The final part of our trip was completed outside of La Selva. After about two weeks there, it felt good to leave and see more of Costa Rica. The first stop we went to was Tortuguero. We took a 2 hour bus ride to get to a boat dock, then took a 2 hour boat ride to the Evergreen Lodge. It was very different from being at La Selva. I had a room with Anna and we got our own bathroom, and there was a pool and a bar! That evening, we went for a nature hike, and then we came back and swam in the pool. The following morning, we went on a boat tour through the national park. There were a lot of caimans and many different birds. The ecology reminded me of a swamp. The coolest park was seeing monkeys in the trees that were right up in the water. I usually think of monkeys as being more on land, so it was interesting to see them living in that habitat. That night, we went for yet another night hike. The next morning, we packed up our stuff, ate breakfast and left. Tortuguero went by really quickly. I loved seeing the wetland forest, but I think my biggest takeaway from it was learning how to pack light and be flexible. Since we could only take a backpack, I had to pick what I most needed to take with me. Going from living out of a suitcase for a couple weeks to only packing a backpack with essentials has taught me how to be more economical while also being prepared. I think this is an important life skill and helps with reducing an ecological footprint because I now know that I do not need a lot to be comfortable.
Our next stop was Lomas de Volcan. Before arriving at the resort, we went to a place to learn about the Maleku, an indigenous tribe of Costa Rica. It was very sad to learn about what had been done to their people, but I think it’s important that they are trying to educate people about it, so something can be done for them. We went on another night hike after, and saw a lot of frogs. Then we made our way to the resort. This was definitely the fanciest place we went to. It had a pool, jacuzzi, and a nice restaurant. We also had a beautiful view of the Arenal volcano. The volcano is usually shrouded in clouds and it makes it look more interesting. The next morning we went to hanging bridges, which was a park that featured a lot of hanging bridges in the mountains that spanned over little vallies. It was awesome to see the forest canopy at eye level instead of from down below. It was also a lot cooler than in the lowland tropical forest, so that was nice. After hanging bridges, we did a hike up to the base of the volcano to get a better view of it. The rest of the day was free time spent at the resort, which Mahek and I used to work on our project a little. The next morning we went to the waterfall. Although it was touristy, it was worth it. The water fall was stunning; it looked like something out of a movie. After the waterfall, we left for Palo Verde. Lomas de Volcan was much more suited to the comfort of tourists than La Selva and even the Evergreen Lodge. It was lovely, but after the other places it felt like too much. I felt bad about using AC. This part of the journey made me
appreciate how conscientious of my actions I had become while in Costa Rica.
Palo Verde was the most challenging part of the trip, because of the combination of mosquitoes and having to work hard to finish the research project. There were two buildings we mostly stayed in, the cafeteria and classroom, to keep away from the bugs. The first morning we went on a nature hike to the boardwalk overlooking the marsh. It was pretty in its own way. The marsh was very still and there were a lot of birds and crocodiles. The next day was another boat tour! The best part of that however was the ride over. It was bumpy and we were in a land cruiser, so it was a little adventure. On the boat ride, we saw more birds and crocodiles. We presented our research projects that night which was a huge relief. Palo Verde was certainly tough but it was bearable because we were all in it together and we were able to laugh about it. I learned that any hard situation is better when you can still have fun with other people during it.
The final part of our trip was to Monteverde. I honestly thought we weren’t going to make it on the drive up. The bus was stick shift and would stop in the middle of the incline to shift gears. And then we went over bumps or something and almost tipped and rolled down the side of the mountain. However, when we finally got to our destination it was beautiful. We went to another hanging bridges park, which was fun because we got to hike without a tour guide this time. It was nice to talk to my friends and have fun and not have to worry about paying attention. After the bridges, we went to Valle Escondido, our lodge in the cloud forests. Like all the other places we had been, it was gorgeous. The food was all locally sourced and fresh, and there was another bar! It was a good place to go out on a high note. The last day, we took a trip to the coffee plantation. It was so cool to see the coffee plants growing on the sides of mountains. We also got to try different kinds of coffee. This was the best moment of my life and I don’t think it can go up from there. I was very sad today to be leaving. Well everyone else left and I stayed but it was still sad. This has been one of my best college experiences. I learned so much from it and made so many new friends. Ultimately, this class taught me that I love to be challenged and it’s important to me to learn from experience and not just being in a classroom.
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