Can't believe that we've only been here a little
over two weeks as so much has happened. This place is funny, so laid
back that nothing seems to happen fast, yet everything is new and different so
it seems every day brings something new.
One thing that is definitely different here is
the wildlife. Still haven't seen the monkeys this trip, but I hear
them howling around town all the time. Iguanas are lurking around in the
brush outside the house, and a family of pisotes that have decided that the
coconut palms in the front yard are their own personal buffet.
Pisotes are basically the equivalent of Costa
Rican raccoons, only a little meaner. If a pisote crosses your path, you
let it be. The plus side to having them around is that the stray cats
that were hanging out seem to have disappeared which is great as cats are the
killers of the jungle here, eradicating iguanas, birds, etc. Once the
cats show up, not a lot else wants to hang out. Here are a couple of pics
of our new neighbors.
The other morning I was woken up to the sound of the chatter of what turned out to be a family of about 6 or 7 pisotes along with that of falling coconuts as they came over for what is turning out to be their morning breakfast routine. Jeff has since commandeered a long bamboo pole and broken out the machete and is attempting to reclaim some of the coconuts for our consumption as well.
Last week we went to watch the sea turtles arriving on the beach to lay their eggs. I forgot my camera so only have a few photos of the trip which is a shame as what a trip it was! We went with friends of ours who organized the expedition for their kid's school class. It was a bit of a drive to get to the beach where the turtles were coming up and it'd been raining all day. At one point in the drive we needed to cross a couple small rivers (and when I say cross, I mean drive through.) Thing is, because of the rain, one of the small rivers had become too swollen and we were unable to pass. Turns out a delivery truck decided to try it anyway and almost got stuck. Only with the help of bystanders who had to jump into the water to help push it out, did it make it across. Really wish I had my camera for this one.
We decided to leave the cars and walk to the beach (most river crossings have a footbridge to get across when cars won't make it) Even though it was a rainy evening it was pretty cool seeing all the turtles arriving on the beach.
On the way home we all caught a ride in the back of a large open back (delivery?) truck to the cars as it was dark and we were all tired and wet. Riding in the back of the truck through the night jungle with the other families was a great ending to this long but exciting day. You could tell both the parents and the kids were having the time of their life. Some were new to the country and I'm sure this was unlike any other school field trip they had ever been on before.
Was an experience I'll not soon forget and looking around at the kids I was with makes me grateful that I'm here and one day will hopefully be able to share these experiences with my own child.
The rain broke the other day and was able to make it to the beach for a bit. Though it's getting harder and harder to do the things I used to (ie. a simple walk to the beach) I'm trying to keep it up as soon we'll be back in San Jose and won't get the opportunity to move around as much. Here's some beach belly pics for all those asking for them...and a nice sunset :-)
