Another eventful few days. After being lazy for a few days on Ometepe while we waited for Kori to start feeling better we were ready for some action. We caught the next bus to a town called Alta Gracia so we could catch another bus to Santo Damingo. Alta Gracia had a very old church right across the street from the bus stop which housed 4 different structures that were carved by the Mayans. The structures were about as large as a person with the only thing protecting them being a very small thatched roof. We were able to get some really nice pictures and had the ability to get up close to these structures and examine every fine detail, something that would be hard to do in the states. After that we caught our bus and were off to Alta Gracia.
When we arrived in Santo Damingo we found a very nice hostel that was right off the water. The electricity was off but that is something we have gotten very used to. Electricity down here seems to be less of a necessity and more of a luxury. That night we found a nice little restaurant that had a generator running so we could have lights while we dined and even allowed us to pick out a movie to watch. After dinner we headed back to the hostel to call it a night since we were so tired from traveling all day.
The next day we woke up and decided we needed to go all the way back to the town we started in on Ometepe since there was only one ATM on the whole island and we weren´t sure we had enough money to pay for a few more nights. We decided hitchhiking would be the best method since we had all day to kill and the bus system was starting to become a little annoying. After walking for only a little bit a family stopped and gave us a ride for a while and absolutely refused to let us give them any Cordobas as compensation. They eventually had to turn off so we thanked them and continued walking in the direction of Moyagapa. Just a few minutes later another truck stopped to pick us up and told us they were headed all the way to were we were going. The ride seemed to be going very smoothly until we came across two vehicles stopped in the middle of the road. The driver went around the first car and then also stopped in the middle of the road. The passenger started to get out of the car when we noticed he was holding a revolver that he very slyly checked to see if the bullets were in or not. He walked over to the other car and gave the 16 year old driver the pistol. We were all extremely nervous but thought it would just be better to sit there and see what was going to happen in the next few minutes. After a few minutes a police officer went and talked to the guy and ended up joining us on our hitchhiking adventure. Were still not sure exactly what was going on but we were happy to be on our way again. When we got to town we got a nice meal, spent some time at the internet cafe and treated ourselves to a $1.50 haircut, which I have to say was much better then any haircut I´ve ever gotten at Cost Cutters. The rest of that day pretty much consisted of us hitchhiking back to town and then going out to dinner in a nice little cabina right off the water.
The next day we decided to hike the Madera Volcano so we hired a local guide who was going to guide us in the right direction while he pointed out some local flora and fauna. We were told the hike was going to be 12 kilometers so we stocked up on water and snacks and got ready for an ass kicking day. As we started walking we got to hike through fields of boulders that contained ancient petroglyphs all around us. About four tiring and heavy breathing hours later we arrived at the summit when the guide told us it was just a few short minutes until we would be down in the crater. When we got in the crater the clouds were extremely thick and the temperature had dropped about 30 to 40 degrees. There was a crater lake up there that we were told we cold swim in so we thought how could we pass up an opportunity like that and jumped in. Little did we know the hike down was when the real adventure began. Not even 2 minutes into the hike Mike started to get a leg cramp and could literally see his muscle pulsating in his leg. At that same moment we started to hear thunder off in the distance. We hung out for a bit until his leg loosened and then we were off again. The first 2 kilometers seemed to be going smoothly until I started to feel a sharp pain in my leg related to a running incident that happened 6 months prior. I knew the rest of the way down was going to be a test of our willpower. When we arrived at the 3 km mark everyone sat down to take a break and I told our guide that I was going to keep going because I was worried that my knee might completely go out and I wanted to keep up the momentum while I had it. As I continued on my journey down I tried to stay focused on keeping the right trail and not on the pains in my leg. Unfortunately I did not succeed end ended up taking a wrong path. Eventually I stopped to wait for the group and realized that I was waiting there to long and something was not right. I had to head back up the trail about half of a km and found another turn off that I thought might be the right one. At this point I knew I wasn´t completely lost but I was starting to get a little nervous since I could see the sun going down in the distance. I ran into a couple that told me they saw three guys headed in that direction so I knew I was at least finally headed back in the right direction. When I finally arrived at the bottom I saw Kori and Mike nervously staring up the trail with anticipation hoping to see me coming around the corner. When I got to them we all made a big sigh of relief and they told me the second the guide got to the bottom and realized I wasn´t there he literally took off in a dead sprint to come find me without saying anything. Luckily he came back about 5 minutes later and was also very relieved to see me. As we rode back to town we all joked about how much we craved a good meal and an ice cold beer and couldn't wait to get back for one. Plans changed when we all laid our heads down for a minute and woke up about 12 hours later. The next day we decided we had seen what we wanted to see on the island and we were off to catch the ferry and then bus to the town of Grenada.
Grenada is a very large town with even larger colonial style buildings. They are all painted in very bright colors and contain extreme detail and very highly arched doorways. We spent one day exploring the town to see what it had to offer. The next day we took a day trip with some friends we made to the town of Masaya which has the largest market place in all of Nicaragua. Afterwards I treated myself to a massage at a place that trains local blind people how to give a good massage. It was a nice treat and barely cost me a thing. Nicaragua seems to be a very beautiful country that has a lot of indigenous culture.
Right now its about 7 in the morning and our plan for today is to take another day trip to a place called the monkey hut. it is another hostel that sits off a crater lake that is about 750 feet deep. They have activities such as kayaking and swimming from the beach to random floating docks. The weather is very nice and we are looking forward to another active day.
