Haven´t written in a few days because there wasn´t much to tell. I had Spanish lessons all this week from 11a-3p each day, and I´m amazed at how much more I can say and understand as compared to a week ago. I actually was quite comfortable coming into San Jose today, as opposed to the last time, because I felt like I´d be able to communicate OK. I´ve tried to chat with the locals this past week when possible to practice, though sometimes they´d prefer to practice their English.
Thursday night I went to a free belly dancing class at Bocas Yoga. I was the only person who showed up so I received a private lesson. Some moves were really easy and others just weren´t gonna happen for me, at least not that night. But it was fun nonetheless and it was something new.
On Friday night, Ryan (a guy in my Spanish class) and I went to Bocas Marina (had to take a boat even though we were staying on the same island) to Calypso, a party with fire dancers and belly dancers (one of them my instructor from the night before). The cantina there was filled with ex-pats, most of them rich older couples whose yachts, mega yachts, were parked at the marina. The men spend their days in a bar playing Texas Hold Em and the women play dominoes, do lunch out once a week, etc. A tough life, in other words.
After Calypso, we hitched a water taxi ride with a rich old American guy and his very young Panamian wife back to the town center where we went to two bars. One of them was the bar where the men play poker and the table was full that night. The bar is a crazy one. At specified intervals a bartender jumps up on the bar top with a bottle of tequila and pours some into each person´s mouth--free shots! And sometimes he´ll use a squirt gun filled with tequila.
Saturday I was supposed to go on a boat tour to see Starfish Beach and do some snorkeling at two different places, but I was the only one who booked, so instead I took the collectivo (a van that provides transportation to and from Boca del Drago and the town center for $5 roundtrip). On the way a local guy I was sitting next to started speaking to me in Spanish; he wanted to practice his English because his son lives in Texas so he spoke in English and I tried to speak in Spanish as much as possible.
The ride was a bit interesting. We filled the van, a 15-passenger one, before leaving town with 16 people. Shortly after driving out of town, we stopped to pick up a woman and her son and even the locals were saying, Where? because there was really not room for them, what with 16 people and bags of fruit! Nonetheless, we crammed them in. Most of the locals were dropped off at points along the way. One older guy got out of the van with his machete (it was at least wrapped in cloth) and his post-hole digger. I couldn´t see a house where he got out, but he climbed through a barbed wire fence and took off up a hill. The little boy who was last to get on actually got out on his own and started walking down a road; he couldn´t have been more than 5 years old. Today in the water taxi I saw a little boy oaring a boat on his own; he was probably 6 and just out by himself. Prettty amazing.
The walk to Starfish Beach, about 30 minutes, was well worth it. The starfish were plentiful, and I did a bit of snorkeling. When I got back to Boca del Drago, I walked into a booth where a man and his family were selling jewelry they had made. I´ve been a sucker for the jewelry here as it´s made from local materials like seeds, shells, and coconuts; I had already bought two necklaces and had a guy make matching earrings for them both, then later bought a bracelet. A little girl was making a necklace so I asked to take a picture of her. She agreed but immediately became shy and hid her face. She did let me take it, though, and was excited to see herself in the viewfinder. I had her tell me which of the bracelets was her favorite and then I bought that one for my niece, the girl was excited to hear that Bella is the same age as her--9. I also bought another necklace--yes, that´s my third if you´re keeping count. On the way back we picked up a couple we had let out on the way in. They had apparently been collecting fruit to bring back to town. I think that´s quite common, which is why many of them carry machetes. There are men who walk around with a cart of coconuts, and they´ll hack them open with a machete right in front of you, and another man has a pickup truck full of fresh pineapples, literally full, and he slices them up at his food stand. I made it back to town just before it started pouring rain for the third day in a row.
I was up at 5:30 this morning for a 30-minute water taxi, a 30-minute van ride, and a 6-hour bus ride to San Jose. Other than being stopped at a police post, where we had to disembark and have our passports checked, and some annoying passengers, it was uneventful. Two Americans whined about virtually everything and were glad to be going back to the States tomorrow. I was glad as well so that I don´t have to run into them again. One of the other Americans talked with some German girls in front of me for 5 hours on the bus. Need I say that no one should be allowed to do that on a bus unless they are in a soundproof enclosure! They did my head in. And that was even wearing headphones at maximum volume.
I´m in San Jose for two days staying at Hostel Pangea, a pretty decent place for $12 per night. It has a huge common area, which I like, a swimming pool, free Internet, and hot water showers, which I will be enjoying shortly. Too bad it´s raining and is only 70 degrees (all the more reason I´ll enjoy the hot water). More of the same is predicted for tomorrow. I´m only here waiting to start another volunteer project Sept 1, and I´m hoping the weather will be better on the Pacific side.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Under the Sea
Today was an awesome day. Our first dive was at a site called The Garden and though the visibility was only about 25 feet, it was still well worth it. We dove to about 60 feet, saw crabs, lobsters, tons of fish, a cleaner shrimp, and jellyfish. The jellyfish actually scared the crap out of me because I´m incredibly paranoid that I´ll encounter the wrong side of one. However, the divemaster touched one, so, of course, I felt the need to as well. It was not at all what I expected. I thought it would be more like touching Saran Wrap, but they´re remarkably firmer than that.
