We’ve made it to Costa Rica or in the Spanish translation, the rich coast! Our initial impressions upon our arrival was that this was a tourist-central country. We were witnessing a more western scene than we were used to back in Guatemala. But aside from that we also noticed the plentiful vegetation, the long-extending, coffee coloured beaches and the constant roar of the waves clashing against one another. If I could use one word to describe Costa rica, it would be beautiful. That’s all that needs to be said.
It took multiple, sweaty, crowded bus rides before we reached our destination at Refugio Nacional De Vida Silvestre Camaronal or as this group likes to call it…turtles! Our coordinators for the week, Maximo and Marleen, welcomed us with open arms. That’s another thing! Everywhere we’ve travelled in Central America, we’ve always encountered the friendliest people! Okay now back on track, we were given a quick run down as to what we should expect for the upcoming week, a brief history lesson about the reserve and obviously it’s turtles. The species of turtle we’d be dealing with was known as Olive Ridley. It could be distinguished by its distinct pattern left in its trail In the sand. Later on that night, the group would get our first glance at them.
Every night we were required to participate in patrolling the beaches for either nesting turtles or potential poachers. There were four different shifts distributed throughout the group. The first ran from 9pm to 12am, the second from 1am to 4am, the third from 5am to 7am and the fourth from 12am to 3am. The first three shifts were designated time slots to patrol the beaches specifically for nesting turtles and measuring and tagging those turtles. The hours felt endless and the walks were dark and wet on the 3km long beach. The fourth shift, also referred to as poacher patrol, was a designated time slot specifically meant for, as you can assume, looking out for possible poachers. Believ it or not, turtle eggs are in very high demand and although it is illegal, the trading of turtle eggs still exists. In fact, you can find these turtle eggs for purchase usually at local bars and for $1 US you’ve got yourself 12 turtle eggs.
On our first night with the patrols it rained… and rained…and rained some more. It only took most of us a few steps outside our house before we were completely drenched. The rain unfortunately didn’t stop there. It progressed through the night and the by the end we were soaked to the point where we could fill buckets of water simply from rimaging our clothes out. No exaggeration. For the next several days of our stay, we followed a daily routine which consisted of breakfast at 8am, service work from9am to 11am, lunch at 12pm, another round of service work 4pm to 5pm, dinner at 6pm and a fun-filled night patrol after dinner. Service work entailed either cleaning of the main house, turtle egg hatchery, beach or releasing newly born turtles into the ocean. Yes, you heard me right. We had the chance to set baby turtles, 20 minutes after birth, free into the ocean. It was a sight to see to say the least.
Our last day on the reserve was unlike what we had been accustomed to. Friday was our free day! We had a few stay back at the house to enjoy time to relax and soak up the sun down by the water, while others ventured into town. One group made their way into a nearby town called Islita (about a 10 minute ride from the reserve). There, they enjoyed luxury of wandering a premium resort for day, having lunch at a swim-up bar and sipping on piña coladas (non-alcoholic, of course). Seems like they had such a dull day… The rest of the group that didn’t tag along to Islita, rode a 50 minute drive in the back of a pickup truck to a town called Samara. It was a beach town that gave off a hip-happening vibe. Definitely a cool place to be spending the day. By 4pm everyone had returned from their outings of the day and it was time to head down to the beach for a good ol’ game of soccer. As you can imagine, we were all working up a sweat and so that called for a quick dip in the water. The sun began to set gradually on the horizon while the group frolicked in the rustic orange tinted water. The perfect ending to the perfect day.
The following day was our travel day to Nicaragua, concluding our time at the reserve. Our stay in Costa Rica was unforgettable. We all feel so privileged to be able to have had the opportunity to interact with the turtles and volunteer for an organization that strives to conserve these precious creatures. The group has made fond memories throughout our week in Costa Rica and you’ll be hearing about our upcoming adventures in Nicaragua next! Stay tuned!
Cheers, Keelyn