Once again to everyone at home reading this I miss you all and I cant wait to get home to see everyone and fill them in on the last 2 months of my life. Oh, and to everyone at Jays, you might as well throw some lobster mac n´cheese on the back burner because that has been one of my driving forces and I cant wait to get home and eat about 4 orders of it.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Volcanoes and Car Accidents 2
Sorry the last message cut off. The power went off on the island and the lady told me we had 5 minutes so I hit the send button. We are on the Ometepe island in Nicaragua which literally consists of 2 volcanoes. We went out with some locals for my birthday and ended up drinking with them until about 230 in the morning, it was a great time. They also told me that tradition on the island is to smash 2 eggs on the head of the birthday person but somehow I managed to talk them out of it. Today we have been pretty lazy and spent the day trying to catch up on sleep, but the next few days we have some pretty big plans. Tomorrow we rented motorcycles and found some beautiful local women to ride on the backs of them with us, really! The next day we hired a guide who is supposed to take us to the top of the Madera Volcano were apparently you can climb in the crater on top to go swimming. Were all really excited and cant wait to see how the days will unfold. Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes and I cant wait to reconnect with everyone when I get home.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Volcanoes and Car Accidents
A lot has happened since I last posted on here so here I go. Last I told everyone we were going to be headed to Tamarindo or Jaco. The day before we were going to leave we decided to just head up to La Fortuna to see the Arenal Volcano, this way we could spend more time with my parents for the week we were here. What we thought was going to be about a 4 hour bus ride turned into an all day event. We barely arrived in San Ramon in time to be able to catch the last bus to La Fortuna. We jumped on the new bus and thought we were extremely lucky. Unfortunately that luck changed very fast. First the bus we were on broke down and we had to spend about a half an hour waiting for a new one. When it finally arrived we got on the new bus and were off. Unfortunaly it didn't take long for that bus to stop either. Someone up front kept having a medical condition causing the bus to keep stopping. Finally we arrived in La Fortuna about 7 pm and everyone on the bus was alright... besides for some swollen bladders. That night we got rooms in La Fortuna and called it an early night.
The next morning we all woke up and were eager to see what this part of the country had to offer. My parents rented a car and we all piled in to go exploring. We started off by going diving and rope jumping at the La Fortuna waterfalls. We had a great time and any jumps we got daring enough to try my mom was quick to follow. After that we went 4 wheeling and had the chance to experience our first view of the Arenal Volcano. That night we had a room at the Arenal Observatory so we headed up there to get checked in and so we could get a closer look at the volcano since the Observatory is the closest place to the actual Volcano. We got to hear rumbling that was as loud as a huge airplane flying right over our heads. After spending a few hours taking in the Volcano and all it had yo offer we decided to head back into town to drop everyone else off.
This is were things started to go down hill. As we were driving back into town the car started to slide off the road on one of the very slick corners. It was one of those moments that seemed to take hours but in reality happened in a matter of seconds. I was in the back seat against the right window with Asleigh, Brian and Kori on my left side. When the car did go off the road it slid diagonally into the ditch at about 30 mph. Everyone on my side struggled not to crush each other while I was pushed up against the door that was getting crushed by rocks and other debris. Whe the car finally stopped my mom yelled to the back to make sure everyone was alright and didn't need any immediate medical attention. At that point all I could focus on was getting out of the car. Between the 3 people sitting next to me and the car door pounding into me I had a hard time realizing exactly what was going on. My leg and my back literally felt like someone took a metal baseball bat and unloaded on me. No one else in the car had any major injuries but we there were a lot of bruises and bumps. A tourist bus stopped to make sure everyone was alright and helped us to get the rental car company and the police there. The next few hours pretty much consisited of us waiting and talking to the police while watching out for another car to come sliding around the corner. When everything was said and done we took everyone back into town, got some dinner and headed back up the the observatory. That night I took some muscle relaxers, some Ibuprofin and spent the next few hours sitting with my parents as we watched lave crash down the side of the volcano.
The next morning we went back into town to see everyone else and make sure they were alright. Besides for everyone being a little sore we were fine. We all felt extremely fortunate to have made it through the accident....and that my parents decided to get the good insurance last minute. That day we all took it easy as we waited for my Aunt Mary, Aunt Marty and my uncle Calvin to get into town to join us. When they did we brought everyone up the the observatory and spent the rest of the day watching the volcano and moping around the property. That night my mom, Norm, Mary, Calvin, Marty, Mike, Kore, Brian, ashlee and I had an amazing dinner as we sat at the observatory dining room watching the lava crash down the mountain.
The next morning we said goodbye to my parents as they headed back to the airport to fly back to Colorado. The rest of the group went to the Arenal ziplines, but unfortunetaly I was to sore to go ziplining so Aunt mary, brian, ashlee and I headed into town to check out a local wood carver. After that we dropped off Brian and Ashlee and went to pick up the rest of the gang. We grabbed the rest of the group and then got into the car to head to our next destination, the Monteverde cloud forest.
After following windy dirt roads for about 4 hours we arrived in Monteverde, thank god for GPS!The next few days consisted of a guided tour through the cloud forest, walking suspension bridges as high as the tree tops and many other things. I even got the chance to finally go ziplining through Costa Ricas longest and highest ziplines. Theres something to be said about ziplining 500 feet about the rainforest canopy on a single zip line that can be as long as a half of a mile. After Monteverde we all got in the car and went to our final destination with the family, The national park Manuel Antonio.
Manuel Antonio is a place that is packed full of life. We saw many monkeys, some as close as a foot away from us, two different kinds of sloths and of couse many other things. That evening everyone rented some surfboards and got beat up by the waves while I spent the evening exploring the park on my own. After going out that evening to have a lobster feast to celebrate Mike birthday we called it en early night so we could get up to go white water rafting. The next morning we rafted class four rapids which was a completely different experience then rafting at home. That afternoon we went back to Alalualah to say by to the rest of the family so they could fly home and we could head up to Nicaragua. We had an amazing time with the family, got spoiled beyond belief and got the opportunity to make memories that willl stay in our family for years to come. I am very grateful to have the family I do.
We are now in Nicaragua on the island of Ometepe. The island is in the middle of an extremely large fresh water lake and pretty much con
The next morning we all woke up and were eager to see what this part of the country had to offer. My parents rented a car and we all piled in to go exploring. We started off by going diving and rope jumping at the La Fortuna waterfalls. We had a great time and any jumps we got daring enough to try my mom was quick to follow. After that we went 4 wheeling and had the chance to experience our first view of the Arenal Volcano. That night we had a room at the Arenal Observatory so we headed up there to get checked in and so we could get a closer look at the volcano since the Observatory is the closest place to the actual Volcano. We got to hear rumbling that was as loud as a huge airplane flying right over our heads. After spending a few hours taking in the Volcano and all it had yo offer we decided to head back into town to drop everyone else off.