After that, we headed to a place in the mangroves that serves lunch. I know it sounds weird. I´ll post a pic when I get a chance cause it´s hard to imagine. Then we had about 10 minutes to snorkel, and I saw a huge stingray, some more jellyfish (continued to be freaked out) and a trumpet fish, all of which I got pics with using my underwater camera. Then it was on to Red Frog Beach for an hour. Hung out in the water, which was a lot calmer than two days ago, talking to my instafriends. I did get to see some tiny red frogs for the first time. As you walk up the path from the marina (where the ultrarich park their yachts), there are some little boys who catch the frogs and show them to you hoping for some money. On the way back I took a picture of them so they could see themselves and gave them a dollar.
The second dive site was at a place called Hospital Point because there used to be a hospital on the bluff, not because it leads to trips to the hospital. Visibility was even worse here (about 15 feet), and then was made worse by the junk on the inside of my mask. Halfway through the dive I broke down and flooded the mask in order to rub off whatever gunk it was. I was reluctant just because with contacts I have to completely close my eyes, but I grabbed the dive master and had him hold on me while I did it so that I wasn´t hit by some random jellyfish--yep, they were at this site too. At this site I got to hold an arrow crab, which looks similar to the insect we call at home the walking stick, only with more legs. We saw some different kind of fish here, and I was almost close enough to touch a parrot fish, though I managed not to reach for it--as if I´d have been fast enough to touch it anyway.
It was an awesome day, and I loved being under the water again. One of my instafriends is strongly encouraging me to dive the Bay Islands in Honduras. I wanted to but had canceled my plans to go there because of the political climate, but I´m hoping that by spring things will have calmed down and I´ll have enough money left at the end of the trip to swing a stopover there before coming home. Time will tell.
I´ve also discovered in the past 24 hours my new favorite computer thing: Skype. I set up an account last night and within a few minutes I was staring at a friend and talking for free (well, paying only for the hourly Internet charges). And then talked with another one tonight. While I love being here and don´t want to spend all my time in front of the computer, it´s quite cool to be able to talk for cheaper than a phone card and to be able to see the person. My family will be excited, I´m sure, particularly my niece. If there´s anyone living in New Castle who´s computer savvy, head on over to the Mann household cause I have a feeling my mom´s gonna need some assistance setting it up! ;-)
After that, we headed to a place in the mangroves that serves lunch. I know it sounds weird. I´ll post a pic when I get a chance cause it´s hard to imagine. Then we had about 10 minutes to snorkel, and I saw a huge stingray, some more jellyfish (continued to be freaked out) and a trumpet fish, all of which I got pics with using my underwater camera. Then it was on to Red Frog Beach for an hour. Hung out in the water, which was a lot calmer than two days ago, talking to my instafriends. I did get to see some tiny red frogs for the first time. As you walk up the path from the marina (where the ultrarich park their yachts), there are some little boys who catch the frogs and show them to you hoping for some money. On the way back I took a picture of them so they could see themselves and gave them a dollar.
The second dive site was at a place called Hospital Point because there used to be a hospital on the bluff, not because it leads to trips to the hospital. Visibility was even worse here (about 15 feet), and then was made worse by the junk on the inside of my mask. Halfway through the dive I broke down and flooded the mask in order to rub off whatever gunk it was. I was reluctant just because with contacts I have to completely close my eyes, but I grabbed the dive master and had him hold on me while I did it so that I wasn´t hit by some random jellyfish--yep, they were at this site too. At this site I got to hold an arrow crab, which looks similar to the insect we call at home the walking stick, only with more legs. We saw some different kind of fish here, and I was almost close enough to touch a parrot fish, though I managed not to reach for it--as if I´d have been fast enough to touch it anyway.
It was an awesome day, and I loved being under the water again. One of my instafriends is strongly encouraging me to dive the Bay Islands in Honduras. I wanted to but had canceled my plans to go there because of the political climate, but I´m hoping that by spring things will have calmed down and I´ll have enough money left at the end of the trip to swing a stopover there before coming home. Time will tell.
I´ve also discovered in the past 24 hours my new favorite computer thing: Skype. I set up an account last night and within a few minutes I was staring at a friend and talking for free (well, paying only for the hourly Internet charges). And then talked with another one tonight. While I love being here and don´t want to spend all my time in front of the computer, it´s quite cool to be able to talk for cheaper than a phone card and to be able to see the person. My family will be excited, I´m sure, particularly my niece. If there´s anyone living in New Castle who´s computer savvy, head on over to the Mann household cause I have a feeling my mom´s gonna need some assistance setting it up! ;-)
Friday, August 21, 2009
Pais Numero Dos
The second week of the project was different in many ways. There were no more turtles to speak of, in fact two of the nests are unlikely to hatch as they are long overdue, so it was long six-hour shifts at the hatchery with very little possibility of seeing turtles. Did I mention that six hours was a long time when you´re waiting for nothing to happen? The second week was also different because it ushered out all the volunteers I had been working with but brought new ones in, which was great since I had worried I´d be alone for four days.
