2022 High Point Costa Rica Conservation Expedition

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Día Seis

Written by Emma Rossi

There were no morning walks today so everyone got to wake up late for a 8:00am breakfast. Everyone munched down on oatmeal, toast, and fresh fruit and then we headed to the beach for our clean up day. We divided up into groups of three and every group was given two bags, one for big plastic items and another for microplastics. After a few hours of picking up garbage we headed back to the reserve and sorted it all. In total we found 961 pieces of plastic. We finished sorting and putting everything into their respective recycling bins and then ate lunch. Lunch consisted of a vegetable omelette, rice ,beans, and fruit. After lunch we packed up and got started on our walk to the local school, Escuela Tortuga. Our task what to paint some of the bars around the classrooms and the gate. But before we could paint we had to sand it all down first. So by the time we were done, everyone looked like old-timey chimney sweeps with soot covering all up and down their arms and faces. But there was no time to waste washing our faces so we got right to taping up the walls and then started painting. It took us a few hours but by the time we were all done the school looked great and it was a really rewarding experience. We got back to the reserve just in time for a dinner of cheeseburgers (and a chickpea burger for Leah) and fries.

After dinner it was time for the night walk for team “Ajos”, the obviously superior group. Team leader Cristina, Hope, Sean, Sarah and I started on our walk with Javi leading the way. Although *spoiler* no turtles were found, we still had a great time. First obstacle we had to tackle was crossing three rivers… in the middle of the night… with only three small headlamps lighting the way. Javi crossed each river first and gave us the all clear that we weren’t going to get eaten by crocodiles then the“Ajos” joined hands and we crossed the river together. Once finally onto the actual beach, we had to turn off our white lights on our head lamps and could only have the red light on, making it even harder to see. We eventually made it to the end of the beach and we hung out in a cave for twenty minutes, taking in the view and talking to each other. Then we walked about halfway back down the beach, stopped and went towards the cave again, giving the turtles a little more time to come out. While waiting the second time we talked about even more random things like weird dreams, elf on the shelf, and aliens. Then we walked back the entire length of the beach and saw no turtles :( But when we got back to the walking path we saw around twenty frogs just chillin in a puddle. Then as a final end to our day, we trekked back to the reserve, showered and then passed out, excited for what the next day was going to bring.

Blog 6/29

Written by Marissa Kosco

Today we arose bright and early to enjoy our last breakfast at Playa tortuga and to say goodbye to the amazing workers and other volunteers at the reserve. It was a bit upsetting to leave such a wonderful place but our day was brightened when we were able to stop at yet another super market!!! (WE LOVE COSTA RICAN SUPERMARKETS). Next we headed off to the beach to enjoy the Costa Rican waves. Unfortunately our swimming session was interrupted by the risk of riptides but this did not stop us from enjoying a beautiful day at the beach taking in all the sun we can and as many pictures as we could take. After we stopped at a restaurant and enjoyed some food and fruity drinks before heading to our next destination. Little did we know what our next adventure held as we toured our new homes for the next two nights and a beautiful plantation full of the most wondrous vegetation and scenery. This is where we met our new friends, Roy, Graciella, Alejandro and our new furry friend, Pecan. Their passion for their farm and work was astonishingly admirable and Roy’s comedy was unmatchable as he joked about witches and played a couple pranks on us. Just like his father, Alejandro was quite the jokester as he showed us his plants and animals in quite a unique and interesting way. Their kindness continued as they invited us into their outdoor kitchen to enjoy some fresh coffee, hot cocoa and empanadas which each of us were able to make on our own. To end the night we headed back to the dining hall and enjoyed an amazing dinner and played some pool before heading to bed.

Monday, June 27

Written by Leah Reinstein

We started the day off strong with an early 5 am beach walk and a lovely, refreshing… rainstorm, which succeeded in soaking the morning walking group. The persistent rainstorm unfortunately made the local birds and wildlife refrain from residing in the trees like normal, causing the bird walk observation to get canceled. All was well though at the Reserva Playa Tortuga, because a new turtle nest was found at neighboring Playa Hermosa (Beautiful Beach)! We spent an hour in the morning transporting the turtle nest into the reserve’s turtle hatchery, with Jason digging the nest, Emma counting the eggs, and Leah placing the eggs in the hole. We then enjoyed a delicious breakfast of French toast and fruit (which is commonly served at many meals in Costa Rica) and had some free time before our next activity, where we experience a “walking tree special” activity and had a scavenger hunt on the beach! Some items we set out to discover included:

After the hunt, which did not have a clear winner (although we all know the Marissa, Jason, Thomas, Leah, Julia team clearly took the lead), we returned to a lunch of rice and salad, followed by a presentation on the local monkeys and bats of the area. At 1:30 our group split up to observe the local wildlife, with one seeing many bats along the hike sleeping under folded plant leaves. After the walk was a trip to the supermercado (a small grocery store) for some much needed water and snacks. Lychee was bought and enjoyed by all, even Mr. Fenlon who was seriously opposed to the “hairy legs” of the small spiky fruit. Dinner of soup and rice was at 6, and after we ate there was time for card games and conversation, as some played ping pong, sudoku, and chatted with other volunteers from England and Ireland who had recently arrived. At 8:30 was the first turtle observation night walk with guide Javier, and the very same scavenger hunt winners went on the walk. Walking in the pitch black Costa Rican jungle and beach is quite a scary task, but we made it safely back to the lodge after a great time of chatting, practicing our Spanish speaking, and tripping over marine debris that we couldn’t see in our path. Unfortunately there were no tortugas tonight, but hopefully tomorrows group will have more luck on our last day at the reserve!

