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Cindy's World Trip Blog

October 4, Month 5

Goodbye Costa Rica

I'm sitting in the airport getting ready to leave Costa Rica. Our time here has been great. This week has been especially fun. It started out with going to a place called Tortuguero; a cool place that can only be reached by boat.

The roads in Costa Rica, as I think I have already mentioned, are rarely labeled/named. In fact we have a map that is hilarious because it shows the ways the roads go with no names on them. If the roads happen to be labeled on the map, good luck finding it labeled by a sign in real life. Getting around would be really hard for me, but Richard continues to amaze me (and occasionally even himself).

I bring this up because I found the instructions to get to the boat for Tortuguero hilarious. It works, but given the choice, I would choose street signs instead.

"Go north at Santa Clara Gasoline Station a few hundred meters east of Burger King 8.1 kilometers north there will be a cross road. Turn left so you don't cross railroad tracks yet. Follow tracks west for 0.7 k. Turn right on main highway (they use "highway" too generously- it was just another small road) continue to Cariari. Set odometer to 0 at only gas station in Cariari. Drive straight 7k and turn right onto newly paved road. Follow till Cuartrio Esquinas. Go straight. Pavement ends. Follow gravel road until you get to general store "Abast Palacio" in tiny village of Palarios on Right. 50 meters after store take road to left. Signs say Tortugero. Follow road 5.7 Km till La Pavona (small farm on left). Security parking here."

We found out after we got there and missed the boat - the time the boat leaves is loose. They say it leaves at a certain time, but in reality, they just go when they think the boat is full enough. This is usually after the bus from town arrives. We arrived 25 minutes before we thought the boat was supposed to leave- at least five minutes too late. There was no sign of the boat.

We weren't sure how we would use the three hours until the next boat. We started by ordering lunch at the small restaurant there. It seemed strange to have a restaurant in the middle of nowhere, but we were glad it was there. No need to worry what to order, there was only one dish - their plate of what they call typical (casado). It was a delicious plate of rice, beans, a small salad, chicken and another thing that I am not sure what it was (maybe some kind of corn mixture), but it was good.

I thought driving to Tortugero was an adventure. Little did I know that the best part was to come- the boat ride. In the end, we opted to take a private boat that offered us a deal rather than waiting for the next bus boat. Our boat was about 1/3 wider and longer than a canoe and it moved and rocked with each turn of the rudder. I wondered if we might rock a little too much to one side and end up with a swim, but then I would look around, see the beautiful jungle and dismiss my fears. Tons of trees, vines and vegetation lined the river. Richard laughed and said, "This sure beats the jungle cruise at Disney Land." After about 45 minutes of feeling the wind in our faces, the leaning of the boat, and seeing such pretty surroundings, we arrived.

Tortuguero is where thousands of sea turtles return every year to lay their eggs. The turtles were born on these shores, but they don't return for 30 or more years until they are ready to nest. We came with the hopes of seeing the site for ourselves. The first night we were there we arranged for a tour. Visitors must go with trained guides and spotters following the protocol set up to keep the ecotourism from interfering with the turtles. In the dark of the night, we waited for the guide to tell us that the laying process had begun. We were not allowed to approach until that point for fear that the mamma would be scared and return back to sea. Once she begins laying eggs, she enters a trance like state and will not move unless,the guide told us, she is in mortal danger.

At the guide's signal that egg laying had started, we approached and watched this huge turtle weighing over 300 lbs lay her eggs. We all crouched down at her rear watching ping-pong looking egg after egg pop out by the red light of the guide. It was an impressive sight. Even the nest that each turtle creates is impressive with some nests about the same width and depth as a child's wading pool.

When she was done, she paused for a bit (probably exhausted). Then she began covering up the eggs with her back legs. I felt a silly sort of bond, one mother to another, and I wanted to tell her that she did a good job.

The next morning we walked the shore line in the off chance that we would be able to see hatchlings. It is still early in the season and most hatch in the dark when people are not allowed alone on the beach so our chances were small, but after walking a lot we were privileged to see one little straggler working his way toward the shoreline. He was so tiny and so cute. We tried again the next day because we wanted to see more. We saw one again, but this little guy almost didn't make it. He got stuck upside down somehow and couldn't move. The flies gathering on him was not a good sign. We flipped him over so he could walk, but he was really weak so we picked him up and took him close to shore where he crawled the rest of the way in the water. The girls were thrilled that they had saved a turtle. Truth is that he will be lucky if he made it, but if he did make it- they saved him. Not something that happens everyday.

The rest of the week was fun too. We hiked near a volcano, went zip lining through the jungle (actually on the volcano), and spent some time on the West coast.

Each new thing we did while in Costa Rica became favorite. In the end, I cannot decide if I liked zip lining most or seeing the turtles nest most. I liked each for different reasons.

With zip lining, I expected the thrill of the ride, but I didn't realize that seeing my kids reactions would be equally as fun. I loved seeing them dressed in the harnesses, helmets, and other garb with pure exhilaration on their faces.

Costa Rica seemed to have passed fast, but provided us with some great experiences. We learned a lot about plant and animal life, and enjoyed the outdoors.