The new volunteers were much more youthful; in fact, I far exceeded them in years though they didn´t really seem to notice. There was much more conversation in the evenings, even went to the bar one night. I enjoyed their company so much I actually stayed an additional day there, not leaving until Thursday. I even debated staying an additional day but the thought of an additional shift at the hatchery, a night shift at that, persuaded me to leave. Turns out it was the sand flies who ate my feet, and it was usually on the night shift. My feet, which look quite like a leper´s I think, desperately need to heal and STOP ITCHING!
My last shift at the hatchery was on Wednesday from 12-3, a shift I was splitting but I ended up there til 4:30. It was a beautiful overcast day, not too hot, nice breeze on the beach. And I have to say that everyone should have the opportunity at least once in their life to dance on a deserted beach to Bob Marley and sing aloud to your headphones. ¨Don´t worry, ´bout a thing, cause every little thing is gonna be alright.¨ It was a beautiful last day.
I woke up early Thursday morning for the journey to pais numero dos (country number 2), Panama. My transportation to Sixaola and the border was a van that transports school children. A broke down van whose door almost fell off every time it was opened and whose transmission has clearly seen better days. I wasn´t sure we would make it the entire 15 km. I walked across the border into Panama where I was forced to buy a bus ticket out of the country. If you can´t show you´re going to be leaving, they won´t let you in. Nevermind that my ticket is an open day ticket, meaning I could technically stay past their 90 day limit. I guess they just wanted to know that eventually I would be leaving. I then shared a van with 14 other people to a little town called Almirante where I caught a 30-minute water taxi to the island of Bocas del Toro, Panama.
I was anxious that morning at going to a new place, as I always am when I´m heading somewhere new and don´t know what to expect. I found a hostel fairly easily, well after realizing that el centro del turismo (tourism center) gives you the history of the place not info about lodging! And within 45 minutes of my arrival, I was headed to the beach with four girls (instafriends I call them because within moments you have new friends): an American, two Germans, and a Mexican who resides in the US. The beach was fabulous--white sand, swimmable water. We had brought bread and cheese for sandwiches, and the Swiss army knife continues to prove its worth as it was responsible for slicing the cheese and cucumber.
The rest of the day consisted of eating ice cream in the park, souvenir shopping (for them because they were leaving the next day; I merely ´window´shopped), a great dinner on the water, some Internet time, and then free drinks at ladies night at the Iguana. Bummer that all four of the girls left this morning. I´m sure, though, that there will be new people in my room at some point today. More instafriends!
The plan was to start Spanish school on Monday, but there was a snafu. If I test Monday morning into the same group as the others, I´ll study in a small group for 20 hours next week. If not, I´ll probably just pay for 15 hours of private lessons rather than pack up and leave. I´m also hoping to do some scuba diving next week. I think I´m going on a dolphin watching, snorkeling, beach tour tomorrow for the low price of $13 for an all-day trip. The prices are amazingly low.
Oh, I should mention the improved accomodations. For the low price of $10 per night, I have a comfortable bed in a dorm room that has air conditioning (muy bueno) and its own bathroom. No more trekking outside to the bathroom with a headtorch. No more waking up to howler monkeys. No more waking up sweating. At least for the next 9 days or so! Though I still slept poorly last night, I´m thinking with these accomodations, I´ll soon adjust and sleep peacefully through the night.
And now it´s off to run errands: food shopping and laundry . . .
The new volunteers were much more youthful; in fact, I far exceeded them in years though they didn´t really seem to notice. There was much more conversation in the evenings, even went to the bar one night. I enjoyed their company so much I actually stayed an additional day there, not leaving until Thursday. I even debated staying an additional day but the thought of an additional shift at the hatchery, a night shift at that, persuaded me to leave. Turns out it was the sand flies who ate my feet, and it was usually on the night shift. My feet, which look quite like a leper´s I think, desperately need to heal and STOP ITCHING!
My last shift at the hatchery was on Wednesday from 12-3, a shift I was splitting but I ended up there til 4:30. It was a beautiful overcast day, not too hot, nice breeze on the beach. And I have to say that everyone should have the opportunity at least once in their life to dance on a deserted beach to Bob Marley and sing aloud to your headphones. ¨Don´t worry, ´bout a thing, cause every little thing is gonna be alright.¨ It was a beautiful last day.
