Nicaragua Trip

Nicaragua (March 15-22)

Day 1: Lots of travel, got up at 2am, border crossing at 8am, arrived at the ferry at noon, took an insane roller coaster ride of a ferry across Lake Nicaragua to Ometepe Island, napped, kayaked to a couple of islands with white-faced and spider monkeys, watched the sunset. Kayaking was definitely the highlight of my day, I went by myself and I could actually hear myself think! I really enjoy how close our semester is, but it is always a welcome opportunity to get some peace and quiet. I paddled up and down the shore for about an hour, with the Monkey Islands being the farthest point away. They had several models of kayaks for rent but I snagged a sea kayak. Despite the tropical oasis I was paddling in, it brought me back to the crisp, ominous waters of Prince William Sound. I would love the opportunity to go sea kayaking on a long trip again.

Day 2: Visited Hacienda Magdalena, an organic coffee coop. WOW, it is ridiculous how hot this country is. Reminiscent of the sweaty-at-7am days in the Yucatan last summer. Just have to remind myself that I would definitely prefer very hot and dry than wet and still pretty hot but with mosquitoes. Over all this day was great. At the coffee farm, we had a discussion on biomass and carbon sequestration—coffee plantations are apparently particularly good carbon sinks. After that we hiked around and visited petroglyphs carved by peoples related to the ancient Mayans. In the afternoon we visited a watering hole called “Ojo de Agua” or Eye of Water. Fun and relaxing.

Day 3: We had about 5 hours of class today, focusing mostly on Tropical Ecology topics. YAY! We discussed Lake Ecology, Sustainable Development in the San Juan River, and Ecology of Emerging Diseases. I very much enjoyed our mini-epidemiology lecture. I would really love to take an epidemiology class this fall, because I have been thinking now for a while that it would be a good option for grad school. However a class focused solely on the subject would more solidifying. In the afternoon we had a very steep hike in the heat of the day to a beautiful 80m waterfall. This was one of my favorite hikes. I love a good challenge when climbing a  mountain (or in this case, Maderas Volcano).

Day 4: Travel day! Off to Granada. Back on the ferry-much calmer this time. Got to explore the city in the afternoon with friends. A lot of the buildings are renovated structures from the time of the Spaniards, so the architecture from that era is preserved all over Granada, including the church, peoples homes, and the governmental buildings. I enjoyed trying to distinguish between Spanish and non-Spanish influences.

Day 5: Today we went to the capital city, Managua, to visit the President’s House (Ortega doesn’t actually live there), the old burned Cathedral, and the National Palace. What a stark contrast to Europe! The upkeep of these buildings is minimal and there are no lavish decorations, elaborate architectural designs, or robust collections of artifacts. When visiting this area, it is more obvious that Nicaragua is indeed the 2^nd poorest country in all the Americas. Ridden by internal political dispute and major natural disasters in the late 1900s, it is evident that this country’s progress was halted dramatically and never resumed.

Day 6: Today was AWESOME. We went to Mombacho Volcano for a hike. We drove to the bottom of the volcano and took an old army unit mega-truck that could fit all 34 (plus teachers) of us in the back. We were told that the truck had been donated in the Cold War to Nicaragua by either Russia or East Germany because Nicaragua has had a long standing affiliation to communist and socialist ideals. We reached the biological station near the top of the volcano and set off in small groups to summit the different craters. It was nice being in a small group, conveniently with most of my friends, and my favorite teacher! I particularly liked this hike because the steep altitudinal gradient of the slopes along with the wind, created very short transitions between the several ecosystems on this mountain top: elfin forest, dry tropical forest, and cloud forest. On our hike we got to see fumaroles, which are holes in the ground that spew hot steam. Additionally, at the top of our hike we could see Ometepe Island with its two volcanoes, Granada, and Masaya Volcano (for tomorrows hike). What an amazing view. This hike was excellent.

Day 7: Today we visited the craft market in Masaya and everyone went a little tourist crazy. People bought hammocks and backpacks and scarves and shoes and paintings and jewelry and all sorts of souvenir items. It was actually pretty amusing to watch everyone so stressed out over all of the options and apparent need to spend like madmen. I got myself a cute woven belt and a few wooden plates for when I make dinner with Anj or Mark at school. In the afternoon we went to Masaya Volcano. Let me just say that if this volcano were in Costa Rica or America, the park would probably be permanently closed. We got to hike up to the top and look into the ACTIVE VOLCANO. Which was super awesome, when I could breathe. The sulfuric gases were so strong, literally everyone in the group immediately developed a cough. It was an amazing view to look into the crater. I couldn’t see a boiling pot of lava, but it definitely looked like what I imagined a volcano to look like (pics up soon on Facebook). Then, we hiked to the other, inactive crater. This hike was a little path circling the rim of the crater (sounds more dangerous that is actually is, don’t worry). We only did a portion of this hike due to time constraints, but this was an amazing way to finish the trip. We could look back and see Mombacho Volcano, which we hiked yesterday, and we could see into this regrown crater. We all felt like we were in Lord of the Rings or something. It was truly awesome. I don’t think my photographs will do it justice, but I will put them up anyways.

