From Playa Buena Vista to Playa del Carmen

I´m back in Alajuela for the evening to get an early start for Mexico tomorrow.

Olive Ridley´s

It was sad to leave the sea turtles that I´d been with for the past two weeks in Playa Buena Vista. What a wonderful, rewarding experience. I was there on behalf of ASVO, an conservation organization, which in this instance is working to preserve Olive Ridley, Green and Leatherback turtles. I helped release Olive Ridley babies for the most part and one nest of Green turtles. The largest number of hatchlings I released was 111. The program we worked with says that about 60% of the eggs that get into the hatchery make it to sea. The other 40% are either not fertilized eggs or they just don´t make it to the surface for any number of reasons during the dry season. In the wet season, about 80% of the eggs yield turtles going to sea. They´re instincts are so strong, it´s amazing. Just think about hatching your way out of a shell, having to crawl your way out of a hole about a foot or two deep, then having to crawl to the ocean about 25 meters away, then be swept into the ocean or maybe tossed back up the shoreline any number of times before the current wisks you into the ocean. It´s a tough life for these little guys.

Being right on the ocean was such a luxury except for our accommodations, though even they started feeling like home. Maybe that was because of the people I was with. They were from all walks of life. Many of them young, yet with a good sense of themselves, the environment and the world we live in. All were hard workers and really pitched in. We had to haul in our food and water, clear paths, do beach sweeps and tend to the turtles 24/7. Overnight we took two hour shifts or did beach patrol, which is when I saw the two turtles laying eggs.

We were a 45-minute walk into Samara, which we did almost daily--mainly to surf. Yes, that was part of the package. I´m in a way happy to say this sport isn´t one that I´m tempted to pick up. Body surfing is more fun. I did ride some waves into shore, but never did much more. There is some exhilaration when you catch one just right, but more often, it was an exercise of jumping up only to see the wave go past you or loosing your balance, which was most of the time. Guess I have to do more balance work on the bosu. I wonder what would have happened had I not been taking bosu classes at the health club.

Driving in Costa Rica

As I was being driven back to Alajuela, I was remembering our drive up to Monte Verde two weeks ago. Costa Rica has two main highways, one lane each way. You can imagine the trucks. They do slow things down. On the way back today, we were going a cool 30 KPH, or about 20 MPH. Sometimes the police pull all the trucks over to let the cars pass, but not today.

There are lots of hearts on the roads here with what look like halos on top. These are markings for people who died in an accident at that spot. What a constant reminder to drive safe.

I´m off the Mexico tomorrow, to Mahahual for fish research. More from there.