I woke up early Thursday morning for the journey to pais numero dos (country number 2), Panama. My transportation to Sixaola and the border was a van that transports school children. A broke down van whose door almost fell off every time it was opened and whose transmission has clearly seen better days. I wasn´t sure we would make it the entire 15 km. I walked across the border into Panama where I was forced to buy a bus ticket out of the country. If you can´t show you´re going to be leaving, they won´t let you in. Nevermind that my ticket is an open day ticket, meaning I could technically stay past their 90 day limit. I guess they just wanted to know that eventually I would be leaving. I then shared a van with 14 other people to a little town called Almirante where I caught a 30-minute water taxi to the island of Bocas del Toro, Panama.
I was anxious that morning at going to a new place, as I always am when I´m heading somewhere new and don´t know what to expect. I found a hostel fairly easily, well after realizing that el centro del turismo (tourism center) gives you the history of the place not info about lodging! And within 45 minutes of my arrival, I was headed to the beach with four girls (instafriends I call them because within moments you have new friends): an American, two Germans, and a Mexican who resides in the US. The beach was fabulous--white sand, swimmable water. We had brought bread and cheese for sandwiches, and the Swiss army knife continues to prove its worth as it was responsible for slicing the cheese and cucumber.
The rest of the day consisted of eating ice cream in the park, souvenir shopping (for them because they were leaving the next day; I merely ´window´shopped), a great dinner on the water, some Internet time, and then free drinks at ladies night at the Iguana. Bummer that all four of the girls left this morning. I´m sure, though, that there will be new people in my room at some point today. More instafriends!
The plan was to start Spanish school on Monday, but there was a snafu. If I test Monday morning into the same group as the others, I´ll study in a small group for 20 hours next week. If not, I´ll probably just pay for 15 hours of private lessons rather than pack up and leave. I´m also hoping to do some scuba diving next week. I think I´m going on a dolphin watching, snorkeling, beach tour tomorrow for the low price of $13 for an all-day trip. The prices are amazingly low.
Oh, I should mention the improved accomodations. For the low price of $10 per night, I have a comfortable bed in a dorm room that has air conditioning (muy bueno) and its own bathroom. No more trekking outside to the bathroom with a headtorch. No more waking up to howler monkeys. No more waking up sweating. At least for the next 9 days or so! Though I still slept poorly last night, I´m thinking with these accomodations, I´ll soon adjust and sleep peacefully through the night.
And now it´s off to run errands: food shopping and laundry . . .
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The Lazy Life
If you're ever feeling really stressed out, then Gandoca, Costa Rica is the place to come to, that is as long as you're not attached to the Internet, cell phone, comfortable beds, air conditioning, refrigeration, and all the other creature comforts of home! There is virtually nothing to do in this "town" (and I use that word very loosely).
Arrival: I worried that the taxi driver was going to let me out on the road from Sixaola (border town to Panama) and Gandoca because the road was completely flooded in places. He kept saying Dios Mio! Translation: OMG! Fortunately it was a truck or he probably would've dropped me at the side of the road to navigate the remainder of the 15 km journey on foot with a 45-pound backpack. He managed to get me all the way there and I didn't even flinch when he charged me 10,000 colones ($20) instead of 7,500. Who was I to argue? It's not as if he spoke English anyway and my ability to argue in Spanish . . . Well, let's just say that's limited.
A girl who spoke no English told me to follow her, on a path through the jungle, parallel to the beach, and eventually the path was, yes, flooded. So I slogged through it in my sneakers (what choice did I have?) to get to the station where I was greeted by Meda, a volunteer from Canada. The biologist had the day off, so Meda was the official greeter. The cook, who speaks no English, gave me a room, and I was greeted with an approximately 8x8 room with a single bed and bunk beds. The bed, with its wimpy foam mattress, quite resembles a ditch and since it rained for days on end after I got there, it was a moist ditch at that! But at least the windows have screens and I don't have to use a mosquito net at night--though others do.
It was beans and rice for dinner (surprise, surprise) that I actually enjoyed (more on that later) and then to my room at 6:30 since it had already been dark for 30 minutes. I turned on the electricity and sat down to read for five minutes when the light kicked off. The electricity is solar powered and since there had been little sun for days, there was little electricity. I read by headlamp until 8:15 and reluctantly laid down to sleep. I didn't think using my batteries up in one night was such a smart idea in a town with no stores.
I thought I would be trained on Thursday, but no such luck. So it was an incredibly long day of nothing. And again, there was hardly any electricity that night. By this point, I admit I was having one of those OMG, what the hell was I thinking moments.
But then I was finally trained on Friday and that's when I saw the turtles hatch and it all seemed worth it--even the rice and beans that I continued to eat at almost every meal. We get the occasional meat, and the occasional spaghetti. And when I get cornflakes for breakfast I am exuberant because I am so, so tired of fried plantain chips. That's why I was excited to eat a fried egg, bacon, and cheese sandwich today in Puerto Viejo, and drink an amazing chocolate milkshake and I didn't even care that it was breakfast. There are no snacks at the station, so it's three squares a day and that's it. I stay hungry most of the time, but I still throw away some food at least once a day because I can't stomach eating any more dry rice or cold fried dough.
