So it’s been way too long since I last posted, It’s tough when you get out of the habit. You quickly find that too much time has passed, and with each passing day you find there is more to write about and less time to do it in. So basically I’m just going to try and sum up what’s been going on lately as quickly as I can.

A few weeks back I headed to the remote beach of Tortuguero which is on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. This beach is only accessible by air or water which makes it extremely peaceful. I can’t remember the last time I was that far away from a road or highway. To get there we first traveled to San Jose and spent one night in Tranquilo Backpackers Hostel. If you are looking for a cheap place to stay overnight in San Jose I highly recommend this place. The atmosphere is amazing, the rates very decent, free pancake breakfast in the morning (do-it-yourself style), guitars-a-plenty, pretty much everything you could want from a hostel! I was actually a little sad we were only there one night, but the next morning we got up at the crack of dawn (which for me means about 8:00) and cabbed over to the bus station to Limon. The ride to Limon is amazingly spectacular. The road cuts right through the middle of the national park of Braulio Carrillo, driving through this park means winding through a tangled maze of waterfalls, clouds, mountains and trees. Occasionally there will be a mountain of trees off in the distance that reaches higher then the buses window will let you see, and falls lower then the edge of the cliff the road is on. It is interesting to see how these trees just pile one on top of another making a vertical wall of forest.

On the bus we met a tour guide who agreed to help us get to Tortuguera. We got off the bus in a town called Cari Ari, and went with him to catch a bus that would take us to Rio Suerte, the river that provides water access to the remote town. The boat ride was an interesting part of the journey and felt more like a tour then part of the traveling. Along the way we saw some amazing jungle scenery and caught a glimpse of a crocodile as well. On our return trip we saw even more wildlife including an assortment of exotic birds, monkeys and bats.

The town of Tortuguero is essentially one long boardwalk with restaurants, hostels and tourist shops along either side. There are no cars in the area which adds to the peaceful atmosphere. We stayed at Ms. Meriam’s Cabinas I. The cabina had an ocean view which was amazing but the room itself was significantly less clean then most other hostels I had stayed in. But this was countered by the fact that they had hot water, so I can’t complain. Additionally the restaurant attached to the hostel served up some amazing Caribbean style cuisine, including the best Gallo Pinto I’ve had in Costa Rica so far, prepared with Coconut Milk.

That night we went out with the guide to watch the turtles lay eggs on the beach. The beach is closed to the public at night to preserve the natural breeding grounds of the Leather back, Green, Loggerhead, and Hawksbill turtles. The guide took us along a trail that runs parallel to the beach about 100 meters from the shore. Park officials with walkie talkies communicate with one another, finding turtles and directing tour groups to the sections of the beach where turtles have been located. Once on the beach, flashlights are no longer allowed, and photography is prohibited because turtles have been known to be scared off by bright lights and return to the ocean without laying eggs.

We were fortunate enough to witness turtles in all the different stages of the egg-laying process that generally takes one hour to complete. We saw one emerging from the water, one digging a hole to lay eggs in, laying eggs, burying the nest and returning to the ocean. The experience was amazing and I’d recommend it to anyone. First, I was struck by the size of these turtles, and it was also interesting to see such an intimate natural process take place right in front of your eyes in the wild.

The next morning we woke up at 6 O’Clock and met our guide who took us on a Canoe trip of the river. He spotted tons of interesting birds including herons and toucans, caymen crocodiles, spider monkeys and howler monkeys. It was pretty impressive how well he could spot nearly invisible animals in the dense jungle. The rest of that day consisted of lounging around in hammocks, and a really nice 10km run along the beach. By that night we were pretty exhausted and went to sleep relatively early. We caught the 11:00 boat back to Limon and began the long journey home.