This is were things started to go down hill. As we were driving back into town the car started to slide off the road on one of the very slick corners. It was one of those moments that seemed to take hours but in reality happened in a matter of seconds. I was in the back seat against the right window with Asleigh, Brian and Kori on my left side. When the car did go off the road it slid diagonally into the ditch at about 30 mph. Everyone on my side struggled not to crush each other while I was pushed up against the door that was getting crushed by rocks and other debris. Whe the car finally stopped my mom yelled to the back to make sure everyone was alright and didn't need any immediate medical attention. At that point all I could focus on was getting out of the car. Between the 3 people sitting next to me and the car door pounding into me I had a hard time realizing exactly what was going on. My leg and my back literally felt like someone took a metal baseball bat and unloaded on me. No one else in the car had any major injuries but we there were a lot of bruises and bumps. A tourist bus stopped to make sure everyone was alright and helped us to get the rental car company and the police there. The next few hours pretty much consisited of us waiting and talking to the police while watching out for another car to come sliding around the corner. When everything was said and done we took everyone back into town, got some dinner and headed back up the the observatory. That night I took some muscle relaxers, some Ibuprofin and spent the next few hours sitting with my parents as we watched lave crash down the side of the volcano.
The next morning we went back into town to see everyone else and make sure they were alright. Besides for everyone being a little sore we were fine. We all felt extremely fortunate to have made it through the accident....and that my parents decided to get the good insurance last minute. That day we all took it easy as we waited for my Aunt Mary, Aunt Marty and my uncle Calvin to get into town to join us. When they did we brought everyone up the the observatory and spent the rest of the day watching the volcano and moping around the property. That night my mom, Norm, Mary, Calvin, Marty, Mike, Kore, Brian, ashlee and I had an amazing dinner as we sat at the observatory dining room watching the lava crash down the mountain.
The next morning we said goodbye to my parents as they headed back to the airport to fly back to Colorado. The rest of the group went to the Arenal ziplines, but unfortunetaly I was to sore to go ziplining so Aunt mary, brian, ashlee and I headed into town to check out a local wood carver. After that we dropped off Brian and Ashlee and went to pick up the rest of the gang. We grabbed the rest of the group and then got into the car to head to our next destination, the Monteverde cloud forest.
After following windy dirt roads for about 4 hours we arrived in Monteverde, thank god for GPS!The next few days consisted of a guided tour through the cloud forest, walking suspension bridges as high as the tree tops and many other things. I even got the chance to finally go ziplining through Costa Ricas longest and highest ziplines. Theres something to be said about ziplining 500 feet about the rainforest canopy on a single zip line that can be as long as a half of a mile. After Monteverde we all got in the car and went to our final destination with the family, The national park Manuel Antonio.
Manuel Antonio is a place that is packed full of life. We saw many monkeys, some as close as a foot away from us, two different kinds of sloths and of couse many other things. That evening everyone rented some surfboards and got beat up by the waves while I spent the evening exploring the park on my own. After going out that evening to have a lobster feast to celebrate Mike birthday we called it en early night so we could get up to go white water rafting. The next morning we rafted class four rapids which was a completely different experience then rafting at home. That afternoon we went back to Alalualah to say by to the rest of the family so they could fly home and we could head up to Nicaragua. We had an amazing time with the family, got spoiled beyond belief and got the opportunity to make memories that willl stay in our family for years to come. I am very grateful to have the family I do.
We are now in Nicaragua on the island of Ometepe. The island is in the middle of an extremely large fresh water lake and pretty much con
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Earthquake!
The last night in Puerto Jimenez we went to go have pizza at our favorite pizza place and then went back to our hostel to hang out for a while. Apparently as we were hanging out we had a small earthquake on the peninsula. I didn´t notice it because the pizza put me in a nice food coma so I was napping, but Brian and Mike say they definitely felt it. Some girls that were staying next to us say they were on a dock when the earthquake struck and they noticed the animals starting to go crazy. They said some of the locals were also acting equally as crazy. We didn´t think to much of it since it wasn´t to big and just ended up calling it an early night since we had a 5:00 am bus to catch.
The next morning we caught the bus to San Jose and tried to prepare ourselves for a long hot and bumpy 10 hour bus ride. About 45 minutes in to the ride, after crossing about 3 very shaky bridges, we came to a bridge and the bus driver just stopped the bus. We started to look forward and noticed that a very large section of the road had been cracked and washed into the river. Eventually the bus driver told us we had to go back to Puerto Jimenez. We got back in town and the driver said they should have the bridge fixed in a few hours so we decided to grab some breakfast to kill some time. Eventually we got back on the bus and sure enough the bridge was fixed. Don´t get me wrong, we were all extremely nervous crossing the bridge, but we were happy to be on our way. The rest of the day pretty much consisted of the bus ride which didn´t arrive in San Jose until that night around 7pm.
The next day we were up very early again so we could get to Montezuma early to meet my parents so they could join us for a week of travels. We ended up getting to Punt arenas to catch the fairy to the Nicoya Peninsula when we noticed my parents getting on the very same boat. Everyone was very excited to see each other and we happy we were all able to make the final trek to Montezuma together.
We have been in Montezuma now for 3 days and are having a great time. We have been staying in a nice wooden building right off some volcanic rocks that the waves constantly crash up against. The first night we all went to a very nice restaurant with some of the best squid and seafood we have found so far. The next day, after my parents treated us to a gourmet breakfast, we went hiking through the trails around the waterfalls. The trails were extremely steep and slippery but took us to a series of 3 waterfalls that were beautiful. Mike and Brian got the courage to jump off one of the 50 foot waterfalls, but the rest of us were content swimming in the lagoons beneath the falls. As we were hiking out we noticed a lot of howler monkeys which at times would howl directly over our heads. That night we fired up the grill in front of our hostel and made kabobs as we drank some local Costa Rican wine.
