Day 12
8-7-12
Sunday

Good news!  Not only did we see one turtle, but two!  Costa Rica has very strict rules about viewing the turtles because they are trying to protect them.  We saw the beginning of the Green turtle nesting season, however.  We left La Casona with our guide at 9:30.  We had to wear dark clothing because turtles can't see very well and they follow the light, which would mess up their whole process.  For this same reason, you can have no flashlights, cell phones, or cameras on the beach either.  Once we left our hotel, we walked through what they call the forest, perhaps we'd call it a beach trail, until we got to this waiting area.  Here our guide told us more information about the area and the turtles.  He said there are 7 species of turtles in the world, and five of these species nest in Costa Rica, four of those 5 nest in Tortuguerro.  The beach here is 18 miles long, but tours/people are only allowed onto 5 miles of beach to see the turtles.  They estimate between 300-5-- people per night to on tours to see the turtles.  I find it hard to believe Tortugerro can sustain that many tourists, so I'm not sure how accurate their numbers are!  Additionally, they only allow 10 people per tour group, in two different shifts in the night.  The turtles' process of nesting occurs in four basic stages.  1.  She comes ashore and finds a place to clean and dig a big hole.  2.  She lays her eggs.  3.  She camouflages her eggs.  4.  She returns to the water.  To my understanding, tour groups have the opportunity to see each of these phases one time.  We saw 3 out of the 4 phases on this night.  We saw her lay her eggs, and camouflage them. And, we saw another turtle returning to the see.  My goodness, they move slow.  And, they leave these tracks in their wake that look like tire tracks in the dark.  I loved the laying eggs part, I think Jason thought it was kind of gross, but I thought it was awesome!  This species of turtle lays anywhere from 80-120 eggs in a matter of about 15-20 minutes.  Then, she rests (obviously!) .  Even though she only rests briefly because now she has to cover her eggs before predators get to her, or them. This was pretty interesting to watch, as well.  She has to use her back flippers to fling sand over her eggs.  Now, the eggs themselves are pretty cool too!  They are the size of ping pong balls and are soft and rubbery looking.  They don't have hard shells because the turtle embryos or whatever have to breathe through the egg and the sand. The eggs will incubate for about 45 days.  The turtle we saw nesting, had a tagged flipper, which means she has nested at least once before.  Turtles only nest once every two or three years.  Then, once her eggs are camouflaged she can make the long journey back to the sea.  Our turtle had a bit of a problem camouflaging because there were so many branches and stuff in her way.  It all looked quite laborious for her!

It was such an interesting process and I'm glad we saw it.  So glad!  But, still we couldn't wait until 5:30 am to get the hell out of here.  And, man, oh, man did 5 am come quickly!  We had a very long day of travel ahead, starting with the oh so fun ride up the river to Pavano, then bus to Cariari, then Cariari to Guapiles, then Guapiles to Limon, then Limon to Puerto Viejo.  We felt like pretty accomplished travelers today because we pulled this off without a hitch.  It really couldn't have gone any easier.  Such a different experience than in San Jose/Tracopa.  We made it to Puerto Viejo and found a ncie hotel called Cabinas La Guarana.  The proprietor even pronounced our last name correctly!  And, again asked about our relation to Sergio Tacchini.  I wonder if we were related, if it would come with any discount!  They all seem to be quite taken with ol' Sergio.  Then we had lunch at a cute placed called Bread and Chocolate.  How could you go wrong with a name like that?  So, far Puerto Viejo is proving to be delightful.  It's a very bohemian beach town.  Tonight we will go to Lazy Mon for an "open mic" night.  For that, I must now go get ready!

Pura vida,
Judy