EL FIN!!!

I cannot believe that a month has already passed...I'm not ready to leave this awesome country! It makes me feel better knowing that Sam, Emily, and I will return to live with the Rastafarians in Puerto Viejo someday :) Today was our last day of schoolwork- we had our final exam, presentations, and our paper was due. Everything is done and it's such a relief... not that it was overwhelmingly strenuous or anything. Tomorrow morning,  we are all going to Poas Volcano and Waterfalls. Then on Friday morning, 9 of  us are going BUNGEE JUMPING!!! Friday the 13th... wish me luck. I don't know why everyone isn't going, so lame. Provided that we survive, Sam and I are going shopping with Cecilia in the afternoon. She's so precious, I am going to miss her and Franklin. Then fancy group farewell dinner Friday night and home on Saturday! 

La Selva Biological Station

Before heading to the Caribbean Coast, we spent a night at La Selva Biological Station. It is not only the premier ecology research station in Costa Rica, but also one of the most important in the tropics worldwide. It is owned and operated by the Organization for Tropical Studies and serves as its primary field station. La Selva includes a nature reserve that protects almost 6 square miles of primary tropical rainforest, and it connects to the huge Braulio Carrillo National Park via a biological corridor. This corridor connects La Selva to much higher elevations, thus fostering habitats of extreme variance. The station is currently buying and developing tiny parcels of land from individuals and Chiquita Brands International to connect multiple old growths and support smaller animal migration.

The habitat is Caribbean lowland wet forest and marshland, and it abounds with flora and fauna. There are nearly 2000 species of vascular plants (plants that have lignified tissues for conducting water, minerals, and photosynthetic products through the plant). Large animals include the Jaguar, Collared Peccary, Howler Monkey, Spider Monkey, and Bushmaster Snake. Around 400 species of birds have been recorded, and the area is also very rich in arthropods (insects, arachnids, and crustaceans). 

La Selva is a hub for tropical ecology research and education. Nearly 250 scientific papers are published yearly from research conducted at the station - during our nature walks, we could see the areas that were flagged for research purposes.  There are facilities for about 100 researchers at the station, and hundreds of students from CR and other countries often spend part of their studies at the station. 

Corcovado National Park

During our trip to the Osa Peninsula we visited Corcovado National Park, which is part of the Osa Conservation Area. It was established in October 1975 and encompasses an area of 263 square miles. It is widely revered as Costa Rica's best in the extensive system of national parks and biological reserves spread throughout the country. National Geographic has even called it "the most biologically intense place on Earth." Its ability to impress tropical ecologists and simple tourists alike (due to its abundance of wildlife) has made it incredibly versatile and popular for all types of visitors.

The park conserves the largest primary forest on the American Pacific coastline and one of the few remaining considerable areas of lowland tropical rainforests in the world. The majority of lowland tropical rainforests have been rapidly decreasing in size due to the logging industry, which causes an obvious disruption that continues to diminish biodiversity in these areas. Unfortunately this means that even tourism, the economic incentive for Costa Rica to preserve and protect parks such as Corcovado, actually threatens the long-term biodiversity of the park.

Corcovado is home to a sizable population of the endangered Baird's Tapir and even a small population of the critically endangered Harpy Eagle. The park's rivers and lagoons are home to large populations of both the American crocodile and Spectacled Caiman, along with Bull sharks. Corcovado is also one of the final habitats for the Jaguar within Central America – we were lucky enough to see a Jaguar footprint during our nature walk. Several primates are very common within the park, including the endangered Central American Squirrel Monkey, White-faced Capuchin, Mantled Howler, and Geoffrey's Spider Monkey. Other mammals present include Two-toed and Three-toed Sloth, Northern Tamandua, and Silky Anteater. Poison Dart frogs and several species of snake (including the venomous Fer-de-Lance and Bushmaster) are also common within the park.

The abundance in wildlife can partially be explained by the variety of vegetation types. There are at least 13 types, including montane forest (more than half the park), cloud forest, jolillo forest, prairie forest, alluvial plains forest, swamp forest, freshwater herbaceous swamp, and mangrove. These different types combined hold over 500 tree species. Another reason for the diversity (as with all of Costa Rica) is that it lies on a north-south corridor for flora and fauna; part of the "land bridge" and wildlife corridor that links the large continents of North America and South America.

