Year: 2019

Oct 25 2019

By Annelise

On our jungle walks these past few days I learned some interesting new things.

My new vocabulary words are

Prehensile: The term to describe when a tail is used to wrap around and grasp a limb for example. The Spider Monkey has a prehensile tail whereas the Squirrel monkey does not

Phenoplastic: When an organism can alter its gene expression depending on its environment. i.e. leaves at the bottom of a tree may have a very different shape that those near the top of the canopy.

We learned about the phenomenon of multi-species flocks of birds in which a mating pair from different species flock together to avoid territory of others of their type while maintaining the benefit of a group to alert from predators and spot prey/food. The manner one bird seeks food helps another; plucking fruit dislodges bugs, etc. Another opportune relationship is that of the double-toothed kite who follows troupes of squirrel monkeys through the forest and swoops up the snakes, and lizards that fall from the branches as the monkeys swing from limb to limb.

We learned about leaf cutter ants that seek out foliage with compounds that support the growth of the fungus they eat for food that will grow on the leaves once brought back to their colony. The trees however detect that they are being fed on and they begin to produce compounds that will inhibit the fungal growth. Ants detect this change and stop feeding on that tree. Furthermore, that tree will signal through hormones in the root system to nearby trees to begin producing the inhibiting compounds. Thus, the industrious ants may walk for great lengths across the forest floor for leaves, creating clear paths and tunnels to their colonies. These colonies are complex structures with chimneys to ventilate and meet the humidity and temperature requirements of the fungus. In another example the acacia tree has nectar pods to attract a particular ant and wide hollow thorns for those ants to live in. These ants will bite the lips of deer nibbling on the tree and hence they act as a deterrent. They also create a urine that is so acidic it prevents the growth of plants under the acacia canopy that would compete for nutrients.

We learned about the strangling fig tree, in Spanish – Matapalo (tree killer). This tree does not have seeds that start at the forest floor and then send a sapling to find light through the canopy. The Matapalo fig fruit is deposited near the top of another tree by a bird or monkey. The tree then sends vine roots down the trunk that, as they grow, strangle the tree that had supported them until they are thick enough to support the fig canopy on their own and continue to develop a thick lattice like truck while the dead tree rots away. Why more tree species do not use such an effective method to reach to sun is strange. It is certainly less energy than the strategy of the walking palm tree as it grows new roots to “walk” into the sunlight”

The list of wildlife we are seeing nearly doubles by the day. I could spend hours watching a troupe of squirrel monkeys (think Mr Nelson of Pippi Longstocking) feed and travers the forest.  They are so busy and gregarious. I could easily fall in love with the occupation of naturalist guide; learning, teaching others while spending most my working hours walking in pristine surroundings. What I am left with these past couple days is renewed wonder at the complexity in the evolutionary process to create such intricate relationships and behaviors between organisms to support survival. These precious hard-won connections are tenacious yet fragile in their way; intolerant of ignorance or repurposing habitat.

A full but not exhaustive list of wildlife we met in Costa Rica:

Birds: Crested Caracara, Turquoise-browed motmot, Cinnamon hummingbird, Green breasted mango hummingbird, Inca dove, Great Kiskadee, White-thrated magpie jay, Groove billed ani, White Ibis, Black Guan, Squirrel Cuckoo, Scarlet Macaw, Green Hermit Hummingbird, Chesnut mandibled Toucan, Common Black hawk, Great tinamou, Great curassow, Orange bellied manakin, Double toothed kite, Magnificent frigate bird, Crested guan, Cherrie’s tanager

Mammals: Agouti, White-nosed coati, Variegated Squirell, Howler Monkey, White-faced capuchin monkey, Squirrel Monkey, Spider Monkey, Collared Peccary, Three-toed Sloth, Long-nose bat, Tamandia or collared anteater, Red Brocket Deer, Humpback whale, Pan tropical spotted dolphin

Reptiles: Green iguana, Black Ctenosour, House Gecko, Slender Anole, Central American whiptail lizard, Spectacled caiman, American Crocodile, Fer-de-lance snake

Amphibians; Cane toad, Marine toad, Smokey jungle frog

Butterfly: Blue Morpho and Small postman

Innumerable others too when I did not have my field guides with me.

