The Pacific Coast of Costa Rica is beautiful. We arrived last week and were pleasantly surprised to find our room had a spectacular view of the ocean, the jungle and the rocky islands that dot the coastline.
The Costa Rican people thus far have been absolutely amazing but the true meaning of Pura Vida is not experienced more authentically or completely except on its coasts. Where the Caribbean Coast had a very Jamaican flavor, the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica had a very Hawaiian feel in their attitudes. Everyone is on Island time. Forrest and i did not want to leave this beautiful laid-back place.
The beaches are amazing, night life exists, and there are plenty of great restaurants. At night you hear the sounds of the ocean and the jungle and so the ambiance is unmatched. It is a place for every budget. We stayed in a nice resort, not the most luxurious but there is something for every lifestyle, budget and temperment. places focused for families, couples, newly weds, students, hikers, surfers, people on a tight budget and those who are not. There are eco-friendly hotels, camp-sites and resorts where luxury and decadence abound. You can stay in a hostel, a campsite, a budget beach hotel, villas by the shore, or a myriad of different star hotels up along the single road that leads down to the beach.
The beach is beautiful and goes along way. if you are looking for quiet you will find it. if you are looking for activity you will find it. It is also next to a national park and refuge and so you can take tours of the jungle to see the local wildlife (monkeys, sloths, butterflies, toucans, bats, etc).
But it is the people, the locals and those who make their way to the west coast that make it a pure gem. Forrest and i had a private guide who took us to the national park (he was a naturalist) and he was funny, had a great eye for spotting things we would have never seen by ourselves and he was very thoughtful and atuned to making sure we were having a good time.
While enjoying the beach we had a little accident. i fell off some rocks and ruined my camera and while Forrest tried to grab me he fell too. He injured his toe. Having had a bad injury in the tropics before we decided to make sure he got his looked at to avoid the nastiness i experienced with mine. He went to go see the doctor (they have nationalized medicine). He got in right away and got treated. He got some powerful ointments and even got his nail removed to help in the healing. The doctor was very concerned that we knew the care was first rate and very clean. We of course had no worries as we had already noticed.
That is the thing we noticed most about the country. Sustainable practices, an atuned attitude to striking a balance between the locals and the ecology and how both need the other. Investment in critical services and infrastructure. From transportation to utilities to setting aside ecological reserves to conservation and sustainable practices and national healthcare the country has its priorities. Costa Ricans are proud of their country and their accomplishments. A big reason there isnt much expatriation.
We decided to get a car so that we could see more of the country. Forrest wanted to try his hand at driving and of course he has done a tremendous job. Even the trip back to San Jose and in the city was great. He did such a nice job. And trust us its scary being a pedestrian much less a driver.
Before we left we tried our hand at repelling down a waterfall. it was so much fun. It was 40 meters high. it was dry season so it wasnt gushing but it was wet enough to make it an experience.
We were sad to leave the coast but for our last few days here in Costa Rica we have some great trips planned.
We want to come back for sure and seriously everyone should think about a vacation here. the land is beautiful and the people are wonderful.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Costa Rica Update
Well Forrest and I have been in Costa Rica for about a week now and we have had a set back.
We met up with our i-to-i contact and the rest of the group and headed out to Guandaca on the Carribbean Coast. It was a six hour mini-bus ride there because of the washouts in the road, etc.
It is quite literally at the end of Costa Rica on the Panama border. When we got there we were quite literally in the middle of the jungle and surrounding that was a swamp and surrounding that endless banana plantations. the host family we were assigned to were personal friends of the i-to-i coordinator. a wonderful family, who were very accomodating and helpful and just lovely.
the "village" itself was at the end of a long road and was made up of a settlement of a few houses (no less than 50 people including scientific station staff) there was a bar, a restaurant, a small store and most of the inhabitants opened their homes for homestays. the residences were not fancy but very comfortable and clean.
at night we heard the sounds of the jungle, mostly monkeys (howlers) and owls and other strange noises. we went to visit the beach and saw where the turtles come ashore. we even got a short walk to the research station and along the way saw a really LARGE and LONG something moving along a path. on closer inspection it was a "column" of army ants moving their nest. the column had to be eight inches wide and stretched in front and behind as far as the eye could see. they were carrying the eggs, larvae, and pupae. they didnt seem to bothered by our observations. up further along the trail we saw columns of leaf-cutter ants carrying what else but cut up leaves. in addition there were lots of birds and howler monkeys and squirrel monkeys (making noise and throwing things at us) to ward us off. it was mostly half eaten fruit but a few members got hit with, well, lets just say it used to be fruit.