Due to the remoteness of the peninsula (we had to take a boat to get there), logging started in the1960s, but by 1975 there were plans for a major international logging operation. Researchers petitioned President Daniel Oduber to protect the area, which he did by making it a National Park. Unfortunately, some illegal gold mining still occurs using more destructive modern mining methods. Illegal logging is also a threat; although it is not frequent, the trees that are removed are scarce and essential to the ecosystem. Increased tourism has led to an increased presence of humans in the park, which may threaten the long-term survival of the park's larger mammals. To help combat the threat of over-exposure, many agencies and other groups have come together to provide aide to the conservation cause.

Chiquita & The Rainforest Alliance

On Friday, we visited the Chiquita plantation in Tortuguero. Two brand representatives discussed the company's efforts to become more sustainable with a specific focus on the recent collaboration with the Rainforest Alliance. In November of 2000, Chiquita Brands International, Inc. announced its decision to transform its farming practices in order to become a more environmentally friendly company. There was no better way to legitimize this claim than to have support from the Rainforest Alliance, whose organizational objective is to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices, and consumer behavior. The Rainforest Alliance monitors and verifies that Chiquita's farms meet the set environmental and social standards. By meeting these standards, Chiquita has improved water quality, instituted programs for recycling and safe waste disposal, dramatically decreased agrichemical use, and improved the quality of life for workers on all its company-owned farms in Latin America.

What does it mean to be Rainforest Alliance certified? Farms are awarded certification only after trained inspectors visit each farm and verify that changes are being made in accordance with the program's standards. As of the fall of 2000, the Rainforest Alliance has certified 100% of the farms owned by Chiquita in Latin America in addition to numerous independent producers who sell fruit to the company. 2/3 of Chiquita bananas sold on the US market come from farms that have been certified by the Rainforest Alliance as meeting its standards for rainforest conservation, wildlife protection, soil conservation, waste management, and worker benefits.

Chiquita has been at the forefront of banana farm innovation since 1992 when it became involved with the program. Chiquita has invested tens of millions of dollars in a very serious effort to become a more sustainable company. Some of the specific changes that have been made are implementing recycling programs and reforestation projects, modernizing warehouses, protecting rivers by setting up water filtration systems, designing safer and more comfortable packing plants, and instituting soil conservation measures. The company has also devoted a considerable amount of time and money to worker training, housing, schools, day care, and health and safety programs for employees and their children. Through all of Chiquita's efforts, the company has clearly demonstrated the value of conservation and the growing view that nature is an ally in crop production.

CARIBBEAN!!!

The weekend was amazing and it was finally sunny for our beach days! Sam, Emily, and I plan on moving to Puerto Viejo for a few years after we graduate because it is that awesome. Thursday we stayed at La Selva Research Station. We did a night hike and a morning hike (surprise surprise). Thank goodness we are done with hikes... pretty sure I have seen all of the same animals and trees 30 times by now. G-unit and Saul just love them so much. I was able to see a lot of red and blue poison dart frogs - they're really cute, too bad they're so deadly. Some random middle-aged hippie researchers invited us to a 'party' across the bridge. Needless to say, it was not much of a party and we ended up going to bed relatively early. Friday morning we went to the Chiquita plantation. We saw some more banana plants and learned about Chiquita's efforts to become a more sustainable company. During our walk through the botanical gardens, I stepped on a fire ant hill. There were about 20 fire ants biting my left foot... it actually felt like my foot was on fire. So now I have some more bug bites to add to the collection from the Osa... sweet life.


We finally arrived in Puerto Viejo (my future home) Friday evening. We walked around a bit before dinner and checked out the town. The smell of marijuana is present at all times throughout the entire town, I am convinced. The people were all very friendly and I did a bit of shopping - definitely some great jewelry. It was Emily's birthday and her mom met us at the hotel! Her and her friend stayed with us for 2 days before returning to the Marriott. Friday night we all went to the hotel bar for some karaoke. We sang some classic ballads (Alanis Morissette, The Beatles, Donna Summers, etc.) and then headed to Stanford's. We were actually trying to find a bar called Johnny's Place, but we could hear blaring base from across the bay so we had to follow it. Thank goodness we did because Stanford's was SO MUCH FUN! Right on the beach, tables and chairs in the sand, awesome music, strobe lights, fog machine, hot guys, another skanky lingerie show (must be a CR thing)... one of the most fun nights in CR so far.