Oct 24 2019

By Annelise

Osacursion: the particular wet, tranquil, wild adventure to be had on the Osa Peninsula – my newly coined word

The Osa peninsula sticks out on the southern Pacific coastline of Costa Rica south of the Rio Sierpe. The region was not as much part of the logging boom in the early 20^th century and hence the jungle is primarily old growth and supports the greatest range of biodiversity in the country.  The majority of the peninsula is now Corcovado National Park. Costa Rica contains five percent of the global biodiversity and Corcovado contains at least half of that. If you have a stretch of time in Costa Rica it is recommended you visit this hard to get to Crown Jewel on the National Park system

As this is rainy season making the river crossings on the primary roads in on the peninsula a certainty, options to get to Corcovado are either by ferry crossing Gulfo de Dulce to Puerto Jimenez or by panga boat down the Rio Sierpe to the community of Drake Bay and from there by boat to the Ranger stations on the pacific side. We were told that practically speaking the drive to Gulfo de Dulce was a good 8-9 hours from Samara, and not wanting to drive and navigate after dark, opted to go to Sierpe for the night and catch the ferry down the river the following morning. The drive from Samara to Sierpe was easy along paved roads the whole way; much of the southern portion flanked on both sides by miles of oil palm plantations (said to have replaced the Chiquita-Standard Fruit banana plantations about 20-30 years ago). After boarding the open boat with 2-butt bench seats on either side and a sun cover, the gear is stowed in a not too water tight bow compartment – keep in mind how much I have mentioned of tropical rains. The trip down river is fast and smooth. The mangroves stretch for miles to the sea. At that point things change significantly as your captain skillfully takes the panga through the crashing surf and waves out beyond the breakers. Haakon and Mark were envious of the surfable waves and Siri grinned ecstatically, reminded of Great America amusement park rides. The remainder of the journey is like a poor man’s chiropractic session readjusting your spine over rolling waves passing pristine, palm-lined, deserted beaches. At the stops along the way the boat backs onto a beach, raises their 300 HP outboard motor and passengers hop on and off between incoming waves. Our first boat had life vests though no one was asked to wear one, the second from Drake Bay to our lodge did not have any at all (note-if traveling with young children consider bringing your own). I am sure the kids will describe the boat adventure in more detail in their posts.

We are not staying in Drake Bay but rather another 15km south along the coast at Jungla Del Jaguar. The location is the last place to stay before the park and there are miles of trails into the jungle for guided or self-guided hiking on the 160-acre property. The couple (and American Midwife and a Jack-of-all-trades) who started this place met in Southern Costa Rica during the 1970s and built a subsistence farm at this remote outpost.  The farm had cacao trees, mango, guava, banana, coconut trees, medicinal plants; they raised rabbits and traded with neighbors. By the late 90s the kids were near high school age and the family returned to the US, to Port Townsend of all places. The property gradually expanded to an environmental research station and lodge, with an emphasis on the later in 2014.  The focus remains on sustainable living practices and eco-centric tourism. The current proprietor, the youngest of six children raised here, is an expert fisherman and typically spearfishes for the daily catch.

The staff here are very kind. The chef, Fernando, sings while creating wonderful dishes. The current volunteer naturalist guide, James, is here guiding jungle walks and writing up some of his research for his masters. He is originally from near Austin Texas and studied biology with a focus on sustainable forestry and reforestation. I am not certain if it is his field time for his education or Texas roots that helped him catch the Fer-de-Lance snake that was slithering near our cabin last night (bring a headlamp for after dark in the tropics). He led us on an interesting 4 hour walk through the primary and secondary forest on the property. None of the greenery looks anything like the Northwest forests at home, any recognizable plant looks like a giant-sized house plant. At night we poke out to the banana trees to see if the Tapirs are grazing – I hope to spot one before we leave. We sit on the veranda to read and watch the white faced capuchin monkey troupe scamper through the palms, and tanagers and hummingbirds in the garden. We walk to a black sand beach with a waterfall, caves and tide pools. We sleep to the sound of waves, marine and smokey jungle toad song, and wake to a bird chior or monkey chatter.

The lodge partners with Drake Bay Divers for some tours to Corcovado and to Cano Island. The second day, we took a tour to Corcovado National Park Sirena Ranger station. Our guide for Corcovado, Breyner, lives in Drake Bay, and has been working in the park for the past 19 years. He is a delightful treasure trove of information and humor, not to mention animal calls. The guides in the park are like a family and eager to share with each other where they have spotted animals so that all the groups on tours that day see the most possible. You can also stay overnight at the Sierna ranger station in beautiful open bunk/hostel with mosquito netting to each bunk. Then you would experience additional afternoon, evening and early morning tours which undoubtedly would reveal even more wildlife, including the tapir which eluded us this trip.