Today my parents surprised us by telling us they got us all a trip to go snorkeling at Isla Tortuga which included a fish barbecue. At 9:30 Kori, Mike, Ashlee, Brian, my parents and I got on a boat to take us the the isla. About 10 minutes in to the boat ride the driver noticed something which we all thought were more dolphins. As we got closer we were surprised to see a group of 3 humpback whales. One was very large and the other two must have been the young. We were all very excited as we got to watch them swim about 20 feet from our little boat. After that we continued our journey to Isla Tortuga to get some snorkeling in. As we were snorkeling we swam through huge schools of colorful fish, got to play with a blow fish and even swim with three different sharks. The barbecue ended up being incredible, which was followed by about 2 and a half hours of white sand beach time. Were back in town now and are thinking about firing up the barbecue in front of our hostel again. We know were leaving town first thing in the morning but we haven't decided were. As of now it sounds like it is going to be between Jaco and Tamarindo.
I hope everyone at home is enjoying the summer and I can´t wait to be back to catch up.
The next morning we caught the bus to San Jose and tried to prepare ourselves for a long hot and bumpy 10 hour bus ride. About 45 minutes in to the ride, after crossing about 3 very shaky bridges, we came to a bridge and the bus driver just stopped the bus. We started to look forward and noticed that a very large section of the road had been cracked and washed into the river. Eventually the bus driver told us we had to go back to Puerto Jimenez. We got back in town and the driver said they should have the bridge fixed in a few hours so we decided to grab some breakfast to kill some time. Eventually we got back on the bus and sure enough the bridge was fixed. Don´t get me wrong, we were all extremely nervous crossing the bridge, but we were happy to be on our way. The rest of the day pretty much consisted of the bus ride which didn´t arrive in San Jose until that night around 7pm.
The next day we were up very early again so we could get to Montezuma early to meet my parents so they could join us for a week of travels. We ended up getting to Punt arenas to catch the fairy to the Nicoya Peninsula when we noticed my parents getting on the very same boat. Everyone was very excited to see each other and we happy we were all able to make the final trek to Montezuma together.
We have been in Montezuma now for 3 days and are having a great time. We have been staying in a nice wooden building right off some volcanic rocks that the waves constantly crash up against. The first night we all went to a very nice restaurant with some of the best squid and seafood we have found so far. The next day, after my parents treated us to a gourmet breakfast, we went hiking through the trails around the waterfalls. The trails were extremely steep and slippery but took us to a series of 3 waterfalls that were beautiful. Mike and Brian got the courage to jump off one of the 50 foot waterfalls, but the rest of us were content swimming in the lagoons beneath the falls. As we were hiking out we noticed a lot of howler monkeys which at times would howl directly over our heads. That night we fired up the grill in front of our hostel and made kabobs as we drank some local Costa Rican wine.
Today my parents surprised us by telling us they got us all a trip to go snorkeling at Isla Tortuga which included a fish barbecue. At 9:30 Kori, Mike, Ashlee, Brian, my parents and I got on a boat to take us the the isla. About 10 minutes in to the boat ride the driver noticed something which we all thought were more dolphins. As we got closer we were surprised to see a group of 3 humpback whales. One was very large and the other two must have been the young. We were all very excited as we got to watch them swim about 20 feet from our little boat. After that we continued our journey to Isla Tortuga to get some snorkeling in. As we were snorkeling we swam through huge schools of colorful fish, got to play with a blow fish and even swim with three different sharks. The barbecue ended up being incredible, which was followed by about 2 and a half hours of white sand beach time. Were back in town now and are thinking about firing up the barbecue in front of our hostel again. We know were leaving town first thing in the morning but we haven't decided were. As of now it sounds like it is going to be between Jaco and Tamarindo.
I hope everyone at home is enjoying the summer and I can´t wait to be back to catch up.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Camping on the beach in Penninsula de Osa
I dont know how it manages to happen but this place seems to be getting better and better. When we got back from Panama we stayed at the Hostel Puerto Viejo and ran into a few old friends. We only stayed one night because my friends Brian and Ashleigh were coming down for 2 weeks and they were getting into San Jose the next day. We got on a bus the next morning, got into town and met up with them. That night we all decided to go out to a nice dinner so we treated ourselves to McDonalds, keep in mind I havent been able to get fast food for over a month.
The next morning we got on the 6:00 am bus and were off to the Osa Penninsula. It was an 8 hour bumpy bus ride over the mountains and through the jungle. We finally arrived in a little town on the coast called Golfito. From there we caught a 30 minute fairy ride over to the town of Puerto Jimenez on the Osa Peninsula. As we were on the boat we Kept noticing that there was a school of dolphins playing in our wake all the way over. When we arrived we couldnt have been more excited . We were in the most biodiverse place on the planet and we were already seeing really cool animals all over the place. That night we waited out a one hour monsoon and finally decided to go get pizza at a highly recommended place. The pizza ended up being some of the best pizza we have ever had and I even ran into my old friend caroline from Belgium that I met in Panama. That night we all decided to call it an early night because the next day we were off to Corcovado National Park.
The next few days are definitely one of the major highlights of the trip. We arrived in Carate, a tiny village on the western side of the Penninsula, after a 3 hour 4wd truck trip that took us through countless rivers. We got our packs and started walking down the beach towards the entrance of Corcovado. We set up tents right on the beach and couldnt help but notice that the waves were bright blue with a hypnotizing consistency. That day we saw monkeys, snakes, scarlot macows and many many other things. The next day was going to be Mikes birthday but we knew we were only going to be able to get a warm dinner on that night so we went out. Daisy, a very nice local, prepared us a gourmet chicken dinner wrapped in banana leaves. She also served us herbs and a fresh salad from her organic garden. After dinner we decided to go have a bonfire on the beach and finish off the bottle of rum. We sat around the fire drinking until we polished off the bottle and then decided it was a good time to see sea turtles. Drunkily we stumbled down the beach and actually got to see a large Green Turtle about 5 minutes into the walk. There is no denying that this was one of the best days of my life.