Saturday morning we went snorkeling in Cahuita. It was the worst snorkeling I have ever experienced - I saw a manta ray and a few not very cool fish. There wasn't even much of a visible coral reef. I heard from Laura, one of the Veritas tour guides, that it was a great place to snorkel. Maybe the fish were sleeping or something, I don't really know. Sam and I had a great time regardless. We connected our life vests and just floated around in the Caribbean for an hour, trying to catch some rays through the clouds. After 'snorkeling' we all went to a nearby island for some pineapple, laying out, and wildlife watching. We finally saw a snake! It was bright yellow and apparently really poisonous. There were white-faced Capuchin monkeys all over the island - they were so cute and not afraid of people at all. They are notorious for stealing things from people - the guides kept trying to get rid of them so they wouldn't steal the fruit. 

We took the bus from Cahuita to Monzanillo, where we stayed Saturday and Sunday night. The hotel was probably the nicest one we have stayed in so far - right on the beach, swimming pool, awesome food. Despite this, I wish we would have stayed in Puerto Viejo the whole weekend because there was NOTHING to do in Monzanillo. Sam and I tried to convince people to take the 30 minute cab ride to Puerto Viejo both nights, but everyone was lame and no one would go. We thought going alone would guarantee getting raped (or mugged at the very least) so we hung out at the hotel. Drinking on the beach is not as fun as it sounds and definitely gets old quick. Some of the guys tried to make a bonfire on the beach last night... it was more of a campfire and it was fun for about 10 minutes. I went to bed before midnight both nights... what a bust. I did have the opportunity to see G-unit get pretty rowdy last night. He was downing shots all over the place... love it. Saturday morning was beautiful and sunny so we laid out for a solid 3 hours. I applied SPF 15 once, which was probably not the best idea, and I forgot to flip over so my front side is pretty sunburnt. Hopefully it will turn into tan asap because it is a bit painful. I'm just happy I was able to lay out on a beach without rain!

After breakfast this morning, we headed back to Puerto Viejo and were able to spend 2 hours doing whatever we wanted. Sam, Emily, and I were very successful shoppers (especially jewelry) and even had time to watch the surfers at the world-famous Salsa Brava wave (located directly in front of Standford's... I think it's fate). We stopped at the cutest little restaurant for some ice cream - I had the green tea flavor and it was delicious! We wanted to stay longer and lay out because it was sunny again this morning, but we had to get back on the bus. That's okay though because I plan on living in Puerto Viejo at some point in my life with Sam and Emily... we'll probably sell jewelry and work as bartenders or something. It will be fantastic.

We have our research papers due Wednesday, along with our presentations and final exam... tomorrow will not be a very fun day. I have procrastinated a bit so I am planning on pulling an all-nighter tomorrow night... reminds me of real school, weird. Some of us are going to Cuartel tonight for the last time (so sad). A really awesome reggae band is playing so I'm excited... I should probably be doing schoolwork, but you only live once and Cuartel is the best bar in San Jose. PURA VIDA!

Plantains

We always eat plantains at our house and at Veritas so I thought I would research them a bit. Plantains tend to be be firmer and lower in sugar content than bananas. Bananas are often eaten raw, while plantains usually require cooking or other forms of processing. Plantains can be used when they are green or under-ripe (and therefore starchy) or brown-spotted and overripe (and therefore sweet). Plantains are a staple in the tropical regions of the world, including Costa Rica, and treated in much the same way as potatoes. They are grown as far north as Florida; other regions include Central America, South America, the Canary Islands, Egypt, Nigeria, and southern Japan or Taiwan.

