Today we got to visit a local indigenous tribe called the Boruca. It was about a 3 hour bus ride to reach their village. A local women welcomed us into her home and shared with us a little bit of their peoples history and culture. They fed us lunch and also had some great workshops set up for us to view and enjoy. She first showed us how her people are able to collect different leaves from plants and grind or boil them to make different colors of dye for their cotton that they collect and turn into thread. Then she showed us how they are able to weave that thread into different items like purses, mats, and bags. It was very cool to watch her demonstrate these skills and very eye opening. After that a local man showed us how he paints the masks they make out of the local Balsa wood. They are so detailed and very colorful.
It was a great day getting to meet this woman and learn about her culture and the people. Doing things like this really makes you see how amazing the world and other cultures are. This was a great experience and I hope to be able to take part in something like this again.
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Day 4 Research Day
We woke up bright and early to eat breakfast at 6:30. After that our project group met in the lab to discuss our plan for the day. Pedro is our project leader and Julia and I are in his group, after gathering our equipment we set off to place our trail cameras in different forest types.
It was clear early on that today was going to be a little challenging. Our group was going to hike the farthest and we had very steep slopes and different terrain to compete with. At the beginning it wasn't so bad, but after we had lunch it got tougher. The Mountains got steeper, muddier, and it was tough to keep going. Our perseverance and determination got us through the grueling parts. We got 12 different trail cams set in various places and we had hiked over 7 miles when we were all done. That doesn't seem like a lot but in this terrain that is pretty crazy, at least to me. We will be hiking that distance about every three days because we could not do it every day.
It was a tough and challenging day but i'm glad we did it. We got to see some cool stuff and really get a diverse experience from the jungle. We will see how our bodies hold up after we make the trek a couple more times.
It was clear early on that today was going to be a little challenging. Our group was going to hike the farthest and we had very steep slopes and different terrain to compete with. At the beginning it wasn't so bad, but after we had lunch it got tougher. The Mountains got steeper, muddier, and it was tough to keep going. Our perseverance and determination got us through the grueling parts. We got 12 different trail cams set in various places and we had hiked over 7 miles when we were all done. That doesn't seem like a lot but in this terrain that is pretty crazy, at least to me. We will be hiking that distance about every three days because we could not do it every day.
It was a tough and challenging day but i'm glad we did it. We got to see some cool stuff and really get a diverse experience from the jungle. We will see how our bodies hold up after we make the trek a couple more times.
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Day 3 Introduction Day
I got up today at 6:00 in the morning to be ready for breakfast at 6:30. Very early morning for me, it is going to take some adjusting to this. The food here at the station is great, you get to try new things and honestly so far it's way better than anything from the states. After breakfast we met by our house for some house rules from the director. He is a very nice guy and very knowledgeable. He is happy to help you with anything and show you around the station.
We took off for a personal tour from the director, first checking out the botanical garden. There were so many different species of plants and trees, we also saw some birds and a big rodent type animal. I can't think of the name at the moment but it was pretty cool.
After the botanical garden we were off to the forest. I like to say jungle because why not? We're in Costa Rica! On the way we saw some fern species and a huge species of Bamboo. It was massive and very amazing. Probably the coolest thing I have ever seen, at least so far on this trip. We also saw some butterfly's and a crazy looking Moth. It was huge and it's camouflage was very impressive, you could only see it looking at it from a side angle.
We then continued on deeper into the forest to see what we could find. The director was great at stopping at different points of interest to tell us about plant species and various animals and birds. After hiking a ways some people decided to head back and others continued on the trail to see the river. The river was great, not very big but pretty cool. The water was warm and refreshing to wash your face after a sweaty hike.
After observing the river we decide to head back to the station for lunch. The hike to the river wasn't that bad. The hike back up kind of sucked but wasn't too bad. We got back to the station and relaxed for a bit before heading to lunch. Lunch was delicious as usual, so far they serve a rice or bean dish, a meat, some fruits and veggies, and some great tasting juice. It's been great trying new foods and I'm sure it will be great moving forward.