at night the the mosquitos came out. and that is when forrest and irealized just how close we were to the swamp. we had all our shots and meds but no netting, or deet could repel them. and we learned on arrival that we were not allowed to wear deet on our night patrols because of disturbing the turtles and preventing them from coming up on the beach.
the next day, utterly miserable (we had been eaten alive in honduras and had little patience left) so we talked to the coordinator and decided it was in our best interest to back out. she understood and got us in the next taxi out of Guandaca.
the taxi was very interesting. we got picked up in a van that ran up and down the single road. it picked up EVERYONE on the road. in the end our taxi that comfortably seats 10, held 18 people. im not exagerating. and those of you who know me and forrest know we had our luggage in there too.
we eventually got to the next biggest town and got on a bus to San Jose. it was another six hour ride. since then we have been enjoying San Jose. the people are very nice. we have booked a week long stay on the Pacific Coast, which is supposed to be beautiful. when we return from there we will be heading home after a short stay in LA for me to do some business with the British Embassy before coming home.
We are disappointed about not seeing and working with the leatherbacks but we think it was the right choice.
We met up with our i-to-i contact and the rest of the group and headed out to Guandaca on the Carribbean Coast. It was a six hour mini-bus ride there because of the washouts in the road, etc.
It is quite literally at the end of Costa Rica on the Panama border. When we got there we were quite literally in the middle of the jungle and surrounding that was a swamp and surrounding that endless banana plantations. the host family we were assigned to were personal friends of the i-to-i coordinator. a wonderful family, who were very accomodating and helpful and just lovely.
the "village" itself was at the end of a long road and was made up of a settlement of a few houses (no less than 50 people including scientific station staff) there was a bar, a restaurant, a small store and most of the inhabitants opened their homes for homestays. the residences were not fancy but very comfortable and clean.
at night we heard the sounds of the jungle, mostly monkeys (howlers) and owls and other strange noises. we went to visit the beach and saw where the turtles come ashore. we even got a short walk to the research station and along the way saw a really LARGE and LONG something moving along a path. on closer inspection it was a "column" of army ants moving their nest. the column had to be eight inches wide and stretched in front and behind as far as the eye could see. they were carrying the eggs, larvae, and pupae. they didnt seem to bothered by our observations. up further along the trail we saw columns of leaf-cutter ants carrying what else but cut up leaves. in addition there were lots of birds and howler monkeys and squirrel monkeys (making noise and throwing things at us) to ward us off. it was mostly half eaten fruit but a few members got hit with, well, lets just say it used to be fruit.
at night the the mosquitos came out. and that is when forrest and irealized just how close we were to the swamp. we had all our shots and meds but no netting, or deet could repel them. and we learned on arrival that we were not allowed to wear deet on our night patrols because of disturbing the turtles and preventing them from coming up on the beach.
the next day, utterly miserable (we had been eaten alive in honduras and had little patience left) so we talked to the coordinator and decided it was in our best interest to back out. she understood and got us in the next taxi out of Guandaca.
the taxi was very interesting. we got picked up in a van that ran up and down the single road. it picked up EVERYONE on the road. in the end our taxi that comfortably seats 10, held 18 people. im not exagerating. and those of you who know me and forrest know we had our luggage in there too.
we eventually got to the next biggest town and got on a bus to San Jose. it was another six hour ride. since then we have been enjoying San Jose. the people are very nice. we have booked a week long stay on the Pacific Coast, which is supposed to be beautiful. when we return from there we will be heading home after a short stay in LA for me to do some business with the British Embassy before coming home.