Day 8: Back home, finally. Just in time, I was starting to miss being at the center. Nicaragua was fun, but I like the culture of Costa Rica better. Fewer beggars, more friendly people, better kept facilities and infrastructure. I’m sure I will feel the exact same way about CR when its’ time to go home home. But for now I’m having a ball.

Arenal Volcano and Santa Rosa National Park

I’m a little behind; this is two and three weekends ago. Oops:

Arenal Volcano (March 3-4)

                Our first weekend away-- meaning we don’t have Saturday classes. We can actually have two days off at a time! A group of 8 of us went to Arenal Volcano about 3 hours away from the center. We arrived Saturday mid morning, got settled in the hotel, and explored the town. In the afternoon we took a guided hiking tour of the Volcano. On our hike we saw spider monkeys with babies, a howler monkey eating dinner basically on the side of the trail, and several toucans. Our guide was really amusing and when he’d see a toucan up the trail he’d holler “quick everyone, let’s go see the fruit loop!” and would take off jogging for us to follow. After our hike we stopped at the Balde hot springs. We ended up getting a free all you can eat buffet dinner with a chocolate fountain! You’d think we hadn’t been fed in months. We got to go on water slides, a swim up bar, and a disco pool! It was pretty neat. There were over 70 springs at this one spot and the water ranged from 70-120 degrees C!!

                The next morning we went on a Lost Canyon tour. This was AWESOME. We traversed this canyon by rappelling down 4 waterfalls. The heights were 25’, 150’, 45’, and 220’ in that order. It was unreal. Someone bought the pictures; I am working on getting those up on Facebook. We hiked in between each rappel to get the next and that was actually the scariest part. We had to do a bit of bouldering to get ourselves down and we also got to jump in a watering hole. I can’t even imagine going through the canyon during the wet season. That was definitely the highlight of the trip.

In the afternoon we hung out in our hostel, so I relaxed in a hammock looking up at Arenal. This volcano has previously been very active where visitors could see the lava flow at night. In the last year it suddenly became dormant and seismologists think that it is entering an inactive period.

Santa Rosa National Park (March 9-11)

Our camping trip!! YAY CAMPING. The hike to the beach was 11 km, hot, and rocky. It was great being on a harder hike. After we set up camp we went for a walk on the beach where BABY LEATHERBACK SEATURTLES were hatching!! We got to help them to the water. Check that off my list of life goals. They are only about the size of my palm when they hatch, but grow to be one of the heaviest reptiles on earth—up to over a ton. WOW.

We had classes in the afternoon and among other things discussed economic valuation of environmental goods. I really liked this lecture/discussion because it a globally applicable concept. Bottom line is that most products sold do not include the “real cost”, the cost to health, environment, etc. When we pay for items at the grocery or our water supply for example, we pay the price of production and transportation. What we don’t pay is the price it takes to sustainably produce these products. Commercial farmers are subsidized so that they can sell their crops at a lower cost than the value of their products. It is more expensive on a baseline economic value to give animals open spaces, grass instead of corn, natural growth rates instead of hormones. We pay for fast and efficient, not natural and ethical. Water companies charge the price for bringing people water, not the price to ensure they don’t pollute what they clean out of the water they bring to us. Those are just two examples but in all aspects of our life, it is important to consider the real cost. So when organic or sustainable products appear to cost more in the grocery store, they actually don’t because the cost to the environment, health, and ethical treatment of land and animals is included, or at least more included. It’s hard to sacrifice the money to purchase all organic food or offset the costs of your travel, but the cost will come back around later on with our health and the price it will eventually take to produce anything from our degraded land. Obviously, eliminating these externalities is no easy task, but it is important to put in the effort as a consumer to assist in internalizing these costs.

Overall camping was an awesome trip. Aside from there being sand everywhere, it was one of the best weekends so far. The beach was gorgeous and watching the sunset was so serene.  At night we could see hundreds of stars. We saw Jupiter, Venus, and Mars all at once! Also visible were Orion, the Seven Sisters, Ursa Major, and more. A good reminder at how small we really are.

