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Volunteering in Costa Rica

Wednesday March 25th - Visit to the lagoon
by Pokin Y. (in Gandoca on Mar 25, 09)
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The next morning we got up early for our 7:30 lagoon tour.   We learned that our turtle guide Andrey led boat tours at the nearby lagoon for $12 a person, and that this would be our best opportunity to see caimans, sloths, monkeys and more.   The team collectively decided to do it, and after breakfast, walked towards the lagoon.  
 
We made our way through jungle paths towards the lagoon (really an estuary) hopped onto the boat, and begin this trip.   It was a marvelous morning as we admired the scenery in the soft morning sun.   We saw first a sloth high up in the tree, as well as numerous birds.   The highlight of this tour was when we saw a sloth and her baby.   The boat goes crazy as we furiously snap pictures of her.   To catch her attention, our guide makes hawk calls and it’s amusing and a little sad at the same time to watch her move slowly in response to what must be a frightening prospect for the poor sloth.
 
OMG I decide at this moment I’m in love sloths.
 
Three toed sloths are among the slowest mammals on earth.   They typically stay up in trees and feed off leaves, coming down only about once every six days to defecate.   Sloths travel at a whopping speed of 10 feet per minute – up to 15 feet if they sense danger.   I thought they were ugly little creatures from documentaries before, but my heart warmed watching this mother and her baby sloth.   Cute!!
 
The tour wraps up with a baby caiman sighting, then we’re back to our homestay.
 
The afternoon was the village highlight of the week.   Volleyball.   Of all the sports they had to pick I was most frightened of volleyball.   For one thing I never got the sport.   For second, I happen to have a giant metal rod embedded in my arm from when I broken my arm.   The prospect of a ball smacking me right on that plate was not exciting.   Dan, who had played a lot of volleyball demonstrated how to try to hit the ball (and of course avoid that plate), and in a grand gesture of “what the heck, let’s do this thing” I volunteered myself to be in the first girl group playing volleyball.
 
And we won our match!
 
Though to be honest it had absolutely nothing to do with my presence.   And to make that point, I switched teams for the next round and lost promptly.
 
Having played my part, I happily plunked down on the sand and watched the rest of the games.
 
The girls’ game was “lite” but the guys round got intense.   Back and forth the ball flew over the net as the competitive spirit filled the air.    Bob and Jeff (two others on our group) sprung into action, setting and attacking with the ball in high intensity as did many of the villagers.   Behind us the ladies of Gandoca cheered and heckled the teams.   It was a great afternoon.
 
Earlier in the morning, Nicki had asked if we wanted to do any more patrols.   Half the group opted out (including Julie who was night blind), and the other half decided to go ahead, still hungry for turtle sightings.   As it was our last day, the patrol would be short – only 2 hours as a BBQ was being prepared for us at the bar for 10:00pm in the evening.   We got back, had our dinner and prepared for our patrol.
 
Last turtle patrol I found out Melody was going to be on her own in Sector A.   Though I knew that there are higher chances to see a sea turtle in Sector B, I opted to go with her.   I was just relishing a last opportunity to do a night patrol.    This fourth time, I felt far more comfortable than before.   Striding confidently in the sand, we marched towards Sector A.   Just before we got to A, I catch glimpse of a familiar dark shape coming out of the surf.   A turtle!   It was out not in our sector, so we signaled to the Sector B team and continued on.
 
That night we went back and forth without seeing a turtle again.   But I was happy just to have seen a turtle one more time and was happy to march in my thoughts, conscious of the humid weather, slight breeze, constant waves and bright stars.
 
That evening too I decided to get up for sunrise. Marcela tells me it’s at 5:30am, which doesn’t seem so bad at all.    I go to the BBQ, wolfed done tones of great food, savoured coke in a glass bottle then went back to bed in preparation.
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