We are disappointed about not seeing and working with the leatherbacks but we think it was the right choice.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
And We Are Off
We head out tomorrow morning for Gondoca, Costa Rica. It is a small town in a the Gondoca Nationatioal Park with about 75 people. Costa Rica has been a nice suprise, it is a good place. Honduras gave both of us a parting gift that our stomachs did not like, so we did not see much of San Jose before we are heading out, but we are both better now. There are 26 headed out with us tomorrow, but only about ten our headed to our project. Lee and I are the oldest by far, compared to the last project where we were easily the youngest (I guess no one our age does volunteer vacations:)
We are staying at the house the coordinator stays in. She say the house is humble, but the family is wonderful and the the owner is the best cook in the village. The Coordinator will actually be at the house all but 5 days of our stay, so we are in good hands. She is already arranging a dive trip for us in the Pamanian Islands. We decided to cut one of the three weeks off this volunteer trip and are going to find something more comfortable. We have had enough sand flies.
I am off to bed, another early start (we have gotten up at 5:30am, 3:30am and now 4:45am three out of the last four days). It is going to be hard to switch to night shifts.
take care and miss you all. Remember, internet and phone will be limited for the next two to three weeks, so if you do not hear from us, no worries.
Forrest & Lee
We are staying at the house the coordinator stays in. She say the house is humble, but the family is wonderful and the the owner is the best cook in the village. The Coordinator will actually be at the house all but 5 days of our stay, so we are in good hands. She is already arranging a dive trip for us in the Pamanian Islands. We decided to cut one of the three weeks off this volunteer trip and are going to find something more comfortable. We have had enough sand flies.
I am off to bed, another early start (we have gotten up at 5:30am, 3:30am and now 4:45am three out of the last four days). It is going to be hard to switch to night shifts.
take care and miss you all. Remember, internet and phone will be limited for the next two to three weeks, so if you do not hear from us, no worries.
Forrest & Lee
Saturday, March 14, 2009
The "Damage Girls". We all surveyed reef damanage and disease. Connie and Suzanna from Germany. I miss them already.
The dock at Cayos Cochinas
Our lovely accomodations
Cayos Cochinas Research Station and our home for two weeks.
One day to go
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We have one more day here in Cayos Cochinos, just outside of La Cieba Honduras. We recently found out the house next store is where the Honduran president comes for vacation. It actually looks quite nice compared to our modest cabins (no complaints though, we have running water, drinking water and solar energy for some lights at night.
Today was a good day. We broke up into two teams and got four Reed Checks done. Our afternoon dive was canceled due to weather, but we went from being behind eight dives to four. We are using our clean up day tomorrow to try and get them finished. Cross your fingers. The team here is finally gelling which is a relief. Lee and I got put back on fish counting since we broke into two teams and we are the experienced counters. We are also helping with substrate, which is identify what is at the ocean floor every 1.5 feet. This is one of the toughest jobs as you have to get right into the coral. We did very well.
A few days ago, we took an afternoon trip to see the local villages. The people who live on these islands are descendants of a slave rebellion. We toured various projects trying to get the villages less dependent on fishing and instead earning money on eco-tourism. They also showed us the school and the they have a boat they use as a school bus to pick up the kids from the various islands. You could see the African heritage in the culture. One island was a bit of sand with 40 families, very interesting to see, but I still have no idea how they get water or anything else. The kids did African dancing for us. It was great.
Well, one more day of diving, then Friday we boat back to La Cieba. We have the afternoon and over night, and then an early flight to Costa Rica Saturday morning (very early). I am looking forward to a nice steak in La Cieba. We changed our plans and are staying in San Jose Saturday night, the we are headed to Aleuja (sp) to meet up with the Turtle Conservation folks. We have meet and greet and training, then Tuesday morning we head for Gondoca where the Turtle project is located.
A little bit of history for you. La Cieba is the headquarters for the Banana Companies in Honduras and Honduras was the original “Banana Republic”. It looks like a cross between Mexica and a Caribbean island (with very little wealth). The Cayos Cochinas Reserve is the only marine reserve actually patrolled in Latin America (2nd largest reef in the world) to ensure fishing is done in season and with appropriate methods. The park rangers (think military with big guns) are run by a few times a day. They caught a trolling boat about a month ago, a huge win for here. Of the 14 islands, 3 are preserved, including the second largest island where we are staying, along with part of the largest island. The reef monitoring we are doing is measuring both the recovery from Hurricane Mitch (which destroyed most of the coral) and the success of the preserve. You can still see a lot of the Hurricane damage, although the recovery seems great for only 4 years of growth.
We found the trick for the sand flies and mosquitoes. The answer is baby oil. Lee is slowly recovering from the bites. Although I am unhappy, since they go after me now., at least until our room mate comes to bed.