Homestay Weekend

Homestay weekend was a doozy! It was quite a trial to speak in Spanish all weekend long and I commend those of my loved ones (Anja, Mark) for doing it all semester. Wow.

We left 8am for a lengthy 5 hour car ride up north to a relative's 50th wedding anniversary. On our way we passed Lake Arenal (where we are going this weekend) and Arenal Volcano. SO beautiful. I can't wait to visit this coming weekend. Around lunch time we stopped in a little pueblo for some typical Tico food and the lunch joint was right next to a big soccer field. I conveniently brought my Frisbee and we all tossed the disc together while waiting for food. The whole family was impressed with the accuracy and length of my throws. I felt super pumped to teach them and they were fast learners! I was with Luis Gerardo (LG), his mom, his uncle, and his aunt. It was a tight car ride, but we got to know each other quickly. Finally when we got to our destination, we could see Lake Nicaragua from our porch. That was cool.

That evening we went to the celebration. First there was a quick service at the church and then everyone (about 150 people) headed over to the community center. It started pouring down way on our walk over so we had to book it fast. When we got in there were tons of tables with anniversary decorations and a main table with a gorgeous big cake. We all took our seats and there was a procession of the "wedding" party. Once the celebrations began, the large marimba band started to play salsa music. There were two men playing the marimba at once with interlocking playing patterns. It was great to watch and listen. Then, the elderly couple celebrating their anniversary went to have a wedding salsa alone on the dance floor, meanwhile, all of the guests took turns coming up and clothes pinning cash to their clothes! It was such a crazy tradition, but it is apparently common here. The old couple was salsaing while covered in cash!

The next morning, we left for another long car ride back to Atenas and stopped for brunch at a cousin's house along the way. 20 people all speaking loud, fast Spanish at once. That was the hardest part of the homestay for sure. Couldn't understand a thing. Oh well. I am definitely improving my capacity to understand and hear Spanish. When we finally arrived at the house, LG gave me a tour of his grandfather's farm. They had an old well, coffee plants, lime and lemon trees, and a small river with a 30 ft waterfall in his backyard. It was refreshing to get out and hike around.  I came back to the center right before dinner and I was pooped. Exhausted and overwhelmed  I gladly went to bed early. It was a rewarding but tiring experience and from the sounds of other student's homestay experiences, Ticos are always with tons of family and doing crazy things! The weekend was nice but I am glad to be living here.

This week has been full of midterms, which is actually pretty relaxing. I've had plenty of time to study pool-side in my bikini and soaking up the rays. Feels like spring frolics for a whole semester. Pura Vida. Now I'm off to study for our final exam and pack for visiting the Volcano, hot springs, and more!

Carara, El Sur y Volcan Poas

Tarcoles River Basin:

1. Went on the 'Crocodile Man Tour' in the morning. We all filed onto this tourist pontoon boat and travelled up stream in a tropical mangrove forest. We saw tons of birds and cocodrilos; but, due to the salinity of the brackish water and constant flooding of this ecosystem, there is actually a relatively low biodiversity compared with flora and fauna rich tropical forests elsewhere in CR. The primary fauna in this location are invertebrates. There are many species on crabs, clams, and mussels that florish here. In the muddy clay banks of the mangrove shores, there are tons of little peeps holes where the crabs hide in low tide! Cool stuff.
2. After our tour, we went to the beach at the base of the river and had a discussion on water and waste management. A fitting site, considering this beach was absolutley riddled with trash and waste from upstream. We discussed the importance of a collaborative approach for ecosystems protection because in this case, the polluters are not the ones heeding the problems. This is especially so in the Tarcoles River because 70% of Costa Rica's industrial output feeds into this watershed.

El Sur y Carara National Park:

1. After our time in Tarcoles River Basin, we drove about an hour more to Carara National Park. In this backside of the park, a small town named El Sur runs an eco-tourism, education and volunteer program.
2. We had a tour of the town which included a tour of the traditional sugar mill. They squeeze the sugar cane through a grinder powered by two oxen and boil down the extract in two large vats, fired by the remains of the cane plants. Very cool and a long, labor intensive process. Julie almost fell into the vat of boiling sugar water because the oxen kicked in her direction. WOAH!
3. We also got to see the honey suckle and bee hives of a local town member. The honey was so good and our professors bought some for us to use with tea and coffee at the center.
4. In the morning we went on a 3 hours hike through the JUNGLE. Definitely what you picture trekking through the amazon to be like. It was awesome. Leaves as big as people, grasshoppers as big as your hand. What an amazing hike.