Unfortunately I cant say any of us had as good of a morning. We all woke up very hung over and needed a little time to recover. When we finally really woke up we talked to some locals who guided us in the direction of some very good trails that were off the beaten path. We spent the day hiking through lush jungle while we watched for animals. We saw many things but one of the highlights was a group of spider monkeys that didnt take a liking to us. They started shaking the tree to make fruit fall on us along with everything else they were throwing. The kept yelling at us and chasing us along the tree tops for about 150 yards. That night we camped on the beach again.
Im finally caught up to today. After being woken up by the Howler Monkeys, which caused me to see an amazing sunrise, we packed up and got ready to take the 8am 4wd trip back to Puerto Jimenez. Were back in town and just got a huge lunch. Im pretty sure the plan for tonight is to get a few beers, go back to the pizza place and call it an early night. Tomorrow we leave on the 5 am 10 hour bus ride back to san jose to meet my parents so we can travel to Montezuma together. Penninsula de Osa is the most beautiful and sirene place I have ever been. It has a higher diversity of life and contains more endangered species then anywere else in the world. I had the ability to see animals that were on the verge of extinction. This morning I promised my self that at one point in my life I would make my way back down here, but for now its time to focus on making my way to Montezuma which I have heard nothing but good things about. Thanks again for reading and I hope everyone is healthy and happy back home!
The next morning we got on the 6:00 am bus and were off to the Osa Penninsula. It was an 8 hour bumpy bus ride over the mountains and through the jungle. We finally arrived in a little town on the coast called Golfito. From there we caught a 30 minute fairy ride over to the town of Puerto Jimenez on the Osa Peninsula. As we were on the boat we Kept noticing that there was a school of dolphins playing in our wake all the way over. When we arrived we couldnt have been more excited . We were in the most biodiverse place on the planet and we were already seeing really cool animals all over the place. That night we waited out a one hour monsoon and finally decided to go get pizza at a highly recommended place. The pizza ended up being some of the best pizza we have ever had and I even ran into my old friend caroline from Belgium that I met in Panama. That night we all decided to call it an early night because the next day we were off to Corcovado National Park.
The next few days are definitely one of the major highlights of the trip. We arrived in Carate, a tiny village on the western side of the Penninsula, after a 3 hour 4wd truck trip that took us through countless rivers. We got our packs and started walking down the beach towards the entrance of Corcovado. We set up tents right on the beach and couldnt help but notice that the waves were bright blue with a hypnotizing consistency. That day we saw monkeys, snakes, scarlot macows and many many other things. The next day was going to be Mikes birthday but we knew we were only going to be able to get a warm dinner on that night so we went out. Daisy, a very nice local, prepared us a gourmet chicken dinner wrapped in banana leaves. She also served us herbs and a fresh salad from her organic garden. After dinner we decided to go have a bonfire on the beach and finish off the bottle of rum. We sat around the fire drinking until we polished off the bottle and then decided it was a good time to see sea turtles. Drunkily we stumbled down the beach and actually got to see a large Green Turtle about 5 minutes into the walk. There is no denying that this was one of the best days of my life.
Unfortunately I cant say any of us had as good of a morning. We all woke up very hung over and needed a little time to recover. When we finally really woke up we talked to some locals who guided us in the direction of some very good trails that were off the beaten path. We spent the day hiking through lush jungle while we watched for animals. We saw many things but one of the highlights was a group of spider monkeys that didnt take a liking to us. They started shaking the tree to make fruit fall on us along with everything else they were throwing. The kept yelling at us and chasing us along the tree tops for about 150 yards. That night we camped on the beach again.
Im finally caught up to today. After being woken up by the Howler Monkeys, which caused me to see an amazing sunrise, we packed up and got ready to take the 8am 4wd trip back to Puerto Jimenez. Were back in town and just got a huge lunch. Im pretty sure the plan for tonight is to get a few beers, go back to the pizza place and call it an early night. Tomorrow we leave on the 5 am 10 hour bus ride back to san jose to meet my parents so we can travel to Montezuma together. Penninsula de Osa is the most beautiful and sirene place I have ever been. It has a higher diversity of life and contains more endangered species then anywere else in the world. I had the ability to see animals that were on the verge of extinction. This morning I promised my self that at one point in my life I would make my way back down here, but for now its time to focus on making my way to Montezuma which I have heard nothing but good things about. Thanks again for reading and I hope everyone is healthy and happy back home!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Island Hopping in Panama
First I have to start with leaving the La Tortuga Feliz project. 12 of us left together and couldn´t wait to get to Puerto Viejo so we could get a solid meal and a beer for the first time in 3 very hot weeks. We got there, checked into a hostel right in the center of town and then headed out for dinner and drinks. That was probably one of the best meals of my life. The fresh food and cold drinks were extremely appreciated by everyone. That night we all went out to a beach bar and made fools of ourselves dancing with everyone. A great night!
The next day Kori, Mike, Cedric, Lauren, Erica and I rented some beach cruiser bikes and rode the road to Punta Uva (about 9km). We found many small beaches that we had to ourselves and spent the rest of the day swimming and trying to body surf. We rode our bikes back to the hostel, ate some PB& J´s and were in bed about 7:30. The next day me and a few other people decided to rent bikes again and go all the way to Manzanillo. The ride occasionally had exotic hostels and small style shops that make the trip really enjoyable. We made it all the way to Manzanillo, and started to snorkel. As we were getting out of the water we realized the current carried us to a ¨topless¨ section of the beach. This part of Costa Rica was beautiful and we stayed for hours....haha! We got back into Peurto Viejo around 5 so me and a buddy decided to get a couple surfboards for the rest of the day. It was my first time on a board and I can´t say it was a pretty sight. I did stand on it by the end of the day, but had many scrapes and bruises to show the battle.