You should hear from us next in Costa Rica. We send our love.
Survivor Latin America
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We have settled into camp, and the weather still is not cooperating. We are four dives behind now. We are getting used to doing underwater surveys. Our assignment was recently changed from fish counting to counting coral diseases and reef damage (it is a cake walk compared to the fish). The team as a whole is still not gelling, a disappointment for me. We are also constantly waiting on the staff, often an hour or more – very frustrating. Things are also going wrong constantly, boat motors breaking, missing buoys, not enough full tanks, etc, so it is generally slow going when the weather is good. Lee and I are holding our own, impressive, since the average diver on the team has over 200 dive s and Lee and I have about 20. Our buoyancy is improving at lightspeed (buoyancy for diving means the ability to use your air and breath to not float up or down, but remain at the desired depth – really important when you are working very close to fragile (and sharp coral).
The meals remain a struggle. They changed the cooks just before the expedition and now serve typical Honduran meals, think rice and beans with fat meat thrown in on occasion. We are making it work, but often look at our plate longingly after a day of diving.
They will be filming Survivor Latin America here two days after we leave. The crews are here getting ready. It is actually quite a busy place between film crews, tourist and the like.
For those following my heath (Forrest here), I have recovered incredible well from my recent ER visit and although have an occasional bad morning, have been doing ok despite the meals. Thank god we stopped at a grocery store and brought a half of duffle bag of snacks. Lee has been struggling with the sand flies, nothing seems to stop them from biting. He looks like a pin cushion.
Well, time for bed. It is late (past 9pm). I will write another update in a few days.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Cayos Cochinos
We arrived in La Cieba over a week a go and met the other volunteers and staff. since then we have been in training for the Reef Check program. We are staying on the island of Cayos Cochinos Pequeno, Honduras. It is a research island. We are staying in cabins that are rustic but do have running water, potable, toilets, showers, etc. we are diving most days but the weather hasnt been cooperating most days so we arent diving as much as we need to be to complete the project. we now have three days and nine dives to complete. it will be a tall order but we should be able to accomplish it. we are all dedicated.
the work we are doing is part of a worldwide network of research that determines the health of the reef systems by checking on populations of key indicator species as well as the overall health of coral (soft and hard).
Forrest and I were assigned fish identification, which isnt easy, but we managed to do very well. we scored pretty high on the id test. it involved us carrying two and half meter poles while following a set transectline over 100 meters long. then we count the fish in that trasect who fall in those indicator fish species. we did quite well. even with us being the least experienced divers. in the short time i have been here i have almost tripled my dive experience. my buoucy control is so much better.
Our jobs were changed yesterday and now we are identifying recent damage which includes disease, damage and predation. not as fun as the fish survey but still useful.
yesterday we got a fun dive in and went to a site where there was a down plane. it was interesting to see how the reef had claimed it and already there is significant growth after ten plus years. its habitat for several species of fish, invertabrates and coral (soft and hard).
We only wish the weather would cooperate more so we can finish the work we came here for. we leave this friday.
the island itself is quite tropical and pretty. it is home to endemic species of iguana, hermit crabs, snakes (no venomous), geckos, land crabs, and plenty of mosquitos.
the food situation has been interesting. we have worked it out but honduran food has not been very compatible with our strict diets. we are coping and they have been more than gracious in trying to accomodate.
as for the team the staff are made up of two english, one german and a honduran scientist. the volunteers are five americans, two germans, an englishman and forrest and i.
its been great experience for sure.
the work we are doing is part of a worldwide network of research that determines the health of the reef systems by checking on populations of key indicator species as well as the overall health of coral (soft and hard).
Forrest and I were assigned fish identification, which isnt easy, but we managed to do very well. we scored pretty high on the id test. it involved us carrying two and half meter poles while following a set transectline over 100 meters long. then we count the fish in that trasect who fall in those indicator fish species. we did quite well. even with us being the least experienced divers. in the short time i have been here i have almost tripled my dive experience. my buoucy control is so much better.
Our jobs were changed yesterday and now we are identifying recent damage which includes disease, damage and predation. not as fun as the fish survey but still useful.
yesterday we got a fun dive in and went to a site where there was a down plane. it was interesting to see how the reef had claimed it and already there is significant growth after ten plus years. its habitat for several species of fish, invertabrates and coral (soft and hard).