There is one tiny store (a wooden booth actually) in Gandoca. On Saturday I bought an orange soda and a Milky Way and felt like I was in heaven for just a few minutes. An ice cold Coca Cola yesterday after a run was just as refreshing. There is also a bar next door to the "store," but I haven't been there.
The town is situated on a gravel road full of potholes, some of which cover the width of the road and fill with water on the days it rains (which has been 6 out of 10 days) and then stay full for days on end. There are 72 families, 320 people who live in this town that received electricity four years ago and phone service three years ago. It is such a remote place that you can walk on the beach for an hour and never see another person. There is an abundance of wildlife--I've seen two families of monkeys--capuchins and spider monkeys, a toucan, parakeets, a caiman, and of course, turtles, though no mamas. Too late in the season for the mamas.
But given that it's so remote, there is little to do in the hours I'm not on shift, which is only 6 hours a day. I've been going for a short run each day, taking a walk at least once a day, usually on the beach, doing lots of Sudoku, and reading some. There are only four other volunteers at the project currently (one left today and one doesn't live at the station with us so we don't see her much). So that leaves three of us living at the station, and the other two leave on Saturday. If no other volunteers arrive (they're supposed to on Saturday), then I'll be left by myself for four days with no one but the cook and the coordinator to keep me company. Did I mention that I have had many, many hours in which to contemplate the meaning of life? I'd love to say I have the answer to that for you, but, alas, it is not to be found in Gandoca. Which is definitely far removed from American life. The locals sit for hours in a hammock on their porch or in the yard and do nothing, absolutely nothing, for hours on end. I don't know how they do it. I can relax, but there is only so much time one can sit and think, particularly if there's no input.
But I guess I have adapted. I actually was a little anxious coming into town today because it meant circulating in public again (and wondering what I look like since there are no mirrors at the station; I did borrow one one day to see what I looked like and was startled to see that I look no different. Good thing I'm low maintenance!) and having to communicate with people in Spanish. But many people here speak English, just not the one who had to sell me the alarm clock or the one here in the Internet cafe. But I was able to read a menu in English and order in English--nice way to start the morning.
I guess my biggest annoyance are the mosquito bites. As I sat at the hatchery last night scratching my left foot I realized it felt a lot like Braille. And then I realized it was Braille and that the mosquitoes had spelled out "Fresh Meat." The right one feels much the same. I'd estimate the total number of bites on my body at 50--that's conservative. I use repellent when I can, but that doesn't include when we're at the hatchery, and if that's at night, then you're definitely fresh meat for them.
Everything else, though, the arroz con frijoles at most meals, the cold showers (feel good in the heat actually), the moist ditch of a bed, the incessant rain we had for days, the lack of entertainment, the constantly dirty feet from the mud and the sand--well, I've gotten used to it all and the thought of another 6 days there isn't a bad thought, though I do hope that more volunteers show up. There's only so much time one can spend with oneself, hey?
Arrival: I worried that the taxi driver was going to let me out on the road from Sixaola (border town to Panama) and Gandoca because the road was completely flooded in places. He kept saying Dios Mio! Translation: OMG! Fortunately it was a truck or he probably would've dropped me at the side of the road to navigate the remainder of the 15 km journey on foot with a 45-pound backpack. He managed to get me all the way there and I didn't even flinch when he charged me 10,000 colones ($20) instead of 7,500. Who was I to argue? It's not as if he spoke English anyway and my ability to argue in Spanish . . . Well, let's just say that's limited.
A girl who spoke no English told me to follow her, on a path through the jungle, parallel to the beach, and eventually the path was, yes, flooded. So I slogged through it in my sneakers (what choice did I have?) to get to the station where I was greeted by Meda, a volunteer from Canada. The biologist had the day off, so Meda was the official greeter. The cook, who speaks no English, gave me a room, and I was greeted with an approximately 8x8 room with a single bed and bunk beds. The bed, with its wimpy foam mattress, quite resembles a ditch and since it rained for days on end after I got there, it was a moist ditch at that! But at least the windows have screens and I don't have to use a mosquito net at night--though others do.
It was beans and rice for dinner (surprise, surprise) that I actually enjoyed (more on that later) and then to my room at 6:30 since it had already been dark for 30 minutes. I turned on the electricity and sat down to read for five minutes when the light kicked off. The electricity is solar powered and since there had been little sun for days, there was little electricity. I read by headlamp until 8:15 and reluctantly laid down to sleep. I didn't think using my batteries up in one night was such a smart idea in a town with no stores.
I thought I would be trained on Thursday, but no such luck. So it was an incredibly long day of nothing. And again, there was hardly any electricity that night. By this point, I admit I was having one of those OMG, what the hell was I thinking moments.
