Tortuguero
So this weekend Brandon, my roommate Melissa, and myself headed to the east coast of Costa Rica on the Carribean Sea to a little town called Tortuguero. Named after and known more than anything for the sea turtles (tortuga in Spanish) that flock to the beach here to lay their eggs and head back to the sea. we of course had another adventure getting there that went taxi, to bus, to a really hot smaller bus, to
boat. The really hot small bus included being the third car to pull up on a motorcycle/bicycle accident and sweating to death as we sat on the over packed bus for about at least 30 min as we waited on the ambulance. At least we had seats, as tons of passengers didn’t. it looked like a scene from a movie when everyone is hot and miserable and packed in driving down a dirt road in a foreign country, oh wait, that’s what was happening.After the bus ride, we were dropped off on the
side of a dirt road and walked down the hill to where a boat waited to take us on the hour boat ride to Tortuguero.We pulled up to a dock and a town that looked like it was about a million years old and no one had ever visited there. We were dropped off and just started walking with our bags into this little one road town that has never given up it’s Afro-Caribbean/hippie roots to buy into the fact that they are a tourist town that people from all over the world come to see these turtles. It was one of the most interesting towns I’ve ever visited. There were c
lothes lines strung up everywhere and chickens and stray dogs running through the streets. We had already been warned to bring headlamps because of the frequent blackouts during the rainy season, which we incurred this weekend. If I hadn’t known that an entire boat load of other people had gotten off the boat with me, I would have thought that we were the only tourists there. We definitely stood out as we walked through the center or town and everyone stared at us as they sat outside their houses and stores all day. Maybe clotheslineFriday night we set off to find a tour guide to go see the turtles on Saturday. Now the book I mentioned that ended up being the best investment I made for this trip, goes so in detail as to say, “Barbara Tinamon, a multilingual biologist in the purple house 100m past Cabinas Tortuguero, is a great guide and excellent source of information.” So we set out to find the purple house and Barbara Tinamon. After walking in a few circles and asking many neighbors, we came upon the right purple house and waited on her to return. She returned as a rainstorm began and we helped her take her laundry off the line as we stood on her porch and asked if she’d be our guide for our turtle tour. We set that up and then t
ook some more advice from the book to go find Bony Scott to rent a canoe for the next day. They offer tours in the canoes down the canals and point our the animals but that cost more than the $6 our canoe rental cost. While talking to Jarvis about our canoe for the next day, he mentioned that he would be leading a canoe tour the next morning. He said that he didn’t mind if we paddle up behind him and then just follow him around while he points our all the animals to the group in the tour. Of course we jumped on this idea and woke up at 5:30 the next morning to follow Jarvis around on his canoe tour as we paddled through the canals of Lagunas de Tortuguero.We paddled around for more than 4 hours. We saw caimen, spider monkeys, iguanas,
toucans, and a lot of different animals that I can’t remember. It was one of those beautiful mo
rning’s where we kept reminding each other that we were paddling through canals in Costa Rica surrounded by monkeys and other animals. One of those moments that you try so hard to capture with a camera, but just can’t.We spent the next four hours playing 
in the Caribbean sea and then headed out for a rainforest hike. We walked through the national park and had to wear rain boots because of the mud or something. It didn’t make sense to us. But we did look like complete idiots which was great. We saw tons of monkeys along the way.
About 8 that night, we headed out to meet Barbara for our turtle tour. We were going to watch the Tortugas verdes which nest from the end of June through September. You can’t take pictures because they don’t want the flash to bother the turtles as they are laying their eggs. We joined a few others and waited as they had people on the beach with radios to let the guides know when they were beginning to lay their eggs so not to do anything to disturb the process. Barbara explained to us that the turtles swim to the beach and walk up on the sand until the feel safe enough to dig a hole and begin the egg laying process. If they are disturbed or don’t feel safe in any way as they walk onto the beach, they will turn around and go back to the ocean and try again the next day. Once they begin the egg laying process they fall into a trance and cannot be disturbed unless they are touched. This is when they radioed Barbara and we headed out to the beach led by her small red light on her headlamp. I don’t have pictures and know that I could never describe in words how amazing it was to watch this process. We walked up to a turtle bigger than my desk in my room and sat about 5 inches from her as she laid about 110 eggs into this hole that she had dug herself into in the sand. While we were watching her, another turtle came onto the beach to begin the process. We went off to the side and sat down as to not disturb this new turtle. She didn’t feel safe and half way up the beach turned around to head back to the beach. We followed behind her and walked with her back to the ocean until she swam away. There was a moment when we were walking behind this turtle back to the ocean, that I looked up and saw the most amazing stars in the sky, the red and orange moon coming up in front of me over the ocean, the pitch black night sky all around me, and this amazing creature crawling back into the ocean in front of me; and I think somehow it was the most beautiful moment I have ever captured in my mind. I could never be able to grasp it in a picture, but I hope that I never forget it.
We were told there were probably around 2000 turtles on the span of this beach that night, and that early in the morning we would be able to see all of the turtle tracks and fresh holes. So the next morning we got up to catch the sunrise and walk the beach. We caugh
t an amazing sunrise, and saw more turtle tracks than I could ever imagine.
in the Caribbean sea and then headed out for a rainforest hike. We walked through the national park and had to wear rain boots because of the mud or something. It didn’t make sense to us. But we did look like complete idiots which was great. We saw tons of monkeys along the way.About 8 that night, we headed out to meet Barbara for our turtle tour. We were going to watch the Tortugas verdes which nest from the end of June through September. You can’t take pictures because they don’t want the flash to bother the turtles as they are laying their eggs. We joined a few others and waited as they had people on the beach with radios to let the guides know when they were beginning to lay their eggs so not to do anything to disturb the process. Barbara explained to us that the turtles swim to the beach and walk up on the sand until the feel safe enough to dig a hole and begin the egg laying process. If they are disturbed or don’t feel safe in any way as they walk onto the beach, they will turn around and go back to the ocean and try again the next day. Once they begin the egg laying process they fall into a trance and cannot be disturbed unless they are touched. This is when they radioed Barbara and we headed out to the beach led by her small red light on her headlamp. I don’t have pictures and know that I could never describe in words how amazing it was to watch this process. We walked up to a turtle bigger than my desk in my room and sat about 5 inches from her as she laid about 110 eggs into this hole that she had dug herself into in the sand. While we were watching her, another turtle came onto the beach to begin the process. We went off to the side and sat down as to not disturb this new turtle. She didn’t feel safe and half way up the beach turned around to head back to the beach. We followed behind her and walked with her back to the ocean until she swam away. There was a moment when we were walking behind this turtle back to the ocean, that I looked up and saw the most amazing stars in the sky, the red and orange moon coming up in front of me over the ocean, the pitch black night sky all around me, and this amazing creature crawling back into the ocean in front of me; and I think somehow it was the most beautiful moment I have ever captured in my mind. I could never be able to grasp it in a picture, but I hope that I never forget it.
We were told there were probably around 2000 turtles on the span of this beach that night, and that early in the morning we would be able to see all of the turtle tracks and fresh holes. So the next morning we got up to catch the sunrise and walk the beach. We caugh
t an amazing sunrise, and saw more turtle tracks than I could ever imagine.What we got to see and do this weekend, was an experience that I hope I’ll remember forever.
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