Monday 16 August 2010

La segunda semana

We've reached the halfway point! Usually I hate this point in a trip - from here on it normally feels like time moves faster and faster and the inevitability of returning home becomes more and more inescapable. But this time I think it will be different - I've never been away for so long before! 'Only' two weeks left. But two weeks is a long time, especially judging by the last two weeks which have felt much longer (in a good way!)

This last week has been extremely full and fun and fabulous.

On Monday evening we ventured out for our first night out in San Jose. We met our Spanish friends - Ana and Ana (Las Anas!) at the mall and waited for Randall and Kat to meet us. We waited. And waited a bit more. And finally came to the conclusion that we'd been stood up. So we thought, what the hell, let's make our own way there. After asking several passers by and eventually hopping on a bus after being told that it´s an area well known for armed robberies (eek) we made it to La Cuartel. It's the regular hangout on a Monday night because there´s live music. Admission is free for girls but boys have to pay - the way it should be methinks!! When we first arrived it was pretty quiet so we found a table and bought some drinks and made a desperate attempt to get a conversation going with the lovely Anas. Harder than usual. Having to shout above the blaring music, in Spanish, and understanding the response - not easy. Eventually Randall and Kat turned up along with a few more of their friends and a couple of American guys who we'd met at the school earlier that day. From then onwards the evening got better and better. The band were absolutely fantastic - they played American music as well as Latin American music and everyone danced in a sweaty mass in front of the stage, clutching beers and singing along. And, get this, we danced the salsa and the merengue! In a nightclub! Proper dancing!! Estupenda!

On Wednesday we went to the Salon de patines - basically a roller disco. There was a glitterball and flashing lights but instead of 70s disco tunes they played R+B! I think roller skating is actually one of the hardest things I've ever done. Ever! We thought it might be pretty similar to ice skating but somehow being on wheels instead of a blade is about a bajillion times harder. Rach and I were clinging onto each other most of the way round. The man would blow a whistle that meant everyone had to change direction around the rink but we were so slow at changing that by the time we'd maneuvered ourselves round the whistle had blown again and we were skating against the flow! Screaming and laughter galore! I fell over once. Rachel managed to stay vertical. 1-0 to her.

But, of everything we´ve experience so far, this weekend has been the highlight of the trip by a mile. We went to Tortuguero - a massive nature reserve on the Carribean Coast. We got picked up by a coach at 6am on Friday morning and arrived at Tortuguero at about 2pm. Most of the journey consisted of a motor-boat ride along the river. It was literally breathtaking. Either side of the river was flanked by rainforest so, with out eyes peeled, we managed to see sloths, monkeys, crocodiles, lizards and countless beautiful exotic birds. We arrived at our hotel expecting it to be pretty basic having only paid 200 dollars for a completely all-inclusive three night stay. It was luxurious. Two swimming pools, two bars serving massive cocktails overlooking the river, double beds and a hot shower (and that really is a luxury in Costa Rica!). It was a-maze-ing.

That night we were taken by a guide down to the beach. It was about 9pm and looking up at the sky we could see the milky way and Venus just casually shining down on us. The sky was so clear and beautiful I almost couldn't believe it was real. I spent so long watching shooting stars that my neck began to ache. Then, after about an hour of waiting we saw what we'd come for. A green turtle had dragged herself up the beach and had built a nest. She was laying her eggs. She was about three feet long and absolutely beautiful. We were allowed to stand literally centimetres away from her because once they're giving birth they're in a trance-like state and nothing can bother them. We watched as she layed dozens of eggs, three at a time, into the hole and then proceeded to throw sand over her back to cover up the hole and disguise the nest. It was a proper David Attenborough moment!

On Saturday we were woken up at 4:45am (christ, I don´t think I´ve ever seen that time of morning before) by our guide Johnny knocking on our doors and by the howler monkeys shrieking at each other in the trees around the hotel. We had to get up so (so so so so) early in order to be out on the river at optimum nature-spotting time. We spent a couple of hours on the river slowly motoring along with Eagle-eyes Miguel, the driver, pointing out wildlife and Johnny explaining what everything was. I wish I had a snazzy camera because it was impossible to get any decent pictures with my crappy little thing. Then again, some of the people with snazzy cameras spent more time trying to find the best angle and adjusting their settings and less time actually looking at what was right in front of them!!! We saw spider monkeys and howler monkeys and a few sloths (in Spanish they´re called Perezosos - literally ´the lazies´). Afterwards we did a canopy tour - whizzing along ziplines through the jungle and then we went on a tour of the forest on foot. It was Spider Central. And massive spiders at that. And after earning our credentials as professional explorers we rewarded ourselves with about 4 straight hours of sunbathing and lazing and swimming at the hotel. Bliss.

In the evening we caught a ´taxi´ over to Tortuguero (it was a boat taxi, which Rach couldn´t quite get her head round ´How is a car going to get across the river??´). We went to a bar - La Taverna - where the guys were singing karaoke. Then we went to a little club and danced some merengue. We left pretty sharpish as soon as a massive bar fight broke out and then one of our guides starting behaving like a dick. We were in bed by midnight. Hardcore.

Sunday morning we got up to begin the journey back home to San Jose. We were knackered - a totally busy weekend had knocked us out. There wasn´t an unoccupied minute of the day!

Next week we´ll be changing projects to a similar centre but with older children this time so hopefully we´ll be able to plan activities and teach them a bit of English. I think we´ll miss the children from La Guarderia del nino, Santiago en particular - mi amor - but we´ve heard good things about the new place - La casa de Ana Frank.

Hasta Luego.

P.s. Highlight of the weekend? Rachel ate a termite. Ha.

XXXX

2 comments:

Mandy G said...

Oh my god! What an absolutely out of this world experience. You are so, so lucky. The stars, and the rain forest and the river and the spiders! Aunty Sian - are you reading this?

Stay well my darlin' and come home soon. But above all, keep having fun!!!
Aunty M

Ben said...

First blog reading ever, and what a cracker!!!

Sounds like an astounding experience and beautifully told.

D xxxx

P.S. Love to Rach.