I have been at the animal rescue center for almost two weeks now and its been a lot of fun. I leave Saturday night to come back home. The animals are so amazing except it is a bit sad to see how small the cages are. There are so many different animals; marmosets, tamarins, parrots, macaws, sloths, monkeys, kinkajous, peacocks and even a goat. They are in the process of moving to a new center so I have helped them with that quite a bit. Cleaning the poo and rotten food from the cages is definitely not the beat task but babysitting the goat and baby marmosets makes up for it. A volcano nearby recently launched some ash in the air so we have had a little bit of ash sprinkle down as well as thunderstorms daily for the past week (not related to the volcano). I have met some cool people on this trip and it'll be sad to go leave but it will also be good to be home.
I just got back from the turtle hatchery today and I miss it already. The project was an awesome experience, most of the volunteer work was at night so the majority of the day was spent reading and enjoying the nice scenery. Every other night I'd either be on patrol or I would be at the hatchery watching to make sure no animals or people tried taking the eggs. On patrol I would go out with a leader and walk 30 minutes down the beach and look for tracks or turtles nesting, then walk back. I would go back and forth a few times for 4 hours, either from 8pm-12am or from 12-4am. The patrols were tiring but well worth it due to the spectacular turtles I saw. The species of turtles I saw were Leatherbacks, known for their leathery back and ability to dive deeper than sperm whales in search for food. They can be up to 6 feet long and 3 feet wide and it's crazy to see them up close and personal. It's also super cool to see how many leaders are so dedicated to and passionate about sea turtles. I was super fortunate to have seen the babies hatch, 3 females lay eggs and an additional 5 females roaming the beaches looking for nesting spots. Seeing 8 turtles in 2 weeks is rare, especially since some leaders have been there for months and have only seen a couple. I also saw a super cute/creepy sloth last night!
Yesterday I had a very busy day, I went to the Arenal Volcano and a hot spring/waterpark. I didn't get back until after 10pm and had to be up at 5am for my tour today.
The Arenal volcano was just absolutely amazing, it's the stereotypical cone shape volcano. It was a lot different shape up until 1968 when it started erupting and now it's cone shaped. It's actually still active and you can see some small areas where smoke billows out. After the 4 hour drive to the volcano we went to a local hot spring waterpark which was unexpected as I didn't read much about the tour. Both lunch and dinner were great with great views of the volcano. Today I went to Manuel Antonio park which is one of the most popular parks in Costa Rica, known for its wildlife and beaches. I got to see crocodiles on the drive there and when we got to the park I saw quite a few monkeys as well as sloths and toucans. The park was beautiful and was full of so many cool plants. Words just can't describe the immense beauty of Costa Rica! On my way home today I tried a grenadine fruit that a friend recommended. It was like a passion fruit/pomegranate, you only eat the seeds and they look like fish eggs. Looks gross but its very delicious and crunchy! I have another early morning tomorrow so I can go ziplining and then I'll be off to my turtle rescue project on Monday. Hope is all going well back in the states, would love to hear from you guys in the comments. Today I had class as usual from 9-3, tomorrow is my last day of classes and I will have Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. Today I decided which volunteer projects I will be attending and I will leave this monday. I decided to chose the rustic Carribean turtle rescue so my first two weeks of volunteering will be spent with very little electricity and no internet. The project is a day trip away and is hours frim the nearest city. While there I will help build nesting for turtles as well as release turtles and patrol the beaches at night to prevent poachers and animals from stealing the eggs. If all goes according to plan then I will be spending two weeks at an animal conservation center in Alajuela.
While off this weekend I hope to travel around a bit, maybe go to the Arenal volcano as well as some other national parks. Today I walked home from my classes and it took me about 30 minutes. (Taking the bus can sometimes take longer than that due to traffic) The organization in which I take classes at is about 2 miles away and is located in a more urban area with malls and office buildings. On my way home I stopped and got a fresh young coconut for just 50 cents and very much enjoyed drinking the juice. You can't beat coconut juice when it comes to a natural refreshing beverage. I still haven't taken too many pictures as I have only stayed around the city but after this weekend I should have tons of photos. I have added a picture of the house I am staying at as well as my room. I arrived in Costa Rica yesterday where I will be staying for the next five weeks volunteering around the country. I plan on spending 2 week at an animal conservation center and another 2 weeks at a turtle rescue center. One turtle center I am looking at going to is so secluded, no internet or electricity, the building was even built out of wood from trees nearby. I hope to also travel around the country a bit and see a bit more of the country.
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AuthorMy name is Shawn and I am currently taking a year off before attending college. I am sharing my travels and adventures on this site for all to see! CategoriesArchives |