The next day Kori, Mike and I left to go to the Islands of Bocos Del Toros in Panama. After crossing the border we had to take an hour taxi ride to a place were we took a 40 minute boat taxi road. The island was hopping and full of colorful businesses and hostels. We checked into the Gran Kahuna Hostel, grabbed out snorkeling gear and took a boat taxi to a different island to go snorkeling for a few hours. The next day Mike started his scuba course while Kori, Angeli and I took a boat taxi to the Zapatillas islands. They were two islands on the edge of the island chain, about 2 km around and covered in white sand beaches and colorful coral. The day turned out sunny and awesome and seemed to fly by. That night we went back to our hostel and got ready to go to the Aqua lounge. Apparently this is one of the best places to go and it only happens on Wed and Sat night. We got there and the place was awesome. They were playing Rhasta music while people were taking shots and jumping off diving boards into the ocean. We definitely stayed a little to long and paid the price the next day. When I finally got up some friends and I got up and took sea kayaks to different islands to go snorkeling. It was another fun day.
Kori, Anjeli and I decided it was time to mix it up so we took a boat to the island of Bastimentos. We stayed in an extremely cheap hostel that was held up entirely over the ocean. The island was very undeveloped and had a strong local feel. We spent some time walking the stretch of town and exploring the jungle (were we found red tree frogs and a lot of bug bites). We spent two nights in Bastimentos and found it to be extremely relaxing. We spent most of the days cooking each other meals and laying in hammocks while we listened to the rain come on and off as it hit the tin roofs.
Today we got back to the main island and found Mike staying at Hostel heike. We all checked in and got our stuff ready to go the the bat caves. The caves only cost a dollar and we got to explore them by walking through waste deep water. Tomorrow were leaving to go back into Costa Rica but were not sure were yet. I´ll be in touch soon.
The next day Kori, Mike, Cedric, Lauren, Erica and I rented some beach cruiser bikes and rode the road to Punta Uva (about 9km). We found many small beaches that we had to ourselves and spent the rest of the day swimming and trying to body surf. We rode our bikes back to the hostel, ate some PB& J´s and were in bed about 7:30. The next day me and a few other people decided to rent bikes again and go all the way to Manzanillo. The ride occasionally had exotic hostels and small style shops that make the trip really enjoyable. We made it all the way to Manzanillo, and started to snorkel. As we were getting out of the water we realized the current carried us to a ¨topless¨ section of the beach. This part of Costa Rica was beautiful and we stayed for hours....haha! We got back into Peurto Viejo around 5 so me and a buddy decided to get a couple surfboards for the rest of the day. It was my first time on a board and I can´t say it was a pretty sight. I did stand on it by the end of the day, but had many scrapes and bruises to show the battle.
The next day Kori, Mike and I left to go to the Islands of Bocos Del Toros in Panama. After crossing the border we had to take an hour taxi ride to a place were we took a 40 minute boat taxi road. The island was hopping and full of colorful businesses and hostels. We checked into the Gran Kahuna Hostel, grabbed out snorkeling gear and took a boat taxi to a different island to go snorkeling for a few hours. The next day Mike started his scuba course while Kori, Angeli and I took a boat taxi to the Zapatillas islands. They were two islands on the edge of the island chain, about 2 km around and covered in white sand beaches and colorful coral. The day turned out sunny and awesome and seemed to fly by. That night we went back to our hostel and got ready to go to the Aqua lounge. Apparently this is one of the best places to go and it only happens on Wed and Sat night. We got there and the place was awesome. They were playing Rhasta music while people were taking shots and jumping off diving boards into the ocean. We definitely stayed a little to long and paid the price the next day. When I finally got up some friends and I got up and took sea kayaks to different islands to go snorkeling. It was another fun day.
Kori, Anjeli and I decided it was time to mix it up so we took a boat to the island of Bastimentos. We stayed in an extremely cheap hostel that was held up entirely over the ocean. The island was very undeveloped and had a strong local feel. We spent some time walking the stretch of town and exploring the jungle (were we found red tree frogs and a lot of bug bites). We spent two nights in Bastimentos and found it to be extremely relaxing. We spent most of the days cooking each other meals and laying in hammocks while we listened to the rain come on and off as it hit the tin roofs.
Today we got back to the main island and found Mike staying at Hostel heike. We all checked in and got our stuff ready to go the the bat caves. The caves only cost a dollar and we got to explore them by walking through waste deep water. Tomorrow were leaving to go back into Costa Rica but were not sure were yet. I´ll be in touch soon.
Friday, July 31, 2009
La Tortuga Feliz
I honestly don´t know how to sit here and descride what I experienced at La Tortuga Feliz. It definitely had its ups and downs. First I will describe how I got there and how the arrival went. When Kori and I arrived in Bataan we were ment by the guy who runs the turtle project, Robert. For some reason there were 18 of us that arrived that day, which apperently is a very large number of volunteers to arrive at once. Robert told us that we had 3 hours to kill in this tiny town of bataan because we had to wait for the tide to rise so our boat could make it through the canals. 3 hours later 4 taxis pulled up and Robert told us to put our bags in the taxis and get in. We traveled through banana plantations and the jungle for about 40 minutes when we arrived at the mangrove canals. Two long boats pulled up to take us to our camp. After riding the canals for a while we road the end of the pacuare River. As we were about to go into the final canal stretch Robert told us we had to get out of the boat so we could lift it over the sand bar. He then told us that if we see any crocodiles just kick them away, with a smirk on his face. About 20 minutes later we arrived at the project and were met by the other volunteers.
When we arrived we couldn´t help but notice the amount of bug bites on some of the volunteers that had been there for a while. They showed us around, told us how camp worked and the chores that needed to be done. Basically camp was a few huts, a seperate kitchen hut, a raised, outdoor bathroom and shower area and a large cabana roofed area were we would hang out. Electricity consisted of a water pump that ran on solar power, which made rainy spells interesting and a light bulb that usually ran out of power between 7:00 and 10:00. It was a hell of a place but we all were suprised at how well we adapted.