Plantains can be used for cooking at any stage of ripeness, but only very ripe plantains can be eaten raw. As the plantain ripens, it becomes sweeter and its color changes from green to yellow to black, just like the banana. Green plantains are firm and starchy, and taste somewhat like potatoes. Yellow plantains are softer and starchy, and have a sweet taste. Extremely ripe plantains are softer, deep yellow pulp that is much sweeter than the earlier stages of ripeness. Plantains in the yellow to black stages can be used in sweet dishes. Steam-cooked plantains are considered a nutritious food for infants and the elderly. A ripe plantain is used as food for infants at weaning because it is believed to be more easily digestible than ripe banana.

Another common form that I have seen many times in CR is plantain chips. After removing the skin, unripe fruit can be sliced and deep-fried to produce chips. I have not tried them yet, but I plan on it before leaving CR.

OSA PENINSULA

White water rafting on Saturday was sooooo much fun! The weather was beautiful and the river was high from all of the rain so it was basically the perfect day. There were 6 people to a boat and 1 guide - mine was definitely the best. It was Sam, Nolan, Jamie, Big John, JP, me, and our guide´s name was NINJA... how sweet is that??? Since our boat was the bomb, none of us fell out... we did jump out to frolick in the river. Saturday night, a lot of us went to Nova, a bar/dance club in San Pedro. There was a dress code so a bunch of the guys couldn´t get in, which reduced our group to 6 people but it was still fun.

Sunday, we all went to the Osa Peninsula. The bus ride took forever and at one point, we all had to get off the bus to avoid a near-death experience. The road we had planned on taking was flooded and the alternate route involved crossing this really narrow and not very sturdy bridge. The bus actually got stuck and all the guys had to push it. The bridge was close to a bar and this hilarious toothless shirtless old drunk guy kept babbling to our group in Spanish... I think he made friends with Paul haha. After the 8 hour bus ride, we took a 1 hour boat ride to Drake Bay. Sam and I sat in the front and had way too much fun with the huge waves. Our lodge was so gorgeous, in the middle of the jungle, and the staff was sooooo nice. They cooked me the most delicious vegetarian food! It was brand new - we were actually the first group to stay there so I think they were trying really hard to impress us.

Monday, we took a boat to Corcovado National Park and did some nature walks. We saw crocodiles, frogs, leaf-cutter ants, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, scarlet macaws (my personal favorite), and lots of crazy trees! We swam in two different waterfalls. I jumped into a shallow part at the first waterfall, jammed my bad knee (it´s sore now), and crushed my toes into a rock. Then, I had to put my bloody toes back into my soaking wet hiking shoes... I kind of felt like I was on Survivor or something. The weather was perfect and I would have liked to stay on the beach and lay out for hours, but we had to go back to the lodge for some unknown reason.

Yesterday was our designated beach day, and it was raining/overcast the whole day (yes, we have sweet luck). We took boats to Canoe Island to do some swimming and snorkeling. There were crabs all over the beach, and Sam and I saw a really sweet purple and orange one... it was crazy. The sky cleared up a bit, but the sun never broke through the clouds, which was depressing. I was changing the bandaids on my crippled toes, and these tiny chigger bugs bit me all over my feet! I was lucky compared to Saul - they got both of his legs. The mosquitos were ruthless too, and I think I have accumulated at least 50 bug bites on my body... itchyyy. Since we were staying in the middle of the jungle, there were not too many nighttime options. We hung out at the lodge every night and played tons of card games... Steve-o and I are definitely the best Kemps duo ever created. The owner, Fernando, was so fun - he bought us all a round of tequila shots and filled the water cooler with some sort of delicious fruity drink. I have now officially drank real jungle juice haha. Fernando told people that our group was coming in so some of the locals came to the bar last night. There was an interesting character named Dave - moved to CR from Miami, FL 5 years ago, claimed he was 21 but looked much older, had a kid a few years ago, broke up with his baby´s mama 2 days ago because she cheated on him, deformed his elbow in a motorcycle accident... he told PJ his whole life story haha.

Of course the weather was beautiful and sunny today when we had to be on the bus forever... I do think I got a little bit tanner though. Hopefully, I will be super dark after the weekend in Puerto Viejo. Beach, sun, rastafarians, souvenir shopping... I cannot wait!!! Being on boats the past few days has made me really excited for the chain and Eagle River when I get home, yayy!