We have had a mixture of pouring rain and sun while here though it rains at least every day. On our first walk it poured most of the time, making animals scarce and increased gratitude for the borrowed rain boots as we slopped and squished through the red clay mud. For the Corcovado tour we were blessed with sunny weather and gentle tide; hence the boat was able to wet dock vs us meeting the boat by kayak beyond the surf. Basically, you have to be fine with being damp most of the time; sweat in the 90% humidity or being in warm rain. An unhappy consequence of all that damp in Costa Rica is that all but the fastest drying gear will not dry in 24 hours, so you may lose the battle against the mighty mildew

We can easily feel the remoteness of the place as it must have been in the 1970s and need for flexibility and creatively and cooperation to overcome obstacles. The very otherness of the all we see, hear, taste and feel helps to separate oneself from old expectations and routines for better or worse. Far beyond the end of the road, this is truly a place to unplug. Literally- at the moment the solar panel electricity system is not working, as such there is power for 2.5 hours in the evening when they run the generator. Due to this the Wifi also is not functioning most of the time. This is fine by me but less so for the pre-teens in in our clan. Lastly, the owner is also out of the country this week, hence so are the spear-fished dishes on the menu; except when staff here were able to fish them from the rocks or boat.

If you are looking to experience tropical Jungle and remote coast when in Costa Rica with at least a short week to spend, the Osa peninsula is worth the trek.

10-12-2019

Ubiquitous in Costa Rica, and totally “tico” is Pura vida.

Pura vida, you can use it in almost any situation. It is used as a greeting and as a farewell; you can use it for “I’m doing well” or “Everything’s cool”. It is a warm, comfortable greeting, “Hola, pura vida” (think “aloha”). It is a toast, “Salúd, pura vida.” It is a friendly goodbye “Ciao, pura vida”. It also can be used for “You’re welcome” or “No worries”–or just about any exclamation like “That’s great!”  It is also a way to shrug off frustration; you can use it for “Oh well!” or “That’s life!”

Pura vida does translate literally as “pure life.” But like most literal translations, that isn’t actually the best or most accurate English explanation, maybe the most accurate, equivalent translation of pura vida is: Nothing But Life.

I like this phrase for all its uses but mainly for the fact that it does seem to focus attention on positive connection to those around you and to the moment; frustrations pass, life just keeps flowing.

I have been trying to orient myself to pura vida not just for curiosity but for necessity. As a mom these past couple weeks have been more challenging. The kids were feeling both homesick and cabin fever, alternating or at the same time and moods were as stormy as the weather. Meanwhile I still had to spend several hours daily studying for class and plan our next stops on this journey not to mention groceries, dinner, la-di-da. I knew there were going to be periods in our travels like this – no fun…oh well…pura vida.

Storms here can be loud, very loud, with lightening flashes and a second later thunder cracking overhead, meanwhile torrents of rain beating on the patio roof (I could use some of the noise canceling head phones they use on aircraft carriers). At times I am nearly swimming home in an atmospheric river, yet the water is warm and sweet. I arrive dripping wet in need of a towel but not chilled with numb fingers and toes. As long as there is no thunder/lightening we have a cure for rain induced captivity – go swimming. Yesterday we just walked to the beach in the rain and went surfing, perfectly comfortable 80 degrees. Knowing my aim was to get wet in the sea anyway it was nicer than a walk in 80 degrees with >80% humidity. Today, I waited for a nice gentle rain to go for a run on the beach near low tide; no need to sweat in the humidity when you can run in temperate rain. Siri even joined me and took a few plunges into the waves along the way – comfortably wet anyhow. Pura Vida, it’s raining!

Last week, just as Siri’s homesick cantankerousness was near crescendo, we met a lovely family living nearby with a 3 daughters – Pura Vida! Pool play, boogie boarding became significantly more fun. The dad, a biology teacher from Portland and 2 time visitor to the Galapagos, readily shared his enthusiasm and excitement helping to dispel any doubts about whether a stop in the Galapagos was a good idea. Later we found that my father was able to refigure his agenda and can now join my mother to meet us there. Pura-vida, for timing!

This week will be our last week in Samara and last week in Spanish Language school. I will be focusing on keeping my regular and irregular past, present, and future tense verb conjugations in their right place. It is also a good reminder to keep my thoughts out of the past, steadily on the present and only enough in the future to create a decent plan.

Ciao -pura vida!