But then I was finally trained on Friday and that's when I saw the turtles hatch and it all seemed worth it--even the rice and beans that I continued to eat at almost every meal. We get the occasional meat, and the occasional spaghetti. And when I get cornflakes for breakfast I am exuberant because I am so, so tired of fried plantain chips. That's why I was excited to eat a fried egg, bacon, and cheese sandwich today in Puerto Viejo, and drink an amazing chocolate milkshake and I didn't even care that it was breakfast. There are no snacks at the station, so it's three squares a day and that's it. I stay hungry most of the time, but I still throw away some food at least once a day because I can't stomach eating any more dry rice or cold fried dough.
There is one tiny store (a wooden booth actually) in Gandoca. On Saturday I bought an orange soda and a Milky Way and felt like I was in heaven for just a few minutes. An ice cold Coca Cola yesterday after a run was just as refreshing. There is also a bar next door to the "store," but I haven't been there.
The town is situated on a gravel road full of potholes, some of which cover the width of the road and fill with water on the days it rains (which has been 6 out of 10 days) and then stay full for days on end. There are 72 families, 320 people who live in this town that received electricity four years ago and phone service three years ago. It is such a remote place that you can walk on the beach for an hour and never see another person. There is an abundance of wildlife--I've seen two families of monkeys--capuchins and spider monkeys, a toucan, parakeets, a caiman, and of course, turtles, though no mamas. Too late in the season for the mamas.
But given that it's so remote, there is little to do in the hours I'm not on shift, which is only 6 hours a day. I've been going for a short run each day, taking a walk at least once a day, usually on the beach, doing lots of Sudoku, and reading some. There are only four other volunteers at the project currently (one left today and one doesn't live at the station with us so we don't see her much). So that leaves three of us living at the station, and the other two leave on Saturday. If no other volunteers arrive (they're supposed to on Saturday), then I'll be left by myself for four days with no one but the cook and the coordinator to keep me company. Did I mention that I have had many, many hours in which to contemplate the meaning of life? I'd love to say I have the answer to that for you, but, alas, it is not to be found in Gandoca. Which is definitely far removed from American life. The locals sit for hours in a hammock on their porch or in the yard and do nothing, absolutely nothing, for hours on end. I don't know how they do it. I can relax, but there is only so much time one can sit and think, particularly if there's no input.
But I guess I have adapted. I actually was a little anxious coming into town today because it meant circulating in public again (and wondering what I look like since there are no mirrors at the station; I did borrow one one day to see what I looked like and was startled to see that I look no different. Good thing I'm low maintenance!) and having to communicate with people in Spanish. But many people here speak English, just not the one who had to sell me the alarm clock or the one here in the Internet cafe. But I was able to read a menu in English and order in English--nice way to start the morning.
I guess my biggest annoyance are the mosquito bites. As I sat at the hatchery last night scratching my left foot I realized it felt a lot like Braille. And then I realized it was Braille and that the mosquitoes had spelled out "Fresh Meat." The right one feels much the same. I'd estimate the total number of bites on my body at 50--that's conservative. I use repellent when I can, but that doesn't include when we're at the hatchery, and if that's at night, then you're definitely fresh meat for them.
Everything else, though, the arroz con frijoles at most meals, the cold showers (feel good in the heat actually), the moist ditch of a bed, the incessant rain we had for days, the lack of entertainment, the constantly dirty feet from the mud and the sand--well, I've gotten used to it all and the thought of another 6 days there isn't a bad thought, though I do hope that more volunteers show up. There's only so much time one can spend with oneself, hey?
148 Babies!
So much to talk about, more than will fit in one blog, so I'll start with the stuff people really want to hear about. The 148 babies that I've helped make it safely to sea. I was trained on Friday (pretty simple really) and then had a shift from 6 p.m. to midnight that night. At 7:45 that night I was rewarded when I checked a nest in the hatchery (a nest is a rectangular piece of chicken wire covered in netting and pushed down into the sand over the area where the eggs have been placed) and discovered a bunch of squirming turtles inside. In total there were 30. We weighed and measured 15 of them (all that's required) and then released them on the sand and watched as they crawled into the sea. Then at 10:00 that night we had another nest hatch with 39. A great first shift.
But Tuesday was even better. I had taken a walk and when I returned at 4:15, the other volunteer was sitting beside a nest. One little turtle head was poked up out of the sand; I dubbed him Rocky because he was a fighter. We sat and waited and over the course of 30-45 minutes, 34 babies made it to the surface. And I got video of them birthing. We've been referring to ourselves as turtle midwives. Then just two hours later I checked a nest and saw one tiny head poked up out of the sand just like before. Again, I got to watch as 38 babies made their way into the world. It's so cool to think that they break out of the shell and then spend five days climbing to the surface. Such determination from these little creatures who are smaller than the palm of your hand.
I'm having my photos put on a CD today while I work on this, so hopefully when I post again later today I'll have some pics to share on facebook. Time, however, is limited. I have a bus to catch at 3:30 (and laundry to retrieve before that).
