First of all, a big happy anniversary to my parents! They now have been married for 29 years and counting. They are spending this weekend in Boone at the Banner Elk cabin that we have been going to for over a decade now. I hope they are enjoying themselves!
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Today was a traveling day. We originally planned on going to Tortuguero via Braulio Carrillo National Park, near Limon. However, due to the heavy rains there was a landslide, yesterday, on the road that we were supposed to take. Road crews were unable to clear the road in time, so we had to take an alternate route, which took two additional hours.
We decided to go south toward Panama before swinging up north again. En route, we stopped to see the Peace Waterfall, a small waterfall right next to the road. There was a small metal bridge next to the waterfall, and we had to cross the road to see the waterfall and take pictures of it. It was a great break. Next to the waterfall was a vendor that was selling a various of goods, including mozzarella-style cheese and very fresh strawberries. A couple of my classmates bought strawberries and we enjoyed them on the ride.
The road was very curvy and included lots of cutbacks and tight turns. I was at the back of the bus and nearly fell out of my seat several times on the drive.
At one point all of us had to use el bano, so we pulled over at a small rafting type of company and used their bano. Afterwards, we looked around their garden. Their garden is a veritable wilderness and we saw several treasures, including a red and blue poison dart frog and a black and green poison dart frog. Rhyan also heard a howler monkey.
Rhyan showed me a variant of a ginger plant that was growing in the garden. When you squeezed the plant, it would shed its water and your hands would smell like ginger. It was a great way to get rid of the foul-smelling soap that we had used.
En route, we also took a quick five-second pit stop at a banana plantation while Rhyan ran out and grabbed a flower. This flower was responsible for helping bananas grow - it would self pollinate and bananas would grow from certain parts of the flower. This led to a half-hour discussion on the biology of this particular flower and where bananas came from. We also discussed the banana industry in Costa Rica. The bananas sold here are second-best, but bananas sold abroad are the best that Costa Rica can grow.
One of the interpreters, Denise, had bought a bunch of bananas. I had a chance to taste one, and I personally thought that it was much sweeter than the variety sold in the United States.
We arrived at the Good Luck River near Tortuguero at around 2pm. We were all starving, so the hotel director gave us each half a sandwich and a juice to tide us over until we arrived. We took a hour and half boat ride to the Ilang Ilang Hotel, where we will be staying for the next two days. We met their resident canine greeter, Ruffo, and enjoyed a late mid-afternoon lunch provided by the staff. After, we took time to see the howler monkeys, spider monkeys, and a two-toed sloth living wild on the premises.
In the evening, we took a lazy swim in the pool on the premises. We are not allowed to swim in the Good Luck River due to the presence of alligators.
Currently, we're relaxing in the lobby of the hotel. The lobby is open but is screened in. However, a fruit bat somehow got in, and several members of our group spent several minutes catching the bat and releasing it outside.
We will have a late dinner before having a bonfire tonight. Tomorrow we will be visiting Tortuguero, having a hike, and possibly seeing the green sea turtles!
Pura vida!
__________________________
Today was a traveling day. We originally planned on going to Tortuguero via Braulio Carrillo National Park, near Limon. However, due to the heavy rains there was a landslide, yesterday, on the road that we were supposed to take. Road crews were unable to clear the road in time, so we had to take an alternate route, which took two additional hours.
We decided to go south toward Panama before swinging up north again. En route, we stopped to see the Peace Waterfall, a small waterfall right next to the road. There was a small metal bridge next to the waterfall, and we had to cross the road to see the waterfall and take pictures of it. It was a great break. Next to the waterfall was a vendor that was selling a various of goods, including mozzarella-style cheese and very fresh strawberries. A couple of my classmates bought strawberries and we enjoyed them on the ride.
The road was very curvy and included lots of cutbacks and tight turns. I was at the back of the bus and nearly fell out of my seat several times on the drive.
At one point all of us had to use el bano, so we pulled over at a small rafting type of company and used their bano. Afterwards, we looked around their garden. Their garden is a veritable wilderness and we saw several treasures, including a red and blue poison dart frog and a black and green poison dart frog. Rhyan also heard a howler monkey.
Rhyan showed me a variant of a ginger plant that was growing in the garden. When you squeezed the plant, it would shed its water and your hands would smell like ginger. It was a great way to get rid of the foul-smelling soap that we had used.
En route, we also took a quick five-second pit stop at a banana plantation while Rhyan ran out and grabbed a flower. This flower was responsible for helping bananas grow - it would self pollinate and bananas would grow from certain parts of the flower. This led to a half-hour discussion on the biology of this particular flower and where bananas came from. We also discussed the banana industry in Costa Rica. The bananas sold here are second-best, but bananas sold abroad are the best that Costa Rica can grow.
One of the interpreters, Denise, had bought a bunch of bananas. I had a chance to taste one, and I personally thought that it was much sweeter than the variety sold in the United States.
We arrived at the Good Luck River near Tortuguero at around 2pm. We were all starving, so the hotel director gave us each half a sandwich and a juice to tide us over until we arrived. We took a hour and half boat ride to the Ilang Ilang Hotel, where we will be staying for the next two days. We met their resident canine greeter, Ruffo, and enjoyed a late mid-afternoon lunch provided by the staff. After, we took time to see the howler monkeys, spider monkeys, and a two-toed sloth living wild on the premises.
In the evening, we took a lazy swim in the pool on the premises. We are not allowed to swim in the Good Luck River due to the presence of alligators.
Currently, we're relaxing in the lobby of the hotel. The lobby is open but is screened in. However, a fruit bat somehow got in, and several members of our group spent several minutes catching the bat and releasing it outside.
We will have a late dinner before having a bonfire tonight. Tomorrow we will be visiting Tortuguero, having a hike, and possibly seeing the green sea turtles!
Pura vida!
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