After lunch we met in the Lab here at the station to go over different studies we would like to conduct. I'm pretty interested in the trail cameras we will be putting out to see what animals we can capture. Everyone has been very nice and it feels like we've already been here together for weeks. We have all mingled very well so far and everyone I feel is genuinely interested in discovering new things and making some new friends at the same time. We are going to finish up the night with some dinner and just relaxing I think and get ready for our first day of starting our research tomorrow.
Day 2 Another Travel Day
We woke up about 6:30 at the hotel in San Jose for breakfast. After a great meal and finally meeting some people traveling to the same place as us, we boarded our bus that was going to take us from San Jose to the Las Cruces Biological Station.
We took the coastal route and it was amazing to see the mountains and coastal areas. It was my first time seeing the Pacific Ocean and it was great. We also had stopped along a bridge to watch a group of American Crocodiles sun bathing on a sand bar in the river. A local man had thrown a giant rat from the bridge and we got to watch one crocodile eat it, it was very cool. We then continued our journey, stopping on the coast to take in the sights and observe a Toucan and two Red Macaws. They were very interesting to see being I have only seen them in movies or a zoo. After a few more hours of travel we stopped at a local restaurant to have lunch. The food was great and there was a variety to choose from. I enjoyed a rice and chicken mixture and some spaghetti. I was a little nervous to try anything crazy so I stuck to the basics. We got back on the road and our journey continued.
Once we started getting into the more mountainous region it was very eye opening. These towns and houses were literally built into the side of these mountains, it was unbelievable. Winding through the mountains and seeing the clouds cover the horizon, one minute you could see, the next it was pure white. After about a 7 hour trip we finally pulled into the biological station. It was pretty much like arriving to paradise, the sounds, vegetation, birds, it was great to finally be off the bus and at our final destination.
One thing I forgot to mention is our bus driver was very nice, and very good at driving the roads. It was scary at times but you could tell he had done this many times.
We took the coastal route and it was amazing to see the mountains and coastal areas. It was my first time seeing the Pacific Ocean and it was great. We also had stopped along a bridge to watch a group of American Crocodiles sun bathing on a sand bar in the river. A local man had thrown a giant rat from the bridge and we got to watch one crocodile eat it, it was very cool. We then continued our journey, stopping on the coast to take in the sights and observe a Toucan and two Red Macaws. They were very interesting to see being I have only seen them in movies or a zoo. After a few more hours of travel we stopped at a local restaurant to have lunch. The food was great and there was a variety to choose from. I enjoyed a rice and chicken mixture and some spaghetti. I was a little nervous to try anything crazy so I stuck to the basics. We got back on the road and our journey continued.
Once we started getting into the more mountainous region it was very eye opening. These towns and houses were literally built into the side of these mountains, it was unbelievable. Winding through the mountains and seeing the clouds cover the horizon, one minute you could see, the next it was pure white. After about a 7 hour trip we finally pulled into the biological station. It was pretty much like arriving to paradise, the sounds, vegetation, birds, it was great to finally be off the bus and at our final destination.
One thing I forgot to mention is our bus driver was very nice, and very good at driving the roads. It was scary at times but you could tell he had done this many times.
Day 1 Travel Day
So, Day 1 of travels was a long day. We had left our hometown of Hayward, Wisconsin to reach our flight out of the Minneapolis Airport at 6:30 in the morning. From there we flew to Toronto, Canada for our connecting flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. While in Toronto we had to suffer threw a 7 hour layover for our flight leaving at 4:40 in the evening to San Jose. During our layover I worked on some homework and enjoyed some pizza for lunch. Then we were off to Costa Rica.
After landing in San Jose around 9:40 in the evening we were in a mad dash to find our shuttle to the Hotel. Finally, our shuttle had arrived through all the chaos outside the airport, we then had a nice short ride to the hotel. After arriving at the hotel we pretty much crashed right away. I worked on my homework for a while, took a shower, and watched a little bit of King Kong in Spanish. It was a grueling long day but we were happy to finally be here.
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