More posts to come about life in Gandoca . . .
But Tuesday was even better. I had taken a walk and when I returned at 4:15, the other volunteer was sitting beside a nest. One little turtle head was poked up out of the sand; I dubbed him Rocky because he was a fighter. We sat and waited and over the course of 30-45 minutes, 34 babies made it to the surface. And I got video of them birthing. We've been referring to ourselves as turtle midwives. Then just two hours later I checked a nest and saw one tiny head poked up out of the sand just like before. Again, I got to watch as 38 babies made their way into the world. It's so cool to think that they break out of the shell and then spend five days climbing to the surface. Such determination from these little creatures who are smaller than the palm of your hand.
I'm having my photos put on a CD today while I work on this, so hopefully when I post again later today I'll have some pics to share on facebook. Time, however, is limited. I have a bus to catch at 3:30 (and laundry to retrieve before that).
More posts to come about life in Gandoca . . .
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Yikes!
Flights were good, though I didn´t sleep much like I had hoped. One would think that operating on only one hour of sleep would lead to some slumber on the airplane, but then one would think incorrectly.
I arrived safely, made it through immigration, customs, etc. and was relieved to see that someone was waiting for me. We began the 20 minute drive to the WIDECAST office, and I have to say it wasn´t the best neighborhood ever. Lots of gated properties, and we´re not talking gated because they´re posh, but rather gated to keep out the riff raff apparently. Oh, and did I mention the driver didn´t speak English? Needless to say, there wasn´t much conversation. I concentrated on trying to read the signs along the way. Didn´t do too poorly and I was even able to respond to him when he asked me if it was my first time in Costa Rica. We arrived at the office, which appeared to be in the middle of nowhere.
Fortunately, the volunteer coordinator speaks English, though it doesn´t seem anyone else does. We went over the paperwork and she explained how I´ll get to the work site tomorrow. A taxi ride to the bus station, a 6-hour bus ride to Sixaola, and then a 30-minute cab ride to Gandoca. Guess my day is planned tomorrow! Hopefully I´ll be able to manage paying the cabbie and buying a bus ticket. I really need to work on my Spanish.
The worst news was that because I´m going to Gandoca instead of Cahuita, there is no Internet service. The closest is in Sixaola. That was when I decided I would only pay for two weeks. It´s quite a bit more remote than the Cahuita site. There is at least a telephone so I purchased la tarjeta de telefono (I was even able to ask in the store for this in Spanish with the proper verb and everything!)--telephone card.
The area I´m staying in tonight is on a little side street (where the streets have no names), but I´m confident that I can find my way back to the office from this Internet cafe. What I´ll do when I get there is anyone´s guess. There´s a TV in my room, and I´m guessing I should at least turn it on and try to catch one word out of 50.
Definitely having one of those OMG-what-was-I-thinking moments. Just typing on this keyboard is doing my head in. Hardly any of the punctuation is where I´m used to it being. I´m hoping I adjust quickly.
I arrived safely, made it through immigration, customs, etc. and was relieved to see that someone was waiting for me. We began the 20 minute drive to the WIDECAST office, and I have to say it wasn´t the best neighborhood ever. Lots of gated properties, and we´re not talking gated because they´re posh, but rather gated to keep out the riff raff apparently. Oh, and did I mention the driver didn´t speak English? Needless to say, there wasn´t much conversation. I concentrated on trying to read the signs along the way. Didn´t do too poorly and I was even able to respond to him when he asked me if it was my first time in Costa Rica. We arrived at the office, which appeared to be in the middle of nowhere.
Fortunately, the volunteer coordinator speaks English, though it doesn´t seem anyone else does. We went over the paperwork and she explained how I´ll get to the work site tomorrow. A taxi ride to the bus station, a 6-hour bus ride to Sixaola, and then a 30-minute cab ride to Gandoca. Guess my day is planned tomorrow! Hopefully I´ll be able to manage paying the cabbie and buying a bus ticket. I really need to work on my Spanish.
The worst news was that because I´m going to Gandoca instead of Cahuita, there is no Internet service. The closest is in Sixaola. That was when I decided I would only pay for two weeks. It´s quite a bit more remote than the Cahuita site. There is at least a telephone so I purchased la tarjeta de telefono (I was even able to ask in the store for this in Spanish with the proper verb and everything!)--telephone card.
The area I´m staying in tonight is on a little side street (where the streets have no names), but I´m confident that I can find my way back to the office from this Internet cafe. What I´ll do when I get there is anyone´s guess. There´s a TV in my room, and I´m guessing I should at least turn it on and try to catch one word out of 50.
Definitely having one of those OMG-what-was-I-thinking moments. Just typing on this keyboard is doing my head in. Hardly any of the punctuation is where I´m used to it being. I´m hoping I adjust quickly.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Packed and Ready
The preparations are complete. I can think of not one more thing I need to do before I leave tomorrow morning. The backpack is as full as it can be and carrying it, well, let’s just say that won’t be the most pleasant part of the trip. Now I just have to hope that the flights go well and that there is actually someone waiting at the airport in San Jose, Costa Rica to pick me up tomorrow.
