Tortuguero, Costa Rica and Bocas del Toro, Panama

Last week we took a group trip to Tortuguero, Costa Rica and Bocas del Toro, Panama. We left on Monday at 6:30am. We rode the bus for several hours. At one point we stopped at some banana fields. We watched how they brought the bananas in from the fields, removed them from the bunches and cleaned them. Next we went by boat for about an hour to reach the hotel. The hotel is by itself across the river from the town of Tortuguero.

The hotel was large and very spread out. The main building housed the reception and dining areas. It was then about a 5 minute walk to our rooms. The rooms were in groups of 4-6 with walkways connecting them and rocking chairs on the porches.

Monday afternoon we went across the river to Tortuguero. It is a small town where there is a conservation center to protect the sea turtles and the beach where they lay their eggs. At the beach you could see the areas where the turtles had dug out the sand to create a nest for their eggs.

Tortuguero

Tuesday we took a hike in the (very muddy) rain forest. We also took a boat tour through some canals and looked for wildlife. Some people went kayaking in the river and saw a crocodile. There was also a tour at night where you could go to the beach to watch the sea turtles come up on the beach and lay their eggs.

boat tour (it was raining)

In the evenings we hung out in my friend's room playing cards.  It was a lot of fun and our best option as there was nowhere else to go even if we wanted to.

We left Tortuguero on Wednesday, rode the boat for an hour back to the bus. We boarded the bus around 9:45am and reached the Panama border around 3:15. During this time the air conditioning on our bus stopped working and you could not open the windows. Needless to say we were all very hot and sweaty. After almost 2 hours like this, we switched to another bus. About 10 minutes before we reached the border, the driver pulled the bus over because there was something leaking out of the bus. We then had to get all of our luggage and switched onto a public bus to reach the border.


We spent about an hour mostly standing in line, then walking across the bridge and standing in line again. The bridge was interesting. There were rails down the center of it, some of the boards were loose and we saw several large trucks drive over it while we were there.

Panama is an hour ahead of Costa Rica, so by the time we left the border (in buses again) it was after 5:00pm and beginning to get dark. The last leg of our journey was a half hour boat ride to the island of Bocas del Toro. It was pretty cool as it was completely dark out and all you could see was the stars.

view of Bocas del Toro from our hotel balconey

Thursday and Friday we went out all day in the boats to visit different nearby areas in the Caribbean. We went to Isla de Pajaros (Island of the Birds), which we could not actually walk on but everyone went snorkeling there. We also went to la playa de las estrellas (beach of the stars), so named for the many starfish there, and la playa de las ranas rojas (beach of the red frogs). We also went to Bahía de los Delfines (Bay of the Dolphins). Our driver drove the boat in circles to create waves which the dolphins like to jump over. Everywhere we went was beautiful and the water was amazingly clear.

Isla de los Pajaros

snorkeling

at playa de las estrellas

playa de las ranas rojas

island where they filmed Survivor Panama

mountains in the clouds

cuisine class

I have forgotton to write the last few weeks about my cooking class.  It is a lot of fun and we have made many different things.  In the last few classes we have made: pasta from potatos, cheese bread, sesame bread, a type of cookie (with caramel centers and either coconut or chocolate on the outside), spaghetti and some type of dessert with bananas.  Everything is made from scratch.  My class only has 5 girls in it and we have it at the house of one of the university staff.  We have a good time (trying) to make the food and understand the teacher (who only speaks Spanish).  This past Tuesday, when we made spaghetti, it didn't turn out so well.  When we cooked it, it became a big mass and looked kind of like potatos.  Our teacher told us she had never seen that happen before and we had to make it over again.

Lauren and Miriam licking the chocolate off their fingers

caramel and coconut

making spaghetti

Michaela seperating spaghetti strands

our bad first batch

San Jose

Here are a few photos from the capital city.

Teatro Nacional

Museo del Oro (Museum of Gold)

"Welcome, Mercado Central, Founded in 1880"

Guanacaste

Last weekend we had our second trip for my Latin American Cultures field study class.  We went to the province of Guanacaste which is in the northwest along the Pacific.  The area is warmer and much more humid than where I live.

We went first to the site of the mines of Abangares.  These mines are no longer in use but they have many of the old tools and equipment that was once used there.  We hiked through the forest (and uphill) to see different areas that they used for the mining processes.  Between the hills and the humidity, I almost had to pull out my inhaler.  I don't think I have ever been so sweaty in my life.

we hiked up to the top

"Tulita"

Next we stopped at a house in the country where a man makes pottery using the techniques and designs of native peoples.  He showed us all the tools he uses, what types of earth/rock he uses for color and the native designs and what they represent.  We also watched him make a vase.

cows in the road

We then stopped in the small town of Santa Cruz and spent some time in their central park.  Next we continued on to Nicoya where are hotel was.  We went out for dinner and I even ate pizza (four cheese without tomato sauce).  We were going to see a colonial church but apparently it was closed (I can't remember why).

On Sunday we spent a lazy day on the beach.  My teacher brought fruit and bread for breakfast (yummy).  I mostly just did some reading for school, walked on the beach and took pictures.

casado con bistec