06:25 So I am on the bus, luckily you
just have to show up and board early to get tickets or a seat, and I am 90%
sure it says Malpais on the front of the bus.
I had a little bit of worry while at this “Coca Cola” bus stop, sitting
alone with a couple of odd looking characters about, as well as some sweet
Costa Rican ladies who smiled and were very polite. I now have 6 stops to go until I am to
hopefully meet a guy named Elias as I step try to get off the bus at Malpais
and be taken into the reserve. Looking
at all the mountains, trees and greenery makes me wish I was in the park
already. It’s hard to be locked away in
a tin can with all that nature so close but no worries now, not long to go! Now I have set foot in the tropics once again
I have turned into a completely different human being my family don’t even
see. I just feel myself, so comfortable,
happy and have a sense of belonging to such a place, and for not one second thought
of that grey country I have left behind.
13:20 Well I was about to write my next
entry here however have just been interrupted by the female scientist (DL) as there is my first Howler Monkey just outside
somewhere...
17:05 She said “Would you like to go see
a Howler Monkey?” I said yes, expecting it to be a bit more than 10 feet away
from us.
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| An Arms Reach Away... My First Howler Monkey (D.Philpot) |
I have only really just dropped
my luggage into my room as I have been told that the first student group is to
arrive in a couple of hours. Just been
briefly orientated to the site and I love it here already, I cannot possibly
put it into words but hopefully as you read my entries you will be able to
envision such a place. As the somewhat
sketchy bus journey with me sitting and worrying on the ferry is quickly
forgotten I can tell you about my first sightings a bit more.
Elias helped me into the park with my
luggage, the road is tricky to navigate as it edges dubiously around the
coastal fringes with just a few metres to the water’s edge and I bumped my head
quite a lot as the vehicle bounced about while I looked outside. I could not understand this guys’ accent at
all, I do not believe I will ever have a conversation with him during my time
here. Before we even made it to the park
I stopped to watch some parrots fly overhead which was a beautiful sight, made
me sorry that humans have destroyed most of the worlds’ natural beauty.
Now seeing that howler monkey was
awesome, I looked at the guy (clearly a guy, with his white testicles dangling
about) trying hard not to smile too much or bare my teeth and thought to myself
what an opportunity I have.
I am sorry about this haphazard order,
but while immersed in primate watching DL got me some fresh lemonade, and then
a coati came into the open yard area. I
was shocked because I wasn’t even aware that they would be that common in Costa
Rica as DL told me, and I instantly fell in love with the adorably cute animal. Am now just sitting here waiting for this
first group to arrive anytime, where I will basically just be sitting in among
the students as one of them and shadowing all we do with them for the next few
days. DL told me the interesting story
about the secondary forest lining the beach with us and all over the Nicoya
Peninsula in that almost 50 years ago 85% of what I had seen was farmland so
most of the park had simply regrown.
This I felt was special as it shows what potential parks can have and
what happens to an area when left alone by humans, one aspect of the planet I
wish most humans knew.
20:15 Getting an early night tonight,
even though the day in New York sorted my body clock out I think this is
necessary, and breakfast is at 07:00am so need to get used to that. I have now met the students of Lee High
University, who are nice and I now look forward to the fish lectures and to
learning everything about this park.
My first photos of surely one of my top 3 favourite animals here - The Coati or Coatimundi (Pizote):
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| Coati By The Kitchen (D.Philpot) |
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| Coati In A Tree (D.Philpot) |
Please click "Older Posts" (bottom-right here) to navigate to the next few posts in my blog, or see the contents page at the top. There are 235 posts in total... many more photos and lots of interesting stories of my adventure to encounter - onwards!!!