My complete 9-month itinerary is still tentative, just as always with any trip I plan. One never knows who one might encounter and want to tag along with in the course of a trip, so I don’t like things to be set in stone. I will start my trip in Costa Rica. I was all set to volunteer with WIDECAST in a little town on the beach (Caribbean side) called Cahuita, but I received an e-mail just today that they are shutting down operations at Cahuita. They have offered, however, to let me volunteer in Gandoca, which is a little further south and a little more remote. I’m guessing this will be fine. I’ve decided to pay for a three-week stint at which time I’ll re-evaluate. I don’t want to lock myself into something that I may not end up liking. This organization helps to preserve the sea turtle population. They’ve indicated I’ll be helping with baby turtles (yay!) and beach clean-up (not so yay!).
After those three weeks I think I’m going to spend 1-2 weeks participating in a Spanish language school and doing some adventure trips, like whitewater rafting and the canopy zip line tours. I would really like to become fluent in Spanish while I’m down there, so a school seems like a good way to force myself to speak the language.
After those two weeks, ??? If I like the turtle project, I may go back to it. If not, then I have other options. There’s a project working in a facility that rehabilitates birds and then releases them into the wild. There’s also a lodge in northern Costa Rica that I learned of, and I’ve contacted them for more information. And then I’m sure I could find plenty of things once I get there.
After my time in Costa Rica is up (90 days since that’s the maximum I can stay without either leaving the country for 72 hours or applying for an extension), I think I’ll head to Ecuador. I want to go to the Galapagos Islands (it’s been a dream destination of mine for years) and need to do that before cash gets low. There’s a wildlife rehab facility just outside Mera, Ecuador where I plan to volunteer. I’ll probably stay there three months. Then it may be on to Peru where I’ve identified another volunteer opportunity.
Thanks to everyone who has wished me the best on my adventures and given me advice. I have to say, though, that probably the best advice (and most obvious, I should point out) I’ve received came from my brother: “Don’t get dead.” If you know my brother, you won’t find these words surprising. If you don’t know my brother, well, maybe now you have a pretty good idea of where I come from.
Flights tomorrow: 6:15 a.m. to Chicago, 7:40 a.m. to Charlotte, 11:24 a.m. to San Jose. I arrive at 1:30 p.m. Costa Rican time, which is two hours behind the East Coast. I hope to hit the Internet tomorrow night just so the fam knows I arrived okay.
My complete 9-month itinerary is still tentative, just as always with any trip I plan. One never knows who one might encounter and want to tag along with in the course of a trip, so I don’t like things to be set in stone. I will start my trip in Costa Rica. I was all set to volunteer with WIDECAST in a little town on the beach (Caribbean side) called Cahuita, but I received an e-mail just today that they are shutting down operations at Cahuita. They have offered, however, to let me volunteer in Gandoca, which is a little further south and a little more remote. I’m guessing this will be fine. I’ve decided to pay for a three-week stint at which time I’ll re-evaluate. I don’t want to lock myself into something that I may not end up liking. This organization helps to preserve the sea turtle population. They’ve indicated I’ll be helping with baby turtles (yay!) and beach clean-up (not so yay!).
After those three weeks I think I’m going to spend 1-2 weeks participating in a Spanish language school and doing some adventure trips, like whitewater rafting and the canopy zip line tours. I would really like to become fluent in Spanish while I’m down there, so a school seems like a good way to force myself to speak the language.
After those two weeks, ??? If I like the turtle project, I may go back to it. If not, then I have other options. There’s a project working in a facility that rehabilitates birds and then releases them into the wild. There’s also a lodge in northern Costa Rica that I learned of, and I’ve contacted them for more information. And then I’m sure I could find plenty of things once I get there.
After my time in Costa Rica is up (90 days since that’s the maximum I can stay without either leaving the country for 72 hours or applying for an extension), I think I’ll head to Ecuador. I want to go to the Galapagos Islands (it’s been a dream destination of mine for years) and need to do that before cash gets low. There’s a wildlife rehab facility just outside Mera, Ecuador where I plan to volunteer. I’ll probably stay there three months. Then it may be on to Peru where I’ve identified another volunteer opportunity.
Thanks to everyone who has wished me the best on my adventures and given me advice. I have to say, though, that probably the best advice (and most obvious, I should point out) I’ve received came from my brother: “Don’t get dead.” If you know my brother, you won’t find these words surprising. If you don’t know my brother, well, maybe now you have a pretty good idea of where I come from.
Flights tomorrow: 6:15 a.m. to Chicago, 7:40 a.m. to Charlotte, 11:24 a.m. to San Jose. I arrive at 1:30 p.m. Costa Rican time, which is two hours behind the East Coast. I hope to hit the Internet tomorrow night just so the fam knows I arrived okay.
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