Now to talk about what we came for, the tortugas. The reason that this area needs volunteers is due to the illegal poaching that still occurs. The island we were on had about 25 residents. Pretty much all the residents that didn´t work for the project were poachers. Also about 80 percent of the poachers were very bad drug addicts. One of our main duties was to walk a 4 mile stretch of beach (8 miles both ways) literally in the middle of the night while we looked for nesting turtles. The poachers would walk by us on a regular basis with machetes in there hands and not a word would be said. When we arrived we were told that there is a non confrontational policy with the poachers and basically who ever finds the turtle first gets the turtle. Throughout the entire experience I was lucky enough to see a leatherback( the largest reptile in the world), two green turtles and the very rare Hawksbill. It truly is an amazing experience to be able to sit on the beach in Costa Rica and watch these extremely large creatures dig holes and lay there eggs. When they would lay there eggs we were responsible for hauling the eggs back to our hatchery. The hatchery consisted of an 8 foot net that went around a blocked off sand area with a tiny metal hut in the middle. We had to have someone on guard 24 hours a day to ensure the poachers would not cut the fence and try to dig the eggs up. On one occasion we had a poacher cut a hole, but luckily our volunteer on guard must have came by because the poacher never followed through. Sometimes we had shifts from 2 to 6 in the morning, it would get vey hot in the hut, it would be pouring rain and pounding down horrible lightning, and be extremely boring but it was always worth it when a nest of Leather back turtles would come up and we were responsible for releasing them into the sea. There was one time were I got to release about 15 baby turtles into the ocean right as the sun was rising. It was beautiful!
I also saw many other creatures on the journey. Sometimes when we had time to kill we would take a kayak or paddle boat and see Camens, birds, jesus christ lizards, howler monkeys, white face monkeys and who knows what else. ONe of the projects neighbors who was a guide came by one day with a tercio pelo (Fur de lance) . This is the most poisionous snake in Costa Rica and will kill a man in 5 minutes if bit. Of course I ran to get my camera and took a bunch of pictures holding it. Another day a volunteer was taking her clothes off the line when she saw a scorpion... as it was stinging her. One night I reached into my back pack after one of my walks and had a spider literally the size of my hand jump out of my bag, over my hand and onto the wall. Lets just say that got my heart beeting.
I think La Tortuga Feliz was one of the most amazing and interesting experiences I will have in my life. I feel like I really have done something to make a difference in this planet and I feel that I have a very good sense of what Costa Rica is really like. I also have to make sure to thank my aunts and uncles who suggested this type of volunteer work because I never would have found this part of the world without them.
When it came time to leave Me, Kori and Mike along with 9 other volunteers made our way out and headed to Puerto Viejo to make up for some lost partying. I am so lucky to have met so many amazing people from all over the world. I´ll have to save Puerto Viejo and Bocas Del toro, Panama for another time because there is just to much to say. I hope everyone is well and I miss all my friends and family.
When we arrived we couldn´t help but notice the amount of bug bites on some of the volunteers that had been there for a while. They showed us around, told us how camp worked and the chores that needed to be done. Basically camp was a few huts, a seperate kitchen hut, a raised, outdoor bathroom and shower area and a large cabana roofed area were we would hang out. Electricity consisted of a water pump that ran on solar power, which made rainy spells interesting and a light bulb that usually ran out of power between 7:00 and 10:00. It was a hell of a place but we all were suprised at how well we adapted.
Now to talk about what we came for, the tortugas. The reason that this area needs volunteers is due to the illegal poaching that still occurs. The island we were on had about 25 residents. Pretty much all the residents that didn´t work for the project were poachers. Also about 80 percent of the poachers were very bad drug addicts. One of our main duties was to walk a 4 mile stretch of beach (8 miles both ways) literally in the middle of the night while we looked for nesting turtles. The poachers would walk by us on a regular basis with machetes in there hands and not a word would be said. When we arrived we were told that there is a non confrontational policy with the poachers and basically who ever finds the turtle first gets the turtle. Throughout the entire experience I was lucky enough to see a leatherback( the largest reptile in the world), two green turtles and the very rare Hawksbill. It truly is an amazing experience to be able to sit on the beach in Costa Rica and watch these extremely large creatures dig holes and lay there eggs. When they would lay there eggs we were responsible for hauling the eggs back to our hatchery. The hatchery consisted of an 8 foot net that went around a blocked off sand area with a tiny metal hut in the middle. We had to have someone on guard 24 hours a day to ensure the poachers would not cut the fence and try to dig the eggs up. On one occasion we had a poacher cut a hole, but luckily our volunteer on guard must have came by because the poacher never followed through. Sometimes we had shifts from 2 to 6 in the morning, it would get vey hot in the hut, it would be pouring rain and pounding down horrible lightning, and be extremely boring but it was always worth it when a nest of Leather back turtles would come up and we were responsible for releasing them into the sea. There was one time were I got to release about 15 baby turtles into the ocean right as the sun was rising. It was beautiful!
I also saw many other creatures on the journey. Sometimes when we had time to kill we would take a kayak or paddle boat and see Camens, birds, jesus christ lizards, howler monkeys, white face monkeys and who knows what else. ONe of the projects neighbors who was a guide came by one day with a tercio pelo (Fur de lance) . This is the most poisionous snake in Costa Rica and will kill a man in 5 minutes if bit. Of course I ran to get my camera and took a bunch of pictures holding it. Another day a volunteer was taking her clothes off the line when she saw a scorpion... as it was stinging her. One night I reached into my back pack after one of my walks and had a spider literally the size of my hand jump out of my bag, over my hand and onto the wall. Lets just say that got my heart beeting.
I think La Tortuga Feliz was one of the most amazing and interesting experiences I will have in my life. I feel like I really have done something to make a difference in this planet and I feel that I have a very good sense of what Costa Rica is really like. I also have to make sure to thank my aunts and uncles who suggested this type of volunteer work because I never would have found this part of the world without them.
When it came time to leave Me, Kori and Mike along with 9 other volunteers made our way out and headed to Puerto Viejo to make up for some lost partying. I am so lucky to have met so many amazing people from all over the world. I´ll have to save Puerto Viejo and Bocas Del toro, Panama for another time because there is just to much to say. I hope everyone is well and I miss all my friends and family.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Waiting for the tide to rise in Bataan
Well were halfway to La Tortuga Feliz. Kori and I definitely had an interesting night last night. We were hanging out with a group of local kids around our age. After a while a few of there friends showed up who seemed like they were up to no good. After one of us tried to sell us some drugs we did what we had to to get away from them. They definitely seemed like they were up to no good.