Pura Vida,
Leah

Day Numero Cuatro

Written by Thomas Kosco

Today a group of us started off are morning at 5 am with a nice walk down the beach to look for Turtle tracks, but mostly ended up being a hunt for sand dollars witch here the locals call sea cookies. I think I’m gonna start to call them that. The worker that was with us walked very fast. The other half of us went bird watching,that group got to wake up a little later at 6:30. That group said that they saw pretty cool things. When we returned we ate a wonderful breakfast that included bean and cheese empanadas, and fresh fruit. After that we had some down time. During the down time we walked to the super market and got some snacks and Julia for a lot of drinks. We also watched the local mens soccer or fútbol league play. They were really good. We had a walk back and then lunch was waiting for us. I Thomas Kosco kept mixing up Julia and Leah’s name. And calling Jason every name imaginable but Jason. After lunch we had more downtime witch Sean gave some great first date advice and we argued if it was movies then ice cream, or ice cream then movies. We at dinner that was really good witch had A salad chicken and fries. I finally was the one to beat Sarah’s in ping pong. After all of this we just played some card games. Let’s see what tomorrow has to come.

Day Tres

Written by Hope Margarum

A day full of different adventures! We started the day off with a breakfast of fluffy pancakes, fresh fruit, eggs, and of course rice and beans at the hotel. From then on we headed out for a morning hike! Sean carried his unrefrigerated pizza from the night before into the bus, to infinite teasing. We drove to La Cusigna, a lodge known for its hikes and a beach that disappears during high tide. The lodge itself had incredible views of the Pacific Coast that we admired before beginning the hour long hike. We trekked the Los Ajos trail, a loop that went through the rainforest, past the tallest trees, ants marching across the mud, and fresh streams leading to the ocean. We could hear waves crashing and birds chirping, and by the end we were drenched in sweat. But it worked out for the better, because a small hike away was a swimming hole at the mouth of a small waterfall leading to a stream. The water was cold and crisp and quite clear, and everyone took a dip. It was the most picturesque little area that was probably one of the most unique places on the trip. The lodge had lunch for us and we were able to order from the menu while still seeing the ocean views. Everyone ordered fresh fruit smoothies and some people even tried the fresh Mahi Mahi as the catch of the day. We went around the table sharing who we would want on the trip at the table with us, and everyone was wrong in being against having Harry Styles join us, there are few Harry fans in the group unfortunately.

And then Reserva Playa Tortuga was upon us and we had an introductory meeting going over how the Reserva was formed in 2009 and the projects held there. As the rain began to come down, we walked over to the beach area, crossed the river, and explored the Reserva coast by looking at the “rainbow trees”, shells, and and the cliffs along the water. After we got used to the dorm-like rooms and bathrooms on the floor below us and set up the fans in our room, we all gathered for a dinner of veggie pasta, that everyone raved about afterwards. An evening of games ensued, with all of us playing cards and learning who has the best poker face (not Marissa) and playing Exploding Kittens (just as weird as it sounds). Everyone crashed right after because no teenager will willingly wake up at 5:00 am without enough sleep.

Day 2

Written by Sara Diaz

Today we had the long 4 hour drive from Alajuela to Osa. Along the way we made a few pit stops. Starting with the local supermarket where we all bought different kinds of food. As we continued our drive, everyone shared and tasted each other’s food. We then made our next stop at a bridge where we saw a crocodile. The bus then took us to a lookout where Jason tried Coco Frio and where a few of us tracked down to the beach. Most of us then slept the rest of the way to Osa where we ate a delicious lunch. We had two different nachos that everyone shared along with a meal and lots of water! Next was the best part of the day, where we got surf lessons. Almost every person was able to stand up on the board. Chicken wing position was mastered by most. We then walked back to the hotel where we went swimming and played categories since our keys were left in the bus, but we made the best out of it. The rain didn’t stop us until it started thundering and we had to get out. Everyone took turns showering, and since there were six girls, we had to pick numbers to see who would go first, Sara ended up guessing correct and went first, while Emma unfortunately had to go last. We then drove to a restaurant and Sean loved his pizza so much he took it back to the hotel and held onto it for another day, but forgot to put it in the fridge. The girls played uno and old maid until we parted ways and went to bed waiting for the adventures of tomorrow.

Day Uno

Written by Sean Margarum

Newark Airport. The place of nightmares, TSAs and angry New Yorkers. As we arrive to the bustling Terminal C we wait for our 10 day family to come together. People from High Point and Kinnelon coming together for a Costa Rican adventure. Newark Airport is a complete maze yet as we manage to pass tourists and angry customers getting scanned and checked at each and every checkpoint we make it to gate 81. Here, our group finds the disheartening news of a delayed flight… and then a further delayed flight. While some of the group leaves to Starbucks or the bathroom one of the chaperones Mr. Fenlon discovers that some extra bags must now be checked. As $35 goes down the drain we board our luxurious flight, tight seats and all. I was lucky enough to sit next to Leah and Julia two others in the group who brought quite a few snacks for the 5 hour flight. Armed with my neck pillow and earbuds I thought I would manage the whole flight without any discomfort, yet United Airlines had other plans. With a few decent movies thrown in, (The Social Network and Legally Blonde) we managed to pass through thunder storms and uncomfortable seats into our destination Costa Rica. While we exit our gate we meet our walking tree guide and wait to finally start our trip. Exiting the airport we become accustomed to the time change and the raining night sky. We load onto our bus with all our gear (most our gear except for one lost pillow). We drive a meager distance to the Hotel de la Rosa America. Once we arrive we realize how starved we are and devour the wonderful meal the staff had ready for us. Accompanied by a fresh fruit juice we licked our plates clean and headed for our rooms. Claiming the top bunk I headed to sleep ready to start the true trip the next day.