We only wish the weather would cooperate more so we can finish the work we came here for. we leave this friday.
the island itself is quite tropical and pretty. it is home to endemic species of iguana, hermit crabs, snakes (no venomous), geckos, land crabs, and plenty of mosquitos.
the food situation has been interesting. we have worked it out but honduran food has not been very compatible with our strict diets. we are coping and they have been more than gracious in trying to accomodate.
as for the team the staff are made up of two english, one german and a honduran scientist. the volunteers are five americans, two germans, an englishman and forrest and i.
its been great experience for sure.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Preparations
Well we had a scare with Forrest's health yesterday and ended up in the ER. We saw his doctor today and he gave the go ahead for Honduras/ Costa Rica.
So we are scrambling to pull together our packing for the trip. We are heading to Honduras with Biosphereexpeditions.org to work with scientists to check the health of the reef system there. (The second largest reef system in the world). Costa Rica is with I-to-I.org and we will be protecting sea turtles.
We are excited and looking forward to not only do good but to see an area of the world that is both beautiful and known for its hospitality.
We leave tomorrow at 5pm and have a connecting flight in LA before Honduras. We will be on a research island. The expedition leader will post every 2-3 days and we will have access to web and email so we will try to keep up on this blog and emails.
Please join the blog as when you do you get updates sent to your email when we update it.
Love you all.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Last Day
Well we are finishing up in Puerto Vallarta. Overall it has been really nice. The weather hasnt been too hot. The hottest being right after a rain storm as the city gets VERY humid. The people, the bay, the beaches, the city are all beautiful. It is definetly still a very inexpensive and wonderful place to visit.
I would be lying if i said i wasnt ready to come home though. the last ten days i have been suffering on and off from an imbalance in my digestive system. I have suffered from nausea, cramping, loss of appetite, etc. It has been miserable and i havent been able to get out much. i did manage to force myself to go to the Writer's Conference down here. It is put on by a writing group (mostly Americans) and they did a wonderful job. i got a lot out of it. it is essentially my first creative writing conference.
Linda Ellerbee was the keynote and she was inspiring and striking in her presence as usual.
We leave monday (24) to get back home late monday night. I have to say i am ready to return home even though it will be short lived. We are turning around in four days to head to Honduras and diving.
The Spanish Experience Center was spectacular. I have a lot of the structure down its just a matter of me learning vocabulary. i believe i can accomplish that through Rosetta. I also need to just practice it as i am a little shy with it. but nonetheless a great experience and well worth coming down to Mexico to learn.
The town is crazy this weekend with Mardi Gras. Everyone knows how to throw a fiesta in this town.
Not much else to write until we start our Central America.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Puerto Vallarta and Spanish School
I am sorry it has taken so long to make an entry. I have been super busy since arriving in PV on January 22. The house we rented is beautiful. It is four stories high, has two bedrooms and four bathrooms. We have deck on every floor except the ground of course and a rooftop terrace that is huge, has a beautiful view and a great space for hosting.
It is situated downtown PV and is just a 10 minute walk to school. It has been great to be situated where we are as we are a lot more surrounded by native Mexicans versus the American, European and Canadian transplants. Not that we don't enjoy meeting them. It just seems we are a little better immersed where we are now in everyday Urban Mexican life.
The people are so friendly and helpful. Especially, like most places, when we attempt to speak the language.
The Spanish Experience Center is an amazing little school. The classrooms are no more than five people per teacher and they do an immersion style learning model. I was the student last week but this week i have three classmates. A couple form Canada (Quebec) and a student from Denmark. I have already learned a lot but nothing where i can form any complex thoughts. my greatest challenge at this point is having enough vocabulary.
We have had it mostly low key so far. Forrest and I had a spa day yesterday after school. But before that mostly hanging out, going out at night (only on the weekends for me) and relaxing on the beach.
Our travel plans at this point are that we are staying in PV until February 22 and then we head home to get ready for our expeditions. In March we go to Honduras to dive and do species cataloging in the reef systems. We are attached to a science group and are going into highly protected areas where no one but scientists are allowed. our next trip is Costa Rica where we are patrolling beaches to protect sea turtles coming ashore to lay eggs. We have a big trip planned for the Galapagos and Forrest is still making plans for Machu Pichu for us.
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