After the archaeological site, we headed to Drake Bay, which is located in the Osa Peninsula on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Along the way, we stopped in the mangroves and had lunch. We also did a mangrove challenge! We had to describe the system from the shore out into the river, look for adaptations that the mangrove plants have, such as salt water filtration, the living species we could find, different species of mangroves, reproductive strategies, and zonation. Throughout the trip we had to keep a journal. I was using mine in the mangroves to take notes for the challenge and of course my gracefulness kicked in and I tripped and my notebook got submerged in the salt water. Good thing it is sort of waterproof!
After the mangrove challenge, we took the boats to our next location. For a few days, we stayed at the Drake Bay Wilderness Resort. This was one of my favorite places of the entire trip. The views were gorgeous! It is actually thought to be where Sir Francis Drake's, an explorer for the British that defeated the Spanish Armada (he was practically a pirate), hideout used to be! When we got to our room, I unpacked a little bit and then went kayaking through the rainforest and on the Pacific Ocean.
January 9, 2016
We woke up pretty early to eat breakfast and then get on the boats (and by foot were the only ways you could get around the town and surrounding areas) to go to Corcovado National Park. It looked like it was straight out of Jurassic Park (which I think it is actually one of the locations they filmed for the movies)! We had a guided hike through the rainforest and the beach. Then we went to a waterfall where we went swimming! Once we got back to the resort, we had some free time (which was much needed)! I went swimming in the salt water pool looking out over the bay. It was absolutely gorgeous! I also saved two hermit crabs that fell into the pool! For class that night, I got to study astronomy, which is one of my favorite hobbies! (Because of that class, I am now going to do an independent study this semester!)
January 10, 2016
We went to the same national park but to a different station. This section of the park was much more wild than the one we visited the day before. We went on a guided hike (have you noticed the pattern?). There was a couple from Belgium in our group. I talked to them throughout the day. I asked them why they chose to visit Costa Rica. They said it was because they enjoy nature and ecotourism, which made for a general answer. But they chose Costa Rica because they heard that the country does not have a military and spends money on conservation so they wanted to support that. We got to walk through primary and secondary forest and on the beach. Later that night, we had a night hike through a banana plantation and then a forest. WE SAW AN OCELOT! WE SAW AN OCELOT! IT WAS SO COOL! One of my professors said that he has known guides that have taken people on hikes for over 25 years and they've never seen one.
January 11, 2016
We traveled to Cano Island to go snorkeling. The water was so blue and clear, it was incredible. There is so much just below the surface that you can't even see, entire ecosystems! It was an amazing experience. Once we went back to the resort, we had free time again. I worked on my journal, pictures, and my GoPro footage.