Poas Volcano:
1. This was Saturday morning. Poas is the most visited park in CR. We visited an active volcanic crater which is huge (400 m across) and smells distinctly of sulfur. Luckily we got there early enough in the morning for a clear and perfect viewing.
2. Then we hiked for 30 min to the even more breathtaking Lagoon Botas, an ancient crater with crystal clear blue water and surrounded by dense, lush vegetation. There was a small beach on the side of the lagoon, looked perfect for camping. If only...
3. We also had our Economics Field Exercise, which consisted of accosting tourists and asking if they would fill out a park survey for environmental services. It was a good way to practice Spanish, but I didn't like bothering people.

Other week highlights:

1. I am officially the bug lady/ exterminator. There was a red and black spider BIGGER than my hand that I caught and removed from Jesse and Ruby's room. Their roommate was freaking out. I felt proud of my feat.
2. Spanish class has been frustrating. It is all conversation and our professor never write anything down for us to see or tells us what tense we are going over so it is hard to follow what she wants us to be doing. Grr.
3. We played a soccer match with spanish kids that were learning english. My foot-to-ball contact rate was about 50%. Haha, I really do stink at soccer. But it was still fun. I am good at laughing at myself.
4. Started planning for the weekend away at the Arenal Volcano. We have a great group of people and I'm really excited!!

Monteverde and Good News

Monteverde and Sunday:

1. Ate lunch at the continental divide. We could see the Pacific and Caribbean slopes from our lunch spot. Being at the top was so neat because all of the clouds are so close and move really quickly.
2. Hiked across a 200ft high suspension bridge for canopy observation.
3. Performed our first field experiment on the male/female flower sex ratio of begonias. It was nice to just be in the forest and not in a huge group. Julie (goes to Bates, plays on the frizz team, is awesome) and I had a fun time chatting, attempting to navigate the steep slopes that held our plants, and having a photo shoot on the suspension bridge.
4. Bought cheese! YES cheese, I love thee.
5. Put up the pictures from last week on facebook. I'll try to get the ones from Monteverde up soon.
6. Watched Planet Earth today and just slept and relaxed. Very nice.
7. Got to chat with my lovely roomie and parents. Its awesome being here, but I do miss Davidson and the fam.

Funny thing:

1. A couple of girls on the program still bring their makeup and hair straighteners to all of our field trips. Because its not like we are going on hikes in the tropical rainforest or anything. You've gotta look your best for all those birds, trees, and epiphytes...

Good news:

1. Got the Davidson Research Initiative grant for this summer's research with Dr. Paradise! Yay insects!
2. Dad bought me a sage green Subaru Forester, lightly used, primo condition!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He's going to pick it up in Cleveland this weekend. So pumped, I finally get a car! And it is just what I wanted!
3. We are going to the Poas Volcano this coming weekend and its gonna be awesomesauce.

WOW! That is the first word that comes to mind when trying to describe the last 7 days and what this semester will be like. Here are 10 cool, totally awesome things I've already done:

1. Seen a sloth, poison dart frogs, tarantulas, giant stick bugs, toucans, finches, hummingbirds, and every kind of palm tree you can imagine.
2. Visited the tropical rain forest on the Caribbean side of the country.
3. Planted a beech tree.
4. Made organic microorganism compost.
5. Drank straight from a coconut with a straw.
6. Gone on a night hike. 
7. Held a hummingbird to measure its beak size.
8. Made tons of friends who play frisbee. A couple who are even on teams at their own schools. We've already been tossing the D on the center's soccer field.
9. It's 80 degrees, sunny, and breezy everyday here.
10. Gone out to the only bar in town, "Sports Bar", and we are heading there soon for the super bowl!

We have classes Mon-Wed, bad ass field trips Thur-Sat, and Sunday is free time. Atenas is the town we are living in and their slogan is "el mejor clima del mundo" based on a review from Nat Geo a few years ago. I agree! No wonder there are so many ex-pats living here. Right now I'm sitting at Gelly's, an outdoor gelato cafe with free wifi!

Pura vida: the catch phrase of Costa Rican life. It literally translates to pure life, but it is a way of living, a mindset and a reality. So, if you're wondering how I'm doing when you think of me, I can guarantee you my answer will always be pura vida.

Costa Rica Ahoy!

 A big sigh of relief today. After battling acute tonsillitis on and off for the last 6 weeks, I have finally received medical approval to suffer mild sore throats for a semester with the promise of a tonsillectomy upon my return. But that means COSTA RICA HERE I COME!! At last, I can be super excited for the trip I've been awaiting for quite some time. Just 6 days to pack, gather hoards of antibiotics, and rest up for the coolest semester EVER.