocodiles but never saw any, which was probably a good thing for my mom. It was definitely the best thing we have done so far.

This morning (Monday) we sadly left our new friends, Diego and Alonzo, who worked at our hostel. They were some of the nicest people I have ever met. Off we went to Playa Samara, a small beach town on the pacific side. It is what you would call a locals spot, we just may be the only tourists here.

Now that I have this blog figured out, I am going to write more often. Stay tuned for the next adventure.

As they say here in Costa Rica.... pura vida!