We woke up early this morninhg to get to the bus station in San Jose. First we took an 80 cent bus ride into Alajuela. Then we had to take a cab to another bus station and then purchase the ticket to come here in Bataan for only 4 dollars. Let me just say I am very grateful that Kori knows spanish because there have been quite a few occasions were I just had to sit back and let him figure it out.
Right now we are waiting in Battan for the tide to rise so our boat can take us to the turtle reserve. They also told us to make sure to wear sandals and shorts because we will be pushing the boat through part of the mangrove streams. For some reason I think the next few hours are going to be something that I remember for the rest of my life. They also told us that when we get there there is only going to be solar power for lights. They said if it gets sunny then we will be allowed to charge batteries, but lately it has not really been sunny enough. Wish us luck, this time really should be the last point of contact for three weeks.
Pura Vida, Eric
p.s. Mike, we cant wait to see you when you get down here. Everything has been amazing! Make sure to always allow extra time when traveling because figuring out stuff tends to always take longer then expected.
We woke up early this morninhg to get to the bus station in San Jose. First we took an 80 cent bus ride into Alajuela. Then we had to take a cab to another bus station and then purchase the ticket to come here in Bataan for only 4 dollars. Let me just say I am very grateful that Kori knows spanish because there have been quite a few occasions were I just had to sit back and let him figure it out.
Right now we are waiting in Battan for the tide to rise so our boat can take us to the turtle reserve. They also told us to make sure to wear sandals and shorts because we will be pushing the boat through part of the mangrove streams. For some reason I think the next few hours are going to be something that I remember for the rest of my life. They also told us that when we get there there is only going to be solar power for lights. They said if it gets sunny then we will be allowed to charge batteries, but lately it has not really been sunny enough. Wish us luck, this time really should be the last point of contact for three weeks.
Pura Vida, Eric
p.s. Mike, we cant wait to see you when you get down here. Everything has been amazing! Make sure to always allow extra time when traveling because figuring out stuff tends to always take longer then expected.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
A Weekend in Alajuela
I had no idea how cool of an experience we could have in Alajuela. I arrived around 930 pm on Friday night and shortly met up with my cousin Kori. We took a cab and arrived at the Maleku Hostel. We ended up going to the market place to get some food and of course some panama rum.
The next morning we packed up and started our journey through this unfamiliar land. We found a room at Hotel Internacional which had walkways that were right above the streets. We put our packs in the room and started to explore town. As we were walking on the edge of town a group of 3 small children kept yelling at us and calling us Gringos. We sat around to talk to them a bit and they ended up knocking these strange fruits off the tree´s. We picked them off the ground and ate them. They were really good, but I still don´t know what I ate.
That night we got out the rest of the rum and shared it with the hostel employees. We talked and joked around with them for hours. After that one of the guys asked if we wanted to join him for a drink at the bar. We ended up going bar hopping all over town until about three in the morning. Everyone kept warning us of banditos but we were with a group of about 4 locals. There was even a guy named Hans who told me he runs this town and he hates tourists, luckily he said we were the exception. As interesting as it sounds we couldn´t have asked to meet any better people.
Today we were going to try to make it to the Poas Volcan but it was pretty cloudy and we each had pounding headaches. Instead we spend about one and a half hours trying to find the bus to the butterfly farm. We found the bus, paid the driver 190 colones (about 35 cents) and were off to see the butterflies. It was definitely a cool experience. We learned a lot and got to see some really cool things. Kori and I just got done going out to a nice dinner (3 dollars) and now were getting ready to go live in the jungle
We will be taking a 900 am bus tomorrow towards Tortugeuro. We should arrive at La Tortuga Feliz around 4 pm. As most of you know we will be there for 3 weeks without phone or internet. We are both extremely excited and cannot wait to be on the beach. Wish us luck and I will update this as soon as I get back to civilization.
adios, Eric
p.s. Whoever told me that everyone speaks spanish down here is a big liar. The vast majority of people in Alajuela do not speak English which has added a nice spin on the trip.
The next morning we packed up and started our journey through this unfamiliar land. We found a room at Hotel Internacional which had walkways that were right above the streets. We put our packs in the room and started to explore town. As we were walking on the edge of town a group of 3 small children kept yelling at us and calling us Gringos. We sat around to talk to them a bit and they ended up knocking these strange fruits off the tree´s. We picked them off the ground and ate them. They were really good, but I still don´t know what I ate.
That night we got out the rest of the rum and shared it with the hostel employees. We talked and joked around with them for hours. After that one of the guys asked if we wanted to join him for a drink at the bar. We ended up going bar hopping all over town until about three in the morning. Everyone kept warning us of banditos but we were with a group of about 4 locals. There was even a guy named Hans who told me he runs this town and he hates tourists, luckily he said we were the exception. As interesting as it sounds we couldn´t have asked to meet any better people.
Today we were going to try to make it to the Poas Volcan but it was pretty cloudy and we each had pounding headaches. Instead we spend about one and a half hours trying to find the bus to the butterfly farm. We found the bus, paid the driver 190 colones (about 35 cents) and were off to see the butterflies. It was definitely a cool experience. We learned a lot and got to see some really cool things. Kori and I just got done going out to a nice dinner (3 dollars) and now were getting ready to go live in the jungle
We will be taking a 900 am bus tomorrow towards Tortugeuro. We should arrive at La Tortuga Feliz around 4 pm. As most of you know we will be there for 3 weeks without phone or internet. We are both extremely excited and cannot wait to be on the beach. Wish us luck and I will update this as soon as I get back to civilization.
adios, Eric
p.s. Whoever told me that everyone speaks spanish down here is a big liar. The vast majority of people in Alajuela do not speak English which has added a nice spin on the trip.
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